The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-09-10 00:00:00

GREEK POLITICS.

[From the Third Numb:r of T.',^ Eyre; ,•,:n !I.•riew.l

Perham; no political event ever bapisencil of a more re-
markable nature, end on witich she world has more steadily
fixed its attention. than the late revolution ;,1 the Greeks.
For a people oppressed for F 3 many age beneath the gall-
ing yoke of tvrr.nny—cut off from all participation in the
influence of tote arts and sciences—nlli.g.dher deprived of
political security, aril even of personal liberty—and, on
.the contrary, perpetually exposed to the insults and indig-
nities heaped upon them by their barbarous oppressors—
for a people so circumstance. d to arise suddenly, and at
once, and display that gigantic and umbouttedspitit of
freedom which has characterised the Greeks since the com-
mencement of their revolution, is a spectacle calculated to
attract the united wonder and sympathy of surrounding
nations.

Mane persons, no less celebrated for learning than poll-
deal wlselont. have demonstrated, that the barbarous hordes
of the Turks have not only no pretensions any longer to
pollute the sacred soil of Greece, but that the Greeks
themselves are fully entitled to bo admitted into the rank
of civilized and Christian nations. In order, however, to
' place the political as well as moral rights of the Greek nation
in a clearer point of view, it isproposed, in these papers, to
I lay 'perste the public, facts and events, of which therelater
Its either himself been an eye-tritium', cr las received
from the most ungee s:ionable sources of authority. Pee-
lviously to doing which, however, it will be necessary to
trespass on the reader's attention by a slight retrospective
glance at the annals of Greece.
i The local situation of thyeee has not only tended toren-
: der her people healthful end vigorous, but it has inspired
' them with that inextinguishable Spirit of freedom, which
is invariably observed to belong to the inhabitants of
mountainous districts. exeept where peculiar circumstances
have contributed to check that spirit for a time. From this
innate spirit of freedom have tirouestienally resultei dm=
many intlepemlent states which were established in Greece
in ancient times, the power and influence of which, coin-
pared with the space of territory which they immediately
occupied, have been the wonder and admiration of all mu-
: elan historians. Switzerland herself may strve as an
example, in our own times, of the tact of a mountainous
country in preserving in the peop:e a free republican spirit ;
• and the .Montenegrins, a people who inhabit the most
mon: •ainons pans of Illy ria, have never, to this day, sub-
' militted to the yoke of the Sultan, but have always rc-
-1
, mained under the government of their own Bishop. It
was, in fact, this very spirit of freedom, carried to a
blamable and impolitic excess among the Greeks (and in
reference to which Aristotle says of them, that they were
horn to be masters as other nati.ms were born tole slaves,)
1 that caused those calamities soul destructive wars which
at length entiel in the total subjection and political death
of their country. Philip of Macedon, a monarch at once I
ambitious and cunning, having Seel that the 43retks
were already weakened among, themselves by means of
' their constant struggles for s:lative superiority, set on
1
foot numerous intrigues, in which he was very skilful,
and' at length succeeded in placing himself at the bead
of all the states ; an event which they prolAbly the
less strenuously opposed, as it contributed, in a cer-
tain degree, to unite theirs into one political body. No
doubt many other causes contributed to bring about this
event ; but these, for the sake of brevity, we pass over,
as it is not cur wish to touch upon the history of ancient
r Creece any farther than is necessary, in order the better to
tedevelop the present condition and prospects of the modern
nation. Suffice it therefore to observe, that the political
horizon of the ancient republican states of Greece, first be-
gan to be darkened Tinder the dominion of Philip ; and
that the glory which had been achieved, not only by Mil-
tiaeles, Leonidas, and Thernistocles, but by the illustrious
comitiests of Alexander the Great, began to le tarnished by
the destructive wars among the successors of this latter
monarch. While, too, on the one hand, the Greeks were
becoming exhausted by bardshirs and sufferings, and their
free and patriotic spirit was sinking beneath the untoward
circumstances which oppressed them, the Romans were ra-
pidly growfng up into that vigour and power which were
shortly to render them masters and monarchs of the uni-
verse. This gigentic nation, which was now every day
advancing towards perfection, not only by means of its
arms and military science but by the influence of those
wise laws which protected and secured the life, honour,
and property of the governed no less than of the go-
vernors, having perceived the feeble and decrepit ems-
Idition of the Grecian republics, proceeded to subdue
them, and effected its purpose with great ease; since,
which period Greece has never once been able to lift
, I her head and assert her indt pentlence. When, how-
ever, the seat of government of the Roman empire was'
I
1 removed from Rome to Byzantium, by Constantine the
Great, the first Christian Emperor, :he Greeks once more
fancied themselves an independent people; and the Byzame
tiue Emperors were even for a time called the Emperors of
the Greeks. The Greek tongue, toe, was cultivated at
Constantinople, and even became the language which was
in use at Court, and in which laws were enacted, and
histories written ; and when, during the middle ages,
Europe was lying in a state of darkness and barbarism,
Constantinople was the scat of light and learning, and en-
joyed that prosperity. which results from a liberal use of
the arts rd sciences. _ _ ._ . .

The &Term nations of Europe, which, under the gene-
ral title of Crusaders, acre now marching to deliver Jeru-
salem from the hands of the Mussulmans, were astonished
at the degree, not only of riches and splendour, but of re-
finement and civilization, which prevailed at Constantinople.
Min), years, however, before the times of the. Crusades, the
din:au:it barbarous tribes of Asia, inspired with religious
enthusiasm by the laws aid tenets of Mshomet, rushed
with eagerness to the coragtest of all the countries within
their reach ; and the Byzantine Emperors soon perceived
that it was impossible wholly to cheek the impetuous pro-
gress of these birlarians, who brut and laid %race every
country that they subdued, and slaught. red all, without
distinction of age or sex, who resisted their attempts at
mingled plunder and proselytism. In short, all who bad
the inisfortue to fall under the yoke of the se marauders,
were compelled either to accept the Koran as their creed,
or par a tribute to be exempt from it; those who were
unable or unwilling to accept either of these alternatives
being, without distinction, put to the sword. It is true
the Byzantine Emperors frequently obtained victories or, r
these barbarous tribes, but these victories only for a while
checked the progress of the invaders; and at length the
internal vices and political anomalies existing in the Court
of Byzantium, added to the insensibility and indolence
into whie!t the people were plungrel by the fatal conse-
quences of arbitrary power and fad government, caused
the whole Byzan•ine empire to yield before the continu-
ally repeated invasions of the Asiatic tribes ; teal the last
struggle ended with the taking of Constantiuple, under
Consuntine Palwolagus, by Malcom. t 11. in 11S&
The evils which followed the capture of the metropolis of
the Byzantine empire, were such as are necessarily at-
tendant on the succcsa of a barbarous and predatory con-
quctor. Fire, massacre, and rapine, were the immediate
followers of this calamity ; and abject subjection and
slavery were all that the surviving inhabitants of Greece
were entitled to hope for. But, besides the Asiatic tribes,
many other barbarous nations from the north invaded the
west of Europe from time to time; and shortly after the
above event, the partial amalgamation of laws, customs,
and religions, which took place, added to intermarriages.
&c. produced the effect of the conquerors and the con-
quered being regarded no longer as two nations, but as one
and the same. _ _ _

As the stereo, if not the ostensible cause, which induced
the Alussubrtr.c to rush like a resistless torrent froin the
heart of Asia, was plunder' under the mask of religious
enthusiasm, it necessarily follows, that all who did net
join in their views would be treated with indignity, and
considered as slaves. And tints it happened with the ill-
fated inhabitants of Greece. The Greeks being by tutu-,
an intelligent and thinking people, were so convinced of
the origin of the Christian religion, end so deeply
and sincerely attached to it, that after the subjection of
their country by the Turks, and having witnes.sed the ab-
surdity of the new faith, they chose rather to wabmit to
the cruel tyranny of their comptcrors than abandon the
sacred doctrine" of the Gospel. The Government, there-
fore. of the '11::':., in its relation to the subject Greeks,
became, of course, that which necessarily subsists between
a predatory tribe and its unfortunate victi :a. No Consti-
tution was given, in accordance lT!th which the subdued
sw:ar allr-ziance to their subduers; no code of laws