for your goodness, I say. The great God reward your good
heart with long healthy life, you and your whole family. And if your
servants find my money, I beg they will send it to the town Naila, by the
post at once. That I cursed you is not true; that my wife was drunk is
true. The great God reward your good heart. My thanks. And I remain,
your obedient servant,

CHARLES AUGUSTIN."

Those who attempt to read this letter in the original, should be informed
that German Gipsy is, as compared to the English or Spanish dialects,
almost a perfect language; in fact, Pott has by incredible industry,
actually restored it to its primitive complete form; and its orthography
is now settled. Against this orthography poor Charles Augustin sins
sadly, and yet it may be doubted whether many English tramps and beggars
could write a better letter.

The especial Gipsy characteristic in this letter is the constant use of
the name of God, and the pious profusion of blessings. "She's the
_blessing-est_ old woman I ever came across," was very well said of an
old Rommany dame in England. And yet these well-wishings are not always
insincere, and they are earnest enough when uttered in Gipsy.

CHAPTER VI. GIPSY WORDS WHICH HAVE PASSED INTO ENGLISH SLANG.

Jockey.--Tool.--Cove or Covey.--Hook, Hookey, and Walker, Hocus, Hanky-
Panky, and Hocus-Pocus.--Shindy.--Row.--Chivvy.--Bunged Eye.--Shavers.--
Clichy.--Caliban.--A Rum 'un.--Pal.--Trash.--Cadger.--Cad.--Bosh.--Bats.--
Chee-chee.--The Cheese.--Chiv Fencer.--Cooter.--Gorger.--Dick.--Dook.--
Tanner.--Drum.--Gibberish.--Ken.--Lil.--Loure.--Loafer.--Maunder.--Moke.--
Parny.--Posh.--Queer. Raclan.--Bivvy.--Rigs.--Moll.--Distarabin.--Tiny.--
Toffer.--Tool.--Punch.--Wardo.--Voker (one of Mr Hotten's Gipsy words).--
Welcher.--Yack.--Lushy.--A Mull.--Pross.--Toshers.--Up to Trap.--Barney.--
Beebee.--Cull, Culley.--Jomer.--Bloke.--Duffer.--Niggling.--Mug.--
Bamboozle, Slang, and Bite.--Rules to be observed in determining the
Etymology of Gipsy Words.

Though the language of the Gipsies has been kept a great secret for
centuries, still a few words have in England oozed out here and there
from some unguarded crevice, and become a portion of our tongue. There
is, it must be admitted, a great difficulty in tracing, with anything
like accuracy, the real origin or identity of such expressions. Some of
them came into English centuries ago, and during that time great changes
have taken