Ireland, to use an expression applied by the Germans to those States and parties which oppose the unity of the Empire, which has been and is her greatest misfortune; for, as in the case of our own Scotland, a nation may preserve all that is best and noblest in its national traditions, without placing itself in a position of obstruction and separation in the British Parliament.

With this reservation, we readily express our unqualified admiration of the industry and good taste with which Mr. Lecky has placed before his readers the leading features in the social history of England during the first half of the eighteenth century. They are in fact much more instructive and interesting than a barren narrative of battles and sieges, or than the contests of rival statesmen in the Cabinet or in the House of Commons. He has some of the best qualities of an historian, though not all of them, and above all a thoughtfulness and fairness which lead to a just appreciation of the meaning of events and the motives of men. We shall await with interest the continuation of his labours, which will bring him into more animated and eventful scenes, and we trust he will give us (as he is well able to do) a just and ample picture of the reign of George III. down to the epoch of the French Revolution.

ART. IV.-1. Ueber die Mundarten und Wanderungen der Zigeuner Europa's. Von Dr. FRANZ MIKLOSICH. Denkschriften der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Wien: 1872-7.

2. Etude sur les Tchinghianés ou Bohémiens de l'Empire OttoPar ALEXANDRE G. PASPATI, D.M. Constantinople: 1870.

man.

3. Zigeunerisches. Von G. J. ASCOLI. Halle: 1865. 4. Die Einwanderung der Zigeuner in Europa. Ein Vortrag von CARL HOPF. Gotha: 1870.

5. De l'apparition et de la dispersion des Bohémiens en Europe; Nouvelles Recherches, &c. Par PAUL BATAILLARD. Paris: 1844, 1849.

6. Die Zigeuner in ihrem Wesen und in ihrer Sprache. Von Dr. jur. RICHARD LIEBICH. Leipzig: 1863.

7. Die Zigeuner in Europa und Asien. Von Dr. A. F. POTT. Halle: 1844-5.

8. Romano Lavo-Lil:

Word-book of the Romany. By

GEORGE BORROW. London: 1874.

LATE ATE in the year 1417 the Hanseatic towns on the Baltic coasts and at the mouth of the Elbe were startled out of their commercial propriety by a novel and fantastic apparition. A horde of swarthy and sinister figures, in aspect and manners strangely unlike any samples of humanity which had till then come within the range of the worthy burghers' experience, suddenly appeared before the gates, first of Luneburg, then successively of Hamburg, Lübeck, Wismar, Rostock, and Stralsund. They were, the chroniclers inform us, uncouth in form as well as hideous in complexion, and their whole exterior betokened the lowest depth of poverty and degradation. The wretchedness of their plight was rendered more spicuous by the bizarre fragments of Oriental finery with which it was sought to modify or conceal it. An ample cloak, draped in classic fashion, and striped with gay colours, which, though half obliterated by time and travel, still recalled the fabrics of Tunis or Damascus, usually disguised the filth and raggedness of their remaining apparel. Even when this relic of dignified costume was absent, a gaudy handkerchief or brilliant cockade never failed to denote the grotesque solicitude of these singular strangers for the adornment of their unprepossessing persons. The women and young children travelled in

con

rude carts, drawn by asses or mules; the men trudged alongside, casting fierce and suspicious glances at those they met from underneath their lowering brows; the elder children, unkempt and half-clad, swarmed in every direction, calling with shrill cries the attention of the passers-by to their uncommon feats of jugglery and legerdemain.

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At the head of this motley caravan rode two principal leaders, followed by a train of minor dignitaries. They were pompously mounted on gaily-caparisoned horses, and all the insignia by which the baronial rank was at that period distinguished were parodied in their trappings and accoutrements. It was observed, however, that the hounds which their attendants held in leash showed more eagerness to worry the peaceful inmates of the farmyard than to chase the wild denizens of the forest; and their masters were quickly suspected of entertaining a livelier taste for domestic rapine than for field-sports. These nondescript chieftains styled themselves Dukes of Little Egypt,' and called their followers Secané, a word quickly transformed by Teutonic pronunciation into its modern representative, Zigeuner. Amongst the lower orders, however, the new arrivals were long familiarly known by the appellation of Tartars,' which, in those days of rough and ready classification, was in Germany applied indiscriminately to all nomad tribes. Nor did the Egyptian' dukes come unprovided with credentials. They presented to the magistrates of the various towns visited by them certain letters of protection purporting to have been given early in that same year at Lindau by the Emperor Sigismund, then plunged deep in the affairs of the Council of Constance. The imperial safe-conduct, having set forth that Dukes Michael and Andrew of Little Egypt, with their people, were engaged in a seven years' pilgrimage, imposed upon them by their bishops in expiation of the apostasy of their forefathers from the Christian faith, commanded that they should be received and protected by all loyal subjects of the Holy Roman Empire, whithersoever they might turn their steps. This singular document bore all the marks of authenticity, and, in deference to its injunctions, the ' penitents' were at first treated everywhere with respect and consideration. It was not until their peculiar views on the subject of property came abruptly into collision with the matter-of-fact notions of the Hanse citizens, that the authorities so far departed from their obedience to the imperial mandate as to compel several of the dusky strangers to terminate their pilgrimage' prematurely on the gallows.

Forsaking the Baltic provinces, the band then sought a

more friendly refuge in Central Germany; but their depredations in Meissen, Leipzig, and Hesse caused their speedy banishment, and in 1418 they turned their steps towards Switzerland. They reached Zürich on August 1, and encamped during six days before the town, exciting much sympathy by their pious tale and lamentable appearance. Their popularity was not diminished by the circumstances that, notwithstanding their penitential rags, their pockets were well lined with gold pieces; that they lived on the fat of the land, and paid in ready money for what they consumed. The credulous citizens believed that these ample supplies were furnished to them by the opulent and considerate relatives whom they had left behind in Little Egypt;' had they been better acquainted with their habits and history, their unaccountable wealth would have presented itself in a more questionable light.

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Soon after leaving Zürich the wanderers divided their forces. One detachment crossed the Botzberg, and by its sudden appearance created a panic amongst the peaceable inhabitants of the Provençal town of Sisteron, who, fearing the worst from these wild-looking Saracens,' fed them with a hundred loaves, and induced them to depart forthwith. The main body, led by two dukes, two earls, and a bevy of knights,' turned towards Alsace, swarmed through Strasburg, and on November 1 halted under the walls of Nuremberg, where they were gazed at and succoured with wondering hospitality. We next hear of them in Italy. This was in 1422, when the original term of their chartered vagrancy was drawing to a close, and when the short lease by which they held their reputation for sanctity had long since expired. Their leaders, who were evidently not wanting in astuteness, perceived that, if their waning credit was to be restored, some process of rehabilitation must be gone through, and a visit to Rome was decided on as the surest and easiest means of attaining the desired end. A preliminary gathering seems to have been held in Switzerland, long the chosen rendezvous of their scattered bands, and Duke Andrew was there appointed to lead the adventurous party, which was to cross the Alps, reach the chief city of Christendom, and penetrate, if possible, even into the august presence of the Supreme Pontiff. We find in the Chronicle ' of Bologna,' printed by Muratori,* a detailed account of their proceedings in that town, repeated, mutatis mutandis, in most of the others favoured with their presence. It runs as follows::

*Scriptorum Rerum Italicarum tom. xviii.

'On the 11th day of July 1422, a certain Duke of Egypt, named Duke Andrew, arrived in Bologna, with men, women, and children of his nation to the number of fully one hundred persons. This Duke having denied the Christian faith, the King of Hungary conquered his country, and captured his person. Then the Duke, having informed the said King of his desire to return to Christianity, was baptised with a portion of his subjects, amounting to about four thousand men. Those that persisted in their apostasy were put to death. After the King of Hungary had taken and rebaptised them, he ordained that they should wander through the world for seven years, that they should go to Rome, present themselves to the Pope, and then return to their native country. When they reached Bologna, their peregrinations had already lasted five years, and more than half their number had perished. They had with them a decree of the King of Hungary, who was also Emperor, in virtue of which they could rob without penalty or hindrance wherever they went during the entire course of those seven years.* On their arrival in Bologna, they took up their quarters at the Porta di Galiera, within as well as without the gate, and in crowds under the porticoes; but the Duke lodged in the Albergo del Rè. They tarried fifteen days, during which time many visited them because of the Duke's wife, who, they said, was a sorceress, and could tell the future events as well as present circumstances of each person's life; how many were their children, whether a woman was good or bad, and such like. With regard to most of these things, what she said was true. And of those who went to have their fortunes told, few there were who had not their purses stolen, or some portion of their garments cut away. Their women also traversed the city six or eight together, entering the houses of the citizens and diverting them with idle talk, while one of the party secured whatever she could lay her hands upon. In the shops, too, they pretended to buy, but in fact stole, so that there were great robberies in Bologna. Wherefore an edict was issued, prohibiting recourse being had to them, under penalty of a fine of fifty lire and excommunication. They were amongst the cleverest thieves that the world contained. But license was given to those who had been robbed to steal in return from them up to the value of their losses, and thus it came about that several men went together one night to a stable where

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* We are not called upon to believe that this incredible concession was actually contained in the imperial patent. The report of its existence was probably circulated by the ingenious wayfarers themselves as a cover for their predatory habits. Nevertheless, there is a certain parallel between it and the following singular formula of oath, which, until comparatively recent times, was administered to gypsies in Hungarian courts of justice. As King Pharaoh was engulfed in the Red Sea, so may I be accursed and swallowed up by the deepest abyss, if I 'do not speak the truth! May no theft, no traffic, or any other busi'ness prosper with me! May my horse turn into an ass at the next 'stroke of his hoof, and may I end my days on the scaffold by the 'ministry of the hangman!'-Hopf, Die Einwanderung der Zigeuner ' in Europa,' p. 37.