How much the Gipsey language has altered by time, may be seen, in a striking manner, from the following translations of the Lord’s Prayer, obtained from Hungarian Gipseys at different periods.
1. Lord’s Prayer, according to the old translation.
Dade! gula dela dicha mengi, Czaoreng hogodoleden tavel, ogoledêl hogoladhem, te a felpesz, trogolo anao Czarchode, ta vela mengi sztre kedapu, maro mandro kata agjesz igiertiszara a more beszecha, male dsame, andro vo lyata, enkala megula, dela enchala zimata. Seszkesz kisztrio oothem banisztri, putyere feriszamarme, à kana andre vecsi, ale Va kosz. Piho.
2. The same, according to a more modern translation.
Muro Dad, kolim andro therosz; Ta weltro szentanao; Ta weltro t’him; Ta weltri olya, szarthin andro therosz kethjn t’he pre p’hu: sze kogyesz damande mandro agyesz a mingi; Ertitza amare bezecha, szar, t’hamin te ertingiszama rebezecha; Mali zsa men andre bezna, nicka men le dsungalin mansáár, Ke tirino t’hin, tiro hino baribo szekovari. Amen.
Amàro Noster del Deus Szavo qui hal es othé ibi opre super óndro in csérász cœlo, avel veniat szinton sanctum tro tuum nav, nomen, te ut avel veniat tri tuum lume regnum te ut khergyol fiat tri tua voje voluntas szàr sicut andro in csérósz cœlo chidé sicque te ut phé in phu. terra. ámáro nostrum mandro panem ogyéuszuno quotidianum dé da áméngé nobis ágyèsz hodie, értiné remitte amenge nobis ámáro nostrum vitsigosz peccatum te ut ámén nos kidé ita értináha remittimus ámáréngé, nostris, palidschá ne inducas ámén nos ándro in dschungalo periculosam tsaszosz, horam, támi sed unkáv sume ámen nos ávri ex ándral e ó dschungalo periculo tiri tuum hin est é lume regnum tiri tua hin est ezor potentia, te ut akana-szekcvar. nunc-semper. Amen.
{ v} The instruments used by the Chinese for marking time, act either by fire or water. Those that act by water, somewhat resemble our large hour-glasses: those by fire, are composed of sweet smelling powder, made up into a sort of match.
{ 3} Leo Africanus, in his _Histoire Naturelle des Indes_, _&c._ p. 327, says of the merchants of Agades, that they kept great numbers of armed slaves for their security, and mentions that their caravans—“sont tous vexéz de divers peuples du desert, comme de ceux qu’on appelle communément _Bohémiens_, ou Egyptiens.”