M O R E A. 



717 



ticularly ascribed to the extension of the Roman power ; them for the purpose of qualifying themselves to prac- More 



*^^^ ^*** I HI t if 9 ttt i*->:i r^ til ria v*> an fi/i tsorl 90 ft liirmrr l-ii rrn i rm - # J ... K ..K . * m" n . * V. ,. ; _ ..,... Tl _ *- . . 



but it appears to have survived as a living language in 

 considerable purity so late as the llth or 12th centu- 

 rie. The irruption of the Goths, and other barba- 

 rians, and the settlement of the Slavonians and Franks 

 hi Greece, occasioned numerous corruptions, about 

 the beginning of the 13th century ; and the establish, 

 ment of the Ottoman empire introduced many Turk- 

 ish terms and idioms ; but it is not possible to fix the 

 precise period when the distinction between the Hel- 

 lenic or ancient, and the Romaic or modern dialect was 



tise as physicians in their own country. The princi- 

 pal study of the modern Greeks is the acquisition of 

 languages, in which they display a wonderful profi- 

 ciency ; so that many of their young men are able to 

 speak five or six languages at a very early age ; and 

 numbers of the lower orders can make themselves un- 

 derstood in French, Italian, Russian, Turkish, Sclavo- 

 nian, and Latin. A Greek printing press has been es- 

 tablished at Bucharest, and another at Venice for a 

 considerable period ; but grammars, dictionaries, theo- 



generally acknowledged. It appears that a multitude of logical tracts, vulgar romances, and song-books, are the 



different dialects prevailed in the progress of its cor- 

 ruptions, not less, it is said, than seventy ; and that 

 the Romaic did not become an established language till 

 about century after the Turkish conquest. The first 

 instance of it as a written language, is a translation of 

 the four apologies of John Catacuzenus into the vul- 

 gar tongue by Meletius Syrigus, a Cretan, who died in 

 1663. The earliest and best of the grammars of this 

 new language is that of Portius, also a native of Crete, 

 which may be teen in the glossary of Du Cange. Be- 

 sides the introduction of new vocables, the modern dia- 

 lect drops the inverted arrangement of the words, 

 form* the tenses by the aid of the auxiliary verb, and 

 makes great use of the contractions, so as to blend 

 several words into one. The pronunciation unques- 

 tionably became vitiated along with the structure of the 



only productions of these establishments. A few learn- 

 ed Greeks in Paris have distinguished themselves by 

 their talents, and have published several translations in 

 Romaic for the benefit of their countrymen ; but not 

 more than one er two native authors are known at pre- 

 sent to reside in Greece. The principal Romaic books 

 to be found there, are translations of Beccaria O/i 

 Crimes, Locke's Essay, Montesquieu's Rise and Fall of 

 t/ie Roman Empire, Rollin's Ancient History, Telema- 

 chus, Plurality of Worlds, Goldsmith's Grecian History, 

 RofiinxoH Crusoe, the Arabian Nights, an original LiJ'e 

 of Suvaroff' by*a merchant in Athens, and a journal 

 printed at Vienna, besides the ordinary catechisms and 

 homilies of the church. But there are no shops for 

 purchasing books, and scarcely any thing like a library, 

 public or private, in the country, There is no disse- 



language ; but the Byzantine Greeks maintain that mination of knowledge among the natives of Greece, 



except by means of one or two schools in some of the 

 larger towns, where the ancient Greek, and sometimes 

 Latin, with the modern languages, are taught. Most 



they still possess the ancient mode of reading it. A 

 sketch of the modern dialect, and of its pronunciation, 



may be seen in the appendix to Hobhoute't Travel*, , --, 



and Dalaway's Dttcriplion of the Levant ; but the fol- of them can read and write, so as to be qualified for 



lowing specimen of the mode of reading the first lines of the service of their pashas, and the transactions of their 



Homer, as given by the former writer, may give some petty commerce, but have no knowledge of books or 



a is to be attainments in science. They gan all compose a song 



idea of the modern pronunciation. The 

 sounded as in the English word plate : 



Mtnin idthe Th Pddiduieo tkel* 

 OobmtM i Mri *k<M Ogt ilhdte 

 iv;;i, nftthMM p^u, irj-i,, Fo ,. ap . t .. 

 Ertaw, iftou. di clutn terk* keoaan 



Dthefee iTctdefto roole. 



There are great varieties, however, in the mode of 

 speaking the Romaic. The Greeks of the Morea, and 

 on the coasts of the Adriatic, intermix more of the Ve- 

 netian ; and those of the Archipelago or Smyrna, more 

 i-f the Turkish ; while those of the Fanal, in Constan- 

 tinople, speak it in the most classical style of purity. 



Mnce the establishment of the Romaic, the Greek li- 

 terature has been extremely limited ; and in the course 

 of 150 years previous to the year 1720, about 100 

 persons have been recorded as men of learning, the 

 greater part of whom, as well of the later writers, were 

 theological authors educated in Italy. But, in conse- 

 quence of the recent communications between the more 

 enlightened nation; of Christendom and the Levant, 

 considerable improvements have taken place. About 

 the end of the last century, under the auspices of a 

 prince of the family of Mavro Kordato, who was Hos- 

 .xxiar of Moldavia, a dictionary and grammar of the 

 Romaic was published, and several translations of 

 French and Italun novels printed in that language at 

 Venice or Vienna. A few of the higher Greeks com- 

 pose pieces in poetry, but rarely for publication ; and 

 there is little original composition yet produced among 

 them. Numbers, however, attend the universities of 

 the Continent, chiefly from the Ionian Isles ; a few of 

 them for the sake ot ecclesiastical studies, but most of 



or lampoon ; but their best productions have more of 

 the oriental imagery than the Greek simplicity ; and 

 all their poetry is full of the worst kind of taste. Their 

 prose writings are insipid, and chiefly distinguished 

 by copiousness of words. 



The state of the arts in Greece is very low ; and it Ar 's- 

 is said, that there is not a sculptor, painter, or architect 

 to be found, equal to the common workmen in the 

 towns of Christendom. Their paintings are chiefly 

 gilded saints ; and the best are to be seen at Scio. 



Medicine is practised by Italians, or by native Greeks, Medicine. 

 who have received some education in Italy ; or even by 

 persons of no education, but who, having failed in 

 other pursuits, put on the Frank habit, and assume the 

 office of physicians. In most of the towns there is at 

 least one of these persons, who is paid so much per 

 annum for taking care of the health of the whole inha- 

 bitants. The general practice is to administer jalap, 

 manna, glauber salts in small quantities, draughts of 

 bark in almost every complaint, allowing the patient 

 at the same time plenty of fat broths. Phlebotomy is 

 often used, but not topical bleedings. When the dis- 

 ease is of long continuance, or if the least delirium ap- 

 pears, the patient is considered as possessed ; and, in- 

 stead of the physician, the priest is employed to exor- 

 cise th* evil spirit. Pestilential fevers, elephantiasis, 

 leprosy, and the plague, are seldom attempted to be 

 cured by medical skill. The frequent use of the warm 

 bath, to which the natives are much addicted, is pro- 

 bably more prejudicial than salutary to their health. 



The Greek music is plaintive, but very monoto- Music. 

 nous ; and it is doubtful whether most of their airs 

 may not be of modern origin. They sing through 



