me, and in the secrecy of their movements in going from village
to village, undermining the foundation of the State, law, and order,
civil and religious liberty. The only bright spot and cheerful tint upon
this sorrowful picture of persecution which took place in our own country
during these dark ages was the appearance of the Star of Elstow, John
Bunyan, the Bedfordshire tinker, whose life and death forcibly
illustrates the last words of Jesus upon the Cross, "Father, forgive
them, they know not what they do."

"'Twere ill to banish hope and let the mind
Drift like a feather. I have had my share
Of what the world calls trial. Once a fire
Came in the darkness, when the city lay
In a still sea of slumber, stretching out
Great lurid arms which stained the firmament;
And when I woke the room was full of sparks,
And red tongues smote the lattice. Then a hand
Came through the sulphur, taking hold of mine,
And the next moment there were shouts of joy.
Ah! I was but a child and my first care
Was for my mother."--HARRIS (the Cornish poet).

Towards the end of the eighteenth century it became evident that edicts
and persecutions were not going to stamp out the Gipsies in this country,
for instead of them decreasing in numbers they kept increasing; at this
time there were supposed to be about 18,000 in the country. The
following sad case, showing the malicious spirits of the Gipsies, and the
relentless hand of the hangman, seemed to have had the effect of bringing
the authorities to bay. They had begun to put their "considering caps"
on, and were in a fix as to the next move, and it was time they had.
They had never thought of tempering justice with mercy. A century ago,
1780, a number of young Gipsies were arrested at Northampton, upon what
charge it does not appear. It should be noted that Northamptonshire at
this time was a favourite round for the Gipsy fraternity as well as the
adjoining counties. This, it seems, excited the feelings of the Gipsies
in the county, and they sought to obtain the release of the young Gipsies
who were in custody, but were not successful in their application to the
magistrate; the consequence was--true to their instincts--the spirit of
revenge manifested itself to such a degree that the Gipsies threatened to
set fire to the town, and would, in all probability have carried it out
had not a number of them been brought to the gallows for thes