they were expelled from France in the year 1560, and from Spain in 1591; and the Government of England took the alarm much earlier, for in 1530 they are described (Stat. 22 Hen. VIII. c. x.) as an ‘outlandish people calling themselves Egyptians, using no craft nor feat of merchandise, who have come into this realm and gone from shire to shire, and place to place, in great company, and used great, subtle, and crafty means to deceive the people, and also have committed many heinous felonies and robberies.' Wherefore they are directed to avoid the realm and not to return under pain of imprisonment and forfeiture of their goods and chattels; and, upon their trials for any felony which they may have committed, they shall not be entitled to a jury de medietate lingua. And afterwards it was enacted by statutes 1 and 2 Ph. and Mary, c. iv., and by 5 Eliz. c. xx., that if any such persons shall be imported into the kingdom, the importers shall forfeit forty pounds. And if the Egyptians themselves remain one month in the kingdom, or if any person, being fourteen years old, whether natural-born subject or stranger, which hath been seen or found in the fellowship of such Egyptians, or which hath disguised him or herself like them, shall remain in the same one month at one or several times, it is felony without benefit of clergy. And Sir Matthew Hale informs us that, at one Suffolk assize, no less than thirteen persons were executed upon these statutes a few years before the Restoration. But, to the honour of our national humanity, there are no instances more modern than this of carrying these laws into practice." Thus far Blackstone. "Their first appearance was in Germany since the year 1400," says Sir Thomas Browne. "Nor were they observed before in any other parts of Europe, as is deducible from Munster, Genebrard, Crantsius, and Ortelius." In The Art of Jugling and Legerdemaine (1612) we read thus― "These kinde of People about an hundred yeares agoe, about the twentieth yeare of King Henry the eight, began to gather an head, at the first heere about the southerne parts, and this (as I am informed) and as I can gather, was their beginning. Certaine Egiptians, banished their country (belike not for their good conditions), arrived heere in England, who being excellent in quaint tricks and devises, not known heere at that time among us, were esteemed and had in great admiration, for what with strangeness of their attire and garments, together with their sleights and legerdemaines, they were spoke of farre and neere, insomuch that many of our English Loyterers joyned with them, and in time learned their crafte and cosening. The Speach which they used was the right Egyptian Language, with whome our Englishmen conversing with, at least learned their Language. These people continuing about the Country in this fashion, practising their cosening art of fast and loose and legerdemaine, purchased themselves great credit among the country people, and got much by balmistry and telling of fortunes: insomuch they pitifully cosened the poor Country Girles, both of Money, silver Spones, and the best of their Apparrell, or any good thing they could make, onely to heare their fortunes.""This Giles Hather (for so was his name) together with his whore Kit Calot, in short space had following them a pretty traine, he terming himself the King of the Egyptians, and she the Queene, ryding about the Country at their pleasure incontrolld." He then mentions the statute against them of the 1st and 2d of Philip and Mary, on which he observes : "But what a number were executed resently upon this statute, you would wonder: yet, notwithstanding, all would not prevaile but still they wandred, as before, up and downe, and meeting ›nce in a yeere at a place appointed: sometimes at the Devils A-in Peake in Darbishire, and otherwhiles at Ketbrooke by Blackheath, or elsewhere, as they agreed still at their Meeting." Speaking of his own time, he adds: "These fellowes seeing that no profit comes by wandring, but hazard of their lives, do daily decrease and breake off their wonted society, and betake themselves, many of them, some to be Pedlers, some Tinkers, some Juglers, and some to one kinde of life or other." Twiss in his Travels bears testimony to their presence in very large numbers in Murcia, Cordova, Cadiz, and Ronda. "The race of these vagabonds is found," he writes, "in every part of Europe. The French call them Bohemians, the Italians Zingari, the Germans Ziegenners, the Dutch Heydenen (Pagans), the Portuguese Siganos, and the Spaniards Gitanos, in Latin Cingari. Their language, which is peculiar to themselves, is everywhere so similar that they undoubtedly are all derived from the same source. They began to appear in Europe in the fifteenth century, and are probably a mixture of Egyptians and Ethiopians. The men are all thieves, and the women libertines. They follow no certain trade, and have no fixed religion. They do not enter into the order of Society, wherein they are only tolerated. It is supposed there are upwards of 40,000 of them in Spain, great numbers of whom are innkeepers in the villages and small towns, and are everywhere fortune-tellers. In Spain they are not allowed to possess any lands, or even to serve as soldiers. They marry among themselves, stroll in troops about the country, and bury their dead under water. They are contented if they can procure food by showing feats of dexterity, and only pilfer to supply themselves with the trifles they want, so that they never render themselves liable to any severer chastisement than whipping for having stolen chickens, linen, and the like. Most of the men have a smattering of physic and surgery, and are skilled in tricks performed by sleight of hand." For the foregoing estimate Twiss owns his obligations to a preceding writer; and the statement as to the abandoned character of the whole gipsy race he qualifies as being too sweeping. At a Provincial Council held at Tarragona in 1591, a decree was passed against them on the score of their being liars, thieves, and cheats, and otherwise obnoxious: "Curandum etiam est ut publici magistratus eos coerceant qui se Ægyptiacos vel Bohemianos vocant, quos vix constat esse Christianos nisi ex eorum relatione; cum tamen sint mendaces fures, et deceptores, et aliis sceleribus multi eorum assueti." Indeed, the reputation of being cheats and pilferers has universally attended them; witness Dufresne's definition of them, and the curious etchings of them by Callot. "Ægyptiaci," says Dufresne, "vagi homines, harioli ac fatidici, qui hac et illac errantes ex manus inspectione futura præsagire se fingunt, ut de marsupiis incantorum nummos corrogent." Nor does the engraver represent them more favourably than the lexicographer, for, besides his inimitable delineation of their dissolute mode of life, he has accompanied his plates with verses which are far from celebrating their honesty. In Pasquier's Recherches de la France we read of the arrival in Paris, on the 17th of August 1427, of twelve penitents (as they called themselves)—a duke, an earl, and ten men, all on horseback and pro fessing to be exemplary Christians. They were of Lower Egypt, and represented that the Christians had at no distant date subdued their country and obliged them to embrace Christianity on pain of being put to death. Those who were baptized were great lords in their own country, which had a king and queen at the head of affairs. Some time after their conversion the Saracens overran their country and compelled them to renounce the Christian faith. When the Emperor of Germany, the King of Poland, and other orthodox princes heard of this, they fell upon them and forced them all, great and small alike, to quit their territory and to go to the Pope at Rome, who by way of penance bade them wander over the world without lying in a bed. However, in addition to his blessing he gave them letters directing every bishop and abbot to bestow ten livres tournois once upon them. It appears that they had been wandering five years when they came to Paris, where they were lodged by the police, outside the city, at Chapel St. Denis. Nearly all of them had their ears bored, and one or two wore silver rings therein, which they said was esteemed ornamental in their country. The men were very black and had their hair curled, while the women were also black and remarkably ugly, their faces being scarred; with black hair after the manner of a horse's tail, and their sole habit being an old shaggy garment tied over the shoulder with a cloth or cord-sash, and under that a poor petticoat or shift. In short, they were the sorriest wretches that had ever been seen in France; and, notwithstanding their own poverty, there were among them women who told people's fortunes by inspection of their hands, et meirent contens en plusieurs mariages; "for they said, Thy wife has played thee false (ta femme t'a fait coup); and, what was worse, they picked people's pockets and got the money into their own by telling these things by art, magic, intervention of the devil, or a certain knack." Pasquier adds that they were expelled from France in 1561. Towards the end of the last century, Scotland, as we learn from the Statistical Account, seems to have been overrun with gipsies. Of the parish of Eaglesham in Renfrewshire we read: "The place is oppressed, with gangs of gipsies, commonly called tinkers or randybeggars." In Scotland, indeed, they appear to have enjoyed a certain degree of indulgence, for a writ of Privy Seal, dated 1549, supports John Faw, "Lord and Earl of Little Egypt," in the execution of justice on his company and folk conformably to the laws of Egypt, and in punishing certain persons therein named who rebelled against him, left him, robbed him, and refused to return home with him. The subjects of King James are commanded to assist in their apprehension, and to aid Faw and his adherents to return home. In 1553 issued a similar writ by Mary Queen of Scots, and in 1554 he obtained pardon for the murder of Nunan Small. Thus it seems that Faw made a long stay in Scotland, as he possibly did also in England; and from him strolling people, it is likely, derived the name, still current, of Faw gang. The Gentleman's Magazine for 1785 quotes an entry from an Edinburgh Privy Seal book: "Letters of Defence and Concurrence to John Fall, Lord and Earl of Little Egypt, for assisting him in the execution of Justice upon his Company, conform to the Laws of Egypt, Feb. 15, 1540;"-and thereupon the comment is that these were the Articles of Association for the internal government of this band of gipsies, and for their mutual defence and security, "the embroiled and infirm state of the Scotch nation at that time not permitting them to repress or restrain a combination of vagrants, who had got above the laws and erected themselves into a separate community as a set of banditti." In Lodge's Illustrations of British History is a curious letter from the justices of Durham to the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord President of the Council in the North, dated Duresme, 19th January 1549, on the subject of the Faws "Pleasyth yor good Lordship t'understaund, John Roland, oon of that sorte of people callinge themsellfes Egiptians, dyd before us accuse Babtist Fawe, Amy Fawe, and George Fawe, Egiptians, that they had counterfeate the Kyngs Maties greate Seale: wherupon we caused th' above named Babtist, Amye, and George, to be apprehended by th'officers, who, emongst other things, dyd find one wryting with a greate Seall moche like to the Kings Maties greate Seall, which we, bothe by the wrytinge, and also by the Seall, do suppose to be counterfeate and feanyd; the which Seall we do send to your Lherwith, by post, for triall of the same. Signifieing also to yo' L. that we have examynet the said Babtist, Amye, and George, upon the said matter; who doithe afferme and saye, with great othes and execracions, that they never dyd see the said Seall before this tyme, and that they dyd not counterfeate it; and that the said John Roland is their mortall enemye, and haithe often tymes accused the said Babtist before this, and is moche in his debte, as appeareth by ther wrytinges redy to be shewed, for the whiche money the said John doithe falsly all he can agaynst them, and, as they suppose, the above-named John Koland, or some of his complices, haithe put the counterfeate Seall emongst there wrytyngs; with such lyke sayngs. Wherfor we have co'mit all th'above named Egiptians to the gaoll of Duresme, to such tyme as we do knowe your L. pleasor in the premises. And thus Almightie God preserve your good L. in moche honor. At Duresme this 19th of Januarye, 1549. Yo' Lordship's assured, To the right honorable and or sing❜ler GEORGE CONYERS, Since the repeal in 1788 of the Act against this class of people, their numbers have declined. They are still, however, to be met with, and claim to be proficient in palmistry; nor are their notiona respecting meum and tuum one whit less vague than they were before. Johnny Faa, the Gypsie Laddie, is the title of a well-know Scotch song; and in the north of England gipsies continue to be called after this ruler of historic celebrity. An advertisement in the Newcastle Courant of 27th July 1754 offers a reward for the apprehension of John Fall and Margaret his wife, William Fall and Jace (otherwise Ann) his wife, and others of the party, "commonly called or known by the name of Fawes." In Strype's Annals mention occurs of a treatise by William Bulleja, Of Simples and Surgery (1562), in which the author deals with our subject referring to "dog-leaches, Egyptians, and Jews!" "They buy some gross stuff, with a box of salve, and cases of tools, to set forth their slender market withal. Then they fall to palmistry and telling of fortunes, daily deceiving the simple, like unto the swarms of vagabonds, Egyptians, and some that call themselves Jews, whose eyes were so sharp as Lynx; for they see all the people with their knacks, pricks, domifying, and figuring, with suchlike fantasies; feigning that they have familiars and glasses whereby they may find things that be lost. And besides them are infinite of old, doltish witches with blessings for the fair and conjuring of cattle." Gay's lines present a vivid picture— "Last Friday eve, when, as the sun was set, I near yon stile three sallow gipsies met. Bid me beware, and thrice their heads they shook. The following description of the gipsy by the author of the Pleasure of Memory may fitly close this section of the Antiquities "Down by yon hazel copse, at evening, blaz'd Whose dark eyes flash'd thro' locks of blackest shade, And heroes fled the Sybil's mutter'd call, Whose elfin prowess scal'd the orchard wall. As o'er my palm the silver piece she drew, And trac'd the line of life with searching view, How throbb'd my fluttering pulse with hopes and fears, OBSOLETE VULGAR PUNISHMENTS. CUCKING-STOOL; ALSO CALLED TUMBREL, TRIBUCH, TREBUCHET, AND THEWE. HE cucking-stool was an engine devised for the punishment of Educk and unquiet women, by ducking them in the water; the fenders being placed in a stool or chair attached to the extremity of long pole prior to their immersion in a muddy or stinking pond. he name Blount is disposed to regard as a corruption of duckingool, while others derive it from choking-stool. The use of this |