seized by Thrasybulus previous to the expulsion rain is extremely rare, snow never lies in the of the Thirty.

Receive the fiery Frank, her former guest. [p. 21. St. 77. When taken by the Latins, and retained for several years.

The prophet's tomb of all its pious spoil. [p. 21. St. 77. Mecca and Medina were taken some time ago by the Wahabees, a sect yearly increasing. Thy vales of ever-green, thy hills of snow[p. 22. St. 85. On many of the monntains, particularly Liakura, the snow never is entirely melted, notwithstanding the intense heat of the summer; but I never saw it lie on the plains even in winter.

Save where some solitary column_mourns Above its prostrate brethren of the cave. [p. 22. St. 86. Of Mount Pentelicus, from whence the marble was dug that constructed the public edifices of Athens. The modern name is Mount Mendeli. An immense cave formed by the quarries still remains, and will till the end of time.

When Marathon became a magic word— [p. 23. St. 89. "Siste Viator-heroa calcas!" was the epitaph on the famous Count Merci;-what then must be our feelings when standing on the tumulus of the two hundred (Greeks) who fell on Marathon? The principal barrow has recently been opened by Fauvel; few or no relics, as vases, etc. were found by the excavator. The plain of Marathon was offered to me for sale at the sum of sixteen thousand piastres, about nine hundred pounds! Alas!-"Expende-quot libras in duce summo-invenies!" was the dust of Miltiades worth no more? it could scarcely have fetched less if sold by weight.

PAPERS REFERRED TO BY THE NOTE
TO STANZA 73.

1.

plains, and a cloudy day is an agreeable rarity. In Spain, Portugal, and every part of the east which I visited, except Ionia and Attica, I per ceived no such superiority of climate to our own; and at Constantinople, where I passed May, June, and part of July (1810), you might "damn the climate, and complain of spleen," five days out of seven.

The air of the Morea is heavy and unwholesome, but the moment you pass the isthaus in the direction of Megara the change is strikingly perceptible. But I fear Hesiod will still found correct in his description of a Bestia winter.

We found at Livadia an "esprit fort" à Greek bishop, of all free-thinkers! This werdy hypocrite rallied his own religion with g intrepidity (but not before his flock), and talked of a mass as a "Coglioneria." It was impossible to think better of him for this: but, for a Bestian, he was brisk with all his absurdity. This phenomenon (with the exception indeed of The bes, the remains of Charonea, the plain of Ph tea, Orchomenus, Livadia, and its nominal case of Trophonius) was the only remarkable thing we saw before we passed Mount Citharon.

The fountain of Dirce turns a mill: at least my companion (who, resolving to be at ea cleanly and classical, bathed in it) pronounced it to be the fountain of Dirce, and any body who thinks it worth while may contradict hin At Castri we drank of half a dozen streamleti, some not of the purest, before we decided to our satisfaction which was the true Castalian, and even that had a villanous twang, probably from the snow, though it did not throw us inte an epic fever, like poor Dr. Chandler.

From Fort Phyle, of which large remains still exist, the Plain of Athens, Pentelicus, Hymettus, the Egean, and the Acropolis, burst p the eye at once; in my opinion, a more glorios prospect than even Cintra or Istambol. Not the view from the Troad, with Ida, the Hellespa, and the more distant Mount Athos, can equal it, though so superior in extent.

I heard much of the beauty of Arcadia, bat excepting the view from the monastery of Megaspelion (which is inferior to Zitza in a com mand of country), and the descent from the mountains on the way from Tripolitza to Arg Arcadia has little to recommend it beyond the

name.

"Sternitur, et dulces moriens reminiscitur Argos." Virgil could have put this into the month of none but an Argive; and (with reverence be spoken) it does not deserve the epithet. And the Polynices of Statius, "In mediis audit d litora campis," did actually hear both shores in crossing the isthmus of Corinth, he had better ears than have ever been worn in such a journey since.

Before I say any thing about a city of which every body, traveller or not, has thought it necessary to say something, will request Miss Owenson, when she next borrows an Athenian heroine for her four volumes, to have the goodness to marry her to somebody more of a gentleman than a "Disdar Aga" (who by the by is not an Aga), the most impolite of petty officers, the greatest patron of larceny Athens ever saw (except Lord E.), and the unworthy occupant of the Acropolis, on a handsome annual stipend of 150 piastres (eight pounds sterling), out of which he has only to pay his garrison, the most "Athens," says a celebrated topographer, “ ill-regulated corps in the ill-regulated Ottoman still the most polished city of Greece." Perka Empire. speak it tenderly, seeing I was once it may of Greece, but not of the Greeks; for the cause of the husband of "Ida of Athens" Joannina in Epirus is universally allowed. nearly suffering the bastinado; and because the amongst themselves, to be superior in the wealth said "Disdar" is a turbulent husband, and beats refinement, learning, and dialect of its inhabit his wife, so that I exhort and beseech Miss ants. The Athenians are remarkable for their Owenson to sue for a separate maintenance in cunning; and the lower orders are not impre behalf of "Ida." Having premised thus much, on perly characterized in that proverb, which clas a matter of such import to the readers of ro-es them with "the Jews of Salonica, and the mances, I may now leave Ida, to mention her birth-place.

Setting aside the magic of the name, and all those associations which it would be pedantic and superfluous to recapitulate, the very situation of Athens would render it the favourite of all who have eyes for art or nature. The cli

mate, to me at least, appeared a perpetual spring; during eight months I never passed a day without being as many hours on horseback;

Turks of the Negropont."

Among the various foreigners resident in Athens, French, Italians, Germans, Ragusan there was never a difference of opinion in their estimate of the Greek character, though on all other topics they disputed with great acrimony

Mr. Fauvel, the French consul, who has pass ed thirty years principally at Athens, and to whose talents as an artist and manners gentleman none who have known him can refuse

At present, like the Catholics of Ireland and the Jews throughout the world, and such other cudgelled and heterodox people, they suffer all the moral and physical ills that can afflict humanity. Their life is a struggle against truth; And here it is impossible to reconcile the they are vicious in their own defence. They contrariety of opinions: some, particularly the are so unused to kindness, that when they oc- merchants, decrying the Greeks in the strongcasionally meet with it they look upon it with est language; others, generally travellers, turnsuspicion, as a dog often beaten snaps at your ing periods in their eulogy, and publishing very fingers if you attempt to caress him. "They curious speculations grafted on their former are ungrateful, notoriously, abominably ungrate-state, which can have no more effect on their fol!"-this is the general cry. Now, in the name of Nemesis! for what are they to be grate ful? Where is the human being that ever conferred a benefit on Greek or Greeks? They are to be grateful to the Turks for their fetters, and to the Franks for their broken promises and lying counsels. They are to be grateful to the artist who engraves their ruins, and to the antiquary who carries them away: to the traveller whose janissary flogs them, and to the scribbler whose journal abuses them! This is the amount of their obligation to foreigners.

the good things of this world, as to render even
their claims to antiquity an object of envy; it
is very cruel then in Mr. Thornton, to disturb
them in the possession of all that time has left
them; viz. their pedigree, of which they are
the more tenacious, as it is all they can call
their own.
It would be worth while to publish
together, and compare, the works of Messrs.
Thornton and De Pauw, Eton and Sonnini; pa-
radox on one side, and prejudice on the other.
Mr. Thornton conceives himself to have claims
to public confidence from a fourteen years' resid-
ence at Pera; perhaps he may, on the subject
of the Turks, but this can give him no more
insight into the real state of Greece and her
inhabitants, than as many years spent in Wap-
ping into that of the Western Highlands.

The Greeks of Constantinople live in Fanal; and if Mr. Thornton did not oftener cross the Golden Horn than his brother-merchants are accustomed to do, I should place no great reliance on his information. I actually heard one of these gentlemen boast of their little general intercourse with the city, and assert of himself with an air of triumph, that he had been but four times at Constantinople in as many years.

However defective these may be, they are preferable to the paradoxes of men who have read superficially of the ancients, and seen nothing of the moderns, such as De Pauw; who, when he asserts that the British breed of horses is ruined by Newmarket, and that the Spartan were cowards in the field, betrays an equal knowledge of English horses and Spartan men His "philosophical observations" have a mech better claim to the title of "poetical." It could not be expected that he who so liberally ca demns some of the most celebrated institutio of the ancient, should have mercy on the me dern Greeks; and it fortunately happens, the absurdity of his hypothesis on their fa fathers refutes his sentence on themselves.

Let us trust, then, that in spite of the phecies of De Pauw, and the doubts of Thornton, there is a reasonable hope of the demption of a race of men, who, whatever y be the errors of their religion and policy, hat been amply punished by three centuries and a half of captivity.

As to Mr. Thornton's voyages in the Black Sea with Greek vessels, they gave him the Athens, Franciscan Convent, March 17, 1811. same idea of Greece as a cruise to Berwick in "I must have some talk with this learned Theba" a Scotch smack would of Johnny Grot's house. Upon what grounds then does he arrogate the nople to this city I received the thirtySome time after my return from Constanti right of condemning by wholesale a body of men, number of the Edinburgh-Review as a great t of whom he can know little? It is rather a curious circumstance that Mr. Thornton, who so vour, and certainly at this distance an accept lavishly dispraises Pouqueville on every occasionable one, from the Captain of an English in of mentioning the Turks, has yet recourse to gate off Salamis. In that number, Art 3 him as authority on the Greeks, and terms him taining the review of a French translation of an impartial observer. Now Dr. Pouqueville is Strabo, there are introduced some remarks a as little entitled to that appellation, as Mr. the modern Greeks and their literature, with Thornton to confer it on him. a short account of Coray, a co-translator in the The fact is, we are deplorably in want of in- French version. On those remarks I mean t formation on the subject of the Greeks, and in ground a few observations, and the spot where particular their literature, nor is there any pro-introducing them in a work in some degree t I now write will, I hope, be sufficient excuse bability of our being better acquainted, till our intercourse becomes more intimate or their in-brated of living Greeks, at least among the nected with the subject. Coray, the most cer dependence confirmed; the relations of passing travellers are as little to be depended on as the Franks, was born at Scio (in the Review Saya invectives of angry factors; but till something is stated, I have reason to think, incorrech more can be attained, we must be content with and, besides the translation of Beccaria and the little to be acquired from similar sources *).lished a lexicon in Romaic and French, other works mentioned by the reviewer, has e

*) A word, en passant, with Mr. Thornton and Dr. Pouqueville; who have been guilty between them of sadly clipping the Sultan's Turkish. Dr. Pouqueville tells a long story of a Mos

lem who swallowed corrosive sublimate in such quantities that he acquired the name of "Suleyman Yeyen," i. e. quoth the Doctor, "Suleyman, the eater of corrosive sublimate." "Aha," thinks Mr. Thornton (angry with the Doctor for the fiftieth time) "have I caught you?"-Then, in a note twice the thickness of the Doctor's anecdote, he questions the Doctor's proficiency in the Turkish tongue, and his veracity in his own.-"For," observes Mr. Thornton (after inflicting on us the tough participle of a Turkish verb), "it means nothing more than Suleyman the eater," and quite cashiers the supplementary "sublimate." Now both are right and both are wrong. If Mr. Thornton, when he next resides "fourteen years in the factory," will consult his Turkish dictionary, or ask any of his Stamboline acquaintance, he will discover that "Suleyma'n yeyen," put together discreetly, mean

the

Swallower of sublimate," without any "Suleyman "in the case; "Suleyma" signifying "corrosive sublimate," and not being a proper name on this occasion, although it be an orthodox name enough with the addition of n. After Mr. Thornton's frequent hints of profound Orientalism, he might have found this

may trust the assurance of some Danish travel
lers lately arrived from Paris; but the las
of Gregory Zolikogloou). Coray has recen
we have seen here in French and Greek is th
been involved in an unpleasant controversy
M. Gail **), a Parisian commentator and ed

out before he sang such pæans over Dt
Pouqueville.

After this, I think "Travelers versus Pu tors shall be our motto, though the a Mr. Thornton has condemned "hoc gram omne," for mistake and misrepresentation. Sutor ultra crepidam." "No merchant bend his bales." N. B. For the benefit of M Thornton, "Sutor" is not a proper name.

*) I have in my possession an excellent Lesion "rotyдwoбov" which I received in exchangy from S. G, Esq. for a small gem: my quarian friends have never forgotten it, of forgiven me.

In Gail's pamphlet against Coray talks of "throwing the insolent Hellenist of the window." On this a French cr exclaims, "Ah, my God! throw an Hellens out of the window! what sacrilege!" tainly would be a serions business for th authors who dwell in the attics: but I ha quoted the passage merely to prove the larity of style among the controversialists a all polished countries; London or Edinberga could hardly parallel this Parisian ebullinen

some translations from the Greek poets, in onsequence of the Institute having awarded him me prize-version of Hippocrates "Пlegi úðarwv," the disparagement, and consequently displeaure, of the said Gail. To his exertions, literry and patriotic, great praise is undoubtedly de, but a part of that praise ought not to be ithheld from the two brothers Zosimado (merhants settled in Leghorn) who sent him to aris, and maintained him, for the express urpose of elucidating the ancient, and adding the modern, researches of his countrymen. oray, however, is not considered by his counymen equal to some who lived in the two last nturies; more particularly Dorotheus of Milene, whose Hellenic writings are so much teemed by the Greeks, that Miletius terms him Μέτα τὸν Θουκυδιδην καὶ Ξενοφώντα άριτος Ελλήνων.

investigation, and the payment of some purses to the Divan, it has been permitted to continue. The principal professor, named Veniamin (i. e. Benjamin), is stated to be a man of talent, but a free-thinker. He was born in Lesbos, studied in Italy, and is master of Hellenic, Latin, and some Frank languages; besides a smattering of the sciences.

Though it is not my intention to enter further on this topic than may allnde to the article in question, I cannot but observe that the reviewer's lamentation over the fall of the Greeks appears singular, when he closes it with these words: "the change is to be attributed to their misfortunes rather than to any physical degradation." It may be true that the Greeks are not physically degenerated, and that Constantinople contained on the day when it changed masters as many men of six feet and upwards as in the hour of prosperity; but ancient history and moPanagiotes Kodrikas, the translator of Fonte-dern politics instruct us that something more elle, and Kamarases, who translated Ocellus Lu- than physical perfection is necessary to preserve inus on the Universe into French, Christodoua state in vigour and independence; and the is, and more particularly Psalida, whom I have Greeks, in particular, are a melancholy example onversed with in Yanina, are also in high re- of the near connection between moral degradaute among their literati. The lastmentioned tion and national decay. as published in Romaic and Latin a work on True Happiness," dedicated to Catherine II. tut Polyzois, who is stated by the Reviewer to e the only modern except Coray who has disinguished himself by a knowledge of Hellenic, f he be the Polyzois Lampanitziotes of Yanina, ho has published a number of editions in Roaic, was neither more nor less than an itinerThere is a slip of the pen, and it can only be at vender of books; with the contents of which a slip of the pen, in p. 58, No. 31, of the Edine had no concern beyond his name on the title-burgh Review, where these words occur:-"We age, placed there to secure his property in the are told that when the capital of the East nblication, and he was, moreover, a man utterly yielded to Solyman."-It may be presumed that lestitute of scholastic acquirements. As the name, this last word will, in a future edition, be alter1owever, is not uncommon, some other Polyzoised to Mahomet II.) The "ladies of Constannay have edited the Epistles of Aristænatus.

The reviewer mentions a plan "we believe" by Potemkin for the purification of the Romaic, and I have endeavoured in vain to procure any tidings or traces of its existence. There was an academy in St. Petersburg for the Greeks; but it was suppressed by Paul, and has not been revived by his successor.

tinople," it seems, at that period spoke a diaIt is to be regretted that the system of con- lect," which would not have disgraced the lips inental blockade has closed the few channels of an Athenian." I do not know how that might hrough which the Greeks received their public- be, but am sorry to say the ladies in general, itions, particularly Venice and Trieste. Even and the Athenians in particular, are much alterthe common grammars for children are become ed; being far from choice either in their dialect Loo dear for the lower orders. Amongst their or expressions, as the whole Attic race are baroriginal works the Geography of Meletius, Arch-barous to a proverb:

bishop of Athens, and a multitude of theological quartos and poetical pamphlets are to be met with their grammars and lexicons of two, three, and four languages are numerous and excellent.

“Ω Αθηνα προτη χώρα
Τι γαι δαφους τρέφεις τωρα.”

Their poetry is in rhyme. The most singular In Gibbon, vol. x. p. 161, is the following sentence

piece I have lately seen is a satire in dialogue between a Russian, English, and French traveller, and the Waywode of Wallachia (or Blackbey, as they term him), an archbishop, a merchant, and Cogia Bachi (or primate), in succession; to all of whom under the Turks the writer attributes their present degeneracy. Their songs are Sometimes pretty and pathetic, but their tunes generally unpleasing to the ear of a Frank: the best is the famous “ Δεύτε παῖδες των Ελλήνων, by the unfortunate Riga. But from a catalogue of more than sixty authors, now before me, only fifteen can be found who have touched on any theme except theology.

66

I am entrusted with a commission by a Greek of Athens named Marmarotouri to make arrangements, if possible, for printing in London a translation of Barthelemi's Anacharsis in Romaic, as he has no other opportunity, unless he despatches the MS. to Vienna by the Black Sea and Danube.

The reviewer mentions a school established at Hecatonesi, and suppressed at the instigation of Sebastiani: he means Cidonies, or in Turkish, Haivali; a town on the continent where that institution for a hundred students and three professors still exists. It is true that this estaishment was disturbed by the Porte, under the ridiculous pretext that the Greeks were structing a fortress instead of a college; but on

con

*) In a former number of the Edinburgh Review, 1808, it is observed, "Lord Byron passed some of his early years in Scotland, where he might have learned that pibroch does not mean a bagpipe, any more than duet means a fiddle." Query, Was it in Scotland that the young gentlemen of the Edinburgh Review learned that Solyman means Maho met 11. any more than criticism means fallibility ?—but thus it is,

in

"Cædimus inqne vicem præbemus crura sagittis." The mistake seemed so completely a lapse of the pen (from the great similarity of the two words, and the total absence of error from the former pages of the literary leviathan), that I should have passed it over as in the text, had I not perceived in the Edinburgh Review much facetious exultation on all such detections, particularly a recent one, where words and syllables are subjects of disquisition and transposition; and the abovementioned parallel-passage in my own case irresistibly propelled me to hint how much easier it is to be critical than correct. The gentlemen, having enjoyed many a triumph on such victories, will hardly begrudge me a slight ovation for the present.