The Project Gutenberg eBook, Lavengro, by George Borrow, Edited by F.
Hindes Groome

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Title: Lavengro
The Scholar - The Gypsy - The Priest, Vol. 1 (of 2)

Author: George Borrow

Editor: F. Hindes Groome

Release Date: October 3, 2007 [eBook #22877]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LAVENGRO***

Transcribed from the 1901 Methuen & Co. edition by David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org

LAVENGRO
The Scholar--The Gypsy--The Priest

_By_
GEORGE BORROW

_WITH NOTES AND AN INTRODUCTION_
BY F. HINDES GROOME

VOLUME I

_WITH A PORTRAIT FROM A PAINTING_
BY H. W. PHILLIPS

LONDON
METHUEN & CO.
36 ESSEX STREET, W.C.
MDCCCCI

{Portrait of George Borrow, painted by H. W. Phillips, engraved by W.
Hall: p0.jpg}

INTRODUCTION

There have been many Romany Ryes, or "Gypsy Gentlemen," as Gypsies
designate those who, though not of their race, yet have loved that race,
and have mastered the Romany tongue. The first is one of the
oddest--Andrew Boorde (_c._ 1490-1549). Carthusian, traveller,
physician, and, perhaps, the original Merry Andrew, he got into trouble
over certain delinquencies, and died a prisoner in the Fleet gaol. In
1542 he was writing his _Fyrst Boke of the Introduction of Knowledge_,
and had come to "the xxxviii. chapiter," which "treateth of Egypt, and of
theyr money and of theyr speche." He started bravely:--

"Egipt is a countrey ioyned to Jury,
The countrey is plentyfull of wine, corne and hony.

"There be many great wyldernes, in the which be many great wylde
beastes. In ye which wildernis liuid many holy fathers, as it
apperith in vitas patrum. The people--"

But here, I fancy, he suddenly broke off; what did he know of the
Egyptian people? Greece was the nearest he had ever been to Egypt.
Going, however, for a stroll through his native county of Sussex, he
presently lights on a band of "right Egyptians," belike in front of an
alehouse. Egyptians! the very thing! Like any newspaper correspondent
of to-day, he must straightway have whipped out his notebook, and jotted
down the rest of his chapter:--

"T