easily perceive how great is the benefit of such rapid communication; if we recollect that the discovery of one truth is a rule and a guide for that of a second, and this again for that of a third, and so on to infinity. A rapid communication curtails, generally speaking, the time devoted to the investigation of truth; it curtails it, because, should we, while in the search of any object, learn that this has already been found, we should naturally pass to other inquiries, without permitting ourselves to waste our time in the study and investigation of what has already been discovered. From this we may easily conclude that a political and philological newspaper, written in modern Greek, and containing not only the most important transactions which agitate the enlightened communities of Europe, but also the passing events of Greece herself, will greatly accelerate the regeneration of Greece. This ephemeral, however, in order to meet the end proposed, ought to be the work of a philosopher, of a man capable of selecting from the European journals such materials as would be useful to the present condition of Greece, and avoid such as may be either useless. or injurious. The council of Constantinople can easily render this great and good service to Greece, by transmitting to some literary individual of our nation, who resides either in Vienna or Venice, the necessary means for the publication of such a journal."*

After a few remarks on the patriarchal election, the venerable man takes leave of the subject under consideration. We need not remark that Dr. Coray's slight hints made little or rather no impression upon the people. It ought to be borne in mind that the evil, at which he had only levelled

*The above advice of Coray had its proper effect. Soon after the publication of the work, from which we have translated the above paragraph, a philological journal, under the appropriate title of "The Literary Mercury," commenced its operations at Vienna. This journal was conducted by the well known and able Gazes, the very person whom Dr. Coray recommended. Whether the "Literary Mercury was under the immediate patronage of the patriarch, or depended wholly on the exertions of the editor, we have not been able to ascertain. This, however, is entirely unimportant. The Literary Mercury was liberally supported, and, like the messenger of Jove, flew over the sea and boundless earth, and with his magic wand opened the eyes of many a sleepy mortal." The period in which it was established, and the events which transpired, while it continued, are equally interesting and important. The means which achieved the intellectual regeneration of Greece, as well as those which occasioned her political independence, are to be found in its volumes, and as such it cannot fail to be an object of curiosity to the historian and philologist.

his mighty hand, was of a peculiar character, and nothing but peculiar tact and skill could ensure him success. The established government of the country was tyrannical, and of course friendly to ignorance; the whole host of the priests and monks of the Greek church, were, with but a few exceptions, ignorant. The mass of the community superstitious, and the established ceremonies of the church, had long blended themselves with the very vitals of religion. The arm of logic could have no power against such evils, nothing but the scourge of ridicule could put to flight superstition, or at least check its progress and arrest its baneful and contagious influence. The peculiar nature of the case, therefore, compelled Coray to grasp the arm of ridicule, which, be it said to his credit, he used with great moderation.

The first three books of Homer's Iliad came successively out of the press in the years 1811-17-18. To each of these books, which were widely circulated throughout the schools of Greece, there was prefixed, by way of preface, a fictitious letter. These letters purported to have been written at Belissos, one of the sixty-four villages of Scio, and the identical spot where it is believed Homer wrote his humorous poems, and addressed to Dr. Coray in Paris. Coray being authorized by the annotator to superintend the publication of the above mentioned books, took the liberty, as he pretends, to prefix to the different books the letters which were addressed to him, and which accompanied the manuscripts from the shores of Scio. This is the garb under which the above mentioned epistles made their appearance before the Greek public. The true state of the matter, however, though it has never been avowed to our knowledge, by the author, is, that Dr. Coray is the commentator of Homer, as well as the author of the letters prefixed to each book.

These letters are in the form of dialogues, and the principal characters are an editor of Homer's Iliad-alias Dr. Coray, and a nondescript priest, ycleped Papa-Trechas. The pure and beautiful style of the author, the classic taste which he displays throughout these epistles, and the nature of the composition, reminds a scholar of those days of Greece, when philosophy, unwilling to dazzle the eyes of ignorance, taught her sublime truths under the mask of fiction.

Papa-Trechas, though an imaginary personage, is in every particular true to nature. He is a real ignoramus, and full

of native genius. He is but let the editor introduce his own ideal Papa-Trechas.

"I associate," says the annotator in the beginning of his first epistle, "with the minister of Belissos. He boasts, besides his other accomplishments, that in all the island of Scio, no other priest can be found who can read faster than himself any given chapter of the psalms. In the evening service of Christmas-day, he happened to sneeze so violently that he put out the light. When the candle was relighted, calculating the time he had lost by this unlooked for accident, he thought best to skip a whole psalm, and that, the longest, rather than incur the blame of having extended the service beyond the usual time, and the danger of losing his reputation.

"The happy faculty of reading with great rapidity, and the inveterate propensity of the Sciots to bestow satirical nicknames, has probably induced the citizens of Scio to name the pastor of Belissos, Papa-Trechas- the running priest,' and this nickname is so agreeable to the owner, that he never answers when addressed by his proper name.

"Besides, he has performed full sixty-four tours, and, consequently, fancies himself a second Ulysses, and thinks that he differs from the old hero of the Odyssey, in this single fact, viz., that his extensive travels have been made to the different villages of the island, and though he has suffered much, he has never exposed himself to the dangers of the divine deep.'

"A few days ago-this will give you a slight idea of the great benefit he has derived from his travels-an English traveller came to the island for the purpose of making some topographical inquiries respecting Homer's residence at Belissos. This gentleman was accompanied by two little sons of his. When Papa-Trechas heard them conversing with their father, he asked me with surprise, 'What language are they speaking?' The English, I answered. This information had nigh petrified him with astonishment; the head of the modern Ulysses could not comprehend how such young lads could converse in a language totally unknown to him, and he could not refrain from exclaiming 'The little fellows so young, and yet speak English!""

Our, or rather Dr. Coray's Papa-Trechas, though ignorant, is by no means deficient either in moral worth, or in kindness towards the poor and needy; and though uneducated, he is still a friend to men of letters and education.

Excepting his immoderate use of snuff, which, by the by, he relinquished as soon as he learned that neither his compatriot Homer, nor Eustathius, the great commentator of the immortal poet, made use of the delicious herb-he is represented as a man free from vice, and a person whose errors are far more preferable than the prevailing virtues of the half-taught monks.

"This," says the editor alluding to some irregularities of Papa-Trechas, "was of course very improper; but in this case, it ought to be overlooked, both in consequence of his virtues, as well as his child-like simplicity. He forgot, probably, that his taking snuff or attending to any thing else but to the sacred duties of the liturgy was, to say the least, improper. Much more improper, however, are the actions. of those, who, with all their pretensions to education and piety are constantly scandalizing the public with their impudent slanders against all those who either praise or attempt to favor the cause of education in Greece.

"The attention of these half-taught bragadocios being wholly engrossed with the idle ceremonies of religion, they use their utmost to expel philosophy, which is the only efficient method of a good education; they declare that philosophy is opposed to religion, and decry her followers as atheists. Would it not contribute greatly to their happiness as well as to their respectability, if, with their ignorance, they were also blessed with the amiable manners and piety of Papa-Trechas, who has shown that ignorance is an evil less to be deplored than little-learning-that deformed child of ill-managed education?"

The aim of Dr. Coray, in writing these fictitious epistles, being to expose and ridicule the ignorance of those who belonged to the sacred order, and thus render them sensible. of their situation, he contrives to put in the hands of his ideal personage-as it doubtless happened to many a living Papa-Trechas the epistle from which we have quoted the above extracts. Papa-Trechas, perceiving that his whimsical originalities had become an object of public ridicule, and finding that his ignorance was a disgrace to his sacred office, and a stain upon the qualities of his noble nature, addresses the editor, who happened to be in the mansion of the good priest, in the following language:

"You have done wrong, my young friend, yes, you have done wrong, because you have not exposed all my faults, but

satisfied yourself with the narration of two or three follies of mine. It will be very useful to those of the sacred order, who are of the same grade with myself, and more so to those who ordain them, to know that though ignorance, with the common people, is a fault, with the ministers of religion, is an unpardonable disgrace. Can there be any thing more disgraceful, than to pretend to guide the blind when we are equally destitute of sight? To teach the untaught, when we are totally ignorant of the truths contained in the sacred Scriptures, and can scarcely be said to have clear views even of the cardinal duties of our holy office? But how can I alleviate my misery? Shall I curse the day when without due consideration I undertook the arduous duties of a minister, or shall I curse the more inconsiderate personage, who, unable to compare the importance of the office with the inability of the candidate, invested me with the ministerial functions? Tell me, what must I do? * * *

"Tell me,' continued Papa-Trechas, what must I do? To give up my office is impossible. I see no other remedy to my misfortunes than the acquisition of the Greek language, and you, my young friend, must be my instructor.' In order to pacify him, I nodded assent, and immediately his stature assumed its natural size, his complexion recovered its proper hue, and forgetting that he was in a small room, began to skip round and round in a fit of joy."

Papa-Trechas began the study of the Greek language under the tutorship of his friend, the editor, and in his rapid progress, evinced extraordinary powers of mind. The study of the ancient Greek language, led the minister of Belissos to the perusal of the classics and the sacred Scriptures; and the light of his own reason enabled him to distinguish and compare the spirit of the latter with that of the former. His great admiration for Homer, often leads him to place the authority of the poet side by side with the precepts of St. Paul, but he seldom fails in the proper application of either. Now and then he mistakes Constantine the Great for a contemporary of Socrates, but generally speaking, he steers clear of such chronological blunders. An enthusiast in the cause of education and religion, he can no longer bear the neglect of the former and the abuse of the latter; imbued with the spirit of civil and religious liberty, he can no longer be confined by the trammels of superstition and tyranny, he treats with ridicule the one, and with contempt