DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9840#0362
308
the Cretan's "mothek-land.11
[chap.
This account of the Hegumenos is confirmed by the
words of a letter, written on the 15th of August 1821,
by Monsieur D'Herculez, the Austrian Vice-Consul at
Khania, to the Imperial Internuncio at Constantinople1.
From that time the monastery remained without
either Hegumenos or Pateres till about three years ago,
when, on the restoration of tranquillity by the Egyptians,
the present Hegumenos returned. He had spent five
years of the revolution in Siphnos, and the rest in other
islands, occasionally visiting Crete. He embraced the first
opportunity of returning to establish himself in the coun-
try of his birth, although it is still under Turkish sway,
" for," as he says, "one's native land is always sweet2.11
Distinguished as all the Greeks are by the love of
their own country, this general characteristic is still
more strongly developed in the Cretans than in the in-
habitants of any other district, with which I am ac-
quainted in this part of the world. In ancient times, the
Cretans shewed this affection for their native island by
calling it not by the common name of fatherland,
(rraTph,) but by the still dearer appellation of mother-
land (/urjTpls,) a word which is mentioned, as peculiar to
the Cretans, by Plato, Plutarch, Aelian, and Synesius3.
On leaving the monastery of Asdmatos we ascended
for nearly half an hour, and then a descent of about
1 The words to which I allude are the following: " I/insurrection des
Grecs n'est pas generale, le Pacha de Candie a e'tabli dans le temps un
cordon de Janissaires pour contenir plusieurs provinces, qui, n'ayant pas e'te'
moleste'es par les Turcs, sont reste'es dans le devoir. Le Pacha de Rettimo,
moins pre'voyant, a par contre autorise' le massacre de plusieurs Grecs, sans
prendre, au prealable, des mesures pour e'viter un soulevement."
2 'h TraTpi&a elvai iravroTe yA.ii/ceZa ets tov avdpwirov.
3 plato, Rep. ix. p. 575. d. Kat biro tovtoh £>rj SovXevovaau Ti}v
irdXai (plXi)v /xijTpioa te, KpjjTe's <paai, Kai iraTpioa e£ei te ical 6pE\j/eL.
plutarch, ii. p. 792. e. 'h oe iraTpii Kai ixi]TpL<s, tos Kp^xes KaXovan,
■KpecrfivTepa Kai fxei^ova SiKaia yovewv e^ovcra. aelian, V. H. xiii. 38.
(and Kuhnius) Aelian, N. A. xvn. 35. and 40. (anc! F. Jacobs,)
Synesius, Ep. xciv. (See also Stephanus Byzant. in los, and Pau-
sanias, x. p. 857-) Metjusius, Creta, p. 25li. and Hoeck', Kreta,
Vol. in. p. 51'J.
the Cretan's "mothek-land.11
[chap.
This account of the Hegumenos is confirmed by the
words of a letter, written on the 15th of August 1821,
by Monsieur D'Herculez, the Austrian Vice-Consul at
Khania, to the Imperial Internuncio at Constantinople1.
From that time the monastery remained without
either Hegumenos or Pateres till about three years ago,
when, on the restoration of tranquillity by the Egyptians,
the present Hegumenos returned. He had spent five
years of the revolution in Siphnos, and the rest in other
islands, occasionally visiting Crete. He embraced the first
opportunity of returning to establish himself in the coun-
try of his birth, although it is still under Turkish sway,
" for," as he says, "one's native land is always sweet2.11
Distinguished as all the Greeks are by the love of
their own country, this general characteristic is still
more strongly developed in the Cretans than in the in-
habitants of any other district, with which I am ac-
quainted in this part of the world. In ancient times, the
Cretans shewed this affection for their native island by
calling it not by the common name of fatherland,
(rraTph,) but by the still dearer appellation of mother-
land (/urjTpls,) a word which is mentioned, as peculiar to
the Cretans, by Plato, Plutarch, Aelian, and Synesius3.
On leaving the monastery of Asdmatos we ascended
for nearly half an hour, and then a descent of about
1 The words to which I allude are the following: " I/insurrection des
Grecs n'est pas generale, le Pacha de Candie a e'tabli dans le temps un
cordon de Janissaires pour contenir plusieurs provinces, qui, n'ayant pas e'te'
moleste'es par les Turcs, sont reste'es dans le devoir. Le Pacha de Rettimo,
moins pre'voyant, a par contre autorise' le massacre de plusieurs Grecs, sans
prendre, au prealable, des mesures pour e'viter un soulevement."
2 'h TraTpi&a elvai iravroTe yA.ii/ceZa ets tov avdpwirov.
3 plato, Rep. ix. p. 575. d. Kat biro tovtoh £>rj SovXevovaau Ti}v
irdXai (plXi)v /xijTpioa te, KpjjTe's <paai, Kai iraTpioa e£ei te ical 6pE\j/eL.
plutarch, ii. p. 792. e. 'h oe iraTpii Kai ixi]TpL<s, tos Kp^xes KaXovan,
■KpecrfivTepa Kai fxei^ova SiKaia yovewv e^ovcra. aelian, V. H. xiii. 38.
(and Kuhnius) Aelian, N. A. xvn. 35. and 40. (anc! F. Jacobs,)
Synesius, Ep. xciv. (See also Stephanus Byzant. in los, and Pau-
sanias, x. p. 857-) Metjusius, Creta, p. 25li. and Hoeck', Kreta,
Vol. in. p. 51'J.