第 27 节
作者:
指环王 更新:2024-01-24 16:00 字数:9321
with respect to the country from whence they came。 The majority
say that they are from Africa; and that they came with the Moors
when Spain was lost; others that they are Tartars; Persians;
Cilicians; Nubians; from Lower Egypt; from Syria; or from other
parts of Asia and Africa; and others consider them to be
descendants of Chus; son of Cain; others say that they are of
European origin; Bohemians; Germans; or outcasts from other nations
of this quarter of the world。
'The second and sure opinion is; that those who prowl about Spain
are not Egyptians; but swarms of wasps and atheistical wretches;
without any kind of law or religion; Spaniards; who have introduced
this Gypsy life or sect; and who admit into it every day all the
idle and broken people of Spain。 There are some foreigners who
would make Spain the origin and fountain of all the Gypsies of
Europe; as they say that they proceeded from a river in Spain
called Cija; of which Lucan makes mention; an opinion; however; not
much adopted amongst the learned。 In the opinion of respectable
authors; they are called Cingary or Cinli; because they in every
respect resemble the bird cinclo; which we call in Spanish
Motacilla; or aguzanieve (wagtail); which is a vagrant bird and
builds no nest; (37) but broods in those of other birds; a bird
restless and poor of plumage; as AElian writes。
'THE GITANOS ARE VERY HURTFUL TO SPAIN
'There is not a nation which does not consider them as a most
pernicious rabble; even the Turks and Moors abominate them; amongst
whom this sect is found under the names of Torlaquis; (38)
Hugiemalars; and Dervislars; of whom some historians make mention;
and all agree that they are most evil people; and highly
detrimental to the country where they are found。
'In the first place; because in all parts they are considered as
enemies of the states where they wander; and as spies and traitors
to the crown; which was proven by the emperors Maximilian and
Albert; who declared them to be such in public edicts; a fact easy
to be believed; when we consider that they enter with ease into the
enemies' country; and know the languages of all nations。
'Secondly; because they are idle vagabond people; who are in no
respect useful to the kingdom; without commerce; occupation; or
trade of any description; and if they have any it is making
picklocks and pothooks for appearance sake; being wasps; who only
live by sucking and impoverishing the country; sustaining
themselves by the sweat of the miserable labourers; as a German
poet has said of them:…
〃Quos aliena juvant; propriis habitare molestum;
Fastidit patrium non nisi nosse solum。〃
They are much more useless than the Moriscos; as these last were of
some service to the state and the royal revenues; but the Gitanos
are neither labourers; gardeners; mechanics; nor merchants; and
only serve; like the wolves; to plunder and to flee。
'Thirdly; because the Gitanas are public harlots; common; as it is
said; to all the Gitanos; and with dances; demeanour; and filthy
songs; are the cause of continual detriment to the souls of the
vassals of your Majesty; it being notorious that they have done
infinite harm in many honourable houses by separating the married
women from their husbands; and perverting the maidens: and
finally; in the best of these Gitanas any one may recognise all the
signs of a harlot given by the wise king; they are gadders about;
whisperers; always unquiet in places and corners。
'Fourthly; because in all parts they are accounted famous thieves;
about which authors write wonderful things; we ourselves have
continual experience of this fact in Spain; where there is scarcely
a corner where they have not committed some heavy offence。
'Father Martin Del Rio says they were notorious when he was in Leon
in the year 1584; as they even attempted to sack the town of
Logrono in the time of the pest; as Don Francisco De Cordoba writes
in his DIDASCALIA。 Enormous cases of their excesses we see in
infinite processes in all the tribunals; and particularly in that
of the Holy Brotherhood; their wickedness ascending to such a
pitch; that they steal children; and carry them for sale to
Barbary; the reason why the Moors call them in Arabic; RASO
CHERANY; (39) which; as Andreas Tebetus writes; means MASTER
THIEVES。 Although they are addicted to every species of robbery;
they mostly practise horse and cattle stealing; on which account
they are called in law ABIGEOS; and in Spanish QUATREROS; from
which practice great evils result to the poor labourers。 When they
cannot steal cattle; they endeavour to deceive by means of them;
acting as TERCEROS; in fairs and markets。
'Fifthly; because they are enchanters; diviners; magicians;
chiromancers; who tell the future by the lines of the hand; which
is what they call BUENA VENTURA; and are in general addicted to all
kind of superstition。
'This is the opinion entertained of them universally; and which is
confirmed every day by experience; and some think that they are
caller Cingary; from the great Magian Cineus; from whom it is said
they learned their sorceries; and from which result in Spain
(especially amongst the vulgar) great errors; and superstitious
credulity; mighty witchcrafts; and heavy evils; both spiritual and
corporeal。
'Sixthly; because very devout men consider them as heretics; and
many as Gentile idolaters; or atheists; without any religion;
although they exteriorly accommodate themselves to the religion of
the country in which they wander; being Turks with the Turks;
heretics with the heretics; and; amongst the Christians; baptizing
now and then a child for form's sake。 Friar Jayme Bleda produces a
hundred signs; from which he concludes that the Moriscos were not
Christians; all which are visible in the Gitanos; very few are
known to baptize their children; they are not married; but it is
believed that they keep the women in common; they do not use
dispensations; nor receive the sacraments; they pay no respect to
images; rosaries; bulls; neither do they hear mass; nor divine
services; they never enter the churches; nor observe fasts; Lent;
nor any ecclesiastical precept; which enormities have been attested
by long experience; as every person says。
'Finally; they practise every kind of wickedness in safety; by
discoursing amongst themselves in a language with which they
understand each other without being understood; which in Spain is
called Gerigonza; which; as some think; ought to be called
Cingerionza; or language of Cingary。 The king our lord saw the
evil of such a practice in the law which he enacted at Madrid; in
the year 1566; in which he forbade the Arabic to the Moriscos; as
the use of different languages amongst the natives of one kingdom
opens a door to treason; and is a source of heavy inconvenience;
and this is exemplified more in the case of the Gitanos than of any
other people。
'THE GITANOS OUGHT TO BE SEIZED WHEREVER FOUND
'The civil law ordains that vagrants be seized wherever they are
found; without any favour being shown to them; in conformity with
which; the Gitanos in the Greek empire were given as slaves to
those who should capture them; as respectable authors write。
Moreover; the emperor; our lord; has decreed by a law made in
Toledo; in the year 1525; THAT THE THIRD TIME THEY BE FOUND
WANDERING THEY SHALL SERVE AS SLAVES DURING THEIR WHOLE LIFE TO
THOSE WHO CAPTURE THEM。 Which can be easily justified; inasmuch as
there is no shepherd who does not place barriers against the
wolves; and does not endeavour to save his flock; and I have
already exposed to your Majesty the damage which the Gitanos
perpetrate in Spain。
'THE GITANOS OUGHT TO BE CONDEMNED TO DEATH
'The reasons are many。 The first; for being spies; and traitors to
the crown; the second as idlers and vagabonds。
'It ought always to be considered; that no sooner did the race of
man begin; after the creation of the world; than the important
point of civil policy arose of condemning vagrants to death; for
Cain was certain that he should meet his destruction in wandering
as a vagabond for the murder of Abel。 ERO VAGUS ET PROFUGUS IN
TERRA: OMNIS IGITUR QUI INVENERIT ME; OCCIDET ME。 Now; the IGITUR
stands here as the natural consequence of VAGUS ERO; as it is
evident; that whoever shall see me must kill me; because he sees me
a wanderer。 And it must always