APPENDIX. REMARKS ON THE ROMAIC OR MODERN GREEK LANGUAGE, WITH SPECIMENS AND TRANSLATIONS.* 66 AMONGST an enslaved people, obliged to have recourse to foreign presses even for their books of religion, it is less to be wondered at that we find so few publications on general subjects, than that we find any at all. The whole number of the Greeks, scattered up and down the Turkish empire and elsewhere, may amount, at most, to three millions; and yet, for so scanty a number, it is impossible to discover any nation with so great a proportion of books and their authors, as the Greeks of the present century. Ay," but say the generous advocates of oppression, who, while they assert the ignorance of the Greeks, wish to prevent them from dispelling it, ay, but these are mostly, if not all, ecclesiastical tracts, and consequently good for nothing." Well, and pray what else can they write about? It is pleasant enough to hear a Frank, particularly an Englishman, who may abuse the government of his own country; or a Frenchman, who may abuse every government except his own, and who may range at will over every philosophical, religious, scientific, sceptical, or moral subject; sneering at the Greek legends. A Greek must not write on politics, and cannot touch on science for want of instruction; if he doubts, he is excommunicated and damned; therefore his countrymen are not poisoned with modern philosophy; and as to morals, thanks to the Turks! there are no such things. What then is left him, if he has a turn for scribbling? Religion, and holy biography and it is natural enough that those who have so little in this life should look to the next. It is no great wonder, then, that in a catalogue now before me of fifty-five Greek writers, many of whom were lately living, not above fifteen should have touched on any thing but religion. The catalogue alluded to is contained in the twenty-sixth chapter of the fourth volume of Meletius's Ecclesiastical History. From this I subjoin an extract of those who have written on general subjects; which will be followed by some specimens of the Romaic. * [These "Remarks" were written in the spring of 1811, while Lord Byron was in the Capuchin Convent at Athens. See antè, p. 4. note. — E.] LIST OF ROMAIC AUTHORS.* Neophitus, Diakonos (the deacon) of the Morea, has published an extensive grammar, and also some political regulations, which last were left unfinished at his death. Prokopius, of Moscopolis (a town in Epirus), has written and published a catalogue of the learned Greeks. Seraphin, of Periclea, is the author of many works in the Turkish language, but Greek character; for the Christians of Caramania, who do not speak Romaic, but read the character. Eustathius Psalidas, of Bucharest, a physician, made the tour of England for the purpose of study (xάev μalnσews): but though his name is enumerated, it is not stated that he has written any thing. Kallinikus Torgeraus, Patriarch of Constantinople: many poems of his are extant, and also prose tracts, and a catalogue of patriarchs since the last taking of Constantinople. Anastasius Macedon, of Naxos, member of the royal academy of Warsaw. A church biographer. Demetrius Pamperes, a Moscopolite, has written many works, particularly "A Commentary on Hesiod's Shield of Hercules," and two hundred tales (of what is not specified), and has published his correspondence with the celebrated George of Trebizond, his contemporary. Meletius, a celebrated geographer; and author of the book from whence these notices are taken. Dorotheus, of Mitylene, an Aristotelian philosopher: his Hellenic works are in great repute, and he is esteemed by the moderns (I quote the words of Meletius) μετὰ τὸν Θουκυδίδην καὶ Ξενοφώντα ἄριστος Ελλήνων. Ι add further, on the authority of a well-informed Greek, that he was so famous amongst his countrymen, that they were accustomed to say, if Thucydides and Xenophon were wanting, he was capable of repairing the loss. Marinus Count Tharboures, of Cephalonia, professor of chemistry in the academy of Padua, and member of that academy, and those of Stockholm and Upsal. He has published, at Venice, an account of some marine animal, and a treatise on the properties of iron. Marcus, brother to the former, famous in mechanics. He removed to St. Petersburg the immense rock on which the statue of Peter the Great was fixed in 1769. See the dissertation which he published in Paris, 1777. George Constantine has published a four-tongued lexicon. George Ventote; a lexicon in French, Italian, and Romaic. There exist several other dictionaries in Latin and Romaic, French, &c. ; besides grammars, in every modern language, except English. Amongst the living authors the following are most celebrated †:— Athanasius Parios has written a treatise on rhetoric in Hellenic. Christodoulos, an Acarnanian, has published, in Vienna, some physical treatises in Hellenic. * It is to be observed that the names given are not in chronological order, but consist of some selected at a venture from amongst those who flourished from the taking of Constantinople to the time of Meletius. †These names are not taken from any publication. Panagiotes Kodrikas, an Athenian, the Romaic translator of Fontenelle's "Plurality of Worlds" (a favourite work amongst the Greeks), is stated to be a teacher of the Hellenic and Arabic languages in Paris; in both of which he is an adept. Athanasius, the Parian, author of a treatise on rhetoric. Vicenzo Damodos, of Cephalonia, has written “ εἰς τὸ μεσοβάρβαρον,” on logic and physics. John Kamarases, a Byzantine, has translated into French Ocellus on the Universe. He is said to be an excellent Hellenist and Latin scholar. Gregorio Demetrius published, in Vienna, a geographical work: he has also translated several Italian authors, and printed his versions at Venice. Of Coray and Psalida some account has been already given. GREEK WAR SONG. * ΔΕΥΤΕ, παῖδες τῶν Ἑλλήνων, παῖδες Ἑλλήνων, ἄγωμεν. ποταμιδὸν ἐχθρῶν τὸ αἷμα Ὅθεν εἶσθε τῶν Ἑλλήνων πνεύματα ἐσκορπισμένα, 'σ την φωνὴν τῆς σαλπιγγός μου συναχθήτε ὅλα ὅμου· τὴν ἑπτάλοφον ζητεῖτε, καὶ νικᾶτε πρὸ παντοῦ. Τὰ ὅπλα ἂς λάβωμεν, &c. * A translation of this song will be found among the smaller Poems, in the third volume. Σπάρτα, Σπάρτα, τί κοιμᾶσθε σύμμαχον παντοτεινήν. Τὰ ὅπλα ἂς λάβωμεν, &c. Ο που εἰς τὰς Θερμοπύλας Τὰ ὅπλα ἂς λάβωμεν, &c. ROMAIC EXTRACTS. Ρώσσος, Αγκλος, καὶ Γάλλος κάμνοντες τὴν περιήγησιν τῆς Ἑλλάδος, καὶ βλέποντες τὴν ἀθλίαν τὴν κατάστασιν, εἰρώτησαν καταρχὰς ἕνα Γραικὸν φιλέλληνα διὰ νὰ μάθουν τὴν αἰτίαν, μετ ̓ αὐτὸν ἕνα μητροπολίτην, εἶτα ἕνα βλάχμπεην, ἔπειτα ἕνα πραγματευτὴν, καὶ ἕνα προεστῶτα. Εἰπέ μας, ὦ φιλέλληνα, πῶς φέρεις τὴν σκλαβίαν καὶ τὴν ἀπαρηγόρητον τῶν Τούρκων τυραννίαν ; πῶς ταῖς ξυλαῖς καὶ ὑβρισμοὺς καὶ σιδηροδεσμίαν παίδων, παρθένων, γυναικῶν ἀνήκουστον φθορεῖαν; Δὲν εἶσθαι ἐσεῖς απόγονοι ἐκείνων τῶν Ἑλλήνων τῶν ἐλευθέρων καὶ σοφῶν καὶ τῶν φιλοπατρίδων· |