I've Been a Gipsying, Or, Rambles Among Our Gipsies and Their Children in Their Tents and Vans

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1883 edition. Excerpt: ... observers a poor, miserable old woman, with one foot in the grave, a standing lie to the advantages, blessings, and beauties of an uncivilized, demoralizing, wandering vagabond's life. A portrait of one of the self-crowned Scottish gipsy queens, Esther Faa Blythe, is here given. The old woman is eighty-five years of age, and has an eye to business. She is sharp, and can adapt herself to all circumstances. With the saints she becomes heavenly, and so on, almost through the whole of the lights, shades, and phases of social life. There are numbers of "gipsy kings" and "queens" in the country--aye, almost in every county; at any rate those who are simple enough to believe in them say so. One gipsy queen not long ago used to dress in dashing, gaudy silks, and sit in "a chair of state" in her van, and the Londoners paid their threepennies to see her from time to time. She now lives a "retired life," upon her gains, at Maidenhead. The best gipsy queen I know of is the good Christian woman, Mrs. Simpson--formerly a Lee--at Notting Hill, who has become a devoted, good Christian woman, and tries to do all the good she can as she passes up and down the world. Her Bible contains her " state records," which are the guide of her life. For twenty years she did a "roaring trade" by telling fortunes to simpletons and big babies out of the Bible--upside-down at times--of which she could not tell a letter. Since she has been a gipsy Christian quetn she has learnt to read some parts of the blessed book. My plan, if followed out thoroughly in all its details, will make all our gipsies " kings" and "queens." It is surprising that there are people in the world silly enough even at this late day to believe in such beings as the "gipsy kings" and " queens" of...