From
their living thus in towns, their language has not only undergone
much corruption, but has become, to a slight degree, known to the
dregs of society, amongst whom they reside. The thieves' dialect
of the present day exhibits, therefore, less of the allegorical
language preserved in the pages of Hidalgo than of the Gypsy
tongue. It must be remarked, however, that it is very scanty, and
that the whole robber phraseology at present used in Spain barely
amounts to two hundred words, which are utterly insufficient to
express the very limited ideas of the outcasts who avail themselves
of it.
Concerning the Germania of France, or 'Argot,' as it is called, it
is unnecessary to make many observations, as what has been said of
the language of Hidalgo and the Red Italian is almost in every
respect applicable to it. As early as the middle of the sixteenth
century a vocabulary of this jargon was published under the title
of LANGUE DES ESCROCS, at Paris. Those who wish to study it as it
at present exists can do no better than consult LES MEMOIRES DE
VIDOCQ, where a multitude of words in Argot are to be found, and
also several songs, the subjects of which are thievish adventures.
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