hout noise. They showed recommendations and safe-conducts
from princes and nobles, and also from the Emperor Sigismund. They
asserted that their bishops had commanded them to wander for seven
years through the world. But they were great swindlers, and passed
their nights in the open air, for better opportunities of stealing. In
1418, they appeared in many parts of Germany, and the same year went
under the command of Duke Michael, from Little Egypt into Switzerland.
A rendezvous of many hordes seems to have taken place before Zurich.
They numbered according to the lowest computation a thousand heads.
They had two dukes and two knights, and pretended to have been driven
from Egypt by the Turks: they carried much money in their pockets, and
maintained that they had received it from their own people at home:
they ate and drank well, and also paid well, but they have never shown
themselves again like this. From thence they appear to have turned to
France and Italy; in 1422, a band of them came under a duke from Egypt
to Bologna and Forli. They stated that the King of Hungary had
compelled about 4000 of them to be baptized, and had slain the
remainder; the baptized had been condemned to the penance of seven
years' wandering. They wished to go to Rome to visit the Pope. In 1427,
the same band, probably, appeared before Paris with two dukes. They
asserted that they had letters and a blessing from the Pope. The Pope
had held council concerning them, and had decided that they were to
wander through the world seven years, without lying on a bed; then he
would send them to a fine country. For five years they had journeyed
about, and their king and queen had died during their wanderings, &c.
These were followed by other bands.

In 1424, a new horde appeared Wore Ratisbon, with letters of safe
conduct from the Emperor Sigismund, one of which was dated Zips, 1423,
and was published by the chroniclers. In 1438, another horde passed
through Bohemia, Austria, and Bavaria; this time they were under a
petty king, Zindelo; they also asserted that they came from Egypt, and
declared that they were commanded by God to wander for seven years,
because their forefathers had refused hospitality to the mother of God
and the child Jesus, on their flight into Egypt.

In hordes like these they spread themselves, during the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries, over the whole of Europe. In spite of their
frivolous finery and cunning lies, there were very