Provence. They were seen at Bologna in 1422 and on their way to Rome on a pilgrimage to expiate some act of apostasy. Emperor Sigismund granted in 1423 to Ladislaus wayuoda ciganorum an open letter of recommendation to all officials, free towns, castellans and subjects, asking the latter to receive them kindly, to protect them from every harm and to entrust any punishment or correction to the sole discretion and exclusive jurisdiction of the said Ladislaus. (Rer. Boic. Scr. ed. Œfelius, Augsburg, 1763, ii. 15.) The race spread over Germany, Italy and France between 1438 and 1512 and reached England under Henry VII. c. 1500: James IV. and V. of Scotland mention them in letters and ordinances subsequent to 1505. Krantz (Saxonia, xi.) describes their appearance on their earlier entry into Germany; we can see how little their descendants have changed: in 1417 for the first time there appeared in Germany an uncouth, black, dirty and barbarous people, thieves and cheats, called in Italian Ciani; among them was a count and a few well-dressed folk and mounted, others following afoot with carts for women and children. They carried letters of safe-conduct from Sigismund (clearly somewhat earlier versions of the patent above) and professed that they were pilgrims expiating an act of apostasy—
gave the 'pilgrims out of Egypt' 40 sheep, that they might go back to Jerusalem and pray for our souls. (3) 1418, another (Saxon) count there gave food and fodder, with eight denars. (4) 1418, Frankfort-on-Main gave bread and meat to the wanderers from Little Egypt. (5) 1419, Macon (in Burgundy), gave bread, wine and money to Duke Andrew and his 120 gipsy followers. (6) 1429, Arnhem (in Guelderland) paid 6 guldens to the count of L.E. and his company 'to the honour of God,' and to the 'same count and his heathen women' white bread, beer and herrings. (7) 1427, citizens of Amiens received indulgence because they gave alms to a count of L.E. and his company of 40 persons on the occasion of their visit. (8) 1429, magistrates of Tournai (Hainault) appealed to the devout to give alms to the count of L.E. or his people, expected to sojourn there four or five days at the end of March. In these cases, the language is curiously uniform, and suggests that these were 'strolling players' under escort and supervision, performing something in the nature of miracle-plays.
