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Borrow, George Henry, 1803-1881

"The Romany Rye"

"
"And the gypsies have mentioned me to you?" said I.
"Frequently," said the jockey, "and not only those of these parts;
why, there's scarcely a part of England in which I have not heard
the name of the Romany Rye mentioned by these people. The power
you have over them is wonderful; that is, I should have thought it
wonderful, had they not more than once told me the cause."
"And what is the cause?" said I, "for I am sure I do not know."
"The cause is this," said the jockey, "they never heard a bad word
proceed from your mouth, and never knew you do a bad thing."
"They are a singular people," said I.
"And what a singular language they have got," said the jockey.
"Do you know it?" said I.
"Only a few words," said the jockey, "they were always chary in
teaching me any."
"They were vary sherry to me too," said the Hungarian, speaking in
broken English; "I only could learn from them half-a-dozen words,
for example, gul eray, which, in the czigany of my country, means
sweet gentleman; or edes ur in my own Magyar."
"Gudlo Rye, in the Romany of mine, means a sugar'd gentleman," said
I; "then there are gypsies in your country?"
"Plenty," said the Hungarian, speaking German, "and in Russia and
Turkey too; and wherever they are found, they are alike in their
ways and language.


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