1817.] Interview with a 



Slime before strangers may result from 

 their constitution, « liicli, under tlicsanie 

 circiunstunccs, irRiy render them gayer 

 than otiiers, just as a rrencliman is 

 gayer than an Englishman, or an Kng- 

 Jishman than a North- American Indian. 

 In a word, in looking upon this race, 

 and upoi» the other recorded varieties 

 of our species, from llie woolly-head 

 African to tlje long-lmired Asiatic, 

 from the hlue-eyed and wliitc-haire«i 

 Goth to the black-eyed and black-haired 

 North American, and from tiie gigantic 

 Patagonian to the dwarlish Laplander, 

 ■we are led to believe, that tlie human 

 species must radically have been as va- 

 rious as any other species of animated 

 beings; and it seems as nnphilosophical 

 as impious to limit the powers of crea- 

 tion to pairs of one kind, and to ascribe 

 their actual varieties to the operations 

 of chance. 



As I proceeded from the stile towards 

 their tents, the apparent < hief of the 

 gang advanced with a firm step, holding 

 a large knife in one hand, and some 

 eatables in the other; and he made many 

 flourishes witii his knife, in tiie apparent 

 hope of intimidating me, if I proved an 

 enemy. I civilly begged his pardon for 

 intruding upon their camp, and assured 

 Lim tliat mine was a mere visit of cu- 

 riosity, that I was not a justice of the 

 peace, and had no desire to disturb 

 them. He then told me I was very 

 welcome, and I advanced to their chief 

 tent. " But," said I to this man, "you 

 have not tl»e gipsy colour and features?" 

 " O, no," he replied, " I am no gipsy — 

 tho people call us all gipsies — but I am 



by trade a tinker — I live in C'on.rt, 



Shoreditch, in the winter; and during 

 the summer I travel the cotnilry, and 

 get my livelihood by my trade." Look- 

 ing at ollicrs of the gronpe, who 

 were .sitting at the entrance of two 

 teuts^ I traced t'.vo sets of features 

 among them, one plainly English, and 

 the other evidently Gipsy; and, mention- 

 ing this circumstance, he r(;plicd, " O 

 yes — though I am not a gipsy, my wife 

 is, and so is her old mother there — they 

 are ft ue gipsies, every inch of 'em. This 

 man, my wife's brother, is a gipsy — we 

 are useful to one another in this w.ay of 

 life — and the old woman there is as 

 knowing a gipsy as any in the country, 

 and can tell your fortune, sir, if you like 

 4o hear it." His character of the old 

 woman, who resembled .^.lunden's witch 

 in Macbeth, produced considerable 

 mirth in llie whole party; and the old 

 >'Oxaao, wlio was busily smoking ^cr 



Family of Gipsies. SOf 



pipe, took it from her mouth, and said, 

 " 1 ayn't told so many gentlefolks tlieif 

 fortunes to no purpose, and I'll tell 

 your's, sir. if you'll give mo something 

 to fdl my pipe." 1 smiled, and told het*- 

 1 thanked her ; but, as I was not in love/' 

 I felt no anxiety to hear my fortune;'' 

 " Aye, sir," .said siie, " niany's the lover 

 I've made happy, and many's tiie coupll • 

 that I've brought together.'"' Recollect 

 ing FarqUhar's incident in the Recruit 

 uigOfficer— I remarked— "You tell thft 

 ladies what their lo\cr's hire you to tell 

 them, I suppose— and the genflimcn 

 what the ladies request you to tel!^ 

 them .'" " Why, yes," said siie, "sonie-i' 

 thing like it;" and laughing — "aye, sir, 

 I see you're in the secret !" " And theft 

 )ou touch golden fees, I suppose?" — 

 " Yes," interrupted the first man, " I've 

 known her get five or six guineas on a 

 we<!ding-day, part from the lady, and 

 part from the gentleman ; and she never' 

 wants a shilling, and a meal's victuals, 

 when she passes many houses that I 

 could name." "Aye,'"' exclaimed th» 

 old beldame, " that's all true; and l'v« 

 made many fine folks happy iu my 

 time, and so did my mother before me — 

 she was known far and near!" I had no ' 

 occasion to remark on the silly dupes on 

 whom they practised these impositions, 

 for the entire party expressed their sen- 

 timents by bursts of laugiiter while th« 

 old woman was speaking — but I could 

 not help exclaiming, that I thought she 

 ought to make the fools pay well who 

 gave credit to her prophecies. " Aye," 

 said she, "I see you don't believe in our 

 art— but we tell all by the I'lmid!" I 

 telt of course that the hand was as good 

 a key to determine the order o\'prolabl& 

 events as the planets, cards, or tea-sedi- 

 ments; and therefore, concluding that 

 gipsies, like astrologers and oflicr jiro- 

 phets, are imposed on by the doctrine 

 of chances, I dropped the conversation ; 

 but felt it my duty to give the old wo- 

 man a shilling to Jjuy some tobacco for 

 her pipe. 



I now surveyed the entire part}', and 

 in three tents found there were" threa 

 men, two women, besides the old wo. 

 man, four girls, and two boy;. One o^- 

 the tents was placed at a little distance' 

 from the other.s, and in that resided li 

 young niarried couple. " And pray," 

 said I, " where and how do you marry .'"' 

 " Why," said the first man, " we marry 

 like other folks — they were married at 

 Shoreditch Church — I was married to 

 my old wonian here at Hammersmith 

 Cliujc!;— aiid my brothci-iu-Jaw here 



