gamblers, no more noticed, no,
not for a single moment, than sheep which droppeth her lamb in a field,
by travellers upon the way. Then said I, 'What of thy foul suspicions,
master? over-knavery blinds the eye as well as over-simplicity.' And he
laughed and said, 'Triumph, Bon Bec, triumph. The chances were nine in
ten against thee.' Then I did pity her, to be in a crowd at such a
time; but he rebuked me. 'I should pity rather your queens and royal
duchesses, which by law are condemned to groan in a crowd of nobles and
courtiers, and do writhe with shame as, well as sorrow, being come of
decent mothers, whereas these gipsy women have no more shame under their
skins than a wolf ruth, or a hare valour. And, Bon Bec,' quoth he, 'I
espy in thee a lamentable fault. Wastest thy bowels, wilt have none left
for thy poor good master which doeth thy will by night and day.' Then
we came forward; and he talked with the men in some strange Hebrew cant
whereof no word knew I; and the poor knaves bade us welcome and denied
us nought. With them, and all they had, 'twas lightly come and lightly
go; and when we left them, my master said to me 'This is thy first
lesson, but to-night we shall lie at Hansburgh. Come with me to the
"rotboss" there, and I'll show thee all our folk and their lays,
and especially "the lossners," "the dutzers," "the schleppers," "the
gickisses," "the schwanfelders, whom in England we call "shivering
Jemmies," "the suntvegers," "the schwiegers," "the joners," "the
sesseldegers," "the gensscherers," in France "marcandiers or rifodes,"
"the veranerins," "the stabulers," with a few foreigners like ourselves,
such as "pietres," "francmitoux," "polissons" "malingreux," "traters,"
"rufflers," "whipjalks," "dommerars," "glymmerars," "jarkmen,"
"patricos," "swadders," "autem morts," "walking morts" 'Enow,' cried I,
stopping him, 'art as gleesome as the Evil One a counting of his imps.
I'll jot down in my tablet all these caitiffs and their accursed names:
for knowledge is knowledge. But go among them, alive or dead, that will
I not with my good will. Moreover,' said I, 'what need? since I have a
companion in thee who is all the knaves on earth in one?' and thought to
abash him but his face shone with pride, and hand on breast he did bow
low to me. 'If thy wit be scant, good Bon Bec, thy manners are a charm.
I have made a good bargain.' So he to the 'rotboss,' and I to a decent
inn, and sketched the landlord's daughter by