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Scottish Gypsies.
[April

hame aganc within thair awin cuntre," "howbeit he has biddin and reraanit of lang tyme vpon thame, and is bundin and oblist to bring hame with him all thame of his company that ar on live, and ane testimoniale of thame that ar deid;"—the non-fulfilment of which obligation, he pretends, will subject him to "hevy dampnage and skaith, and grete perell of tynsell (loss) of his heretage."—The names of these rebellious Egyptians are exactly the same in both edicts, and having been given in to the Scottish government by the chieftain himself, may be supposed to be correctly reported. We shall be glad if any of our learned readers can help us to trace their etymology.

It affords a striking evidence of the address of these audacious vagrants, and of the ignorance of the times, to find two of our sovereigns imposed upon by this gypsey chieftain's story, about his 'band' and 'heretage.' This was at least 120 years after the first arrival of these hordes in Europe.—We hear no more of the return of Earl John and his company to 'thair awin cuntre.'

In the following year (1554), "Andro Faw, capitane of the Egiptianis," and twelve of his gang, specified by name, obtained a remission for "the slauchter of Niniane Smaill, commit within the toune of Lyntoune, in the moneth of March last bypast, vpoun suddantie."[1]

The gypsies appear to have kept their quarters in the country without further molestation for the next twenty-five years; and their enormities, as well as their numbers, it would seem, had greatly increased during the long political and religious struggles that occupied the greater part of Mary's disastrous reign. At length, in 1579, the government found it necessary to adopt the most rigorous methods to repress the innumerable swarm of strolling vagabonds of every description, who had overspread the kingdom. A new statute was enacted by parliament, "For pwnishment of the strang and ydle beggaris, and relief of the puir and impotent." In the comprehensive provisions of this act, we find bards, minstrels, and vagabond scholars, (lachrymabile dictu!) conjoined in ignominious fellowship with the Egyptian jugglers. The following passages, prescribing the mode of punishment, and specifying some of the various sorts of vagrants against whom it is denounced, are particularly curious:—"That sic as makis thame selffis fuilis, and ar bairdts, or vtheris siclike rynarris about, being apprehendit, salbe put in the kingis waird and yrnis, sa lang as they haue ony guidis of thair awin to leif on; and fra they haue not quhairupoun to leif of their awin, that thair earis be nailit to the trone, or to ane vther trie, and thair earis cuttit of, and banist the cuntrie; and gif thairefter that they be found agane that they be hangit."—"And that it maybe knawin quhat maner of personis ar meanit to be strang and idle beggaris, and vagaboundis, and worthie of the pwnishment before specifiit, it is declairit, that all ydle personis ganging about in ony cuntrie of this realme, vsing subtill, crafty, and vnlauchfull playis, as juglarie, fast and lowis, and sic vthers; the idle people calling thame selffis Egyptianis, or ony vtheris that fenzies thame selffis to have knowledge ef prophecie, charmeing, or vtheris abusit sciences, quhairby they persuaid the people that they can tell their weardis deathis, and fortunes, and sic vther fantasticall imaginationes;"—"and all menstrullis, sangstaris, and tailtellaris, not avouit in speciall service be sum of the lordis of parliament, or greit barronis, or be the heid burrowis and cities, for thair commoun menstrallis;"—"all vagabund scholaris of the vniuersities of Sanctandrois, Glasgw, and Abirdene, not licencit be the rector and deane of facultie to ask almous," &c. &c.[2]

This statute was repeatedly renewed, and strengthened with additional clauses, during the twenty-five years ensuing, "anent the counterfaict Egyptianis;"[3]—all which, however, proved so utterly ineffectual in restraining the crimes and depredations of these banditti, that in 1603, the Lords of Privy Council judged it expedient to issue a decree and proclamation, banishing the whole race out of Scotland for ever, under the severest penalties. This edict is not extant, (that part of the record which contained it being lost), but it was ratified and enforced in 1609,

  1. ↑ Regist. Secreti Sigilli, vol. xxvii. fol. 3 36.
  2. ↑ Acta Parl. vol. iii. p. 139.
  3. ↑ Acta Parl. vol. iii. p. 576. vol. iv. pp. 140, 232.
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