ON considering the means to which the Gipseys have recourse to maintain themselves, we shall perceive the reason why poverty and want are so generally their lot; namely, their excessive indolence, and aversion from industry. They abhor every kind of employment which is laborious or requires application; and had rather suffer even hunger and nakedness, than obviate these privations on such hard terms. They therefore either choose some profession which requires little exertion, allowing them many idle hours; or addict themselves to unlawful courses, and vicious habits.
Working in iron, is the most usual occupation of the Gipseys. In Spain, very few follow any regular business; but among these few, some are smiths: on the contrary, in Hungary this profession is so common among them, that there is a proverb—‘So many Gipseys, so many smiths:’ the same might be said of those in Transylvania, Wallachia, Moldavia, and all Turkey in Europe; at least such workers in fire are very numerous in all those countries. This occupation seems to have been a favourite with them from the most distant periods, as appears not only by Bellonius’s account, but by an older record, of an Hungarian king Uladislaus, in the year 1496, mentioned by the Abbé Pray, in his Annals, and Friedwaldsky, in his Mineralogy, wherein it is ordered, _that every officer and subject_, _of whatever rank or condition_, _do allow to Thomas Polgar_, _leader of twenty-five tents of wandering Gipseys_, _free residence everywhere_, _and on no account to molest either him or his people_; _because they had prepared musket bullets_, _and other military stores_, _for the Bishop Sigismund_, _at Fünfkirchen_. Another instance occurred in the year 1565, when Mustapha, Turkish regent of Bosnia, besieged Crupa; the Turks having expended their powder and cannon balls, Gipseys were employed to make the latter, part of iron, the rest of stone cased with lead.
The Gipseys of our time are not willing to undertake heavy work; they seldom go beyond a pair of light horse-shoes: in general, they confine themselves to small articles, such as rings, jews-harps, and small nails: they mend old pots and kettles, make knives, seals, needles, and sometimes work trifles in tin or brass.