own to the present day
from the olden time. That rain should be often called God's blood, and
water bearing the name of Vishnu be termed God, and that this should be
regarded as a specially curious bit of Gipsy lore, is at any rate
remarkable enough.

As for the Gipsies in question ever having heard of Vishnu and other gods
(as a friend suggests to me), save in this dim tradition, I can only say,
that I doubt whether either of them ever heard even of the apostles; and
I satisfied myself that the one who brought the secret had never heard of
Joseph, was pitiably ignorant of Potiphar's wife, and only knew of
"Mozhus" or Moses, that he "once heerd he was on the bulrushes."

Mahadeva, or Mahadev, exists apparently in the mouth of every English
Gipsy in the phrase "Maduveleste!" or, God bless you. This word Maduvel
is often changed to Mi--duvel, and is generally supposed to mean "My
God;" but I was once assured, that the _old_ and correct form was Ma,
meaning great, and that it only meant great in connection with Duvel.

A curious illustration of a lost word returning by chance to its original
source was given one day, when I asked a Gipsy if he knew such a word as
Buddha? He promptly replied, "Yes; that a booderi or boodha mush was an
_old_ man;" and pointing to a Chinese image of Buddha, said: "That is a
Boohda." He meant nothing more than that it represented an aged person,
but the coincidence was at least remarkable. Budha in Hindustani really
signifies an old man.

The same Gipsy, observing on the chimney-piece a quaint image of a
Chinese griffin--a hideous little goblin with wings--informed me that the
Gipsy name for it was a Seemor or Seemorus, and further declared that the
same word meant a dolphin. "But a dolphin has no wings," I remarked.
"Oh, hasn't it?" rejoined the Gipsy; "its _fins_ are its wings, if it
hadn't wings it could not be a Seemor." I think I recognise in this
Seemor, the Simurgh or Griffin of Persian fable. {112} I could learn
nothing more than this, that the Gipsy had always regarded a dolphin as
resembling a large-headed winged monster, which he called a Seemor.

NAG is a snake in Hindustani. The English Gipsies still retain this
primaeval word, but apply it only to the blind-worm. It is, however,
remarkable that the Nag, or blind-worm, is, in the opinion of the
Rommany, the most mysterious of creatures. I have been told that "when a
nag mullers it's hardus as a kosh, and you can pog