On this page
-
Text (1)
-
Untitled Article
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
executed ,. and that those . who remained had with difficulty obtained the promise of their lives on condition of paying" a . large sum of money . Although the raising of this sum compelled the relations of the imprisoned to make an extraordinary effort > they presented it immediately ; but they
found that the promise of the perfidious governor had been given merely to extort- their money , for as soon as he had received it , lie gave orders for the massacre of his unhappy prisoners . The Archbishop beheld with indignation this union of fraud and cruelty , but far from obtaining satisfaction , he was fated to see his Archdeacon
loaded with irons , and a horrid persecution commenced against his nephew , Cyprian Theseus * The latter , however , by making immense sacrifices , obtained means to flee from his persecutors , and thus escaped the destruction with which he was menaced . The
fury of the execrable tyrant then burst on the head of Leondius , the secretary of the late Grand Vicar , his father , who was put to the torture nine days successively , to compel him to discover the retreat of Cyprian Theseus ; and after nine days of martyrdom the venerable ecclesiastic died in the
most dreadful torment . The Archbishop , agonized at the miseries to which his beloved children were continually exposed , remonstrated against the conduct of the Muhassil , who considered himself sufficiently excused by protesting that , under the present
circumstances , it had been impossible to avoid falling into some errors respecting the unfortunate sufferers ; and that Cyprian Theseus had been pursued only for * the purpose of making him relinquish some arms of great value , wiuch he was said to have
retained when the others were delivered up . He now set at liberty the Archdeacon , after having extorted from him a present of 15 , 000 piastres . Moreover , he gave the Archbishop a solemn promise that the Christians of the island should thenceforth enjoy
perfect tranquillity , adding , that he would personall y guarantee the performance of all that had been promised . He , however , required or the Archbishop an . assurance to the government , that the Christians aftpuld make no > i&surrectionary . movements against tty $ Tnrks ; and that they were ready fo pjedge themselves to the
Untitled Article
most scrupulous obedience to them . The Archbishop answered , that he should ever continue to inculcate on his children the sentiments which he had invariably taught them . This declaration did not satisfy the Governorhe gave the Archbishop to understand
that he must offer some guarantee for his own political conduct : with strong feeling the venerable man replied , that the esteem in which he had always been held by the people , and even by the Porte , who had entrusted to him the superintendence of the whole island , as well as the incontestable
proofs which he had repeatedly given of attachment to the Sultan , sufficiently attested his loyalty aiwi firmness ; nevertheless , to prevent any pretext for suspicion , he disdained not to offer in favour of his own conduct
the testimony of all the Mussulman authorities of the island ; these , from the Mufti down to the lowest class of public functionaries ^ eagerly came forward to add weight to the protestations of the Archbishop . The Muhassil professed to be satisfied , and *
declared that , on his part , he wotdd never violate his promises ; but to reward him for undertaking to render an account to the government of Constantinople of the good conduct of the Christians of Cyprus , he exacted the moderate sum of 100 , 000 piastres ; and this demand could not be refused
at so critical a moment . He then augmented with bis own soldiers the number of the Archbishop ' s guards , under the pretence of more firmly establishing the public tranquillity : thus this monster was preparing to
execute his villanous design . A few days after , he requested the Archbishop to convoke all the clergy , were the principal persons of the country , saying , that he had orders from the Sultan to communicate to
them , and affairs of the highest political importance to consult them upon . All who were convened well knew the perfidy of the barbarian , and suspected the horrid act of treachery which he meditated ; but how was it possible for them to escape , since he had placed oi
in every port considerable bodies troops , brought into Syria from St . Jean d * Acre ? Still they might hope , by means of further sacrifices , to allay the storm which was gathering over tham ; espeqiaUy as tb # y were convinced that the Turks must be s » ti&-
Untitled Article
398 t Extract from a Letter respecting the Mbstacre at Cypflte .
-
-
Citation
-
Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1823, page 398, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1786/page/30/
-