The lowly grave, that is
the end of men's romantic hopes, has closed over all his rich
fancies, and all his high aspirations; he is utterly married!
No
more hope, no more change for him - no more relays - he must go on
Vetturini-wise to the appointed end of his journey!
Smyrna, I think, may be called the chief town and capital of the
Grecian race, against which you will be cautioned so carefully as
soon as you touch the Levant. You will say that I ought not to
confound as one people the Greeks living under a constitutional
government with the unfortunate Rayahs who "groan under the Turkish
yoke," but I can't see that political events have hitherto produced
any strongly marked difference of character. If I could venture to
rely (which I feel that I cannot at all do) upon my own
observation, I should tell you that there was more heartiness and
strength in the Greeks of the Ottoman Empire than in those of the
new kingdom. The truth is, that there is a greater field for
commercial enterprise, and even for Greek ambition, under the
Ottoman sceptre, than is to be found in the dominions of Otho.
Indeed the people, by their frequent migrations from the limits of
the constitutional kingdom to the territories of the Porte, seem to
show that, on the whole, they prefer "groaning under the Turkish
yoke" to the honour of "being the only true source of legitimate
power" in their own land.
For myself, I love the race; in spite of all their vices, and even
in spite of all their meannesses, I remember the blood that is in
them, and still love the Greeks. The Osmanlees are, of course, by
nature, by religion, and by politics, the strong foes of the
Hellenic people, and as the Greeks, poor fellows! happen to be a
little deficient in some of the virtues which facilitate the
transaction of commercial business (such as veracity, fidelity,
&c.), it naturally follows that they are highly unpopular with the
European merchants. Now these are the persons through whom, either
directly or indirectly, is derived the greater part of the
information which you gather in the Levant, and therefore you must
make up your mind to hear an almost universal and unbroken
testimony against the character of the people whose ancestors
invented virtue. And strange to say, the Greeks themselves do not
attempt to disturb this general unanimity of opinion by an dissent
on their part. Question a Greek on the subject, and he will tell
you at once that the people are traditori, and will then, perhaps,
endeavour to shake off his fair share of the imputation by
asserting that his father had been dragoman to some foreign
embassy, and that he (the son), therefore, by the law of nations,
had ceased to be Greek.
"E dunque no siete traditore?"
"Possibile, signor, ma almeno Io no sono Greco."
Not even the diplomatic representatives of the Hellenic kingdom are
free from the habit of depreciating their brethren. I recollect
that at one of the ports in Syria a Greek vessel was rather
unfairly kept in quarantine by order of the Board of Health, which
consisted entirely of Europeans. A consular agent from the kingdom
of Greece had lately hoisted his flag in the town, and the captain
of the vessel drew up a remonstrance, which he requested his consul
to present to the Board.
"Now, IS this reasonable?" said the consul; "is it reasonable that
I should place myself in collision with all the principal European
gentlemen of the place for the sake of you, a Greek?" The skipper
was greatly vexed at the failure of his application, but he
scarcely even questioned the justice of the ground which his consul
had taken. Well, it happened some time afterwards that I found
myself at the same port, having gone thither with the view of
embarking for the port of Syra. I was anxious, of course, to elude
as carefully as possible the quarantine detentions which threatened
me on my arrival, and hearing that the Greek consul had a brother
who was a man in authority at Syra, I got myself presented to the
former, and took the liberty of asking him to give me such a letter
of introduction to his relative at Syra as might possibly have the
effect of shortening the term of my quarantine. He acceded to this
request with the utmost kindness and courtesy; but when he replied
to my thanks by saying that "in serving an Englishman he was doing
no more than his strict duty commanded," not even my gratitude
could prevent me from calling to mind his treatment of the poor
captain who had the misfortune of NOT being an alien in blood to
his consul and appointed protector.
I think that the change which has taken place in the character of
the Greeks has been occasioned, in great measure, by the doctrines
and practice of their religion. The Greek Church has animated the
Muscovite peasant, and inspired him with hopes and ideas which,
however humble, are still better than none at all; but the faith,
and the forms, and the strange ecclesiastical literature which act
so advantageously upon the mere clay of the Russian serf, seem to
hang like lead upon the ethereal spirit of the Greek. Never in any
part of the world have I seen religious performances so painful to
witness as those of the Greeks. The horror, however, with which
one shudders at their worship is attributable, in some measure, to
the mere effect of costume. In all the Ottoman dominions, and very
frequently too in the kingdom of Otho, the Greeks wear turbans or
other head-dresses, and shave their heads, leaving only a rat's-
tail at the crown of the head; they of course keep themselves
covered within doors as well as abroad, and they never remove their
head-gear merely on account of being in a church; but when the
Greek stops to worship at his proper shrine, then, and then only,
he always uncovers; and as you see him thus with shaven skull and
savage tail depending from his crown, kissing a thing of wood and
glass, and cringing with base prostrations and apparent terror
before a miserable picture, you see superstition in a shape which,
outwardly at least, is sadly abject and repulsive.
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