father whether he and his relatives
were of the race of the Israelites--he having then never seen a Jew--and
when he carefully informs his readers that his descent was of a low and
inconsiderable generation, "my father's house being of that rank that is
meanest and most despised of all the families of the land," there remains
no rational doubt whatever that Bunyan was indeed a Rom of the Rommany.
"_Applico_" of which, as my own special and particular Gipsy is wont to
say--it is worth noting that the magician Shakespeare, who knew
everything, showed himself superior to many modern dramatists in being
aware that the tinkers of England had, not a peculiar cant, but a special
_language_.

And now for the letters. One day Ward'engro of the K'allis's Gav, asked
me to write him a letter to his daughter, in Rommany. So I began to
write from his dictation. But being, like all his race, unused to
literary labour, his lively imagination continually led him astray, and
as I found amusement in his so doing, it proved to be an easy matter to
induce him to wander off into scenes of gipsy life, which, however
edifying they might be to my reader, would certainly not have the charm
of novelty to the black-eyed lady to whom they were supposed to be
addressed. However, as I read over from time to time to my Rommany chal
what I had written, his delight in actually hearing his own words read
from writing, partook of all the pride of successful authorship--it was,
my dear sir, like your delight over your first proof sheet.

Well, this was the letter. A translation will be found following it.

THE PANNI GAV, _Dec_. 16, 1871.

MY KAMLI CHAVI,--Kushti bak! My cammoben to turo mush an' turo dadas an'
besto bak. We've had wafri bak, my pen's been naflo this here cooricus,
we're doin' very wafro and couldn't lel no wongur. Your dui pals are
kairin kushto, prasturin 'bout the tem, bickinin covvas. {65} Your puro
kako welled acai to his pen, and hatched trin divvus, and jawed avree
like a puro jucko, and never del mandy a poshero.

Kek adusta nevvi. A rakli acai lelled a hora waver divvus from a waver
rakli, and the one who nashered it pens: "Del it pauli a mandi and I wont
dukker tute! Del it apre!" But the waver rakli penned "kek," and so
they bitchered for the prastramengro. He lelled the juva to the wardo,
and just before she welled odoi, she hatched her wast in her poachy, an'
chiv it avree, and the prastramengro hatched it apr