The vicissitude of Greece.Greece of all Kingdomes in Europe, hath bene most famous, and highly renowned for many noble respects: [III. 117.]yet most subject to the vicissitude of Fortune than any other: who changing Gold for Brasse, and loathing their owne Princes, suffered many tyrants to rule over them, scourging their folly with their fall, and curing a festered soare with a poysoned playster: whence succeded a dismall discord, which beginning when the State of Greece was at the highest, did not expire till it fell to the lowest ebbe; sticking fast in the hands of a grievous desolation: which former times, if a man would retrospectively measure, he might easily find, and not without admiration, how the mighty power of the divine Majestie doth swey the moments of things, and sorteth them in peremptory manner to strange and unlooked for effects: making reason blind, policy astonished, strength feeble, valour dastardly, turning love into hatred, feare into fury, boldnesse into trembling, and in the circuit of one minute, making the Conquerour, a conquered person.
Greece now tearmed by the Turkes Rum-Ili, the Romane Countrey, was first called Helles, next Grecia of Grecus, who was once King thereof: The Greekes, of all other Gentiles, were the first converted Christians, and are wonderfull devout in their professed Religion: The Priests weare the haire of their heads hanging over their shoulders: These that be the most sincere religious men; abstaine alwayes from eating of flesh or fish, contenting themselves with water, hearbes, and bread: They differ much in ceremonies, and principles of Religion from the Papists, and the computation of their Kalender is as ours.
Foure Patriarchs in the Greekish Church.They have foure Patriarkes, who governe the affaires of their Church, and also any civill dissentions, which happen amongst them, viz. one in Constantinople, another in Antiochia, the third in Alexandria, & the fourth in Jerusalem. It is not needfull for me to penetrate further [III. 118.]in the condition of their estate, because it is no part of my intent in this Treatise. In a word, they are wholly degenerate from their Auncestors in valour, vertue, and learning: Universities they have none, and civill behaviour is quite lost: formerly in derision they tearmed all other Nations Barbarians: A name now most fit for themselves, being the greatest dissembling lyers, inconstant, and uncivill people of all other Christians in the World.
False testimonie of vagabonding Greekes.By the way, I must give the Kings Kingdomes a caveat here, concerning vagabonding Greekes, and their counterfeit Testimonials: True it is, there is no such matter, as these lying Rascals report unto you, concerning their Fathers, their Wives, and Children taken Captives by the Turke: O damnable invention! How can the Turke prey upon his owne Subjects, under whom, they have as great Liberty, save onely the use of Bels, as we have under our Princes: The tyth of their Male children, being absolutely abrogated by Achmet, this Amuraths Father; and the halfe also of their Female Dowry at Marriages: And farre lesse for Religion, can they be banished, or deprived of their Benefices, as some false and dissembling fellowes, under the Title of Bishops make you beleeve; There being a free Liberty of Conscience, for all kinds of Religion, through all his Dominions, as well for us free borne Frankes as for them, and much more them, the Greekes, Armenians, Syriacks, Amoronits, Coptics, Georgians, or any other Orientall sort of Christians: And therefore looke to it, that you be no more gulled, golding them so fast as you have done, least for your paines, you prove greater Asses, than they do Knaves.
In Salonica I found a Germo, bound for Tenedos, in which I imbarked: As we sayled along the Thessalonian shoare, I saw the two topped hill Pernassus, [III. 119.]which is of a wondrous height, whose tops even kisse the Clouds.
Pernassus.Mons hic cervicibus petit arduus astra duobus,
Nomine Pernassus, superatque cacumine montes.
Through thickest cloudes, Pernassus bends his height,
Whose double tops, do kisse the Starres so bright.
Here it was sayd the nine Muses haunted: but as for the Fountaine Helicon, I leave that to be searched, and seene by the imagination of Poets; for if it had bene objected to my sight, like an insatiable drunkard, I should have drunke up the streames of Poesie, to have enlarged my dry poeticall Sun scoarch’d veine.