96 GYPSIES. 



those were such as had become slang and were therefore 

 known to others than Romanys. Shakspeare. perhaps, 

 mentions Romany in one place. When in Henry IV, 

 Act II, Scene IV, he makes Prince Henry sny : " I am so 

 " good a proficient in one quarter of an hour that I can 

 " drink with any tinker in his own language during my 

 "life," he may refer to Romany. Leland, however, 

 thinks he means Slielta. I doubt if he knew of their 

 separate existence. The Gypsies were tinkers and 

 smiths by trade and are called " tinklers " in Scotland. 



That none of these writers, however, knew any Romany 

 is evident from the vocabularies, which are all thieves" 

 cant and low slang unless a few words originally Gypsy 

 which had been incorporated with slang. 



Despite all laws, the Gypsies persisted, just as they 

 did in Spain and the empire and modern civilization, the 

 parish schools, but particularly the enclosure of the 

 commons, their camping grounds, have done more to 

 break down Gypsydom than all the sanguinary legisla- 

 tion of the Middle Ages. 



As to the United States, we have had Gypsies here 

 from very early times. According to 13 and 14 Charles 

 II, c. 12, the justices in sessions might transport such 

 rogues, vagabonds, and sturdy beggars, as were duly 

 convicted and judged incorrigible to America. Many 

 were so transported and others enlisted and were sent 

 here as soldiers in the Revolution. Such generally de- 

 serted and took to their wandering life. Since that time, 

 hundreds have come over in the emigrant ships, and I 

 know many an old Gypsy who was born in England, 

 while most American Gypsies speak with a British ac- 

 cent and some even drop their h's and have other Cock- 

 ney, lower class English habits. 



Our historical survey so far has followed the Romany 

 since his entry into Europe in 1417, and though Miklo- 

 sicli thinks he has identified them in the ^Adiyyavoij 



3^ 



