CLXXIV. AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE OF ATHENIAN STEWART, From being put to death by some Turks, in whose company he happened to be travelling. Communicated by Dr Thomas Percy, Bishop of Dromore, as related to his Lordship by Stewart himself. MR. STEWART had resided nearly three years at Athens, making drawings of the ruins there, and carrying on his researches into the antiquities of Greece; a considerable change about this time had been effected in the Ministry of the Porte, the Grand Vizir being disgraced. The Bashaw of Athens judged it prudent to hasten to Constantinople, and endeavour to obtain the favor of the new Minister; Stewart, whose long retirement at Athens, at a distance from the seat of government, had made him forgotten as he feared by his friends, thought it advisable to shew himself in the Capital, and solicit a renewal of his former protections. The opportunity of travelling under safeguard of the Bashaw and his train seemed fortunate, and on application to the Bashaw, permission was granted him to join the party. They had not proceeded far, till Stewart plainly saw that the Bashaw had conceived a dislike to him; the insecurity of people under the Turkish despotism, renders them universally timorous and suspicious: the Bashaw, conscious his conduct would not bear the strictest scrutiny, began to be fearfull that Stewart might privately intend some complaint, or from inadvertency might divulge misdemeanors, he therefore exerted all his cunning to get rid of his fellow traveller. He did not chuse to attempt direct violence, it being known Stewart had set out on the journey with him, and he dreaded being called to account. Stewart observed that at every stage, it was contrived to put him on a dangerous horse, in hopes to break his neck: the mischievous designs against him became so apparent, that when they happened at last to stop at a tolerable village, Stewart resolved to stay there a while, and trust himself no farther in such company. The Bashaw shewed great confusion when Stewart's determination became known, the most earnest entreaties were used to prevail on him to go forwards, but to no purpose; Stewart continued firm in his intention to stay behind. The Bashaw after much delay was obliged to set out for the next stage; Stewart remained in the Caravansery, a large public room, where different travellers of all kinds are accommodated together, and the Turks of the neighbourhood come to drink coffee: as he knew more of the language than the people were apprized of, it was not long before he found out, from their conversations amongst themselves, he avoided one danger only to fall into another as imminent. The family of the inn, probably from hints of the Bashaw, represented him as a dangerous person, a magician that made use of drawings and pictures, a superstitious aversion to which, amongst the Turks, is excessive and insurmountable. A The day being now on the decline, Stewart placed his luggage about him in a corner, and began to dispose himself to sleep; all the other people except one servant had left the room. little boy coming in soon after, and jumping about approached Stewart seeing his eyes apparently shut, and supposing him asleep, the boy made a significant gesture with his finger across his throat, plainly intimating Stewart's head would be cut off; the boy going out of the place, Stewart in great consternation began to think how he might contrive to escape, he pretended to the man who was watching the place, that he had a certain occasion and must retire a little; the man accompanied him into a field, Stewart then endeavoured to persuade him to go off and be his guide through the country, but the man positively refused; Stewart drew out his pistols, which were concealed in his cloaths, and threatened if any noise was made to shoot the fellow the man went back slowly and quietly, and Stewart moved directly towards a small river, whose banks were thickly covered with reeds, and there concealed himself; reflecting however that the fellow might have observed him, and that it : was the most likely spot for the people to search, he left the reeds and lay down amongst some bushes and brambles that were spread about to a considerable extent, and beyond which was an open plain covered with corn; he had not lain long, when he could perceive numerous lights in the village. Crowds in a short time came out with torches in their hands, and immediately went to search amongst the reeds; that not succeeding, they tried amongst the brambles. Stewart not being discovered, they lighted fires at several intervals with bundled sticks, on the boundary of the thickets near the corn, so that it was impossible for Stewart to pass between them without being seen. He now began to think there was no chance of escape and resolved with his pistols in hand to sell his life as dear as he could. A very heavy rain during this suspense coming on, extinguished the lights and fires, and obliged all the people to return to their village. Stewart, when he perceived them gone and that every thing was quiet, got up and searching about soon gained the principal road; he walked on several miles, and at last about day-break found himself on a rising ground, with a considerable town in view just below; not chusing to venture into the street, he took a road to the back of the houses, which he saw led to the main road at the far end of the town: he continued to march on without obstruction, and reaching some ploughed ground, observed before him a man ploughing with a musket on his shoulder; such was the state of the country that even that useful and peaceable employment could not be pursued without the labourer going armed. Stewart, sensible when the plough turned about he must be seen by the man, bethought himself of counterfeiting idiocy, well knowing the veneration with which the Turks regarded idiots.* He imposed on the countryman so effectually, that he was suffered to pass on with every token of compassion and respect: continuing his walk forwards he saw at some distance two men on horseback + It is said that this proceeds not merely from benevolence, but that the Turks have a notion that such persons are favoured with celestial visions and divine communications, and are therefore totally insensible to sublunary cares and attentions. crossing the plain. He knew them from their appearance to be men of Epirus, and these people being a sort of Christians, he thought he might with safety go up and meet them; he told them his story and implored their protection, they readily took him under their care, they were riding to a Fair and had each twelve loaded pistols in a box placed on the horse before them; they gave him convoy to a little sea port not far distant, where a French Consul was stationed; Stewart here found refuge, and his perils at an end. The Consul dispatched messengers with proper authority to the Caravansery for his luggage; the men, when they came back with the luggage, were in astonishment, and declared that Stewart must be a Saint, for it was impossible to have escaped death, but by miraculous interposition. The above narrative I wrote down immediately after receiving it from the Bishop, his Lordship on perusal was pleased to say it was perfectly accurate and correct. Some friends wishing to have copies, it was found troublesome to employ clerks, a few sheets have been printed off and given away. Dublin, 23d April, 1804. ANDREW CALDWELL. CLXXV. HERETICS. I July 31, 1837. Mr Smith spoke of heretics. I told to him a discussion which I once had with an orthodox divine, who was liberal in applying to different people the name of Heretic. said to him "Sir, who is to decide the point? no one has a right to call another man a heretic. The Romans call the Greeks heretics; the Greeks give to us the same opprobrious name: we pass it on to the Wesleyans and other Protestant Dissenters, who, in their turn, do as they have been done by, and damn the Unitarians, who are equally uncharitable towards the Jews but these, having none below them in the scale of Religious Belief, bear the accumulated opprobrium of all above them, without the satisfaction of relieving themselves by passing it on to others!" CLXXVI. TOLAND. "With persons of loose and sceptical principles Toland in his day was a great authority. Fame derived only from singularity of opinions commonly proves a fleeting possession: the works of this vain glorious writer are little known in the present age, and less regarded. Yet Toland was a man of strong natural abilities, and had a mind stored with various knowledge, —but it was ill-digested knowledge, and a great portion of it of a mischievous character. By the show of multifarious erudition, he secured the applause and excited the wonder of the half-educated and unthinking; but could not succeed in gaining the approbation of men of accurate learning and exact judgment. According to the representation given in his boastful Epitaph, composed by himself, he was acquainted with several languages, linguarum plus decem sciens, but it is evident from his works, that he was a CRITIC in none. His diction, low and confused, betrays more of the smatterer than of the adept in philological attainments. He was fond of controversy; it was the element in which he lived; and the aim in all his publications was one and undivided-to bring revelation into discredit. No matter what the subject was which employed his pugnacious pen, his impious purpose was always the same. If he wrote the life of Milton, biography in his hands became the vehicle of insidious remarks upon the canon of Scripture. If he treated on the history of the Jews, it was only to prove that Strabo, the geographer, was better authority than Moses in what respected the origin of that ancient people. For the purpose of weakening faith in the inspired Scriptures, he was always arraigning the integrity of the sacred text. The Fathers and early writers of the Christian church were the objects of his continual abuse, they were denounced as superstitious ignorant and incapable of discriminating between what books were genuine and what spurious. - Possessing a large share of vanity, he always pretended he had proved whatever opinions he advocated; the judgment, on |