Lavengro by George Borrow (read me a book txt) 📕

near Inverness, in the Highlands of Scotland, in 1668, to the time of his being taken by Capt. Millar, after three days search, in a hollow tree, on the coasts of Knoidart and Arisaig. By the Rev. Archibald Arbuthnot, London, 1746. —⁠Knapp ↩

Barbarini, read “Barberini:” Urban VIII, Pope 1623⁠–⁠44. —⁠Knapp ↩

Nipotismo di Roma: Il Nipotismo di Roma: or, the History of the Popes Nephews. From the time of Sixtus IV anno 1471, to the death of the late Pope, Alexander VII anno 1667. In Two Parts. By Gregorio Leti. Written originally in Italian, and Englished by W. A., Fellow of the Royal Society. London, 1673.

This was the edition used by Mr. Borrow, and purchased by me. —⁠Knapp ↩

Ganganelli: Clement XIV, Pope, 1769⁠–⁠74. —⁠Knapp ↩

Mezzofanti: So here and elsewhere in Romany Rye; Mezzofante in Lavengro⁠—Cardinal Giuseppe, 1774⁠–⁠1849, the celebrated linguist. —⁠Knapp ↩

Leon the Isaurian: Reigned at Constantinople from 717⁠–⁠741. —⁠Knapp ↩

Ignacio: Spanish form of Ignatius. —⁠Knapp ↩

Omani batsikhom: Manchu Tartar form of prayer given elsewhere by Borrow as Oum-ma-ni-bat-mi-houm. See Life, I, p. 176. —⁠Knapp ↩

Bellissima Biondina (Italian): Fairest of blondes. —⁠Knapp ↩

Sono un Prete, etc. (Italian): I am a Roman Catholic Priest. —⁠Knapp ↩

Zamarra (Spanish): A sheepskin jacket with the wool outside. —⁠Knapp ↩

Scotch blood: He was, then, a Fraser of Lovat, of whom Simon Lord F. was a supporter of the last Pretender, Charles Edward Stuart, 1746. —⁠Knapp ↩

Puta (Spanish): The most offensive word for harlot. —⁠Knapp ↩

Alcoran des Cordeliers, i.e., “the Franciscans’ Coran:” A blasphemous work written in 1399 in Latin by Bartolommeo Albizzi (Albitius); first published in printed form at Milan in 1510, then by Luther in 1542 with his peculiar comments, and finally in French at Geneva, 1556. —⁠Knapp ↩

Bible: The price of the old apple-woman’s Bible was, it will be remembered, one half-crown (Lavengro). —⁠Knapp ↩

Alexander VI.: Pope 1492⁠–⁠1503. He was a Spaniard of Valencia, and his family name was Rodrigo Borja, in Italian, Borgia. —⁠Knapp ↩

L’opere sue, etc.: His deeds were not those of lions, but of foxes⁠—a slight alteration of Dante’s “L’opere mie,” etc. See L’inferno, XXVII, stanza 25. —⁠Knapp ↩

Oimè (Italian): Alas! —⁠Knapp ↩

To ⸻, read “Rome.” —⁠Knapp ↩

There is at ⸻, read “Rome.” —⁠Knapp ↩

Yes, per Dio (Italian): By Heaven! —⁠Knapp ↩

Parsons and Garnet: Two English Jesuits⁠—Robert Parsons (1547⁠–⁠1610), superior to the Catholic Missions in England, and Henry Garnet (1555⁠–⁠1606), hanged because he refused to reveal the secrets of the confessional in connection with the Gunpowder Plot. —⁠Knapp ↩

No hay remedio (Spanish): There is no help for it. —⁠Knapp ↩

Inserted it: In volume IV, p. 330. —⁠Knapp ↩

Calañés: A Spanish hat worn by the lower classes, having the rim turned up against the crown. —⁠Knapp ↩

There’s a chovahanee, etc.: The full ditty runs thus in one of Borrow’s MSS.:⁠—

The Petulengres

“There’s a chovahanee and a chovahanó,
The nav se lendè Petulengro;
Sore the chavès ’dré their ten
Are chories and labbenies⁠—tatchipen,”

which reading corrects that of the text. —⁠Knapp ↩

Flaming Bosville: Anselo Herne. He is also called by Borrow, Flaming Tinman, Blazing Tinman, Flying Tinker, Blazing Bosville or Boswell. —⁠Knapp ↩

Gentleman Cooper and White-headed Bob: i.e., George Cooper and Ned Baldwin, who fought on the 5th of July, 1825, according to Pearce Egan’s Boxiana, V, pp. 61 and 80. Observe that the date harmonises perfectly with the chronology of the expedition. —⁠Knapp ↩

Brynhilda the Valkyrie, or Amazon, was the wife of Gunnar and friend of Sigurd. Sigurd, called Fafnisbane or the Slayer of Fafnir, was a heroic character frequently mentioned in the Edda, the Wilkina Saga, Snorro’s Heimskringla, and Saxo-Grammaticus. In the Wilkina he is Sigurdr Sveinn, in the old Danish Heroic Ballads (Kiaempeviser) he is Sigurd Snaresvend (Borrow’s “Snareswayne”), and Siegfrid in the Lay of the Nibelungs. Sivard or Sivord is a German variety of the same name. —⁠Knapp ↩

Feasting: This rustic banquet was offered to Sylvester and Ursula who were married that day, although our “rye” was not aware of the fact till later. —⁠Knapp ↩

Piramus: In MS. also “Priamus.” —⁠Knapp ↩

Gipsy song: The song was built up by our author from a very slender prose draft, which I find in its earliest form given thus:⁠—

“1. Drabbing the Baulo

“We jaws to the drab-engro and lels dui or trin hors-worth of drab, and when we wels to the sweti we pens we can have a drab at a baulo. Then we kairs it opré, and jaws to a farm-ker to mang a bit of habben, and then we pens: ‘Chuva lis acai and dov-odoy baulo will lel it, and tomorrow sorlu we’ll wel apopli and mang it.’ And so we kairs, and on the sorlu when we’ve got it, we toves it well; we kins levinor at the kitchema, and have a kosko habben. The boshom-engro plays (kils), and the tawni juva gils, a kosko puro Rommany guillie.”

Then follows the gillie nearly as in the text.

“2. Drabbing the Baulo

“To mande shoon ye Rommany Chals
Who besh in the pus about the yag
I’ll pen how we drab the baulo.

“We jaws