ACCURACY VERY RARE AMONGST GREEKS. 55 is one of their most lamentable characteristics;* but it is no proof of the degeneracy of the race. The Ancient Greeks had the same failing. The Spartans, indeed, had little respect for either truth. or honesty; the greatest virtue with them being to steal or to lie so skilfully and audaciously as to escape detection. Even Homer did not consider the circumventing of a friend disgraceful to one of the noblest of his heroes. On the contrary, he rather chuckles over the simplicity of Glaucus, who was prevailed upon by Diomed to exchange, in proof of reciprocal affection, his gold armour, worth a hundred oxen, for the Greek's armour, which cost only nine. Here, as the Irishman observed, the reciprocity was certainly all on one side. The Greek peasantry have an especial horror for Jews, which was formerly fanned by the priests into occasional riots. But, thanks to British influence, though there is still a Jews' quarter in Corfu, disturbances no longer occur. Having mentioned the peasantry, I must here record my opinion of them. The children were nuisances who constantly rushed after the Englishmen whom they met, shouting for "fardings;" but the grown men were always very civil. As for the women, they generally ran away if spoken to by Englishmen. One day an officer * An Englishman once defended in my hearing the ignorance of Greek in a certain Resident, by saying, "if he could converse with the people he would hear nothing but lies!" an absurd exaggeration! PEASANT GREEK LANGUAGE. 57 frequently obtained the more flattering reply in Greek, "I cannot speak Greek, but only Romaika."* This proved to me that my masters both in Corfu and in Cephalonia taught a language very superior to those peasant dialects, which for centuries formed the sole Greek of the Ionian Islands. It enabled me to understand the remark of a Corfiot gentleman, who said to me: "You are learning Greek? You will soon know it more correctly than we do ourselves." But though his speech was a natural one, I cannot say that I myself realized its truth. Whilst in Corfu, I occasionally gave to the soldiers magic-lantern lectures on elementary astronomy and comic subjects. To please some of the native families, the lecture was translated into Italian chiefly by my wife, and the lantern was exhibited at several evening parties. It was my ambition to give the lecture also in modern Greek; but a year or two elapsed before I ventured to carry out this intention, with what results will be narrated in a future chapter. Although murders occasionally occurred in all the Islands, and were frequent in Zante, yet partly owing to the lenient system established, and partly to the absence of convictions by the inefficient police, executions were very rare events. I myself only witnessed one case, and never had the opportunity of witnessing another. It was for the crime * Δὲν ἠξεύρω ἑλληνικὰ ἀλλὰ Ρομαίκα. |