The record-union., 1899-01-30
ENGLISH ROMANIEs.
Characteristics of Race-Extinction
of the Old Tongue.

The read Romantics have always been
looked upon as a mysterious people.
Learned philologists have long disputed
the yexed question of the origin. and
less instructed folk have alternately
feared and despised them. They rank
even now among the most superstitious
races in the world. and yet they are,
for the most part. race without a
religion. The one aim and object OF
their lives has always been to get the
better of every one they meet who is
not a gypsy, and the success which has
attended their efforts is proof of their
|shreWdnesS and keen insight into char
acter Except when they have some
end to serve they are proud and re-
served people, holding themselves aloof
even from other men of the road
Very few of them can read or write.
and yet they are capable of imposing
upon people who make considerable
pretensions to wisdom. Among them
selves they are strictly honorable in
their dealings; one never hears of a
gypsy cheating another member of his
tribe The constancy of the women to
the men has often been commented
IL,
the fact that the women have to do all
the hard work and earn money for the
men. while the latter spend their days
in idleness. Yet the men look upon the
women as being superior, in many re-
spects to themselves, and some of them
have a measure of belief in their wives
and mothers assumed supernatural
powers.
Intermarriage with the house dwell
ers has made it difficult to distinguish
the real Romany from the sham; but
there are still a few families which
preserve their racial distinction. A pure
bred Romany s'chal" is generally a
handsome fellow, and among the Ro-
many ''chies'' are girls of great beauty
and graceful bearing. Such "chals'
and "chies" are usually found among
the better class of gypsies, known
among themselves as 'griengroes,' OF
horse dealers. These 'griengroes' are
the gypsy aristocracy; they are often
well to do wanderers, living in smart
comfortably furnished travelling vans,
and carrying on extensive dealings at
country markets and horse fairs. To
this class belonged the Jasper Petulen-
gro VI DOIIOW 4<dfSAAeA v, e@AA~ e~AA
uel and Sinfi Lowell of Mr.. Watts Dun
toms 'Aylwin.'
At the present time some of the Lees,
Stanleys, Hernes and Greys are 'grien-
groes," and it is among the men and
women of these families that the best
specimens of the genuine gypsy are to
be found Fault was found with Bor-
row because he described the Romantics
as being superior type of rovers than
they were generally supposed to be-
he was charged with idealizing people
who were no better than common va
grants. 1t must be remembered, how
ever, and the fact has already been
urged in Borrow's defense, that it was
among the ''griengroes' that he spent
the time he devoted to the study OF
gypsy life. Descendants of one or two
of the families from which he drew his
Romany characters are still wandering
about the Eastern counties, and they
may sometimes be seen encamped on
a common near the site of his old home.
They have no recollections of the La
vengro (word mastery who used to visit
their fathers tents; but if Borrow could
meet some of them he would not find
them very different to the men whom
he encountered many years ago al
Norman Cross and on Norwich Castle
Hill.