AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY SPIRIDION TRICOUPI at the funeral of the late BEY OF MAINA PETER MAVROMICHALI AT THE CHURCH OF s! IRENE on the 18)39 Jannuary 1848. (Translated from the Origiual) ATHENS From the Press of Chr. Nicolaides Philadelphian. (Near the Gate of the Agora.) 1848.LoeuseéIf he be thought worthy of all praise and respect who, elevated to some authority, employs it for the benefit of those who need his aid, how much more so ishe who exercises the influence of his high station not in behalf of a few or even of many individuals, but in behalf of a whole nation, and with the single object of raising that nation from slavery to freedom —from death to life! And if to attain an end so noble as the disenthral- ment of a nation from slavery, he should resolve to divest himself of his high authority—to ex- pose his life without hesitation to the extremest dan- ger—to behold without a murmur the bleod of his dear- est relatives—his sons and his brothers, poured out unsparingly,—should we not say of such a man, that he had attained the highest possible degree of so- cial perfection? that he proved by actions snch as these, that he regarded his country as did Socrates, @ Margdg 18 xal natghy ual ry @lev moydvar advo aypsdtezav nat couvdtepov xal ayubtegaye t Such a man was he whose couch of death we are now surrounding ! A few patriotic spirits, residing in a foreign land, inspired no doubt from on high, conceived the splendid idea of the restoration of the Greck nation. From their distant dwelling places they looked with anxiety upon the land of Greece! And to what spot were their first regards directed when they began to contemplate the realization of this great conception? «Where, said they,=4=> shall we place our fulcrum that we may move the land of Greece»? Upon no other spot than Taygetus! that mount, upon which as upon another Ararat the ark of Grecian freedom had found safety amidst the univer- sal political deluge! There, there alone, had the dove with the olive leaf of promise in her beak, found rest for her foot! There, alone, the light of Grecian freedom, everywhere else extinguished, still glimmered, although so faint and dim, as to resemble rather the feeble flame of the humble taper, lighted by pious mourn- ers over christian graves! « On that spot, they cried, will we stand, and thence will we move the land of Greece »! Providentially, at that period, there ruled over that dis~ trict, the eminent man who lies before us, known to all for his public virtues, and for the beneficent exercise of the supreme authority he possessed for the good of his country- To him was sent, as from Heaven, a mes- senger in human form, who revealed to him the mys- terious purposes of the Most High respecting Greece. Yes, from Heaven, that Herald of the great purposes of the Hetairia, Kyriakos Camarinos, was sent to him! for such revelations are not the conceptions of mortals! The patriotic Bey received this Heavenly message with the readiness of one who anxiously desired it ; and thenceforth, neglecting all other interests, he gave his whole heart and soul to the great work of national regeneration. Thenceforward « unsubdued Maina » became the centre of warlike preparations for the future conflict. Thither flocked the Colocotronis, the Niketas, the Dikaios,the Anagnostaras ete. to sharpen their swords! There they awaited the arrival of the chief leader of the revolution, Alexander Ypsilantis, for it had been Sage=s5=> decided that from that spot the first thunderbolts of Greek retribution were to be hurled against tyranny. The hour had arrived when by the Divine will Greece was to arise from the dust. From the mount- ain of Panachaikos (1) the notes of the Resurrection Hymn were first heard within the Grecian borders. They were reverberated in echoes of thunder from Taygetus, from whose summit was heard from its Chieftain Mavro- michalis, the language of Isaiah of old (2), « Awake! Awake! put on thy strength, O Zion! put on » thy Glory—shake thyself from the dust and arise! loose » thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter » of Zion»! At the voice of this cry, the ancestral tombs of Sparta were shaken, and the spirit of life and of glory and of power was shed abroad. The Cross was raised on high « with ashout and the sound of a trumpet», and all Maina in arms, with their Chief at their head, poured down upon Calamata. This opening scene of the Greek revolution was dis- tinguished by two circumstances worthy of note, splen- did monuments, both of the philanthropy and of the regard for law and order natural to the Greek charac- ter ; listen to them.— When the Greeks entered Calamata, the enemy sur- rendered without fighting; but not a drop of their blood was shed by the victors! Here then we have a monu- ment of Grecian philanthropy. — Within the walls of the captured town, and without loss of time a civil government was formed under the name of the Senate of Messenia,and this is the (1) A monntain in Achaia near Calayryta. (2) Isaiah 52:4, 2.=6= second fact I alluded to, characterising the innate Jove of the Greek people for law and order. Both these memorable acts were chiefly owing to the influence of this admirable man, whose authority was at that period paramount. Calamata being subdued, Mavromichalis remained there as President of the newly established Senate, and he immediately issued, in the name of the nation, that memorable proclamation, in which he announced to all the world that the Greeks had nobly and unalterably « resolved to obtarn their freedom, or die in thestruggle » : after which, assembling the brave spirits who were then near him, he addressed them thus — « Go forth, and the Lord your God go before you to avenge us of our foes »t Without delay, his sons and his brothers with the Colocotronis, the Niketas and others who had come down from Taygetus to Calamata, dispersed themselves through the Morea, lighting up every where the flame of the Revolution, aided zealously by Mavromi- chalis. From that period may be dated the many glorious and bloody events in the history of the Mavromichalis’ family. Ere the first year of the Revolution had closed, the beloved son of this revered Chief, the beloved son of all Greece, the gallant and accomplished Elias fell in battle, the victim of his patriotic ambition. A genuine descendant of the immortal hero of Thermopylae, he preferred a glorious death to ignominious flight. Before the termination of the second year another hilter cup was poured out for the bereaved father,—the death of his own brother Ayriakoul’s in the field of hattle—the hero whose bravery at the battle of Valtetzi contributed so materially at that crisis to the encourage-=7=> ment of our hopes, under the reverses of the early period of our conflict. The fourth year ensued, and John, another of his gallant sons fell, bravely fighting the good fight! These overwhelming calamities wounded, but could not shake the firm heart of the magnanimous Mavro- michalis. Like a wounded lion, he turned with increased fury upon the foe. In the circular which he addres- sed to the nation, on learning the death of this beloved son, he says « Willingly have I drunk this bitter cup! This » glorious martyr for freedom, now rests in the bosom » of Abraham, honoured in death by dying for his » country. His death brings comfort to my heart ; I » am cheered with the hope that the example of his » Spartan virtue will contribute to free his paternal » soil from the baneful presence of our inhuman ty- » rants. The shades of my sons and of my brother, and » of somany others hover around us and appeal to your » powerful aid to avenge their blood. Hasten then to » the deliverance of your country. For myself, I lead » the way to the rescue of Navarino, which is in peril». Such were the words, such the thoughts, such the actions of this magnanimous Chieftain ; and observe that throughout this afflictive trial, when parental feeling ordinarily swallows up every other, this bereaved father had apparently no other object before his eye than his country—his country alone! Instead of sitting down to lament, he rushed to the field of battle, and he who should have heen comforted, became our comforter ! Who does not remember what a tower of strength was in the name of Mavromichalis ? When it was known that the Bey of Maina was in the field, or that he was preparing for battle, the hopes cyen of the despairing=s8 = were revived! Many parts of Greece can tell of his exploits, and my own renowned country AMssolonghr, enrolled him among the most glorious of her defend- ers at the period of its first siege. Such was he in war, and so did he appear throughout his political career, during the whole period of our strug- gle. Intrusted with the highest offices, it wasever his am- bition to fulfil the wishes and justify the expectations of his countrymen; and if at times he may have been in- volved in intestine troubles, as were others of the leaders of the Revolution, his heart, nevertheless was never in- fault, nor did his patriotism or his fortitude ever fail him. Revolutions are extraoadinary and novel features in the political existence of nations. Their paths are not always smooth, and the actors in them, compelled to pass through crooked and thorny ways and overrude precipices, not unfrequently stumble — some times fall and now and then are bruised ; but let me repeat it, the heart of our lamented friend was never in fault, nor did his patriotism or his fortitude ever fail him. His private life was worthy of his public career. Piety and love of divine things he had imbibed from his early youth. His faith in God was pure — his morals unimpeachable and worthy of a Christian. His house was like the household of Abraham, and to his relatives and fellow-countrymen he was ever full of kindness ; «Ev daaxig, hxaptia advod enopeidy, xat év ebdbente 6 nods adtod cory >. Such was the public and private character of the de- ceased. He was the glory of our generation. And what a generation! One which changed the whole face of Greece, and which I do not hesitate to pronounce to be without a parallel not only in modern days, but even in=9 = the most glorious days of ancient Greece. I have stu- died the history of our renowned ancestors, but in that history so full of wonderful events, find but one period, that can be.compared with the glory of our own age; I mean the period of the Median wars. But there is no small difference even between these two. The former saved their country when it was in imminent danger— the latter raised it after it had fallen for ages. The former preserved what it possessed—the latter gain- ed for it what it had not. The present age moreover is more remarkable than the period of which 1 speak, in other respects. Many Grecian cities, during that period of our history, dishonoured the glory of their name by submitting to offer homage to the enemies of Greece. Others formed alliances with their national foes. No such stigma however attaches to the present generation; and hence, without fear of contradiction, I do not hesitate to pronounce our generation to be without a parallel in the history of our country, inasmuch as it excels even that most brilliant and glorious epoch. Yes, my friends, I regard the men of our Revolution as raised up by Heaven for the deliverance of our country. Their weapons were blessed and made glorious by the Most High, as weapons in defence of Faith and Country! — Such was the race of men, of whom he who lies before us was, as I have already said, the glory. Of such a race as this, You, highly favoured, thrice fortunate Youth of Greece, are the offspring! Your parents struggled through the most glorious and the holiest of con- flicts, in defence of their faith and their country. — Inspired with a holy spirit of freedom, they opened for you acarcer full of promise, full of hope. Pursue it nobly -~ prove yourselyes to be worthy of such an-= 10> cestors—worthy of the praises of all nations and of all ages! — Never forget that your parents were born chel- dren of servitude, and became fathers of freedom ! that they found the name of Country blotted out from the book of national existence; and that they with ther own blood and in the midst of unheard of dangers and vicissitudes inscribed it there again, in indelible charac- ters! Immortal indeed are such actions! immortal too the actors! forever blessed and honoured upon earth shall their memory be! And such an immortal, such a blessed and honoured memory of what he did in this sacred cause, has he left behind him who has this day gone to dwell in the regions of blessedness, the foremost leader of our Revolution—mavrowicuatis ! But we, my friends, who are believers in canist are not satisfied with an earthly immortality! We wait for the blessedness of Heaven—We wait for it as looking for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come (1).—We wait for it as they «who have here no conti- nuing city—but who seek one to come » (2), and we wait for it only ¢ thro’ the grace of the Lord God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. This expectation of everlasting blessedness is realized to day in regard to this most Christian hero. And why do I say this? In the review of his private character I have mentioned what you are all acquainted with—that he was distinguished for his pure faith in God. Yes, friends and brethren, his farth towards God was as deep and as sincere as‘his patriot- ism was elevated and noble. — « Faithful unio death » to his country—c faithful unto death» to his God! For his fidelity to his country his name shall retain the im- ee (1) Nicene Creed. (2) Hebr. 13; 44,=H= mortality that earth can give — for his fidelity towards God, he has gone to day to receive the blessedness of Heaven. These are not my words—they are the declara- tions of Divine revelation, « Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life » (1). He was « faithful unto death > in the things concerning God— and it is certain therefore (for it is founded on the Divine promise) it is certain that he is now enjoying the reward of his faith, «the Crown of eternal life»! Immortal be his memory on earth, and blessed for ever in heaven this pious and distinguished patriot. Be comforted ye afflicted sons and surviving rela- tives, be comforted with this reflection! Come and take your lust Farewell! And let us all who were his friends and his companions in the sacred struggle be comfor- ted — He departs to day as a mortal man, to the dust from which he sprung — but he departs full of renown, full of faith, full of benedcctions ! bearing on his head the double crown —the crown of earthly immortality, and the crown of everlasting blessedness in heaven! ee (1) Rev, 2:10,