A peasant, accusing a Tzigane of having stolen his horse, declared that he could produce half a dozen witnesses who had seen him in the act.
“What are half a dozen witnesses?” said the gypsy. “I can produce a whole dozen who have not seen it!”
A starving and shivering Tzigane once, craving hospitality, was told to choose between food and warmth. Would he have something to eat; or did he prefer to warm himself at the hearth? “If you please,” he answered, “I would like best to toast myself a piece of bacon at the fire.”
When asked which was his favorite bird a Tzigane made reply, “The pig, if it had only wings.”
Another gypsy, asked whether, for the remuneration of five florins, he would undertake the office of hangman on a single victim, answered, joyfully, “Oh, that is far too high a price! For five florins I would undertake to hang all the officials into the bargain!”
Some Tzigane proverbs are as follows:
“Better a donkey which lets you ride than a fine horse which throws you off.”
“Those are the fattest fishes which fall back from the line into the water.”
“It is not good to choose women or cloth by candlelight.”
“What is the use of a kiss unless there be two to share it?”