ページの画像
PDF
ePub

Some Account of the Modern ATHENIAN S.

From Stuart's Antiquities of Athens.

To the Authors of the BRITISH MAGAZINE.
GENTLEMEN,

The following account of the prefent ftate of a people, now oppreffed by
flavery, and immerfed in the groffeft ignorance, who were once the moft
famous in the world, for valour and genius, for arts and learning, will
probably be pleafing to several of your curious readers.
The opportu

nity Mr. Stuart had, from his long refidence at Athens, of becoming in-
timately acquainted with the genius and difpofition of this people, and
his well-known abilities to difcern and defcribe, will naturally remove
any fufpicions that may be entertained concerning the authenticity of
what he has afferted.

THE

HE Athenians have perhaps to this day more vivacity, more genius, and a politer addrefs, than any other people in the Turkish dominions. Oppreffed as they are at prefent, they always oppofe, with great courage and wonderful fagacity, every addition to their burden, which an avaricious or cruel governor may attempt to lay on them. During our ftay, they, by their intrigues, drove away three of their governors, for extortion and mal-adminiftration; two of whom were imprifoned, and reduced to the greatest diftrefs. They want not for artful fpeakers and bufy politicians, fo far as relates to the affairs of their own eity; and it is remarkable enough, that the coffee-house, which this fpecies of men frequent, ftands within the precinct of the ancient Poikile. Some of their priests have the reputation of being learned men, and excellent preachers. The most admired of them, in our time, was the abbot of St. Cyrianée, a convent on Mount Hymettus; he is a man of great reading, and delivers himself with becoming gefture, and a pleaAng fluency of elocution. Here are

I am, &c.

W. B.

two or three perfons who practife painting; but whatever genius we may be attempted to allow them, they have indeed very little fcience: they feem never to have heard of anatomy, or of the effect of light and fhade; though they ftill retain fome imperfect notions of perfpective and of proportion. The Athenians are great lovers of mufic, and generally play on an inftrument, which they call a lyra, though it is not made like the ancient lyre, but rather like a guittar, or mandola. This they accompany with the voice: and very frequently with extempore verfes, which they have a ready fa culty at compofing.

There is great fprightlinefs and expreffion in the, countenances of both fexes, and their perfons are well proportioned. The men have a due mixture of ftrength and agility, without the leaft appearance of heavinefs. The women have a peculiar elegance of form and of manner; they excel in embroidery and all kinds of needle-work.

The air of Attica is extremely healthy.

The articles of commerce which

[ocr errors]

this country produces, are chiefly corn, oil, honey, wax, refin, fome filk, cheese, and a fort of acorns, called velanede by the Italians and the French, but written Baλavions by the Greeks; these acorns are used by the dyers and leather-dreffers. The principal manufactures are foap and leather. Of these commodities, the honey, foap, cheese, and leather, and part of the oil, are fent to Conftantinople; the others are chiefly bought by the French, of which nation they reckon that feven, or eight fhips are freighted here every year.

The Turkish governor of Athens is called Vaiwode. He is either changed or renewed in his office every year, the beginning of March. The Athenians fay, he brings the cranes with him, for thefe birds likewife make their firft appearance, here about that time; they breed, and when their young have acquired fufficient ftrength, which is fome time in Auguft, they all fly away together, and are feen no more till the March following.

Befides the Vaiwode, there is a

Cadée, or chief man of the law. His bufinefs is to administer justice, to terminate the difputes which arise between man and man, and to punish offenders. There is alfo a Mudeeréefe Effendi, who prefides over the religious affairs of the Mohammedans here; and thofe, who are defigned to officiate in the moschéas, are by him inftructed in the Mohammedan ritual. The Didár Agá is the governor of the fortrefs of Athens, which was antiently called the Acropolis; and the Azáp Agáis an officer who commands a few foldiers in that fortress.

The inhabitants of Athens are between nine and ten thousand, about four fifths of whom are Christians. This city is an archiepifcopal fee, and the archbishop maintains a confiderable authority among the Chriftians, which he ufually ftrengthens by keeping on good terms with the Turks in office.

He holds a kind of tribunal, at which the Chriftians frequently agree to decide their differences, without the intervention of the Turkish magiftrate.

For the benefit of fuch of our readers as diftil fimple waters and cordials for the benefit of their poor neighbours, we have inferted the three following Recipes; that for making Ufquebaugh, a liquor generally known, tho' but little understood, we make no doubt will prove highly agreeable to the curious reader, especially if he is troubled with flatulencies.

TA

RECIPE for making

AKE of cinnamon, ginger, and coriander-feed, of each three ounces; nutmegs, four ounces and a half; mace, cloves, and cubebs, of each one ounce and a half. Bruife thefe ingredients, and put them into an alembic with eleven gallons of proof fpirit, and two gallons of water; and diftil till the faints begin to rife; faftening four ounces and a

USQUE BAUGH.

half of English saffron tied in a cloth to the end of the worm. Take raisins ftoned, four pounds and half; dates, three pounds; liquorice-root fliced, two pounds; digeft these twelve hours, in two gallons of water; ftrain out the clear liquor, add it to that obtained by diftillation, and dulcify the whole with fine fugar.

RECIPE

RECIPE for making RED RATAFIA.

TAKE of the black-heart cherries twenty-four pounds; black cherries, four pounds; rafberries and strawberries, of each three pounds; pick thefe fruits from their talks, and bruise them, in which condition let them continue twelve hours; prefs out the juice, and, to every pint of it, add a quarter of a pound of fugar. When the fugar is diffolved, run the whole through the filtrating bag, and add to it three quarts of

RECIPE for making a Gallon

TAKE the outer rind of three bergamots, a gallon of proof fpirit, and two quarts of water. Draw off one gallon in balneum mariæ, and dulcify with fine fugar.

N. B. The bergamot is a fpecies of the citron, produced at first cafually by an Italian's grafting a citron on the stock of a bergamot peartree, whence the fruit produced by,

L

clean proof fpirits. Then take of cinnamon, four ounces; of mace, an ounce; and of cloves, two drams, Bruife thefe fpices, put them into an alembic, with a gallon of clean proof fpirits, and two quarts of water, and draw off a gallon with a brifk fire. Add as much of this spicy fpirit to your ratafia as will render it agreeable to your palate; about one fourth is the ufual proportion.

of BERGAMOT-WATER.
this union participated both of the
citron-tree and pear-tree. The in-
ventor is faid to have kept the dif
covery a long time a fecret, and en-
riched himself by it.

The bergamot is a very fine fruit, both in taste and smell; and its effence, or effential oil, highly esteemed.

ANECDOTES of the celebrated LA FONTAINE.

A Fontaine was accounted, in his time, the most celebrated fabulift in France. His fables have vaft merit, and his tales are humorous, but indelicate.

apartment and all neceffaries in her houfe; who, one day having turned away all her fervants in a pet, declared that he had kept but three

I was exceedingly avers humour animals in her houfe, which were

to confinement, or restraint of any kind, yet to oblige his parents he fuffered himself to be married; and, though the most unfeeling and infenfible of mortals, was yet so far captivated by the wit and beauty of his wife, that he never performed any confiderable work without confulting her. The generous and witty madame de la Sabliere furnished him with an June 1964.

her dog, her cat, and La Fontaine. In this fituation he continued twenty years, during which time he became perfectly acquainted with all the wits of his time, with Moliere, Racine, Boileau, Chapelle, &c.

The delights of Paris, and the converfation of thefe gentlemen, did not hinder him from paying La Fontaine a visit every ber; but that these vifits m Rr

Mrs.

Septemight turn

[ocr errors]

to fome account, he never failed to fell a house or piece of land, fo that, what with his wife's economy and his own, a handsome family estate was well nigh confumed. His Parifian friends urged him frequently to go and live with Mrs. La Fontaine, faying, that it was a fhame to feparate himself from a woman of her merit and accomplishments; and accordingly he fet out with a purpose of reconciling himself to her, and arriving at the town, enquired at his houfe for her. The fervant not knowing him, faid she was gone to church; upon which he immediately returned to Paris, and when his friends enquired about his reconciliation, answered, that " he had been to see his wife, but was told that the was at church."

In the year 1692 he was feized with a dangerous illness: and when the priest came to talk to him about religion, concerning which he had Jived in an extreme careleffness, tho' he had never been either an infidel, or a libertine, Fontaine told him, that he had lately bestowed some hours in reading the New Teftament, which he thought a very good book."

66

Fontaine's life had as little affectation in it as his writings: he was all nature, without a grain of art. He had a fon, it seems, whom, after keeping a fhort time at home, he recommended to the patronage of the prefident Harlay. Fontaine being one day at a houfe, where his fon was come, did not know him again; . but observed to the company, that he thought him a boy of parts and fpirit. He was told, that this promiling youth was no other than his own fon; he answered very unconcernedly, "Ha! truly I am glad en't." This apathy, which fo many S

philofophers have vainly affected, was perfectly natural to Fontaine ; it went through every part of his behaviour, and seemed to render him infenfible to every thing without.. As he had a wonderful facility in compofing, fo he had no particular apartment for that purpose, but fell to work, whenever the humour came upon him. One morning, madame Bouillon going to Verfailles, fpied him in deep thought under a tree; and, when the returned in the evening, there was Fontaine in the same place and attitude, though the day had been cold, and much rain fallen.

It has been obferved, that the fineft writers have ufually been but indifferent companions. This was Fontaine's cafe; for having once been invited to dine at the house of a person of distinction, for the more elegant entertainment of the guests, though he eat very heartily, yet not a word could be got from him, and when, rifing foon after from the table, on pretence of going to the academy, he was told he would be too foon, "Oh then, faid he, I'll take the longek way."

Racine once carried Fontaine to the Tenebræ, which is a fervice in the church of Rome, in reprefentation of our Saviour's glory in the garden; and perceiving it too long for him put a Bible into his hands. Fontaine, happening to open it at the prayer of the Jews in Baruch, read it over and over with fuch admiration, that he could not forbear whispering to Racine, “This Baruch is a fine writer; do you know any thing of him?" and for fome days after, if he chanced to meet with any perfon of letters, when the ufual compliments were over, his question was, "Have you ever read Baruch ? There's a firft rate genius:" and this

fo

fo loud, that every body might hear him.

Being one day with Boileau, Racine, and other men of note, among whom were ecclefiaftics, St. Auftin was talked of for a long time,, and with the higheft commendations. Fontaine liftened with his natural air, and at laft, after a profound filence, asked one of the ecclefiaftics with the most unaffected seriousness, "Whether he thought St. Austin had more wit than Rabelais ?" The doctor, eying Fontaine from head to foot, answered only by obferving, that." he had put on one of his ftockings the wrong fide outward;" which happened to be the cafe.

The nurse, who attended Fontaine

in his illness, obferving the fervor of the priest in his exhortations, faid to him, "Ah, good Sir, don't disturb' him fo; he is rather ftupid than wicked:" and at another time, "God won't have the heart to damn him." Thefe, and many other ftories, are told of Fontaine, which either are, or, as we suppose, might have been true. One thing, however, must be mentioned to his honour: it is, that his widow being molefted about the payment of fome public money, the intendant gave orders, that no tax or impost should be levied upon his family; nor has this diftinguishing favour ever been revoked by any fucceeding intendants.

COMPENDIOUS HISTORY OF FRANCE. [Continued.] After defeating the infidels on the to make a great noife; and on the

banks of the river Meander, and being not long after A. D. beaten by them, and in 1148. great danger of lofing his life, Lewis at length arrived at Antioch, where Raymond de Poitiers, his wife's uncle, was then prince. He was received with all poffible demonf.rations of kindness and politenefs, his troops furnished with every thing neceffary, and, by the arrival of fuccours from Italy, by fea, his army was once more become very refpectable. This gleam of prof perity lafted not long. The king quickly found that the prince of Antioch had merely his own intereft in view, and was defirous of employing the French troops in extending the bounds of his principality, by reducing feveral confiderable places feated on his frontiers. Lewis grew likewife uneafy as to the behaviour of his wife, whofe gallantries began

other hand the prince of Antioch induced the queen to pretend some fcruple of confcience, as to their nearnefs in blood, though in truth the king and fhe were hardly cousins. Thefe, and other fubjects of chagrin, at length determined the king to quit Antioch, and to repair to Jerufalem; where the emperor Conrad was already arrived. But the queen, who was very well pleafed with the fine country in which they were, and ftill better with the prince to whom it belonged, was not in fuch hafte. However Lewis took a proper opportunity, and, feizing one of the gates in the night, marched out with his forces; and having affembled thofe that lay in the neighbourhood, fent her before him to Jerufalem, where Baldwin the third, who then governed that kingdom, received her very refpectfully. On the king's arrival feveral councils

[blocks in formation]
« 前へ次へ »