courage and determination suggest, not a man who up to the thirtieth
year of his age has been a conspicuous failure, as the world gauges
failure; but one who had grown confident through many victories and
is merely proceeding from one success to another.

Whilst in London, Borrow had discussed with Mr Brandram "the Gypsies
and the profound darkness as to religion and morality that envolved
them." {98a} The Secretary told him of the Southampton Committee for
the Amelioration of the Condition of the Gypsies that had recently
been formed by the Rev. James Crabbe for the express purpose of
enlightening and spreading the Gospel among the Romanys.
Furthermore, Mr Brandram, on hearing of Borrow's interest in, and
knowledge of, the gypsies, had requested him immediately on his
return to Norwich to draw up a vocabulary of Mr Petulengro's
language, during such time as he might have free from his other
studies. Borrow showed himself, as usual, prolific of suggestions,
all of which involved him in additional labour. He enquired through
Mr Jowett if Mr Brandram would write about him to the Southampton
Committee. He wished to translate into the gypsy tongue the Gospel
of St John, "which I could easily do," he tells Mr Jowett, "with the
assistance of one or two of the old people, but then they must be
paid, for the gypsies are more mercenary than the Jews."

He also informed Mr Jowett that he had a brother in Mexico,
subsequently assuring him that he had no doubt of John's willingness
to assist the Society in "flinging the rays of scriptural light o'er
that most benighted and miserable region." He sent to his brother,
at Mr Jowett's request, first a sheet, and afterwards a complete
copy, of the Gospel of St Luke translated into Nahuatl, the
prevailing dialect of the Mexican Indians, by Mariano Paz y Sanchez.