MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE CEREMONIES.
The Gipsies in Scotland are all married at a very early age. I do not
recollect ever having seen or heard of them, male or female, being
unmarried, after they were twenty years old. There are few instances of
bastard children among them; indeed, they declare that their children
are all born in wedlock.[168] I know, however, of one instance to the
contrary; and of the Gipsy being dreadfully punished for seducing a
young girl of his own tribe.
[168] There is one word in the Gipsy language to which is attached
more importance than to any other thing whatever--_Lácha_--the
corporeal chastity of woman; the loss of which she is, from childhood,
taught to dread. To ensure its preservation, the mother will have
occasion to the _Diclé_--a kind of drapery which she ties around the
daughter; and which is never removed, but continually inspected, till
the day of marriage; but not for fear of the "stranger" or the "white
blood." A girl is generally betrothed at fourteen, and never married
till two years afterward. Betrothal is invariable. But the parties are
never permitted, previous to marriage, to have any intimate
associations together.--_Borrow on the Spanish Gipsies._--ED.
The brother of the female, who was pregnant, took upon himself the task
of chastising the offender. With a knife in his hand, and at the dead
hour of night, he went to the house of the seducer. The first thing he
did was deliberately to sharpen his knife upon the stone posts of the
door of the man's house; and then, in a gentle manner, tap at the door,
to bring out his victim. The unsuspecting man came to the door, in his
shirt, to see what was wanted; but the salutation he received was the
knife thrust into his body, and the stabs repeated several times. The
avenger of his sister's wrongs fled for a short while; the wounded
Tinkler recovered, and, to repair the injury he had done, made the girl
his wife. The occurrence took place in Mid-Lothian, about twenty years
ago. The name of the woman was Baillie, and her husband, Tait.
I have not been able to discover any peculiarity in the manner of Gipsy
courtships, except that a man, above sixty years of age, affirmed to me
that it was the universal custom, among the tribe, not to give away in
marriage the younger daughter before the elder. In order to have this
information confirmed, I enquired of a female, herself one of eleven
sisters,[169] if this custom really existed among her people. She was,
at first, averse, evidently from fear, to answer my question directly,
and even wished to conceal her descent. But, at last, seeing nothing to
apprehend from speaking more freely, she said such was once the custom;
and that it had been the cause of many unhappy marriages. She said she
had often heard the old people speaking about the law of not allowing
the younger sister to be married before the elder. She, however, would
not admit of the existence of the custom at the present day, but
appeared quite well acquainted with it, and could have informed me
fully of it, had she been disposed to speak on the subject.
[169] A GIPSY MULTIPLICATION TABLE.
+-------------+-------+----------+--+
| Births | Mar- | Births of| |
|of Children. |riages.| Grand- | |
| | | children.| 1|
+-------------+-------+----------+--+--+
|1822, Oct. 1.| 1842 |1843, Jul.| 1| 2|
| | | | +--+--+
|1824, Jan. 1.| 1844 |1844, Oct.| 1| 1| 3|
| | | | | +--+--+
|1825, Apl. 1.| 1845 |1846, Jan.| 1| 1| 1| 4|
| | | | | | +--+--+
|1826, Jul. 1.| 1846 |1847, Ap. | 1| 1| 1| 1| 5|
| | | | | | | +--+--+
|1827, Oct. 1.| 1847 |1848, Jul | 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 6|
| | | | | | | | +--+--+
|1829, Jan. 1.| 1849 |1849, Oct.| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 7|
| | | | | | | | | +--+--+
|1830, Apl. 1.| 1850 |1851, Jan.| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 8|
| | | | | | | | | | +--+--+
|1831, Jul. 1.| 1851 |1852, Ap. | 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 9|
| | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+
|1832, Oct. 1.| 1852 |1853, Jul.| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1|10|
| | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+
|1834, Jan. 1.| 1854 |1854, Oct.| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1|11|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+
|1835, Apl. 1.| 1855 |1856, Jan.| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1|12|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+
|1836, Jul. 1.| 1856 | | |..|..|..|..|..|..|..|..|..|..|..|Total.
+-------------+-------+----------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+-----+
| 12| | |11|10| 9| 8| 7| 6| 5| 4| 3| 2| 1| 0| 78 |
+-------------+-------+----------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+-----+
The above table will give a general idea of the natural encrease of
the Gipsies. The reader can make what allowances he pleases, for ages
at time of marriage, intervals between births, twins, deaths, or
numbers of children born. By this table, the Gipsy, by marrying at
twenty years of age, would, when 54 years old, have a "following" of
no less than 78 souls. "There is one of the divine laws," said I to a
Gipsy, "which the Gipsies obey more than any other people." "What is
that?" replied he, with great gravity. "The command to 'Be fruitful,
and multiply, and replenish (but not subdue) the earth.'" Even five
generations can be obtained from the male, and six from the female
Gipsy, in a century, counting from first-born to first-born. The
reader will notice how large are the Gipsy families incidentally
mentioned by our author.--ED.
The exact parallel to this custom is to be found in the Gentoo code of
laws, translated by Halhed; wherein it is made criminal for "a man to
marry while his elder brother remains unmarried; or when a man marries
his daughter to such a person; or where a man gives the younger sister
in marriage while the elder sister remains unmarried."[170] The learned
translator of the code considers this custom of the Gentoos of the
remotest antiquity, and compares it with that passage in the Book of
Genesis, where Laban excuses himself to Jacob for having substituted
Leah for Rachel, in these words, "It must not be so done in our country,
to give the younger before the first-born."
[170] Major Archer says that this law is still in force.
The nuptial ceremony of the Gipsies is undoubtedly of the highest
antiquity, and would, probably, be one of the first marriage ceremonies
observed by mankind, in the very first stages of human society. When we
consider the extraordinary length of time the Gipsies have preserved
their speech, as a secret among themselves, in the midst of civilized
society, all over Europe, while their persons were proscribed and hunted
down in every country, like beasts of the chase, we are not at all
surprised at their retaining some of their ancient customs; for these,
as distinguished from their language, are of easy preservation, under
any circumstances in which they may have been placed. That may much more
be said of this ceremony, as there would be an occasion for its almost
daily observance. It was wrapped up with their very existence--the
choice of their wives, and the love of their offspring--the most
important and interesting transactions of their lives; and would, on
that account, be one of the longest observed, the least easily
forgotten, of their ancient usages.
The nuptial rites of the Scottish Gipsies are, perhaps, unequalled in
the history of marriages. At least, I have neither seen nor heard of any
marriage ceremony that has the slightest resemblance to it, except the
extraordinary benediction which our countryman, Mungo Park, received
from the bride at the Moorish wedding in Ali's camp, at Benown; and that
of a certain custom practised by the Mandingoes, at Kamalia, in Africa,
also mentioned by Park.[171] This custom with the Mandingoes and the
Gipsies is nearly the same as that observed by the ancient Hebrews, in
the days of Moses, mentioned in the Book of Deuteronomy. When we have
the manners and customs of every savage tribe hitherto discovered,
including even the Hottentots and Abyssinians, described, in grave
publications, by adventurous travellers, I can see no reason why there
should not be preserved, and exhibited for the inspection of the public,
the manners and customs of a barbarous race that have lived so long at
our own doors--one more interesting, in some respects, than any yet
discovered; and more particularly as marriage is a very important,
indeed the most important, institution among the inhabitants of any
country, whether civilized or in a state of barbarism. How much would
not our antiquarians now value authenticated specimens of the language,
manners, and customs of the ancient Pictish nation that once inhabited
Scotland!
[171] "I was soon tired," says Park, "and had retired into my tent.
When I was sitting, almost asleep, an old woman entered with a wooden
bowl in her hand, and signified that she had brought me a present from
the bride. Before I could recover from the surprise which this message
created, the woman discharged the contents of the bowl full in my
face. Finding that it was the same sort of holy water with which,
among the Hottentots, a priest is said to sprinkle a new-married
couple, I began to suspect that the lady was actuated by mischief or
malice; but she gave me seriously to understand that it was a nuptial
benediction from the bride's own person; and which, on such occasions,
is always received by the young unmarried Moors, as a mark of
distinguished favour. This being the case, I wiped my face, and sent
my acknowledgment to the lady."--_Park's Travels, pages 205 and 206._
In describing the marriage ceremony of the Scottish Gipsies, it is
scarcely possible to clothe the curious facts in language fit to be
perused by every reader. But I must adopt the sentiment of Sir Walter
Scott, as given in the Introduction, and "not be squeamish about
delicacies, where knowledge is to be sifted out and acquired."[172]
[172] Whatever prudes and snobs may think of this chapter, I believe
that the sensible and intelligent reader will agree with me in saying,
that the marriage and divorce ceremonies of the Gipsies are historical
gems of the most antique and purest water.--ED.
A marriage cup, or bowl, made out of solid wood, and of a capacity to
contain about two Scotch pints, or about one gallon, is made use of at
the ceremony. After the wedding-party is assembled, and everything
prepared for the occasion, the priest takes the bowl and gives it to
the bride, who passes urine into it; it is then handed, for a similar
purpose, to the bridegroom. After this, the priest takes a quantity of
earth from the ground, and throws it into the bowl, adding sometimes a
quantity of brandy to the mixture. He then stirs the whole together,
with a spoon made of a ram's horn, and sometimes with a large ram's horn
itself, which he wears suspended from his neck by a string. He then
presents the bowl, with its contents, first to the bride, and then to
the bridegroom; calling at the same time upon each to separate the
mixture in the bowl, if they can. The young couple are then ordered to
join hands over the bowl containing the earth, urine, and spirits; when
the priest, in an audible voice, and in the Gipsy language, pronounces
the parties to be husband and wife; and as none can separate the mixture
in the bowl, so they, in their persons, cannot be separated till death
dissolves their union.
As soon as that part of the ceremony is performed, the couple undress,
and repair to their nuptial couch. After remaining there for a
considerable time, some of the most confidential relatives of the
married couple are admitted to the apartment, as witnesses to the
virginity of the bride; certain tokens being produced to the examining
friends, at this stage of the ceremony. If all the parties concerned are
satisfied, the bride receives a handsome present from the friends, as a
mark of their respect for her remaining chaste till the hour of her
marriage. This present is, in some instances, a box of a particular
construction.[173]
[173] On their return from church, the bride is seated at one
extremity of a room, with the unmarried girls by her; the bridegroom
on the right, and the father and mother, or those who perform their
office, on the left. The male part of the company stand in the
corners, singing, and playing on the guitar. About one o'clock, the
oldest matron, accompanied by others advanced in years, conducts the
bride into the bed-room, which, according to the custom of Spain, is
usually a small chamber, without a window, opening into the general
apartment. _Tune vetula, manu sud sponsæ naturalibus admota membranam,
vulvæ ori oppositam unguibus scindit et cruorem à plagâ fusum linteolo
excipit._ The Gitanos without make a loud noise with their whistles,
and the girls, striking the door, sing the following couplets, or some
other like them:
"Abra viñd la puerta Snr. Joaquin
Que le voy à viñd à poner un pañuelito
En las manos que tienen que llorar
Toditas las callis."
The bride then returns from the chamber, accompanied by the matrons,
and the new-married couple are placed upon a table, where the bride
dances, _et coram astantibus linteolum, internerati pudoris indicium
explicat_; whilst the company, throwing down their presents of
sweetmeats, &c., dance and cry, "Viva la honra."--_Bright, on the
Spanish Gipsy marriage._
Before the marriage festival begins, four matrons--relations of the
contracting parties--are appointed to scrutinize the bride; in which a
handkerchief, of the finest French cambric, takes a leading part.
Should she prove frail, she will likely be made away with, in a way
that will leave no trace behind. In carrying out some marriage
festivals, a procession will take place, led by some vile-looking
fellow, bearing, on the end of a long pole, the _diclé_ and unspotted
handkerchief; followed by the betrothed and their nearest friends, and
a rabble of Gipsies, shouting and firing, and barking of dogs. On
arriving at the church, the pole, with its triumphant colours, is
stuck into the ground, with a loud huzza; while the train defile, on
either side, into the church. On returning home, the same takes place.
Then follows the most ludicrous and wasteful kind of revelling, which
often leaves the bridegroom a beggar for life.--_Borrow, on the
Spanish Gipsy marriage._--ED.
These matters being settled on the spot, the wedded pair rise from the
marriage-bed, again dress themselves in their finest apparel, and again
join the wedding-party. The joy and happiness on all sides is now
excessive. There is nothing to be heard or seen but fiddling and piping,
dancing, feasting and drinking, which are kept up, with the utmost
spirit and hilarity imaginable, for many hours together.[174]
/#
[174] The part of the marriage ceremony of the Gipsies which relates
to the chastity of the bride has a great resemblance to a part of the
nuptial rites of the Russians, and the Christians of St. John, in
Mesopotamia and Chaldea. Dr. Hurd says: "When a new-married couple in
Russia retire to the nuptial bed, an old domestic servant stands
sentinel at the chamber-door. Some travellers tell us that this old
servant, as soon as it is proper, attends nearer the bedside, to be
informed of what happens. Upon the husband's declaration of his
success and satisfaction, the kettle-drums and trumpets proclaim the
joyful news." Among the Christians of St. John, as soon as the
marriage is consummated, "both parties wait upon the bishop, and the
husband deposes before him that he found his wife a virgin; and then
the bishop marries them, puts several rings on their fingers, and
baptizes them again. . . . A marriage with one who is discovered to
have lost her honour beforehand but very seldom, if ever, holds good."
#/
When speaking of the marriages of the Mandingoes, at Kamalia, about
500 miles in the interior of Africa, Park says: "The new-married
couple are always disturbed toward morning by the women, who assemble
to inspect the nuptial sheet, (according to the manners of the ancient
Hebrews, as recorded in Scripture,) and dance around it. This ceremony
is thought indispensably necessary, nor is the marriage considered
valid without it." _Park's Travels, page 399._
By the laws of Menu, the Hindoo could reject his bride, if he found
her not a virgin.--_Sir William Jones._
[The reader will observe that the marriage ceremony of the Gipsies,
though barbarous, is very figurative and emphatic, and certainly moral
enough. To show that the Gipsies, as a people, have not been addicted
to the most barbarous customs, in regard to marriage, I note the
following very singular form of the Scottish Highlanders, which,
according to Skene, continued in use _until a very late period_. "This
custom was termed _hand-fasting_, and consisted in a species of
contract between two chiefs, by which it was agreed that the heir of
one should live with the daughter of the other, as her husband, for
twelve months and a day. If, in that time, the lady became a mother,
or proved to be with child, the marriage became good in law, even
although no priest had performed the marriage in due form; but should
there not have occurred any appearance of issue, the contract was
considered at an end, and each party was at liberty to marry, or
_hand-fast, with any other_." Which fact shows that Highland chiefs,
at one time, would have annulled any, or all, of the laws of God,
whenever it would have served their purposes.--ED.]
The nuptial mixture is carefully bottled up, and the bottle marked with
the Roman character, M. In this state, it is buried in the earth, or
kept in their houses or tents, and is carefully preserved, as evidence
of the marriage of the parties. When it is buried in the fields, the
husband and wife to whom it belongs frequently repair to the spot, and
look at it, for the purpose of keeping them in remembrance of their
nuptial vows. Small quantities of the compound are also given to
individuals of the tribe, to be used for certain rare purposes, such,
perhaps, as pieces of the bride's cake are used for dreaming-bread,
among the natives of Scotland, at the present day.
What is meant by employing earth, water, spirits, and, of course, air,
in this ceremony, cannot be conjectured; unless these ingredients may
have some reference to the four elements of nature--fire, air, earth,
and water. That of using a ram's horn, in performing the nuptial rites,
has also its meaning, could information be obtained concerning that part
of the ceremony.
This marriage ceremony is observed by the Gipsies in Scotland at the
present day. A man, of the name of James Robertson, and a girl, of the
name of Margaret Graham, were married, at Lochgellie, exactly in the
manner described. Besides the testimony of the Gipsies themselves, it is
a popular tradition, wherever these people have resided in Scotland,
that they were all married by mixing of earth and urine together in a
wooden bowl. I know of a girl, of about sixteen years of age, having
been married in the Gipsy fashion, in a kiln, at Appindull, in
Perthshire. A Gipsy informed me that he was at a wedding of a couple on
a moor near Lochgellie, and that they were married in the ancient Gipsy
manner described. Shortly after this, a pair were married near Stirling,
after the custom of their ancestors. In this instance, a screen, made of
an old blanket, was put up in the open field, to prevent the parties
seeing each other, while furnishing the bowl with what was necessary to
lawfully constitute their marriage.[175] The last-named Gipsy further
stated to me, that when two young folks of the tribe agree to be
married, the father of the bridegroom sleeps with the bride's mother,
for three or four nights immediately previous to the celebration of the
marriage.
[175] On reading the above ceremony to an intelligent native of Fife,
he said he had himself heard a Gipsy, of the name of Thomas Ogilvie,
say that the Tinklers were married in the way mentioned. On one
occasion, when a couple of respectable individuals were married, in
the usual Scottish Presbyterian manner, at Elie, in Fife, Ogilvie,
Gipsy-like, laughed at such a wedding ceremony, as being, in his
estimation, no way binding on the parties. He at the same time
observed that, if they would come to him, he would marry them in the
Tinkler manner, which would make it a difficult matter to separate
them again.
Having endeavoured to describe the ancient nuptial ceremony of the
Scottish Gipsies, I have considered it proper to give some account of an
individual who acted as priest on such occasions. The name of a famous
celebrator of Gipsy marriages, in Fifeshire, was Peter Robertson, well
known, towards the latter end of his days, by the name of Blind Pate.
Peter was a tall, lean, dark man, and wore a large cocked hat, of the
olden fashion, with a long staff in his hand. By all accounts, he must
have been a hundred years of age when he died. He was frequently seen at
the head of from twenty to forty Gipsies, and often travelled in the
midst of a crowd of women. Whenever a marriage was determined on, among
the Lochgellie horde, or their immediate connexions, Peter was
immediately sent for, however far distant he happened to be at the time
from the parties requiring his assistance, to join them in wedlock: for
he was the oldest member of the tribe at the time, and head of the
Tinklers in the district, and, as the oldest member, it was his
prerogative to officiate, as priest, on such occasions. A friend, who
obligingly sent me some anecdotes of this Gipsy priest, communicated to
me the following facts regarding him:
"At the wedding of a favourite Brae-laird, in the shire of Kinross,
Peter Robertson appeared at the head of a numerous band of Tinklers,
attended by twenty-four asses. He was always chief and spokesman for the
band. At the wedding of a William Low, a multerer, at Kinross, Peter,
for the last time, was seen, with upwards of twenty-three asses in his
retinue. He had certain immunities and privileges allowed him by his
tribe. For one thing, he had the sole profits arising from the sale of
keel, used in marking sheep, in the neighbouring upland districts; and
one of the asses belonging to the band was always laden with this
article alone. Peter was also notorious as a physician, and administered
to his favourites medicines of his own preparation, and numbers of
extraordinary cures were ascribed to his superior skill. He was
possessed of a number of wise sayings, a great many of which are still
current in the country. Peter Robertson was, altogether, a very shrewd
and sensible man, and no acts of theft were ever laid to his charge,
that I know of. He had, however, in his band, several females who told
fortunes. The ceremony of marriage which he performed was the same you
mentioned to me. The whole contents of the bowl were stirred about with
a large ram's horn, which was suspended from a string round his neck, as
a badge, I suppose, of his priestly office.[176] He attended all the
fairs and weddings for many miles round. The Braes of Kinross were his
favourite haunt; so much so that, in making his settlement, and
portioning his children, he allowed them all districts, in the country
round about, to travel in; but he reserved the Braes of Kinross as his
own pendicle, and hence our favourite toast in the shire of Kinross,
'The lasses of Blind Pate's Pendicle.' Besides the Braes of Kinross,
this Gipsy, in his sweeping verbal testament, reserved the town of
Dunfermline, also, to himself, 'because,' said he, 'Dunfermline was in
cash, what Lochleven was in water--it never ran dry.'" A great deal of
booty was obtained by the Tinklers, at the large and long-continued
fairs which were frequently held in this populous manufacturing town, in
the olden times.
[176] Two ram's horns and two spoons, crossed, are sculptured on the
tombstone of William Marshall, a Gipsy chief, who, according to a
writer in Blackwood's Magazine, died at the age of 120 years, and
whose remains are deposited in the church-yard of Kirkcudbright.
A horn is the hieroglyphic of authority, power, and dignity, and is a
metaphor often made use of in the Scriptures. The Jews held ram's
horns in great veneration, on account, it is thought, of that animal
having been caught in a bush by the horns, and used as a substitute,
when Isaac was about to be sacrificed by his father; or, perhaps, on
account of this animal being first used in sacrifice. So much were
ram's horns esteemed by the Israelites, that their Priests and Levites
used them as trumpets, particularly at the taking of Jericho. The
modern Jews, when they confess their sins, in our month of September,
announce the ceremony by blowing a ram's horn, the sound of which,
they say, drives away the Devil. In ancient Egypt, and other parts of
Africa, Jupiter Ammon was worshipped under the figure of a ram, and to
this deity one of these animals was sacrificed annually. A ram seems
to have been an emblem of power in the East, from the remotest ages.
It would, therefore, appear that the practice of the Gipsy priest
"wearing a ram's horn, suspended from a string, around his neck," must
be derived from the highest antiquity.
This Gipsy priest was uncommonly fond of a bottle of good ale. Like many
other celebrators of marriages, he derived considerable emoluments from
his office. A Gipsy informed me that Robertson, on these occasions,
always received presents, such as a pair of candlesticks, or basins and
platters, made of pewter, and such like articles. The disobedient and
refractory members of his clan were chastised by him at all times, on
the spot, by the blows of his cudgel, without regard to age or sex, or
manner of striking. When any serious scuffle arose among his people, in
which he was like to meet with resistance, he would, with vehemence,
call to his particular friends, "Set my back to the wa';" and, being
thus defended in the rear, he, with his cudgel, made his assailants in
front smart for their rebellion. Although he could not see, his daughter
would give him the word of command. She would call to him, "Strike
down"--"Strike laigh" (low)--"Strike amawn" (athwart,)--"Strike
haunch-ways,"--"Strike shoulder-ways," &c. In these, we see nearly all
the cuts or strokes of the Hungarian sword-exercise. As I have
frequently mentioned, all the Gipsies were regularly trained to a
peculiar method of their own in handling the cudgel, in their battles. I
am inclined to think that part of the Hungarian sword-exercise, at
present practised in our cavalry, is founded upon the Gipsy manner of
attack and defence, including even the direct thrust to the front, which
the Gipsies perform with the cudgel.
Notwithstanding all that has been said of the licentious manners of the
Scottish Gipsies, I am convinced that the slightest infidelity, on the
part of their wives, would be punished with the utmost severity. I am
assured that nothing can put a Gipsy into so complete a rage as to
impute incontinence to his wife. In India, the Gipsy men "are extremely
jealous of their wives, who are kept in strict subservance, and are in
danger of corporeal punishment, or absolute dismissal, if they happen to
displease them."[177] The Gipsies are complete Tartars in matters of
this kind.[178]
[177] Edinburgh Encyclopædia, vol, x.
[178] Mr. Borrow bears very positive testimony to the _personal_
virtue of Gipsy females. I have heard natives of Hungary speak lightly
of them in that respect; but I conclude that they alluded to
exceptions to the general rule among the race.--ED.
But in the best-regulated society--in the most virtuous of families--the
sundering of the marriage-tie is often unavoidable, even under the most
heinous of circumstances. And it is not to be expected that the Gipsies
should be exempted from the lot common to humanity, under whatever
circumstances it may be placed. The separation of husband and wife is,
with them, a very serious and melancholy affair--an event greatly to be
lamented, while the ceremony is attended with much grief and mourning,
blood having to be shed, and life taken, on the occasion.
It would be a conclusion naturally to be drawn from the circumstance of
the Gipsies having so singular a marriage ceremony, that they should
have its concomitant in as singular a ceremony of divorce. The first
recourse to which a savage would naturally resort, in giving vent to his
indignation, and obtaining satisfaction for the infidelity of the
female, (assuming that savages are always susceptible of such a
feeling,) would be to despatch her on the spot. But the principle of
expiation, in the person of a dumb creature, for offences committed
against the Deity, has, from the very creation of the world, been so
universal among mankind, that it would not be wondered at if it should
have been applied for the atonement of offences committed against each
other, and nowhere so much so as in the East--the land of figure and
allegory. The practice obtains with the Gipsies in the matter of
divorce, for they lay upon the head of that noble animal, the horse, the
sins of their offending sister, and generally let her go free. But, it
may be asked, how has this sacrifice of the horse never been mentioned
in Scotland before? The same question applies equally well to their
language, and marriage ceremony, yet we know that both of these exist at
the present day. The fact is, the Gipsies have hitherto been so
completely despised, and held in such thorough contempt, that few ever
thought of, or would venture to make enquiries of them relative to,
their ancient customs and manners; and that, when any of their
ceremonies were actually observed by the people at large, they were
looked upon as the mere frolics, the unmeaning and extravagant
practices, of a race of beggarly thieves and vagabonds, unworthy of the
slightest attention or credit.[179] In whatever country the Gipsies have
appeared, they have always been remarkable for an extraordinary
attachment to the horse. The use which they make of this animal, in
sacrifice, will sufficiently account, in one way at least, for this
peculiar feature in their character. Many of the horses which have been
stolen by them, since their arrival in Europe, I am convinced, have been
used in parting with their wives, an important religious ceremony--or at
least a custom--which they would long remember and practise.[180]
[179] What our author says, relative to the sacrifice of the horse, by
the Gipsies, not being known to the people of Scotland at large, is
equally applicable to the entire subject of the tribe. And we see here
how admirably the passions--in this case, the prejudice and
incredulity--of mankind are calculated to blind them to facts, perhaps
to facts the most obvious and incontestible. What is stated of the
Gipsies in this work, generally, should be no matter of wonder; the
real wonder, if wonder there should be, is that it should not have
been known to the world before.--ED.
[180] Grellmann says, of the Hungarian Gipsies, "The greatest luxury
to them is when they can procure a roast of cattle that have died of
any distemper, whether it be sheep, pig, cow, or other beast, _a horse
only excepted_."--ED.
It is the general opinion, founded chiefly upon the affinity of
language, that this singular people migrated from Hindostan. None of the
authors on the Gipsies, however, that I am aware of, have, in their
researches, been able to discover, among the tribe, any customs of a
religious nature, by which their religious notions and ceremonies, at
the time they entered Europe, could be ascertained. Indeed, the learned
and industrious Grellmann expressly states that the Gipsies did not
bring any particular religion with them, from their native country, by
which they could be distinguished from other people. The Gipsy sacrifice
of the horse, at parting with their wives, however, appears to be a
remnant of the great Hindoo religious sacrifice of the _Aswamedha_, or
_Assummeed Jugg_, observed by all the four principal castes in India,
enumerated in the Gentoo code of laws, translated from the Persian copy,
by Nathaniel Brassey Halhed, and is proof, besides the similarity of
language, that the Gipsies are from Hindostan. Before the Gentoo code
of laws came into my hands, I was inclined to believe that this ceremony
of sacrificing horses might be a Tartar custom, as the ancient Pagan
tribes of Tartary also sacrificed horses, on certain occasions; and my
conjectures were countenanced by the Gipsy and Tartar ceremonies being
somewhat similar in their details. Indeed, in Sweden and Denmark, and in
some parts of Germany, the Gipsies, as I have already stated, obtained
the name of Tartars. "They were not allowed the privilege of remaining
unmolested in Denmark, as the code of Danish laws specifies: The Tartar
Gipsies, who wander about everywhere, doing great damage to the people,
by their lies, thefts, and witchcraft, shall be taken into custody by
every magistrate." And it also appears, according to Grellmann, that the
Gipsies sometimes called themselves Tartars. If it was observed, on the
continent, that they sacrificed horses, a custom very common at one time
among the Tartars, their supposed Tartar origin would appear to have had
some foundation. The Tartar princes seem to have ratified and confirmed
their military leagues by sacrificing horses and drinking of a running
stream; and we find our Scottish Gipsies dissolving their matrimonial
alliances by the solemn sacrifice of the same animal, while some Gipsies
state that horses were also, at one time, sacrificed at their marriage
ceremonies. At these sacrifices of the Scottish Gipsies, no Deity--no
invisible agency--appears, as far as I am informed, to have been invoked
by the sacrificers.
I have alluded to this custom of the Tartars, more particularly, to show
that the Gipsies are not the only people who have sacrificed horses. The
ancient Hindoos, as already stated, sacrificed horses. The Greeks did
the same to Neptune; the ancient Scandinavians to their god, Assa-Thor,
the representative of the sun; and the Persians, likewise, to the
sun.[181] But I am inclined to believe that the Gipsy sacrifice of the
horse is the remains of the great _Assummeed Jugg_ of the Hindoos,
observed by tribes of greater antiquity than the modern nations of
India, as appears by the Gentoo code of laws already referred to.
[181] It appears that the Jews, when they lapsed into the grossest
idolatry, dedicated horses to the sun. "And he (Josiah) took away the
horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering
in of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech, the
chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burnt the chariots of the
sun with fire." II Kings, xxiii. 11.
The sacrificing of horses is a curious as well as a leading and
important fact in the history of the Gipsies, and, as far as I know, is
new to the world. I shall, in establishing its existence among the
Scottish Gipsies, produce my authorities with my details.
In the first place, it was, and I believe it still is, a general
tradition, over almost all Scotland, that, when the Tinklers parted from
their wives, the act of separation took place over the carcass of a dead
horse. In respect to McDonald's case, alluded to under the head of
Linlithgowshire Gipsies, my informant, Mr. Alexander Ramsay, late an
officer of the Excise, a very respectable man, who died in 1819, at the
age of 74 years, stated to me that he saw McDonald and his wife
separated over the body of a dead horse, on a moor, at Shieldhill, near
Falkirk, either in the year 1758 or 1760, he was uncertain which. The
horse was laying stretched out on the heath. The parties took hold of
each other by the hand, and, commencing at the head of the dead animal,
walked--the husband on one side, and the wife on the other--till they
came to the tail, when, without speaking a word to each other, they
parted, in opposite directions, as if proceeding on a journey. Mr.
Ramsay said he never could forget the violent swing which McDonald gave
his wife at parting. The time of the day was a little after day-break.
My informant, at the time, was going, with others, to Shieldhill for
coals, and happened to be passing over a piece of rising ground, when
they came close upon the Gipsies, in a hollow, quite unexpectedly to
both parties.
Another aged man of credibility, of the name of James Wilson, at North
Queensferry, also informed me that it was within his own knowledge, that
a Gipsy, of the name of John Lundie, divorced four wives over dead
horses, in the manner described. Wilson further mentioned that, when
Gipsies were once regularly separated over a dead horse, they could
never again be united in wedlock; and that, unless they were divorced in
this manner, all the children which the female might have, subsequently
to any other mode of separation, the husband was obliged to support. In
fact, the transaction was not legal, according to the Gipsy usages,
without the horse. The facts of Lundie, and another Gipsy, of the name
of Drummond, having divorced many wives over dead horses, have been
confirmed to me by several aged individuals who knew them personally.
One intelligent gentleman, Mr. Richard Baird, informed me that, in his
youth, he actually saw John Lundie separated from one of his wives over
a dead horse, in the parish of Carriden, near Bo'ness. My father, who
died in 1837, at the age of nearly 83 years, also stated that it was
quite current, in Tweed-dale, that Mary Yorkston, wife of Matthew
Baillie, the Gipsy chief, parted married couples of her tribe over dead
horses.
About ten years after receiving the above information, Malcolm's
Anecdotes of the Manners and Customs of London came into my hands;
wherein I found the following quotations, from a work published in 1674,
describing the different classes of impostors at that period in England:
"Patricos," says this old author, "are strolling priests; every hedge is
their parish, and every wandering rogue their parishioner. The service,
he saith, is the marrying of couples, without the Gospels or Book of
Common Prayer; the solemnity whereof is this: The parties to be married
find out a dead horse, or other beast; standing, one on the one side,
and the other on the other, the Patrico bids them live together till
death part them; so, shaking hands, the wedding is ended." Now the
parties here described seem to have been no other than Gipsies. But it
also appears that the ceremony alluded to is that of dissolving a
marriage, and not that of celebrating it. It is proper, however, to
mention, as I have already done, that horses, at one time, were
sacrificed at their marriages, as well as at their divorces.
Feeling now quite satisfied that Gipsies were, at one time, actually
separated over the bodies of dead horses, and horses only, (for I could
find no other animal named but horses,) I proceeded to have the fact
confirmed by the direct testimony of the people themselves. And whether
these horses were sacrificed expressly for such purposes, or whether the
rites were performed over horses accidentally found dead, I could not
discover till the year 1828. It occurred to me that the using of dead
horses, in separating man and wife, was a remnant of some ancient
ceremony, which induced me to persevere in my enquiries, for the purpose
of ascertaining, if not the origin, at least the particulars, of so
extraordinary a custom. In the year mentioned, and in the year
following, I examined a Gipsy on the subject; a man of about sixty years
of age, who, a few years before, had given me a specimen of his
language. He said that he himself had witnessed the sacrifices and
ceremonies attending the separation of husband and wife. From this man I
received the following curious particulars relative to the sacrifice of
horses and ceremony of divorce; which I think may be depended on, as I
was very careful in observing that his statements, taken down at four
different times, agreed with each other.
When the parties can no longer live together as husband and wife, and a
separation for ever is finally determined on, a horse, without blemish,
and in no manner of way lame, is led forth to the spot for performing
the ceremony of divorce. The hour at which the rites must be performed
is, if possible, twelve o'clock at noon, "when the sun is at his
height."[182] The Gipsies present cast lots for the individual who is to
sacrifice the animal, and whom they call the priest, for the time. The
priest, with a long pole or staff in his hand,[183] walks round and
round the animal several times; repeating the names of all the persons
in whose possession it has been, and extolling and expatiating on the
rare qualities of so useful an animal. It is now let loose, and driven
from their presence, to do whatever it pleases. The horse, perfect and
free, is put in the room of the woman who is to be divorced; and by its
different movements is the degree of her guilt ascertained. Some of the
Gipsies now set off in pursuit of it, and endeavour to catch it. If it
is wild and intractable, kicks, leaps dykes and ditches, scampers about,
and will not allow itself to be easily taken hold of, the crimes and
guilt of the woman are looked upon as numerous and heinous. If the horse
is tame and docile, when it is pursued, and suffers itself to be taken
without much trouble, and without exhibiting many capers, the guilt of
the woman is not considered so deep and aggravated; and it is then
sacrificed in her stead. But if it is extremely wild and vicious, and
cannot be taken without infinite trouble, her crimes are considered
exceedingly wicked and atrocious; and my informant said instances
occurred in which both horse and woman were sacrificed at the same time;
the death of the horse, alone, being then considered insufficient to
atone for her excessive guilt. The individuals who catch the horse bring
it before the priest. They repeat to him all the faults and tricks it
had committed; laying the whole of the crimes of which the woman is
supposed to have been guilty to its charge; and upbraiding and scolding
the dumb creature, in an angry manner, for its conduct. They bring, as
it were, an accusation against it, and plead for its condemnation. When
this part of the trial is finished, the priest takes a large knife and
thrusts it into the heart of the horse; and its blood is allowed to flow
upon the ground till life is extinct. The dead animal is now stretched
out upon the ground. The husband then takes his stand on one side of it,
and the wife on the other; and, holding each other by the hand, repeat
certain appropriate sentences in the Gipsy language. They then quit hold
of each other, and walk three times round the body of the horse,
contrariwise, passing and crossing each other, at certain points, as
they proceed in opposite directions. At certain parts of the animal,
(the _corners_ of the horse, was the Gipsy's expression,) such as the
hind and fore feet, the shoulders and haunches, the head and tail, the
parties halt, and face each other; and again repeat sentences, in their
own speech, at each time they halt. The two last stops they make, in
their circuit round the sacrifice, are at the head and tail. At the
head, they again face each other, and speak; and lastly, at the tail,
they again confront each other, utter some more Gipsy expressions, shake
hands, and finally part, the one going north, the other south, never
again to be united in this life.[184] Immediately after the separation
takes place, the woman receives a token, which is made of cast-iron,
about an inch and a half square, with a mark upon it resembling the
Roman character, T. After the marriage has been dissolved, and the woman
dismissed from the sacrifice, the heart of the horse is taken out and
roasted with fire, then sprinkled with vinegar, or brandy, and eaten by
the husband and his friends then present; the female not being allowed
to join in this part of the ceremony. The body of the horse, skin and
everything about it, except the heart, is buried on the spot; and years
after the ceremony has taken place, the husband and his friends visit
the grave of the animal, to see whether it has been disturbed. At these
visits, they walk round about the grave, with much grief and mourning.
[182] This Gipsy mentioned one particular instance of having seen a
couple separated in this way, on a wild moor, near Huntly, about the
year 1805. He particularly stated that a horse found dead would not do
for a separation, but that one must be killed for the express purpose;
and that "the sun must be at his height" before the horse could be
properly sacrificed. From the fact of Ramsay stumbling upon the
Gipsies "a little after day-break," it would seem that circumstances
had compelled them to change the time, or adjourn the completion, of
the sacrifice; or that the extreme wildness of the victim had
prevented its being caught, and so led to the "violent swing which
McDonald gave his wife at parting." And it might be that Ramsay had
come upon them when McDonald and his wife were performing the last
part of the ceremony, or had caused them to finish it abruptly; as the
old Gipsy stated that not only are none but Gipsies allowed to be
present on such occasions, but that the greatest secrecy is observed,
to prevent discovery by those who are not of the tribe.
[183] It appears all the Gipsies, male as well as female, who perform
ceremonies for their tribe, carry long staffs. In the Institutes of
Menu, page 28, it is written: "The staff of a priest must be of such
length as to reach his hair; that of a soldier to reach his forehead;
and that of a merchant to reach the nose."
[184] That I might distinctly understand the Gipsy, when he described
the manner of crossing and wheeling round the corners of the horse, a
common sitting-chair was placed on its side between us, which
represented the animal lying on the ground.
The husband may take another wife whenever he pleases, but the female is
never permitted to marry again.[185] The token, or rather bill of
divorce, which she receives, must never be from about her person. If she
loses it, or attempts to pass herself off as a woman never before
married, she becomes liable to the punishment of death. In the event of
her breaking this law, a council of the chiefs is held upon her conduct,
and her fate is decided by a majority of the members; and, if she is to
suffer death, her sentence must be confirmed by the king, or principal
leader. The culprit is then tied to a stake, with an iron chain, and
there cudgelled to death. The executioners do not extinguish life at one
beating, but leave the unhappy woman for a little while, and return to
her, and at last complete their work by despatching her on the spot.
[185] Bright, on the Spanish Gipsies, says: "Widows never marry again,
are distinguished by mourning-veils, and black shoes made like those
of a man; no slight mortification, in a country where the females are
so remarkable for the beauty of their feet." It is most likely that
_divorced female Gipsies_ are confounded here with _widows_.--ED.
I have been informed of an instance of a Gipsy falling out with his
wife, and, in the heat of his passion, shooting his own horse dead on
the spot with his pistol, and forthwith performing the ceremony of
divorce over the animal, without allowing himself a moment's time for
reflection on the subject. Some of the country-people observed the
transaction, and were horrified at so extraordinary a proceeding. It was
considered by them as merely a mad frolic of an enraged Tinkler. It took
place many years ago, in a wild, sequestered spot between Galloway and
Ayrshire.
This sacrifice of the horse is also observed by the Gipsies of the
Russian Empire. In the year 1830, a Russian gentleman of observation and
intelligence, proprietor of estates on the banks of the Don, stated to
me that the Gipsies in the neighbourhood of Moscow, and on the Don,
several hundred versts from the sea of Asoph, sacrificed horses, and ate
part of their flesh, in the performance of some very ancient ceremony of
idolatry. They sacrifice them under night, in the woods, as the practice
is prohibited by the Russian Government. The police are often detecting
the Gipsies in these sacrifices, and the ceremony is kept as secret as
possible. My informant could not go into the particulars of the Gipsy
sacrifice in Russia; but there is little doubt that it is the same which
the tribe performed in Scotland. In Russia, the Gipsies, like those in
this country, have a language peculiar to themselves, which they retain
as a secret among their own fraternity.
As regards the sacrificing of horses by the Gipsies of Scotland, at the
present day, all that I can say is that I do not know of its taking
place; nor has it been denied to me. The only conclusion to which I can
come, in regard to the question, is that it is in the highest degree
probable that, like their language and ceremony of marriage, it is still
practised when it can be done. In carrying out this ceremony, there is
an obstacle to be overcome which does not lay in the way of that of
marriage, and it is this: Where are many of the Tinklers to find a
horse, over which they can obtain a divorce? The difficulty with them is
as great as it is with the people of England, who must, at a frightful
expense, go to no less than the House of Lords to obtain an act to
separate legally from their unfaithful partners.[186] The Gipsies,
besides being generally unable or unwilling to bear the expense of what
will procure them a release in their own way, find it a difficult
matter, in these days, to steal, carry off, and dispose of such a bulky
article as a horse, in the sacrifice of which they will find a new wife.
I am not aware how they get quit of this solemn and serious difficulty,
beyond this, that a Gipsy, a native of Yetholm, informed me that some of
his brethren in that colony knock down their _asses_, for the purpose of
parting with their wives, at the present day.[187]
[186] This difficulty has been removed by recent legislation.--ED.
[187] "An ass is sometimes sacrificed by religious mendicants, as an
atonement for some fault by which they had forfeited their rank as
devotees."--_Account of the Hindoos._
As the code of the ancient laws of Hindostan is not in the hands of
every one, I shall here transcribe from the work the account of the
Gentoo Institution of the _Aswamedha_ or the _Assummeed Jugg_,[188]
that the reader may compare it with the Gipsy sacrifice of horses; for
which, owing to its length, I must crave his indulgence. It is under
the chapter of evidence, and is as follows:
"An _Assummeed Jugg_ is when a person, having commenced a Jugg, writes
various articles upon a scroll of paper on a horse's neck, and dismisses
the horse, sending, along with the horse, a stout and valiant person,
equipped with the best necessaries and accoutrements, to accompany the
horse day and night, whithersoever he shall choose to go; and if any
creature, either man, genius or dragon, should seize the horse, that man
opposes such attempt, and, having gained the victory, upon a battle,
again gives the horse his freedom. If any one in this world, or in
heaven, or beneath the earth, would seize this horse, and the horse of
himself comes to the house of the celebrator of the _Jugg_, upon killing
that horse, he must throw the flesh of him upon the fire of the _Juk_,
and utter the prayers of his Deity; such a _Jugg_ is called a _Jugg
Assummeed_, and the merit of it, as a religious work, is infinite."
_Page 127._
[188] Jugg, in Hindostanee, is a word which signifies a religious
ceremony; hence the well-known temple Juggernaut.
In another part of the same chapter of the Hindoo code of laws, are
the following particulars relative to horses, which show the great
respect in which these animals were held among the ancient natives
of Hindostan. "In an affair concerning a horse: if any person gives
false evidence, his guilt is as great as the guilt of murdering one
hundred persons." _Page 128._ In the Asiatic Researches, the
sacrifice of the horse is frequently noticed; and in Sir William
Jones' Institutes of Menu, chapter viii., page 202, it is said: "A
false witness, in the case of a horse, kills, or incurs the guilt of
killing, one hundred kinsmen." "The _Aswamedha_, or sacrifice of the
horse: Considerable difficulties usually attend that ceremony; for
the consecrated horse was to be set at liberty for a certain time,
and followed at a distance by the owner, or his champion, who was
usually one of his near kinsmen; and if any person should attempt to
stop it in its rambles, a battle must inevitably ensue; besides, as
the performer of an hundred _Aswamedhas_ became equal to the god of
the firmaments." (_Asiatic Researches, vol._ iii., _page 216_.) "The
inauguration of _Indra_, (the Indian God of the firmaments,) it
appears, was performed by sacrificing an hundred horses. It is
imagined that this celebration becomes a cause of obtaining great
power and universal monarchy; and many of the kings in ancient
India performed this sacrifice at their inauguration, similar
to that of Indra's." "These monarchs were consecrated by these great
sacrifices, with a view to become universal conquerors." (_Asiatic
Researches._) It appears, by the Hindoo mythology, that _Indra_ was
at one time a mere mortal, but by sacrificing an hundred horses, he
became sovereign of the firmament; and that should any Indian
monarch succeed in immolating an hundred horses, he would displace
_Indra_.
The above are literal and simple facts, which took place in performing
the sacrifice; but the following is the explanation of the mystic
signification contained in the ceremony.
"The _Assummeed Jugg_ does not merely consist in the performance of that
ceremony which is open to the inspection of the world, namely, in
bringing a horse, and sacrificing him; but _Assummeed_ is to be taken in
a mystic signification, as implying that the sacrificer must look upon
himself to be typified in that horse, such as he shall be described;
because the religious duty of the _Assummeed Jugg_ comprehends all those
other religious duties, to the performance of which all the wise and
holy direct all their actions; and by which all the sincere professors
of every different faith aim at perfection. The mystic signification
thereof is as follows: The head of that unblemished horse is the symbol
of the morning; his eyes are the sun; his breath the wind; his
wide-opening mouth is the _Bishw[=a]ner_, or that innate warmth which
invigorates all the world; his body typifies one entire year; his back,
paradise; his belly, the plains; his hoof, this earth; his sides, the
four quarters of the heavens; the bones thereof, the intermediate spaces
between the four quarters; the rest of his limbs represent all distinct
matter; the places where those limbs meet, or his joints, imply the
months, and halves of the months, which are called _P[)e]ch[)e]_ (or
fortnights); his feet signify night and day; and night and day are of
four kinds; first, the night and day of Brihma; second, the night and
day of angels; third, the night and day of the world of the spirits of
deceased ancestors; fourth, the night and day of mortals. These four
kinds are typified in his four feet. The rest of his bones are the
constellations of the fixed stars, which are the twenty-eight stages of
the moon's course, called the lunar year; his flesh is the clouds; his
food the sand; his tendons the rivers; his spleen and liver the
mountains; the hair of his body the vegetables, and his long hair the
trees. The fore part of his body typifies the first half of the day, and
the hinder part the latter half; his yawning is the flash of the
lightning, and his turning himself is the thunder of the cloud; his
urine represents the rain; and his mental reflection is his only speech.
"The golden vessels, which are prepared before the horse is let loose,
are the light of the day; and the place where these vessels are kept is
a type of the ocean of the East; the silver vessels, which are prepared
after the horse is let loose, are the light of the night; and the place
where those vessels are kept is a type of the ocean of the West. These
two sorts of vessels are always before and after the horse. The Arabian
horse, which, on account of his swiftness, is called _Hy_, is the
performer of the journeys of angels; the _T[=a]jee_, which is of the
race of Persian horses, is the performer of the journeys of the
_Kundherps_ (or the good spirits); the _W[=a]zb[=a]_, which is of the
race of the deformed _T[=a]jee_ horses, is the performer of the journeys
of _Jins_ (or demons); and the _Ashoo_, which is of the race of Turkish
horses, is the performer of the journeys of mankind. This one horse
which performs these several services, on account of his four different
sorts of riders, obtains the four different appellations. The place
where this horse remains is the great ocean, which signifies the
great spirit of _Perm-atm[=a]_, or the universal soul, which proceeds
also from that _Perm-atm[=a]_, and is comprehended in the same
_Perm-atm[=a]_.
"The intent of this sacrifice is, that a man should consider himself to
be in the place of that horse, and look upon all these articles as
typified in himself; and conceiving the _Atm[=a]_ (or divine soul) to be
an ocean, should let all thought of self be absorbed in that _Atm[=a]_."
_Page 19._
Mr. Halhed, the translator, justly observes: "This is the very acme and
enthusiasm of allegory, and wonderfully displays the picturesque powers
of fancy in an Asiatic genius; yet, unnatural as the account there
stands, it is seriously credited by the Hindoos of all denominations."
On the other hand, he thinks there is a great resemblance between this
very ancient Hindoo ceremony and the sacrifice of the scape-goat, in the
Bible, described in the 21st and 22d verses of the 16th chapter of
Leviticus, viz.: "And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of
the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children
of Israel, and all their transgressions, in all their sins, putting them
upon the head of the goat; and shall send him away, by the hand of a fit
man, into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their
iniquities into a land not inhabited; and he shall let go the goat into
the wilderness." _Page 17._ In the same manner, all the iniquities of
the sacrificer, in the Gentoo ceremony, are laid upon the horse, which
is let loose, and attended by a stout and valiant person. The same is
done in the Gipsy sacrifice, as typifying the woman to be divorced.
The resemblance between the Gipsy and the Hindoo sacrifice is close and
striking in their general bearings. The Hindoo sacrificer is typified in
the horse, and his sins are ascertained and described by the motions or
movements of the animal; for if the horse is very docile and tame, and
of its own accord comes to the Hindoo celebrator of the sacrifice, his
merits are then infinite, and extremely acceptable to the Deity
worshipped. In the Gipsy sacrifice, if the horse is in like manner
quiet, and easily caught, the woman, whom it represents, is then
comparatively innocent. In India, part of the _flesh_ of the horse was
eaten: among the Gipsies, the _heart_ is eaten. The Hindoos sacrificed
their _enemies_, by substituting for them a _buffalo_, &c.: the Gipsies
sacrifice their _unfaithful wives_, by the substitute of a _horse_. In
the Hindoo sacrifice, particular parts of the horse allegorically
represent certain parts of the earth: at certain parts of the horse,
(the _corners_, as the Gipsies call them,) the Gipsies, in their circuit
round the animal, halt, and utter particular sentences in their own
language, as if these parts were of more importance, and had more
influence, than the other parts. And it is probable that, in these
sentences, some invisible agency was addressed and invoked by the
Gipsies.
As the _Aswamedha_, or sacrifice of the horse, was the most important of
all the religious ceremonies of every caste of Hindoos, in ancient
India, so it would be the last to be forgotten by the wandering Gipsies.
And as both sacrificed at twelve o'clock, noon, I am inclined to believe
that both offered their sacrifice to the sun, the animating soul of
universal nature. As already stated, the Gipsies, while travelling,
assume new names every morning before setting out; but when noon-tide
arrives, they resume their permanent English ones. This custom is
practised daily, and has undoubtedly also some reference to the sun. By
the account of the Gipsy already mentioned, the horse must, if possible,
be killed at noon. According to Southey, in his curse of Kehamah, the
sacrifice of the horse in India was performed at the same time. Colonel
Tod, in his history of India, says: "The sacrifice of the horse is the
most imposing, and the earliest, heathenish rite on record, and was
dedicated to the sun, anciently, in India." According to the same
author, the horse in India must be milk-white, with particular marks
upon it. The Gipsy's horse to be sacrificed must be sound, and without
blemish; but no particular colour is mentioned. According to Halhed, the
horse sacrificed in India was also without blemish.
I have, perhaps, been too minute and tedious in describing these rites
and ceremonies of the Gentoos; but the singular fact that our Scottish
Tinklers yet--at least till very lately--retained the important
fragments of the ancient mythology of the Pagan tribes of Hindostan, is
offered as an apology to the curious reader for the trouble of perusing
the details. I shall only add, that there appears to be nearly as great
a resemblance between the sacrifices of the Gipsies and the ancient
Hindoos, as there is affinity between modern Hindostanee and the
language of the Gipsies in Scotland, at the present day, as will be seen
in the following chapter.