68 HIS COURT AND OFFICERS. Mahometan bigot in Ali's dominions, who generally accompanies him in his excursions and executes his most important commissions; Dwann Effendi, who carries on his correspondence with the Porte, for which purpose a capi-kehagia or procurator is appointed at Constantinople. Besides these he has four under-secretaries, all Greeks, whose business it is to correspond with the beys, agàs, and governors in the different Albanian provinces; the two first of these named Mantho and Costa are men of the most crafty and subtile disposition, the ready instruments of all the pasha's schemes of vengeance and of power*. His two dragomen, or interpreters, are also Greeks, the first Signore Colovo, and the second Beyzady, the son of a prince of the Fanar. He has four regular physicians, who serve him also in the capacity of secretaries and interpreters, as occasion may require: for every person attached to Ali's service must be able to walk out of his own particular course. Besides all these, there are many sage counsellors who take their places at his divan, though they are not dignified by any peculiar office in these he places the most implicit confidence, for they are all tried men. The principal of them are Mezzo Bonno, Dervish Hassan, Agho Mordari, and Athanasi Vayà, his favourite and most successful general, who might indeed be styled commander in chief. This person is intrusted with his master's most intimate secrets, and has free access to him in the hours of his most perfect retirement. In addition to the above-mentioned officers employed in affairs of council he has a multitude who attend to those of ceremony. There is the Selictar-Agà, who carries the sword of state, *Vely Pasha after his reconciliation with his father so abhorred these men that he requested as a favour that his correspondence with the vizir might not be carried on through their agency. Mantho was his agent in the affair of Parga. HIS COURT AND OFFICERS. Bairactar-Agà, who carries the standard, Devichtar-Agà, who carries the inkstand, and 69 The Capi-Balouk bashee lodges in the palace and superintends the police-guards. The Ibroghor-Agà is the chief groom of the stables. The Capsilar-Agà is master of the ceremonies. The Caftan-Agà throws the pelisse over such as are so honoured by the vizir. The Rachtivan-Agà has the care of the silver bridles and housings for the stud. The Shatir-Agàs are four in number, who attend the vizir in processions, carrying a species of halbert by the side of his horse. The two Bouchurdan-Agàs perfume him when he goes to mosque. The Shamdan-Agà precedes the wax candles into the apartment. The Sofrageebashi sets out the table. The Ibriktar-Agà pours the water from the golden pitcher over the vizir's hands, and the Macramageebashi holds the towels. The Peskir-Agà throws the silken shawls round him and his guests. The Cafigeebashi superintends the coffee, and the Tutungeebashi the pipes. Two high officers are the Mechterbashi or chief of the band, and the Tatar-Agà, who is at the head of one hundred tatars. There are about twenty Chaoushes, and the same number of Kaivasis, who carry silver-knobbed sticks before the vizir in procession, and are the porters or keepers of his door: whenever he puts to death a great man he sends a Kaivasi to act as executioner. The house-steward or officer who superintends the general expences is called Vechilhargi, and has many subordinate persons under him. It would be tedious to pursue this detail further, neither can I answer for the accurate orthography of all the names already quoted, 70 HIS COURT AND OFFICERS. though I took them down with as much care as possible from the mouth of a person high in office at the seraglio. In addition to his proper officers, the court of Ali is crowded with a multitude of dependants and others, skilled in every art of adulation and mean compliance. Some of these turn him to good account by working upon his superstition. At this very time a Turkish dervish and a Greek artisan had conspired together to cheat him, and had persuaded him they were able to make a panacea or essence which should render him immortal: they had been working a long time in the serai with crucibles and alembics, and will probably continue to gain money from him for their pretended preparations, until death shall cure all his complaints. The retinue of Mouchtar Pasha is very large, though inconsiderable when compared with that of his father. He supports two hundred officers and others of his household, and a thousand troops or Albanian guards. His annual income is estimated at about 350,000 dollars, though the vizir takes to himself the greatest part of his revenue from the pashalic of Berat. CHAPTER IV. State of Literature in Ioannina-Romaic Language-Turkish Society— Anecdote of a Greek Papas-Vespers at the Cathedral-Church of Sta. Marina-Vizir's Bath-End of Carnival-Tyrannical Acts of Ali Pasha-Tenure of Land in Albania-Chiflicks-Comparative State of Albania with the rest of Turkey-Greek Funeral-Expedition of Ali against Parga-Dinner with Mr. Pouqueville-Ali's CouncilVisit to Mouchtar Pasha-Occurrence at his Serai-Festival at the Church of St. Theodore-Greek Superstitions, Clergy, &c. IT may perhaps be expected that I should say something respecting the literary society of Ioannina: but to confess the truth, I saw very little to describe; and if this city is called by some writers the Athens of modern Greece, I must own the term seems to me no bad specimen of the figure of speech called amplification. Literature throughout Greece is but beginning to awake from that lethargy in which she has lain so many centuries: at present her motion is feeble and weak, she creeps on with torpid languor instead of soaring aloft, as formerly, in eagle flight. The minds of the people have been too long debased with sordid cares, and fettered too heavily with the manacles of despotic power, for sublime aspirations at present; they no longer possess, nor can they possess, that creative fire of genius, that untrodden soul (the Yux äßarov) which characterized their great progenitors. In their writings we observe at present only feeble copies of the ancients, or vain attempts at originality, wherein all true taste and simplicity is violated. Elaborate truisms, superficial remarks, metaphy 72 STATE OF LITERATURE IN IOANNINA. sical absurdities, inaccurate details deform the pages of their historians, politicians and philosophers, whose writings give but little colour to policy, consistency to facts, or propriety to character; whilst the fire and spirit, the igneus vigor et cælestis origo, of antiquity, is totally absent from the conceptions and expressions of their poets. Yet is not this said for the purpose of censure so much as of commiseration. In estimating the literary character of a people, we must take into consideration the circumstances which surround them. Nothing is great but by comparison, and if we perceive the modern Greeks deficient in that powerful talent, that extent of information, that accuracy of criticism, that eloquence and discriminating judgment which distinguish the polished capitals of civilized Europe, we must reflect also upon their misfortunes and debasement, we must remember that security is necessary for speculative abstraction, that the principles of truth are essential to eloquence, that independence of character is the nurse of Science, and that Poesy extends her impetuous flight only upon the wings of Liberty. But in these unfortunate realms, where tyranny has so long been established, suspicion, like the sword of Damocles, has uniformly banished joy from the hearts of the people; self-interest, and the acquisition of wealth, have been their ruling passions; superstition has long lent its assistance in blunting all the energies of mind; few have been the aids which education has given to talent; few the rewards proposed to emulation. Still it would be wrong to say that the germ of genius no longer exists among the Greeks, whilst the substratum of their character seems to remain very similar to that of their ancestors. We may remark in the moderns the same perspicacity and pliability which distinguished the ancients, the same ingenuity in supplanting a rival, the same appetency for honours and distinctions however dangerous, the same desire of pomp and magnificence, the same liveliness and gaiety of heart when relieved from the presence of tyranny: the chief difference seems effected by external circumstances; the ancients were masters, |