The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-08-27 00:00:00

LitERARie GLE4AriNG:t

No. XVIII. . ..
. . 1
gtiCTIONRIRINO IN Tin R Meg of eIIOIIWkI.L.--rrie
following speeches, each of them a curiosity in its way,
*ere delivered from the hustings at an election for a Knight
of the Shire foe the county of Berke, on the 24 of April,
1649. The successful candidate was the etcenttic and
profligate Pit !Lir II ease ar, LORD Pe u snot E. five lan-
guage in which a sturdy freeholder opposed hit klection,
exhibits a curious sample of the presumptuous tone in
which the citizen sovereign: in the time of egoliwer.t.
delivered themseltes when exercising their electivzs franchise.
Nothing else is recorded of this democratic oratot than
that he was "a well-dtected tanner of the county of Berks."
When the opinions Of such men were the standard of right
and wrong, the state mutt have had a fine tithe of it.
" Honest Friends--Vou that are of the free-born peoplt df this
land (I speak to none rise), and lovers of the army, and the true
English interest; all own else have Int:kited their freedoms. lam
full of anguish and trouble for your sakes, when I behold this day.
I fuer you are in • way to ruin yourselves, unless the Lord be
merciful to you. The thing you meet for troubles me not a little.
'Tie to choose a knight. Truly I hoped, and I hope we all hoped,
to hive done making Knights by this time. The thing you meet
to choose troubles me more. This fellow that was • Lord—this
Pembroke—this !Montgomery—this Herbert—this, what shall I call
him ? Call him what you will, we were promised representative
to begin on June next, and this Parliament to end the last month;
if so, wit 'head we trod this fellow thither to make mouths for
three weft,. end talk it deer seibserhs ? I say, let us have the
represennuim, en noire elremeat bat If we must make one Knight
more, let It oat leo reekteks, he is aft fit for it. Consider him 1
as • Lord, and use of the orient Lords neither; and then con. 1
eider bow many wiser and fitter patios we have for Paliament men
than ever a Lord of them all; and what a brand it will be to us
and our country to chase a Lord..-such a Lord ! and surely, nn..
lees yea are fools end madmen, you will not chuse him. Again
ansWer him as •• Lord; and so he is no free-born commoner, and
so not capable of our election. Is there not an act against Kings
and Lords ? If there is, then let us have no Lords, unless you in-
tend to ham a King
root
" Lee us be wises we miry set a design in this lord as pink as
the nose on his fete. He was always false ; false to the king that
loved him ; false to the lords that sat eight years with him I and do
you not think he will be Wee to the commons too ? I 1t&r...,
teat you. Is not Meisel (Lbireterik this turd's men. h Ifthihn,'
Ilameas ® P Ave adlllb-lad 'doer lord% sons parliament men P
If be get in tee" tbeellala wlll come when the House of Commons
will be all Lords, mad Leeds' eons, end Lords' servants ; and then
Lords will be voted up again ; and King be in request again;
which, if we live to see again, we have spun a fair thread !
"If all this which I have said be true (as it is impossible it i
ahmild be otherwise), why should we not look on this turncoat i
herd as a chest—as one that comes to betray and undo the free- ,
bons people—and switch him oueof the country ?
" I have done. If we must chuse a Knight, let him not be • i
Lord. We do not read in all the Scripture of any Lord wail ever 1
chosen Knight of the shire for Berkshire. But rather let us chose 11
non st all, and unanimously petition the Parliament to dissolve, II
that the representative may succeed ; and none but ourselves have , 1
any shire in the gubernatton and Government of this COOIOIO4° I 1
wealth."

In his reply to this republican harangue, Ns:snots
meets his opponent with great adroitness, and over-matches
him with an amusing and straight-forward effrontery,
which was no doubt more to the popular liking, and gained
him more votes than the most patriotic and eloquent ad-
dress would have done:—
" (gentlemen,—lt was not the old fashion to make speeches be-
fore you chose your Knights; but I hope you like it the better for
net being old. lam sure I do. Give us old fashions again, and
we Must have King and Lords, our old religion, and old laws, and
• hundred things older than Adam. I hate any thing that's old,
except it be an old man ; for Adam was an old man, and so am I,
and I hate myself for being an old man ; and, therefore, will love
you If you'll make me • new Knight. The Gentleman that spate
before me, I know not where to have him. He is an inditideues
rogues. He is angry the representative goes not on—he is angry
the Parliament goes not off. He is angry lam a Lord—he is angry
I would be none. He is angry I seek to be your Knight—and he
would have me of that sort of seekers which neither seek nor find ;
and he concludes I am not to be chosen, because no free-born COM.
money. I fear he is a Jesuit by his subtle arguments; but though
I have no logic, I hope I have reason, to answer him, and satisfy
you. I answer lam a/rue-born commoner. All these three words
Et me. First—
" lam born.'
Else how came I hither into the world ?

" I am ' free,'
My accounts for the last year's expense came to six-and-twenty
thousand pounds—that's fair, you'll say and when you have
chosen me your Knight. I'll carry you. every mother's son, the
whole county, into Nl'iltshlre; and We'll be merry, and hunt
and hawk, and I'll be as free as all Emperor. So I am free-
born.

" I am ' a commoner.'
Hate I been so often at Common Councils and Common halls,
to be accounted no commoner ? Are not the Lords all turned a
grazing ? Was not I a common swearer before I went to lectures.
and a common sleeper ever since'? And am not I a Chancellor of
Oxford, where all are commoners ? So lam a commoner.

" I am no Lord.
If I em, wily should I come hither, to be Knight of your Shire?
But though lam a Lord, is not Fairfax so and yet he is s Par-1
liament man. And is not Bradshaw Lord President? But I ant
no Lord; foe lam for the Parliament. lam for votinge down the'
Rouse of Lords. And to tell you the truth, I never loved the King
since be was dead ; and those are Lords that go in black for him ;
but I ketep my old blue still, and my diamond hat.bsnd, though
the Crown jewels are sold; therefore, you may chuse me well
enough.
" You may chuse me ;
Why came I hither else? 1% hp did Cromwell bid me come
hither ? And I bid my steward come hither to lay in provision,
and gather voices. If my steward's bill be right, every throat that
votes for me costs me twenty pounds.
" Chuse me. if you would have a representative. I, that have
been Lord of Pembroke and Montgomery, two counties, may well
represent one.
" Chuse me, If you would have no representative, for I'll do
and vote what you list ; and so, chusing me, you chuse yourselves t
so that whether you would have a representative or iw, the best
way Is tochuse me.
" But let me tell you, by the way, now the Parliament has
fallen into the happy way of making Acts of Parliament, let them
continue. This is one of the advantages you have by losing the
King. You may have an Act of Parliamentior what you please;
and that's better than an Ordinance, and lasts longer ; for an Or-
dinance of Parliament was good no longer than this Parliament,
which, though it last for ever, an Act lasts longer, because that
lasts forever, whether the Parliament lasts or no.'
" Fur my religion,
Who questions it ? 1 never changed it : I was for Bishops when
they were Bishops, and I was for :miters when there were none. It
Is well known I am an independent, and had been so twenty years
ago, had It not been for Michael Oldsworth, and will be as long as
the Parliament please. I have been an old courtier, and that's
an old court, and the highest court; and old courtiers always love
to follow new fashions. That religion is in fashion now.
" I am chancellor of Oxford, which is hard by ; therefore
chose me. Some of you have PQM and cousins there ; all that are
akin to any that give their voices foe me, shall be heads of colleges
and canons of Christ Church, though there be a hundred of then, ;
the rest of you shall have the leases of all the University lands
amongst you. What ! am I not Chancellor ?
" The place I stand for is knight of the shire ; none but Kings
can make Knights ; make me your Knight—you are all Kings,
and it will be an honour to me, and to my posterity, to have it re.
corded, I was the first Lord that was knighted by so many Kings.
" I know you cannot but chuse me: I knew so before I
came hither ; and therefore I thank you before hand, and invite
you home.
I will conclude with that very exordium wherewith a famous
gentleman, that was of this Parliament, concluded his speech upon
the like occasion—' Behold your Knight I' "
Messrs. Phillips and Wilkie, the Royal Academicians,
it seems, are gone together on a tout through Italy, each
for the purpose of observing the treasures of art, but the
ilatter chiefly for the improvement of his health.
USEFUL INTENTIONS FOR lxv•nins.—A Carriage Cot,
or Bed, six feet six inches in length, for the safe and easy
removal of INVALIDS, however SEVERE Ly AFFLICTED, has
been invented by W. lIARMAN and SoN, of No. 1, John-
' street, Oxford-street. The peculiar construction and ar-
rangement of the numerous springs, &c. of this COT and
A AAAAA TCS is snch, that any INVALID may be removed
from their BED into a LANDAU adapted for its reception,
without change of position, or increase of suffering, and
conveyed to any clistanc', together with attendants. Many
persons of high rank and professional eminence, suffering
under the most severe afflictions, and from long confine-1
merit despairing of the passibility of ever being able to en-
dure removal, have, by the benefit this Ben of East
affords, TaavEr.ity, without fatigue or inconvenience,
from 90 to 120 MILLS A DAY.

If you speculate, staid Ohl Franklin, let the Risk be small
and the Prospect great. This was good advice, for it seems
folly to adventure Guineas for mere Guineas, whilst any
person can, for less than Twenty Pounds, by the present
Lottery Scheme of Carroll's, gain one of the Four Prizes
of 25,0001., which must all be drawn Next Wednesday,
when upwards of 218,0001. in Sterling Money will be'
decided.
The millions Ilazard and Co. have distributed to the
public will be increased Next Wednesday, when Four
Prizes of 23,000/., with other Capitals, must all be drawn.
Hazard and Co. are selling at their Old Offices, Royal
Exchange, 26, Cornhill, and 324, Oxford-street, where
they sold, 31st last May, 1,804, 30,0001., and 3,627,
6,0004 ; and in last Year's Lotteries, Five Prizes of
130,0001. and 20,0004, and by their agents in all the prin-
cipal towns.

THR GRXEK CH lEFTAfx, COLO. Co Ilan.
Colocotroni, one of the most spirited and celebrated of
the present Greek chiftains, is the son of a famous leader
of mountain Keftis (or robbers), as the Turks call then],'
who avenged upon the Albanians the atrocities which that,
savage people inflicted on the unfortunate Greeks, when the 1
tatter were deserted by the Russians in 1770. To eivid
the loss of Greece, the Turks, who were then warmly en-
gaged in carrying on the war against Russia in another
quarter, let in upon the Morea 70,000 Albanians, *Oho
carried fire and sword wherever they went; all the inhaz
bitants•flho could not gain the mountains were matestefett.
'Being elC.:::brtetl, and left defenceless by the Russians *NS
bad incised them to revolt, the Greeks were hunted like
wild be:tsts,• and threatened with utter extermination.
Cities were overthrovin, and the Turks perceiving the loss
which 1114 Would sustain by this devastation, entleatObred
,to check the fury of the Albanian hordes, but the latter
refused submistion to the mandate, and revolted. The
famous Hassan Paella, when sent to reduce them, found
that it would be impossible to conquer such redoubtable
bands without the aid of the other mountaineers and he
called to arms the Creeks who had escaped to the monn-
iains, furnished them with; ammunition, and swore to par-
don their last revolt, .on 'condition of their joining him
against the Albanians. • It was then that Colocotroni the
, the most famous of the Greek mountaineers, made
tammits of Menelaus resound with the cry of war, and
that the Keftis burst forth froth their rocky fastnesses, and
sought vengeance on the "Albaniah wolves." They exter-
minated whole races of that savage people. A song still
extant represents the suffering end terror of the Albanians,
when pursued by the indeflitigAble Colocotroni ; sinking
with exhaustion, and a prey to despair, they bopped on the
banks of the Erynites, and exclaimed, "0, terrible Chris-
tians, let the brave drink, and kill them afternards.'
The victorious Coloansoui was invited by the Turks
to a feast. He had saved the finest of their provin:ta, and
in the midst of the festivity he reminded them of the bril-
liant promises which sax tad made in the tithe of -
danger, and by so dotng lie roused their jealorsy. He
was perfidiously seized, loaded with irons, and put to death
with the most horrible tortures. His three sons, of whom
Theodore, the Greek Chieftain, was one, being then a
youth, escaped to the mountains, and soon became leader*
of a daring mountain band, which hurled vengeance on their
father's murderers. Theodore was the most daring and
enterprising, and he frequently executed the most dreadftil
and indiscriminate retaliation ; he surprised and massacred
all the Turkish inhabitants of whole villages. He had
never been taught pity or mercy by the Turks, and he '
never practised either. His warfare was particularly di-
rected against the petty district tyrants; he surprised the
agas of the villages, and the governors of small towns,
whom he put to the sword, nor did he spare their families, ,
or any of that race which he so moth listed. After hay-
ing given up the place to plunder, lie usually reduced it
to ashes, and then returned to the mountain fastnesses with ,
his spoil before any of the Turkish soldiery could arrive,
To guard against these incursions of the Keftis the Turks
erected in each town and village a sort of citadel, which is
tilled a Pyrgos, on the same plan as the ancient ,
baronial castles, having moats, drawbridges, and loop-
holes, from which they could fire on the assailants; ,
lame of these pyrgos are so strongly built, as to withstand
artillery. They were invariably the abodes of the Pacha,
and the depositaries of his treasures. The Turks, however, ,
in such places, were often in a state of siege; communica-
tion was cut off between district and district, or could only ,
be kept up by a very strong force, which was fre-
quently harassed by a handful of mountaineers, who
lay in wait fur it, scattered death amongst the Ottoman
ranks, as they wound through the defiles, and some- 1
times obliged them to abandon their baggage. At length
the Turks found it necessary to make every sacrifice
of blood and treasure to reduce these mountaineers, of ,
whom the Colocotronis were the leaders, and a number
of dreadful conflicts took place, in which the Turks were
unsuccessft.th IVhat they could not gain by force, they at
last partially obtained by bribery and treachery. They ,
promised pardon and rewards to the Colocotronis, and two
of them, having ventured to rely on these promises, were
treacherously seized and beheaaed. Theodore. who es-
caped, got away to the island of Zante, where he entered
into the British service, and served nearly four years as a
lieutenant, and subsequently as captain of an Albanian re-
giment. It is related of him, that from that island, he ,
often turned his tierce aspect towards the blue tops of the
mountains of Menelaus, and sorrowfully exclaimed, " Will
the days of battle never return? shall the gun of Coloco-
troni no more make the caverns of the Peloponnesus resound
with the echo of its thunder?"

He acquired additional military knowledge in the Eng-
lish service, and appeared destined to perform a principal
part in the scenes which were preparing in Greece. To-
wards the latter end of tS2O, he landed at the port of Ka-
racos, with seven men from Zante, and gained the moun-
tains. The celebrity of his name induced the bravest of
the mountaineers to join his standard, and they soon spread
revolt throughout the whole country, in conjunction with
the agents of the Greek priesthood, who had spread them-
selves
abroad for that purpose.
Colocotroni is now fifty-nine years of age, and he has
preserved all the activity which is necessary for the leader ,
of a band of mountaineers. In person he is tall and well-
made; he has a haggard and sun-burnt vissage, sunken-
eyes, with a fixed, piercing, and determined look, a large,
sharp aquiline nose, an enormous pair of black mustachios,
black hair, hanging in long lank locks from under a small j
blood-red cap, which covers one aide of his head.
He wears the mountain dress of Greece, the "snowy
cameae, and shaggy capote," (1. e. a white kilt, and
a white fur cloak), with pistols and sabre, and al-
j ways marches with his hand upon one of the pis-'
rtols in his belt. He is one of the moat remarkable cha-
r racters that modern times have produced. His mind in
some measure corresponds with his exterior • lie inherits all
the daring and indefatigable bravery of his father,
with a rooted sense of his wrongs, and a hatred of tyranny.
He is impatient of control, unhesitating in the expression
of his sentiments, and, independently of all command, has
generally fought with his band.
Colocotroni has been generally at the bead of nearly
3.000 men, who have fought bravely, though irregularly,'
againt the enemies of their country. They, frequently
would not concede to the regular troops the post of honour
in mounting the breach when a tower was to be taken by
storm. But it must be confessed, that this right was more
frequently claimed from the hopes of being first to share
the plunder, than from their being ambitious of the glory
to be derived from it. Colocotroni, like most others of his
countrymen, is tainted with the vice of avarice, but his
passion for gold has never counteracted his love for his
country.
When the Greeks besieged Tripolizza, several Turkish
I Officers came out of that city, and went to his tent with
presents. Two of them advanced, and threw themselves
on their knees to kiss the earth at his feet, according to
the oriental custom. "What means this to me ?" said he ;
" keep these degrading marks of slavery for your Pashas,
but speak to me standing, like men." The Envoys then
placed before him vases of precious stones, which they had
brought with them for his acceptance. " See these asses'
j heads, who scarcely give themselves the trouble of shaving,"
said the rough Chieftain to them, in derision. " What,
infidels! do you expect to move me by your gifts? Know
that this is not an affair of Keftis (banditti) ; we fight for
the safety and the happiness of millions of men, whose fate
we are about to decide. Take back your presents, then.
I love money (why should I disown it?) yes, I love it,
but I will gain it with my sabre—i will take these riches ,
in Tripolizza." After the dreadful @gene of the storming
of that place, where few who were of ;fit Turkish race's
escaped the vengeance of the Greeki, not less than fifty
mules were laden with his share of the spoil.
He is not like others of the Greeks, implicitly sub-
mis?ive to the Clergy. On one occasion, when a debate
took place between the Leaders of the army, the Bishop
of Patras interposed, but was speedily silenced by Coloco-
troni, who bade him confine himself to the affairs of his j
Church, and sent him out of the tent.
A female once begged of Colocotroni to perform some
favour, and throwing herself at his feet, said, " My Lord,
render me that service, and I will be your slave." " \Vatic
woman," cried lie, starting np, "we fight for liberty, and
thou woultist be my slave !" •
After he had acquired considerable riches at the eapture
of Tripolizza, his views enlarged with hit success, and from
being, on his first arrival in the Peloponnesus, the dreaded
Captain of the most numerous band, with whom riches
were apparently the sole object, his ambition aspired to the