LivesofGreatHungarianCitizens。HewasdeadbeforeIwasborn,butIfoundhisbook,whenIwasachild,inthesolitaryhomeofmyfather,whichstoodontheconfinesofapuszta,orwilderness,andthatbookIusedtodevourinwinternightswhenthewindswerewhistlingaroundthehouse。
OhIhowmybloodusedtoglowatthedescriptionsofMagyarvalour,andlikewiseofTurkish;forFlorentiushasalwaysdonejusticetotheTurk。ManyapassagesimilartothishaveIgotbyheart;itisconnectedwithabattleontheplainofRigo,whichHunyadilost:—\"Thenextday,whichwasFriday,asthetwoarmiesweredrawnupinbattlearray,aMagyarheroridingforth,gallopedupanddown,challengingtheTurkstosinglecombat。ThencameouttomeethimthesonofarenownedbashawofAsia;rushinguponeachother,bothbroketheirlances,buttheMagyarheroandhishorserolledoverupontheground,fortheTurkshadalwaysthebesthorses。\"OyoungmanofHorncastle!ifeveryoulearnHungarian—andlearnitassuredlyyouwillafterwhatIhavetoldyou—readthebookofFlorentiusofBuda,evenifyougotoHungarytogetit,foryouwillscarcelyfinditelsewhere,andeventherewithdifficulty,forthebookhasbeenlongoutofprint。ItdescribestheactionsofthegreatmenofHungarydowntothemiddleofthesixteenthcentury;andbesidesbeingwritteninthepurestHungarian,hasthemeritofhavingforitsauthoraprofessoroftheReformedCollegeofDebreczen。
MYSELF。IwillgotoHungaryratherthannotreadit。IamgladthattheTurkbeattheMagyar。WhenIusedtoreadtheballadsofSpainIalwayssidedwiththeMooragainsttheChristian。
HUNGARIAN。Itwasadrawnfightafterall,fortheterriblehorseoftheTurkpresentlyflunghisownmaster,whereuponthetwochampionsreturnedtotheirrespectivearmies;butinthegrandconflictwhichensued,theTurksbeattheMagyars,pursuingthemtillnight,andstrikingthemontheneckswiththeirscymetars。TheTurkisanoblefellow;IshouldwishtobeaTurk,wereInotaMagyar。
MYSELF。TheTurkalwayskeepshisword,Iamtold。
HUNGARIAN。WhichtheChristianveryseldomdoes,andeventheHungariandoesnotalways。In1444Ulaszlomade,atSzeged,peacewithAmurathfortenyears,whichhesworewithanoathtokeep,butattheinstigationofthePopeJulianhebrokeit,andinducedhisgreatcaptain,HunyadiJohn,toshareintheperjury。TheconsequencewasthebattleofVarna,ofthe10thofNovember,inwhichHunyadiwasrouted,andUlaszloslain。Didyoueverhearhisepitaph?itisbothsolemnandedifying:—
RomulidaeCannasegoVarnamcladenotavi;
Disciternortalesnontemerarefidem:
MenisiPontificesjussissentrumperefoedusNonferretScythicumPannonisorajugum。\"
\"Halloo!\"saidthejockey,startingupfromadozeinwhichhehadbeenindulgingforthelasthour,hisheadleaninguponhisbreast,\"whatisthat?That’snothighDutch;I
bargainedforhighDutch,andIleftyouspeakinghighDutch,asitsoundedverymuchlikethelanguageofhorses,asI
havebeentoldhighDutchdoes;butasforwhatyouarespeakingnow,whateveryoumaycallit,itsoundsmorelikethelanguageofanotherkindofanimal。Isupposeyouwanttoinsultme,becauseIwasonceadicky—boy。\"
\"Nothingofthekind,\"saidI;\"thegentlemanwasmakingaquotationinLatin。\"
\"Latin,wasit?\"saidthejockey;\"thataltersthecase。
Latinisgenteel,andIhavesentmyeldestboytoanacademytolearnit。Come,letushearyoufireawayinLatin,\"hecontinued,proceedingtore—lighthispipe,which,beforegoingtosleep,hehadlaidonthetable。
\"IfyouwishtofollowthediscourseinLatin,\"saidtheHungarian,inverybadEnglish,\"Icanobligeyou;IlearnedtospeakverygoodLatininthecollegeofDebreczen。\"
\"That’smore,\"saidI,\"thanIhavedoneinthecollegeswhereIhavebeen;inanylittleconversationwhichwemayyethave,IwishyouwoulduseGerman。\"
\"Well,\"saidthejockey,takingawhiff,\"makeyourconversationasshortaspossible,whetherinLatinorDutch,for,totellyouthetruth,Iamrathertiredofmerelyplayinglistener。\"
\"YouweresayingyouhadbeeninRussia,\"saidI;\"IbelievetheRussiansarepartoftheSclavonianrace。\"
HUNGARIAN。Yes,partofthegreatSclavonianfamily;oneofthemostnumerousracesintheworld。TheRussiansthemselvesareverynumerous;wouldthattheMagyarscouldboastofthefifthpartoftheirnumber!
MYSELF。WhatisthenumberoftheMagyars?
HUNGARIAN。Barelyfourmillions。WecameatribeofTartarsintoEurope,andsettleddownamongstSclavonians,whomweconquered,butwhonevercoalescedwithus。TheAustrianatpresentplaysinPannoniatheSclavonianagainstus,andusagainsttheSclavonian;butthedownfalloftheAustrianisathand;they,likeus,arenotanumerouspeople。
MYSELF。Whowillbringabouthisdownfall?
HUNGARIAN。TheRussians。TheRysckieTsarwillleadhispeopleforth,alltheSclavonianswilljoinhim,hewillconquerallbeforehim。
MYSELF。AretheRussiansgoodsoldiers?
HUNGARIAN。Theyarestubbornandunflinchingtoanastonishingdegree,andtheirfidelitytotheirTsarisquiteadmirable。SeehowtheRussiansbehavedatPlescova,inLivonia,intheoldtime,againstourgreatBatoryStephen;
theydefendedtheplacetillitwasaheapofrubbish,andmarkhowtheybehavedaftertheyhadbeenmadeprisoners。
Stephenofferedthemtwoalternatives:—toenterintohisservice,inwhichtheywouldhavegoodpay,clothing,andfairtreatment;ortobeallowedtoreturntoRussia。
Withouttheslightesthesitationthey,toaman,chosethelatter,thoughwellawarethattheirbelovedTsar,thecruelIvanBasilowits,wouldputthemalltodeath,amidsttorturesthemosthorrible,fornotdoingwhatwasimpossible—
preservingthetown。
MYSELF。YouspeakRussian?
HUNGARIAN。Alittle。IwasborninthevicinityofaSclavoniantribe;theservantsofourhousewereSclavonians,andIearlyacquiredsomethingoftheirlanguage,whichdiffersnotmuchfromthatofRussia;wheninthatcountryI
quicklyunderstoodwhatwassaid。
MYSELF。HavetheRussiansanyliterature?
HUNGARIAN。Doubtless;butIamnotacquaintedwithit,asI
donotreadtheirlanguage;butIknowsomethingoftheirpopulartales,towhichIusedtolistenintheirizbushkas;
aprincipalpersonageintheseisacreationquiteoriginal—
calledBabaYaga。
MYSELF。WhoistheBabaYaga?
HUNGARIAN。Afemalephantom,whoisdescribedashurryingalongthepuszta,orsteppe,inamortar,poundingwithapestleatatremendousrate,andleavingalongtraceonthegroundbehindherwithhertongue,whichisthreeyardslong,andwithwhichsheseizesanymenandhorsescominginherway,swallowingthemdownintohercapaciousbelly。Shehasseveraldaughters,veryhandsome,andwithplentyofmoney;
happytheyoungMujikwhocatchesandmarriesoneofthem,fortheymakeexcellentwives。
\"Manythanks,\"saidI,\"fortheinformationyouhaveaffordedme:thisisratherpoorwine,\"Iobserved,asIpouredoutaglass—\"IsupposeyouhavebetterwineinHungary?\"
\"Yes,wehavebetterwineinHungary。FirstofallthereisTokay,themostcelebratedintheworld,thoughIconfessI
preferthewineofEger—Tokayistoosweet。\"
\"HaveyoueverbeenatTokay?\"
\"Ihave,\"saidtheHungarian。
\"WhatkindofplaceisTokay?\"
\"AsmalltownsituatedontheTyzza,arapidriverdescendingfromthenorth;theTokayMountainisjustbehindthetown,whichstandsontherightbank。ThetopofthemountainiscalledKopacsTeto,orthebaldtip;thehillissosteepthatduringthunder—stormspiecesfrequentlyfalldownupontheroofsofthehouses。ItwasplantedwithvinesbyKingLajos,whoascendedthethronein1342。ThebestwinecalledTokayis,however,notmadeatTokay,butatKassau,twoleaguesfartherintotheCarpathians,ofwhichTokayisaspur。IfyouwishtodrinkthebestTokay,youmustgotoVienna,towhichplacealltheprimeissent。ForthethirdtimeIaskyou,OyoungmanofHorncastle!whydoesyourGovernmentalwayssendfoolstorepresentitatVienna?\"
\"AndforthethirdtimeItellyou,OsonofAlmus!thatI
cannotsay;perhaps,however,todrinkthesweetTokaywine;
fools,youknow,alwayslikesweetthings。\"
\"Good,\"saidtheHungarian;\"itmustbeso,andwhenIreturntoHungary,Iwillstatetomycountrymenyourexplanationofacircumstancewhichhasfrequentlycausedthemgreatperplexity。Oh!theEnglishareacleverpeople,andhaveadeepmeaninginalltheydo。Whatavisionofdeeppolicyopensitselftomyview!theydonotsendtheirfooltoViennainordertogapeatprocessions,andtobowandscrapeatabasePapistcourt,buttodrinkatthegreatdinnersthecelebratedTokayofHungary,whichtheHungarians,thoughtheydonotdrinkit,areveryproudof,andbydoingsotointimatethesympathywhichtheEnglishentertainfortheirfellowreligionistsofHungary。Oh!theEnglishareadeeppeople。\"
CHAPTERXL
TheHorncastleWelcome—TzernebockandBielebock。
THEpipeoftheHungarianhad,forsometimepast,exhibitedconsiderablesymptomsofexhaustion,littleornoruttlinghavingbeenheardinthetube,andscarcelyaparticleofsmoke,drawnthroughthesyphon,havingbeenemittedfromthelipsofthepossessor。Henowrosefromhisseat,andgoingtoacorneroftheroom,placedhispipeagainstthewall,thenstridingupanddowntheroom,hecrackedhisfingersseveraltimes,exclaiming,inahalf—musingmanner,\"Oh,thedeepnation,which,inordertodisplayitssympathyforHungary,sendsitsfooltoVienna,todrinkthesweetwineofTokay!\"
Thejockey,havinglookedforsometimeatthetallfigurewithevidentapprobation,winkedatmewiththatbrillianteyeofhisonwhichtherewasnospeck,saying,\"’Didyoueverseeatallerfellow?\"
\"Never,\"saidI。
\"Orafiner?\"
\"That’sanotherquestion,\"saidI,\"whichIamnotsowillingtoanswer;however,asIamfondoftruth,andscorntoflatter,IwilltakethelibertyofsayingthatIhaveseenafiner。\"
\"Afiner!where?\"saidthejockey;whilsttheHungarian,whoappearedtounderstandwhatwesaid,stoodstill,andlookedfullatme。
\"Amongstastrangesetofpeople,\"saidI,\"whom,ifIweretoname,youwould,Idaresay,onlylaughatme。\"
\"Whobethey?\"saidthejockey。\"Come,don’tbeashamed;I
haveoccasionallykeptqueerishcompanymyself。\"
\"Thepeoplewhomwecallgypsies,\"saidI;\"whomtheGermanscallZigeuner,andwhocallthemselvesRomanychals。\"
\"Zigeuner!\"saidtheHungarian;\"byIsten!Idoknowthosepeople。\"
\"Romanychals!\"saidthejockey;\"whew!Ibegintosmellarat。\"
\"Whatdoyoumeanbysmellingarat?\"saidI。
\"I’llbetacrown,\"saidthejockey,\"thatyoubetheyoungchapwhatcertainfolkscall’theRomanyRye。’\"
\"Ah!\"saidI,\"howcameyoutoknowthatname?\"
\"Benotyouhe?\"saidthejockey。
\"Why,Icertainlyhavebeencalledbythatname。\"
\"Icouldhaveswornit,\"saidthejockey;thenrisingfromhischair,helaidhispipeonthetable,tookalargehand—
bellwhichstoodontheside—board,andgoingtothedoor,openedit,andcommencedringinginamosttremendousmanneronthestaircase。Thenoisepresentlybroughtupawaiter,towhomthejockeyvociferated,\"Gotoyourmaster,andtellhimtosendimmediatelythreebottlesofchampagne,ofthepinkkind,mindyou,whichistwelveguineasadozen;\"thewaiterhurriedaway,andthejockeyresumedhisseatandhispipe。Isatinsilentastonishmentuntilthewaiterreturnedwithabasketcontainingthewine,which,withthreelongglasses,heplacedonthetable。Thejockeythengotup,andgoingtoalargebow—windowattheendoftheroom,whichlookedintoacourt—yard,peepedout;thensaying,\"thecoastisclear,\"heshutdowntheprincipalsashwhichwasopenforthesakeoftheair,andtakingupabottleofchampagne,heplacedanotherinthehandsoftheHungarian,towhomhesaidsomethinginprivate。Thelatter,whoseemedtounderstandhim,answeredbyanod。Thetwothengoingtotheendofthetablefrontingthewindow,andabouteightpacesfromit,stoodbeforeit,holdingthebottlesbytheirnecks;suddenlythejockeylifteduphisarm。\"Surely,\"saidI,\"youarenotmadenoughtoflingthatbottlethroughthewindow?\"\"Here’stotheRomanyRye;here’stothesweetmaster,\"saidthejockey,dashingthebottlethroughthepaneinsoneatamannerthatscarcelyaparticleofglassfellintotheroom。
\"Eljenedescsiganyur—eljenguleray!\"saidtheHungarian,swingingroundhisbottle,anddischargingitatthewindow;
but,eithernotpossessingthejockey’saccuracyofaim,orrecklessoftheconsequences,heflunghisbottleso,thatitstruckagainstpartofthewoodensettingofthepanes,breakingalongwiththewoodanditselfthreeorfourpanestopieces。Thecrashwashorrid,andwineandparticlesofglassflewbackintotheroom,tothenosmalldangerofitsinmates。\"Whatdoyouthinkofthat?\"saidthejockey;\"wereyoueversohonouredbefore?\"\"Honoured!\"saidI。\"Godpreservemeinfuturefromsuchhonour;\"andIputmyfingertomycheek,whichwasslightlyhurtbyaparticleoftheglass。\"That’sthewayweofthecofradyhonourgreatmenatHorncastle,\"saidthejockey。\"What,youarehurt!nevermind;allthebetter;yourscratchshowsthatyouarethebodythecomplimentwaspaidto。\"\"Andwhatareyougoingtodowiththeotherbottle?\"saidI。\"Dowithit!\"saidthejockey,\"why,drinkit,cosilyandcomfortably,whilstholdingalittlequiettalk。TheRomanyRyeatHorncastle,whatanidea!\"
\"Andwhatwillthemasterofthehousesaytoallthisdamagewhichyouhavecausedhim!\"
\"Whatwillyourmastersay,William?\"saidthejockeytothewaiter,whohadwitnessedthesingularscenejustdescribedwithoutexhibitingtheslightestmarkofsurprise。Williamsmiled,andslightlyshrugginghisshoulders,replied,\"Verylittle,Idaresay,sir;thisa’n’tthefirsttimeyourhonourhasdoneathingofthiskind。\"\"NorwillitbethefirsttimethatIshallhavepaidforit,\"saidthejockey;
\"well,IshallneverhavepaidforacertainiteminthebillwithmorepleasurethanIshallpayforitnow。Come,William,drawthecork,andletustastethepinkchampagne。\"
Thewaiterdrewthecork,andfilledtheglasseswithapinkyliquor,whichbubbled,hissed,andfoamed。\"Howdoyoulikeit?\"saidthejockey,afterIhadimitatedtheexampleofmycompanions,bydespatchingmyportionatadraught。
\"Itiswonderfulwine,\"saidI;\"Ihavenevertastedchampagnebefore,thoughIhavefrequentlyhearditpraised;
itmorethananswersmyexpectations;but,Iconfess,I
shouldnotwishtobeobligedtodrinkiteveryday。\"
\"NorI,\"saidthejockey,\"forevery—daydrinkinggivemeaglassofoldport,or—\"
\"Ofhardoldale,\"Iinterposed,\"which,accordingtomymind,isbetterthanallthewineintheworld。\"
\"Wellsaid,RomanyRye,\"saidthejockey,\"justmyownopinion;now,William,makeyourselfscarce。\"
Thewaiterwithdrew,andIsaidtothejockey,\"HowdidyoubecomeacquaintedwiththeRomanychals?\"
\"Ifirstbecameacquaintedwiththem,\"saidthejockey,\"whenIlivedwitholdFulcherthebasketmaker,whotookmeupwhenIwasadriftupontheworld;IdonotmeanthepresentFulcher,whoislikewisecalledoldFulcher,buthisfather,whohasbeendeadthismanyayear;whilelivingwithhiminthecaravan,Ifrequentlymettheminthegreenlanes,andoflatteryearsIhavehadoccasionaldealingswiththeminthehorseline。\"
\"Andthegypsieshavementionedmetoyou?\"saidI。
\"Frequently,\"saidthejockey,\"andnotonlythoseoftheseparts;why,there’sscarcelyapartofEnglandinwhichI
havenotheardthenameoftheRomanyRyementionedbythesepeople。Thepoweryouhaveoverthemiswonderful;thatis,Ishouldhavethoughtitwonderful,hadtheynotmorethanoncetoldmethecause。\"
\"Andwhatisthecause?\"saidI,\"forIamsureIdonotknow。\"
\"Thecauseisthis,\"saidthejockey,\"theyneverheardabadwordproceedfromyourmouth,andneverknewyoudoabadthing。\"
\"Theyareasingularpeople,\"saidI。
\"Andwhatasingularlanguagetheyhavegot,\"saidthejockey。
\"Doyouknowit?\"saidI。
\"Onlyafewwords,\"saidthejockey,\"theywerealwayscharyinteachingmeany。\"
\"Theywerevarysherrytometoo,\"saidtheHungarian,speakinginbrokenEnglish;\"Ionlycouldlearnfromthemhalf—a—dozenwords,forexample,guleray,which,inthecziganyofmycountry,meanssweetgentleman;oredesurinmyownMagyar。\"
\"GudloRye,intheRomanyofmine,meansasugar’dgentleman,\"saidI;\"thentherearegypsiesinyourcountry?\"
\"Plenty,\"saidtheHungarian,speakingGerman,\"andinRussiaandTurkeytoo;andwherevertheyarefound,theyarealikeintheirwaysandlanguage。Oh,theyareastrangerace,andhowlittleknown!Iknowlittleofthem,butenoughtosay,thatonehorse—loadofnonsensehasbeenwrittenaboutthem;
thereisoneValterScott—\"
\"Mindwhatyousayabouthim,\"saidI;\"heisourgrandauthorityinmattersofphilologyandhistory。\"
\"Aprettyphilologist,\"saidtheHungarian,\"whomakesthegypsiesspeakRoth—Welsch,thedialectofthieves;aprettyhistorian,whocouplestogetherThorandTzernebock。\"
\"Wheredoeshedothat?\"saidI。
\"Inhisconceitedromanceof’Ivanhoe,’hecouplesThorandTzernebocktogether,andcallsthemgodsoftheheathenSaxons。\"
\"Well,\"saidI,\"ThurorThorwascertainlyagodoftheheathenSaxons。\"
\"True,\"saidtheHungarian;\"butwhycouplehimwithTzernebock?TzernebockwasawordwhichyourValterhadpickedupsomewherewithoutknowingthemeaning。TzernebockwasnogodoftheSaxons,butoneofthegodsoftheSclaves,onthesouthernsideoftheBaltic。TheSclaveshadtwograndgodstowhomtheysacrificed,TzernebockandBielebock;
thatis,theblackandwhitegods,whorepresentedthepowersofdarkandlight。TheywereoverturnedbyWaldemar,theDane,thegreatenemyoftheSclaves;theaccountofwhosewarsyouwillfindinonefineoldbook,writtenbySaxoGramaticus,whichIreadinthelibraryofthecollegeofDebreczen。TheSclaves,atonetime,weremastersofallthesouthernshoreoftheBaltic,wheretheirdescendantsarestilltobefound,thoughtheyhavelosttheirlanguage,andcallthemselvesGermans;butthewordZernevitznearDantzic,stillatteststhattheSclaviclanguagewasoncecommoninthoseparts。Zernevitzmeansthethingofblackness,asTzernebockmeansthegodofblackness。Prussiaitselfmerelymeans,inSclavish,LowerRussia。ThereisscarcelyaraceorlanguageintheworldmoreextendedthantheSclavic。OntheothersideoftheDunauyouwillfindtheSclavesandtheirlanguage。CzernavodaisSclavic,andmeansblackwater;inTurkish,karasu;evenasTzernebockmeansblackgod;andBelgrade,orBelograd,meansthewhitetown;evenasBielebock,orBielebog,meansthewhitegod。Oh!heisonegreatignorant,thatValter。Heisgoing,theysay,towriteonehistoryaboutNapoleon。IdohopethatinhishistoryhewillcouplehisThorandTzernebocktogether。BymyGod!itwouldbegooddiversionthat。\"
\"WalterScottappearstobenoparticularfavouriteofyours,\"saidI。
\"Heisnot,\"saidtheHungarian;\"Ihatehimforhisslavishprinciples。Hewishestoseeabsolutepowerrestoredinthiscountry,andPoperyalso—andIhatehimbecause—whatdoyouthink?Inoneofhisnovels,publishedafewmonthsago,hehastheinsolencetoinsultHungaryinthepresenceofoneofhersons。Hemakeshisgreatbraggart,CoeurdeLion,flingaMagyaroverhishead。Ha!itwaswellforRichardthatheneverfeltthegripeofaHungarian。Iwishthebraggartcouldhavefeltthegripeofme,whoam’a’magyarokkoztlegkissebb,’theleastamongtheMagyars。IdohatethatScott,andallhisvilegangofLowlandersandHighlanders。Theblackcorps,thefeketeregimentofMatyjasHunyadi,wasworthalltheScots,highorlow,thateverpretendedtobesoldiers;andwouldhavesentthemallheadlongintotheBlackSea,hadtheydaredtoconfrontitonitsshores;butwhybeangrywithanignorant,whocouplestogetherThorandTzernebock?Ha!Ha!\"
\"Youhavereadhisnovels?\"saidI。
\"Yes,Ireadthemnowandthen。IdonotspeakmuchEnglish,butIcanreaditwell,andIhavereadsomeofhisromances,andmeantoreadhis’Napoleon,’inthehopeoffindingThorandTzernebockcoupledtogetherinit,asinhishigh—flying’Ivanhoe。’\"
\"Come,\"saidthejockey,\"nomoreDutch,whetherhighorlow。
Iamtiredofit;unlesswecanhavesomeEnglish,Iamofftobed。\"
\"IshouldbeverygladtohearsomeEnglish,\"saidI;
\"especiallyfromyourmouth。Severalthingswhichyouhavementioned,haveawakenedmycuriosity。Supposeyougiveusyourhistory?\"
\"Myhistory?\"saidthejockey。\"Arumidea!however,lestconversationshouldlag,I’llgiveityou。Firstofall,however,aglassofchampagnetoeach。\"
Afterwehadeachtakenaglassofchampagne,thejockeycommencedhishistory。
CHAPTERXLI
TheJockey’sTale—Thieves’Latin—LibertieswithCoin—
TheSmasherinPrison—OldFulcher—EveryOnehasHisGift—FashionoftheEnglish。
\"MYgrandfatherwasashorter,andmyfatherwasasmasher;
theonewasscragg’d,andtheotherlagg’d。\"
Ihereinterruptedthejockeybyobservingthathisdiscoursewas,forthegreaterpart,unintelligibletome。
\"IdonotunderstandmuchEnglish,\"saidtheHungarian,who,havingreplenishedandresumedhismightypipe,wasnowsmokingaway;\"but,byIsten,IbelieveitisthegibberishwhichthatgreatignorantValtherScottputsintothemouthsofthefolkshecallsgypsies。\"
\"Somethinglikeit,Iconfess,\"saidI,\"thoughthissoundsmoregenuinethanhisdialect,whichhepickedupoutofthecantingvocabularyattheendofthe’EnglishRogue,’abookwhich,howeverdespised,waswrittenbyaremarkablegenius。
Whatdoyoucallthespeechyouwereusing?\"saidI,addressingmyselftothejockey。
\"Latin,\"saidthejockey,verycoolly,\"thatis,thatdialectofitwhichisusedbythelight—fingeredgentry。\"
\"Heisright,\"saidtheHungarian;\"itiswhattheGermanscallRoth—Welsch:theycallitsobecausethereareagreatmanyLatinwordsinit,introducedbythepriests,who,atthetimeoftheReformation,beingtoolazytoworkandtoostupidtopreach,joinedthebandsofthievesandrobberswhoprowledaboutthecountry。Italy,asyouareaware,iscalledbytheGermansWelschland,orthelandoftheWelschers;andImayaddthatWallachiaderivesitsnamefromacolonyofWelscherswhichTrajansentthere。WelschandWallackbeingoneandthesameword,andtantamounttoLatin。\"
\"Idaresayyouareright,\"saidI;\"butwhywasItalytermedWelschland?\"
\"Idonotknow,\"saidtheHungarian。
\"ThenIthinkIcantellyou,\"saidI;\"itwascalledsobecausetheoriginalinhabitantswereaCimbrictribe,whowerecalledGwyltiad,thatis,araceofwildpeople,livingincoverts,whowereofthesameblood,andspokethesamelanguageasthepresentinhabitantsofWales。WelshseemsmerelyamodificationofGwyltiad。Praycontinueyourhistory,\"saidItothejockey,\"onlypleasetodosoinalanguagewhichwecanunderstand,andfirstofallinterpretthesentencewithwhichyoubeganit。\"
\"Itoldyouthatmygrandfatherwasashorter,\"saidthejockey,\"bywhichismeantagentlemanwhoshortensorreducesthecurrentcoinoftheserealms,forwhichpracticehewasscragged,thatis,hungbythescragoftheneck。AndwhenIsaidthatmyfatherwasasmasher,Imeantonewhopassesforgednotes,therebydoinghisbesttosmashtheBankofEngland;bybeinglagged,Imeanthewaslaidfast,thatis,hadachainputroundhislegandthentransported。\"
\"Yourexplanationsarequitesatisfactory,\"saidI;\"thethreefirstwordsaremetaphorical,andthefourth,lagged,istheoldgenuineNorseterm,lagda,whichsignifieslaid,whetherindurance,orinbed,hasnothingtodowiththematter。WhatyouhavetoldmeconfirmsmeinanopinionwhichIhavelongentertained,thatthieves’Latinisastrangemysteriousspeech,formedofmetaphoricalterms,andwordsderivedfromthevariousancientlanguages。Praytellme,now,howthegentleman,yourgrandfather,contrivedtoshortenthecoinoftheserealms?\"
\"Youshallhear,\"saidthejockey;\"butIhaveonethingtobegofyou,whichis,thatwhenIhaveoncebegunmyhistoryyouwillnotinterruptmewithquestions,Idon’tlikethem,theystopsone,andputsoneoutofone’stale,andarenotwanted;foranythingwhichIthinkcan’tbeunderstood,I
shouldmyselfexplain,withoutbeingasked。Mygrandfatherreducedorshortenedthecoinofthiscountrybythreeprocesses。Byaquafortis,byclipping,andbyfiling。
Filingandclippingheemployedinreducingallsortsofcoin,whethergoldorsilver;butaquafortisheusedmerelyinreducinggoldcoin,whetherguineas,jacobuses,orPortugalpieces,otherwisecalledmoidores,whichwereatonetimeascurrentasguineas。Bylayingaguineainaquafortisfortwelvehours,hecouldfilchfromittothevalueofninepence,andbylettingitremaintherefortwenty—fourtothevalueofeighteenpence,theaquafortiseatingthegoldaway,andleavingitlikeasedimentinthevessel。Hewasgenerallysatisfiedwithtakingthevalueofninepencefromaguinea,ofeighteenpencefromajacobusormoidore,orhalf—
a—crownfromabroadSpanishpiece,whetherhereducedthembyaquafortis,filing,orclipping。Fromafive—shillingpiece,whichiscalledabullinLatinbecauseitisroundlikeabull’shead,hewouldfileorcliptothevalueoffivepence,andfromlessercoininproportion。Hewasconnectedwithanumerousgang,orset,ofpeople,whohadgivenuptheirmindsandtalentsentirelytoshortening。\"