The Vintage: A Romance of the Greek War of Independence by E. F. Benson
CHAPTER VI
THE ENTRY OF GERMANOS
Petrobey was not slow to follow up his advantage. By them in theirmountain nests the Ottoman force now in Tripoli was evidently not tobe feared in the offensive, nor could it dislodge the Greeks from thepositions they had taken up upon the high and hilly ground. On theother hand, the Greeks were not capable of meeting cavalry, and theymust at present keep to the hills, and not attempt to blockade the townclosely, for in so doing they would have to leave their heights forthe plain in which the fortress stood, and expose themselves to thehorse. But with the ever-increasing numbers that were e flocking to theGreek standard, the camp at Valtetzi was rapidly getting insufficientin accommodation, and at the same time any additional position on thehills would be another link in the iron chain which was being forgedround the town; and now, when it was unlikely that the Turks would riska further engagement at once, was the moment for advancing another step.
Exactly to the west of Tripoli, and within rifle-shot of its walls,stood three steep spurs of hill, known as Trikorpha. The same stirof primeval forces which threw up the crag on which Valtetzi stood,must have cast them up bubbling and basaltic through some volcanicvent-hole, long after the great range behind was fixed. They were likethe ragged peaks of slag cast out by a gaseous coal consuming in thefire, and, standing some four hundred feet above the plain, were yetmost conveniently near the town. Nearly at the top gushed out a riotouscold stream from the dark lips of the rocks, fringed with shiveringmaidenhair and dripping moss, and behind on the mountain was goodpasturage for flocks. Lower down, where the stream-bed widened, bursta luxuriant patch of oleanders and stiff cushions of cistus and _spinasacra_; but the heights themselves, save for the water-course, werebarren. The three peaks were joined to each other by a sharp rockyridge, but all were isolated from the mountains on one side and theplain on the other.
Petrobey set about securing this position without delay, though, intruth, the Turks were in no temper to prevent him, and the work spedapace. The place was nigh impregnable, and the walls, of rough blocksof stone gathered from the peaks, were made as much with a view toclearing the ground for the soldiers' huts as to providing the placewith a defensible wall. From here, too, by night they could push theirdevastating raids right under the walls of Tripoli itself, for it wasbut a stone-cast to the foot of their eyry; and early in June thelarger part of the men encamped at Valtetzi took up their quarters inthis new nest, swarming there as in spring the overfull hive sends outits colonists. The Argive corps remained in the old nest, under thecommand of Demetri, who the year before had been mayor of Nauplia,while in the new position the Mainats, under Petrobey, occupied thenorthernmost of the three peaks; Nicholas, with a regiment chiefly ofArcadian troops, the southernmost; and in the centre a smaller bodyfrom the parts about Sparta, under the command of a local chieftain,whom they had followed, one Poniropoulos, a man as crooked in mind andmorality as a warped vine-stem, but who, as he was chosen leader by hiscontingent, was of necessity in command.
Meantime from every part of the country was coming in news no longerof butchery of unarmed Turks in defenceless farm-houses, but ofregular sieges of Turkish towns, sometimes successful, sometimes stillprotracted and of uncertain issue. Several of the Greek islands,notably Psara, Spetzas, and Hydra, had risen, and had already sentout that which was so sorely needed--a fleet to watch the coastsand destroy Turkish ships--thus preventing them from bringing men,provisions, or ammunition into the Peloponnesus. Already during May hadthis fleet performed some notable exploits, chief among which was thedestruction of a Turkish frigate bringing arms and men from a port inAsia Minor. She was caught just outside Nauplia, and, after a desperateresistance, boarded and taken. Only two days later two Hydriot brigsovertook a vessel sailing from Constantinople to Egypt with richpresents on board from the Sultan Mahmud to Mehemet Ali, a cargo whichcaused shame and dishonor to the captors. All on board were ruthlesslymurdered, the persons of women were searched for treasure, which theymight have concealed about them, and the sailors, disregarding theconvention under which they sailed, whereby one-half of the prizetaken was appropriated to the conduct of the war, seized on the wholeand divided it up, and, fired by the lust of wealth so easily gotten,became privateers rather than fellow-workers in a war for liberty.Returning to Hydra, they found embroilments of all sorts going onbetween the primates and the captains of their fleet, and throwing intheir lot with the former, they cemented the alliance with a sufficientshare of their booty and prepared for sea again, each man thinkingfor naught but his own coffers. Yet there were tales of exploits andgreat heroisms also, and notable among them the deeds of the Capsina,a girl of Hydra, and head of the clan of Capsas, who sailed her ownship, working havoc among the Turks. There was something strangelyinspiriting in the tale, for it seemed she took nothing for herself,but gave all her prizes to the war fund; also, she was more beautifulthan morning, and dazzled the eyes of men.
On the second cruise three ships from Spetzas crossed straight over tothe Peloponnesus to assist in the blockade of Monemvasia, which wasbesieged on the land side by a freshly enrolled body of men from thesouthern peninsula, chiefly from Sparta and the outlying portions ofArgos. The town was known to be very wealthy, and the commander of theGreeks, finding that until communication by sea was intercepted it wasimpossible to starve the town out, while his own force was inadequateto storm it, had invited the co-operation of the fleet, stipulatingthat a third of the spoil taken should go to the soldiers, one-thirdto the fleet, and one-third to the national treasury. But scarcely hadthe ships arrived when quarrels began to break out between the fleetand the army; a spirit of mutual mistrust and suspicion was abroad;and the soldiers, on one hand, accused the fleet of making a privatecontract with the besieged, to the effect that their lives would bespared and themselves conveyed to Asia Minor in ships on the surrenderof their property; while the sailors brought a counter-accusation thatthere was a plot on foot among the infantry to attempt to storm thetown and carry off the booty before they could claim their share. Everyone looked after his own interest, and the only matter that was quitedisregarded was the interest of the nation. But to the soldiers moreintolerable than all was the conduct of three primates from Spetzas,who took upon themselves the airs and dignities which the Greeks hadbeen accustomed to see worn by Turkish officials; and though to a greatextent this war was a religious war, yet the peasants had no mind tosee the places their masters had occupied tenanted anew by any one.
This example of the island primates was to a certain extent followedby their brethren on the main-land. There had sprung into existence,in the last month or so, two great powers in Greece, the army andthe church, still in that time the mistress of men's souls; and theprimates, who before the Turkish supremacy had been temporal as wellas spiritual princes, wished to see themselves reinstated in thepositions they had held. Many of them too, such as Germanos, at Patras,had worked with a true and simple purpose for the liberation of theircountry; and now that the people were beginning to reap the fruits oftheir labors, they looked to receive their due, and their demands, onthe whole, were just. But never were demands made at so unseasonable anopportunity, for while the military leaders shrugged their shoulders,saying "This is our work as yet," they obtained but a dividedallegiance, for the people were devoted to their church. The resultwas a most unhappy distrust and suspicion between the two parties. Theprimates openly said that the object of the military leaders was theirown aggrandizement to the detriment of other interests, the militaryleaders that their reverend friends were interfering in concernsoutside of their province. Even greater complications ensued when theprimates themselves, as in the case of Germanos, were men who foughtwith earthly weapons, and he, taking strongly the side of the church asagainst the army, was the cause of much seditious feeling.
The personal ascendency of Petrobey and Nicholas was a large mitigationof these evils in the army at Tripoli, but both felt that theirposition was unsettled, depending only on popular favor, an
Not as such entered Germanos into the camp. Before him went a bodyof armed men, followed by six acolytes swinging censers, then thecross-bearer, holding high his glittering silver symbol wroughtbut lately, on which Germanos had lavished the greater part of thebooty which had been his at the taking of Kalavryta, and then bornein a chair on the shoulders of four monks the archbishop himself.His head was bare, for in his hands he carried the gold vessels ofthe sacrament, those which the Emperor Palaeologus had given to themonastery at Megaspelaion, and over his shoulders flowed his thick,black hair, just touched with gray. His cope, another pricelesstreasure from his own sacristy, was fastened round in front of hisneck with a gold clasp, set with one huge, ancient emerald. It coveredhim from shoulder almost to foot, all shimmering white of woven silk,with a border wrought with crimson and gold pomegranates, and thinlybelow showed the white line of the alb and the ends of his embroideredstole. Of his other vestments, seven in all, the girdle was a rope ofgold thread, the knee-piece hanging below it was embroidered with thethree Levitical colors, the cuffs were of lace from Kalabaka, and thechasuble was of cambric, close fitting and sleeved according to the useof Metropolitans. Behind came another priest carrying the office of thechurch, bound in crimson leather with gold clasps, and the remainder ofhis armed guard followed--in all, three hundred men.
"BORNE IN A CHAIR ON THE SHOULDERS OF FOUR MONKS"]
It was an act of inconceivable folly, but a folly of a certainmagnificent sort, for in Germanos's mind the only thought had been theglory of the church. He had travelled five days from Kalavryta, and sofar he had been received by the posts of the Greek army with reverenceand respect. But his reception here, he knew, was the touchstone ofthe success of his party, for the scornful Mainats looked askance onclergy, and left them to do their praying alone. But he had come, so hebelieved, to demand the vassalage of the people to the King of kings,and that duty, so he thought, admitted neither delay nor compromise.
Yanni, who was lounging on the wall with Mitsos in the afternoon sun,preparatory to starting on a night raid down in the plains, saw himcoming and whistled ominously.
"There will be mischief," he said, softly, to Mitsos. "Germanos is agood man and true, but these little primates are not all like him."
"I wish they would leave us alone," grumbled Mitsos; "that littlemonkey-faced Charalambes is doing a peck of harm. He tells the men thatall the fighting is for the glory of God. I dare say it is, but thereare blows to be struck, and a paper man would strike as well as he. Oh,Yanni, but Germanos has got all his fine clothes on. Would I had beenborn an archbishop!"
The procession was now passing close under them, and, looking closer,Yanni saw what Germanos carried, and got down and stood uncovered,crossing himself. Mitsos saw too and followed his example, but frowningthe while. It struck him somehow that this was not fair play.
Petrobey received the archbishop with the greatest respect, and haderected for him another hut next his own. An order went round thecamp that every man was to attend mass, which would be celebrated atdaybreak the following day; but after supper that night Petrobey,Nicholas, and the archbishop talked long together. Mitsos, to his greatdelight, was put in command of some twenty young Mainats, who were toprowl about and do damage, along with other parties, and Germanos, wholooked on the boy with peculiar favor, gave him his blessing before heset out.
"You were ever a man who could deal with men," he said to Nicholas, asthe boy went out, "and you have trained the finest lad in Greece. Butwe have other things to talk of, and let us shake hands first, for Iknow not whether what I have to say will find favor with you. For weare friends, are we not?"
Nicholas smiled.
"Old friends, surely," he said. "May we long be so!"
"That is well," said Germanos, seating himself; "but first I have totell you news which I hope may bind us even closer together, thoughwith a tie of horror and amazement. Our patriarch, Gregorios, whom Ithink you knew, Nicholas, was executed at Constantinople on Easter Day,by order of the Sultan!"
Nicholas and Petrobey sprang from their seats.
"Gregorios!" they exclaimed in whispered horror.
"Executed, dying the most shameful death, hanged at the gate of thePatriarchate. Ah, but the vengeance of God is swift and sure, and theblood of another martyr cries from the ground. Oh, let this bind ustogether; hanged, the death of a dog; he, the holiest of men."
Germanos bowed his head and there was silence for a moment.
"That was not enough," he continued, his voice trembling with apassionate emotion. "For three days he hung there, and the street dogsleaped up to bite at the body. Then it was given to the Jews, and Iwould sooner have seen it devoured by the dogs than cast into the handsof those beasts; and they dragged it through the streets and threw itinto the sea. But pious men watched it and took it to Odessa, where itwas given burial such as befits the body of one of the saints of God.And though dead, he works, for on the ship that took it there was awoman stricken with paralysis, and they brought her to touch the body,and she went away whole."
Nicholas was sitting with his face in his hands, but at this he lookedup.
"Glory to God!" he cried, "for in heaven His martyr now pleads for us."
Petrobey crossed himself.
"Glory to God!" he repeated. "But tell us more, father; what was thecause of this?"
"He died for us," said Germanos; "for the liberty of the Greeks. Asyou know, he was in the secrets of the patriots, and one of the agentsof the club which supplied funds for the war was found to have lettersfrom the patriarch, which showed his complicity. Immediately after theexecution the election for a new patriarch took place, and Eugenios, ofPisidia, was chosen, and his election ratified by Gregorios's murderer."
Nicholas struck the table with his fist.
"I give no allegiance there," said he. "Is the church a toy in thatdevil's hands, and shall we bow to his puppets?"
Germanos looked up quickly.
"I wanted to know your opinion on that," he said, "and you, Petrobey,go with your cousin? But in the mean time we have no head."
"But at the death of a patriarch," asked Nicholas, "what is the usualcourse?"
Germanos hesitated.
"You will see," he said, "why I paused, for it is in the canon of thechurch that till the next patriarch is appointed the supremacy of thechurch is in the hands of the senior archbishop."
Nicholas rose.
"There is none so fit as yourself," he said, "and here and now I giveyou my allegiance, and I promise to obey you in all matters within yourjurisdiction, and for the glory of God."
Germanos gave them his blessing, and both kissed his hand; and whenthey had seated themselves again he bent forward, and began to speakwith greater earnestness.
"And that, in part, is why I am here," he said, "to accept in the nameof the church the allegiance of the Greek army. We must not forgetamong these night attacks and skirmishes and sieges that for whichwe work--the liberty of Greece, it is true, but the purpose of herliberty--to let a free people serve the God of their fathers, andpull under no infidel yoke to the lash of unbelievers. Believe me,my friends, how deeply unworthy I feel of the high office which hasthus come upon my shoulders, but help me to bear it, though in thatthe flesh is weak I would in weakness shrink from it. But much liesin your power and active help, for I know what deep influence both ofyou, and deservedly, have with these men. Yet since to every man is hispart appointed by God Himself, I wou
Germanos paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on the ground, andNicholas, looking across at Petrobey, half began to speak, but theother by an almost imperceptible gesture silenced him. But Germanospaused only for a moment and went on, speaking a little quicker, butweighing his words.
"For who is the general we all fight under, but One? Who is the giverof victory, but He alone? And I--I speak in a sort of proud humility--Iam the head of His bride, the church, and the shepherd of His flock,this people. Do not misunderstand me, for I speak not for myself, butfor Him. Already dangers, not those from our enemies the Turks, butfrom friends more deadly than they, compass us about on all sides, andare with us when we sit down to eat and take our rest, and if we arenot careful they will poison all we do. Already at Kalavryta, whenceI am come--already, as I hear, at Monemvasia; but not, as I hope andtrust, here--are there greedy and wicked men, who, raised to power forwhich they have no fitness, having no self-control, and being thereforeincapable of controlling others, save in the way of inflaming theirlusts by example like beasts of the fields, already have many such,finding themselves in command of some small local following, led theirmen on by hopes of gain and promises of reward. They are becomingno better than brigands, despoiling the defenceless, and each manpocketing his gains."
Petrobey here looked up.
"Pardon me," he said, "though such conduct has taken place on certainships, I think that there has been none among the soldiers. Half thebooty taken is put aside for the purpose of the war; half, as is right,is shared among those who acquire it."
Germanos looked at him keenly, and went on with growing eloquence.
"You have hit the very point," he said, "towards which I have beenmaking. Half, as you say, is put away for the purposes of the war, andthough I think that is too large a proportion, still the question isonly one of degree, and we will pass it over. Half again, as you say,is shared among those who acquire it. There is the blot, the defect ofthe whole system. What are we fighting for? For wealth or for liberty?Surely for liberty and the glory of God! To fight in such a cause,and to fall in such a cause, is surely an exceeding reward. But whatof the glory of God? Is it not to Him that this, no niggardly tithe,but half the goods we possess, should be given? Is it not He who hasgiven us the strength to fight, and the will before which even now theTurk is crumpling as a ship crumples the waves? And for this shall wegive Him nothing? Shall every peasant possess his hoard taken from theTurk, and the church of God go begging? Have we not given our livesto His service, without hope of reward indeed, but very jealous forHis honor? And how shall we serve Him as we ought, when our churchesstand half ruined to the winds of heaven, and our monks, to supportthemselves, must needs hoe in the fields and vineyards, and bring but atired frame to the blessed service of the church? Is it not there thisshould be bestowed--on the church, on the priests and the primates, onthe heads and princes of the church, to be used by them for the gloryof their Master? Some of us, I know, would wish to endow a king torule over a free people, in royal obedience, for so they phrase it, toa people's will. Is it not enough to have for our king, our Master,our tender Friend, the King of kings? This only is the kingdom whosecitizenship I covet, for it is beyond price, and it is but a dubiouslove for Him that is ours, if we give Him, as we fondly tell ourselves,our hearts, and withhold from Him our gold and silver. Not in suchmanner worshipped the kings of the East. Long was their journey, andyet we who fight are not more footsore than they; but did they comeempty-handed to worship? Gold and frankincense and myrrh they gave,their costliest and their best. Heart worship let us give, and lipworship too, and let our hands be open in giving; it is in giving thatwe show, poorly indeed, but in the best and only way, the sincerity ofour hearts. Ah, it is no pale spiritual kingdom only that God requires,but the pledge of it in a glorious liberality, the fruits of His bountygiven to Him again. Let there be a splendor in our service to Him,riches, wealth, all that is beautiful, poured out freely; it is ourduty to give--yes, and our privilege."
Petrobey and Nicholas both listened in dead silence, for they respectedthe man, and they revered his office. Of the honesty and integrity ofhis words, too, neither felt any question; but when in the history ofwarfare had ears ever heard so impracticable a piece of rhetoric? DidGermanos really suppose that these soldiers of theirs were riskinglife, possessions, all that they had, for the sake of the heads ofthe church? Already the primates had done infinite harm by theirpretentious meddling, giving themselves the airs of deposed monarchs,for whom it was a privilege to fight, and encouraging seditious talkamong the men by hinting openly that the military leaders were inleague with the Turks, making conventions with them by which theirlives should be spared on the sacrifice of their property. Germanoshimself, as they knew, was a man of far different nature; this schemeof his, by which half the booty should be placed unreservedly in thehands of the heads of the church, to be used for the glory of God,was as sunshine is to midnight compared to the vile slanderings ofhis inferiors. But how would the army receive it? Was Petrobey, ascommander-in-chief, or Germanos, as head of this people of God, to goto them, saying, "You have risked your lives, and it is your privilegeto have done so for the glory of God; risk them to-morrow and the nextday and the next day, and when the war is over, and unless you lie onthe battlefield, you creep back to your dismantled homes, account ita privilege that you have been permitted to give to the primates andpriests the fruits of your toil"?
Yet, though Germanos was accounted a man of integrity both by Petrobeyand Nicholas, how could there but be a background to the picture he haddrawn? He was a man to whom power and the exercise of power had becomea habit, and the habit almost a passion. Though this scheme, by whichthe church would be restored to its old splendor and magnificence,the glory of those days when from Constantinople came the emperorhumbly and suppliantly with great gifts, had for its object the gloryof God, yet inasmuch as he was a man of dominant nature he could notbe unaware nor disregardful of what it would mean to him personally.What a position! The chances were ten to one that he would be chosento fill the places of the martyred patriarch, instead of the BishopEugenios, well known to the Greeks as a middle-minded man, who stroveto keep well with both Ottoman and Greek. For, in truth, this was notime for diplomatic attitudes; each man must take one side or theother, and now to consent to take from the hands of the Sultan theinsignia of his victim was to declare one's self no patriot. Greecewould certainly repudiate the appointment and choose a supreme headfor itself, and among all the primates and bishops there was none whowas so powerful with his own class, and so popular among the people,as Germanos. As every one knew, he had thrown himself heart and soulinto the revolution; he had raised the northern army, he had headed theattempt on the citadel of Patras in person. The chosen head of a newand splendid church, rising glorious in the dawn of liberty, sanctifiedby suffering, proved by its steadfastness to endure, a church for whichblood had been shed, and, as he had said, no pale spiritual kingdomonly, but a power on earth as in heaven! It was not in the nature ofthe man to be able to shut his eyes to that; it could not but be thatso splendid a possibility should be without weight to him. His nextwords showed it.
"Is it not a thing to make the heart beat fast?" he went on. "I wouldnot take the pontiff's chair in Rome in exchange for such a position.A new church, or rather, the old grown gloriously young again, aspiritual kingdom throned in the hearts of men, yet with the allegiancenot only of their souls, but of their bodies and their earthlyblessings. And I," he said, rising, "I, the unworthy, the erring, yetcalled by a call that I may not disobey."
But Nicholas, frowning deeply, interrupted him.
"I ask your pardon, father," he said, "but is it well to talk of that?Surely in this great idea which you have put
Germanos paused a moment.
"You are right," he said; "you have but reminded me of my own words; itis in His name and none other that I speak."
"There is another point of view, father," continued Nicholas, "which,with your permission, I will put before you. I speak, I hope, as it isfitting I should speak to you; and yet, in mere justice to the positionmy cousin and I hold, we must tell you that there are other intereststo be considered. For days past there has been division among us, herenot so widely as at other places, but division there is--and that,too, at a time when anything of the kind is most disastrous. There arein the camp priests and primates who have been saying to the men, butnot with your nobleness of aim, that which you have indicated to us.This war, they tell them, is a war of religion; they are the championsand ordained ministers of religion, and it is to them the soldiers'obedience is due. What did they get for their pains? A shrug of theshoulders, insolence, perhaps the question, 'Are we fighting or areyou?' And they answer, 'For whom are you fighting? For your captainsand leaders, let us tell you; it is they who will reap the fruits ofyour toil; it is they who will get the booty for which you have spentyour blood and left your homes.' Now, before God, father, that is asatanic slander; but if this talk continues, who can tell but that itmay become in part true? For as the army increases we have to appointfresh captains, and often it happens that some band of men come inwith their appointed leader, whom we have to accept. These are notall such men as my cousin and I should naturally appoint; and whatwe fear is this; and our fears, I am sorry to say, are justified bywhat is taking place at Monemvasia. These captains talk to each other,saying, 'The primates are trying to get the whole spoils of the warfor themselves. Two can play at that game. If this war is for theenrichment of the leaders, let it be for the enrichment of the leaderswho have done the work.' And some of this talk, too, has reached themen, with this result: some believe what the primates say, and alreadydistrust their captains; some distrust the primates, and say that it isnot they who are doing the work, and why should they look for wages?But the most part of those who have heard this seditious talk distrustboth, and are each man for himself. And all this is the fault of theprimates. This is no place for them; for those of them, at least, whohave taken no part in the war. It is the work of soldiers we are doing,not the work of priests. The danger is a real one; as you say, it isa danger from those who sit at meat with us, and more deadly and moreintimate than that we experience from our enemies. There was none of itbefore the primates came among us. I have said."
Nicholas spoke with rising anger; the thought of these mean, pettysquabbles poisoned the hopes which had ruled his life for so long. Werethey all to be wrecked in port on the very eve of their fulfilment?Strong as the Greek position now was, inevitable though the fall ofTripoli appeared, yet he knew that an army demoralized is no army atall. Was the honey to turn to bitterness? Was that fair day that seemednow dawning to come in cloud and trouble?
Germanos had listened with growing resentment, and he burst out inanswer:
"You are wrong, Nicholas; believe me, you are wrong! It is theprimates who have to put up with insult. This army of yours is a bandof wanton children, long chid and beaten, breaking out from school. Itknows neither reverence nor respect, where respect is due."
"Ah, pardon me again," said Nicholas; "the first duty of the soldier isobedience to those who are put over him as captains and commanders. Tothem he has never yet failed in respect nor in obedience."
"These soldiers are men, I take it," said Germanos, "and the first dutyof man is to obey those who are over him in the Lord."
"But, father, father!" cried Nicholas, pained himself, but unwillingto give pain, "is this a time, now when we are in the middle of theoperations of the war, to talk of that? Of course you are right; thatevery Christian man believes. But our hands are full, we have thissiege before us, and it is injudicious of these primates to stir upsuch talk now. Oh, I am no hand at speaking; but you see, do you not,what I mean? It is the Lord's work, surely, but the means by which itis accomplished is swords in unity, men bound together by one aim."
"And that aim the glory of God," said Germanos.
Nicholas made a hopeless gesture of dissent and shook his head, andPetrobey, who had hitherto taken no part in the discussion, broke in:
"Surely we can do better than wrangle together like boys," he said."It is no light matter we have in hand. But let us talk practically.What Nicholas says is true. Father, there is mischievous talk going on,and there was none till the primates came. What do you propose to do?Will you help us to stop it? Will you speak to the men? Will you tellthem that, though you are a primate yourself, yet you believe in theintegrity of the military commanders, and that though our soldiers'duty as men exacts obedience to the rulers of the church, yet theirduty as soldiers exacts obedience to their commanders, and trust inthem?"
The question was cleverly chosen. To refuse to do as Petrobey askedwould, without an explanation, be wholly unreasonable; to comply wouldbe tantamount to telling the soldiers to disregard the primates.Germanos hesitated a moment.
"I do not wish to put myself outside my province," said Germanos, "andI am here only as the head of the church, and not as a military leader.To interfere with the ordering of the army is not my business."
"Then how much less," said Nicholas, eagerly, "is it the business ofyour inferiors to do so? Will you, then, tell them to follow your ownmost wise example?"
Germanos was silent, but his brain was busy, and yet he had no replyready.
"See," said Nicholas, "a little while ago you asked us to help you, butnow we ask you to help us, for the danger is no less to your party thanto ours. Speak to the primates if you will, or speak to the captains;they will perhaps listen to you."
"At any rate, I asked not your help against my own subordinates," saidGermanos, in a sudden flash of anger; "if you want help against yourown men, I can only say--" and with that he stopped short, for aninsult was on his lips.
Petrobey sat down again with a little sigh, but Nicholas answeredGermanos according to his own manner.
"Then if you are so good as to think that our own affairs are outof hand," he said, with angry sarcasm, "it will be time to think ofhelping you when we have put them in order. Let me quote your ownwords: 'I am not jealous for myself, but I am very jealous for thehonor of the army, and I have myself a pledge of the favor of God on myundertaking.'"
Germanos held up his hand pacifically.
"We shall gain nothing by quarrelling," he said, "and I am in thewrong, for I was the first to speak in anger. What is this pledge ofwhich you speak?"
Nicholas told him of the vision at Serrica, and when he had finished itwas gently that he answered.
"Surely the Mother of God looks with favor on you, Nicholas!" said thearchbishop; "and for her sake, if not for our own, let us see if wecannot put an end to these unhappy divisions of which you tell me. Youlay the whole blame on my order; are you sure that you are not hasty?"
"There was at least no seditious talk before the primates came," saidNicholas.
"I, then, have a proposal to make," said Petrobey, "and it is this:The men are divided; some side with the primates, some with us. Thetwo parties are bitterly opposed. If a supreme council was appointed,consisting of primates and commanders, might not the division behealed?"
Nicholas shook his head.
"I do not wish to make difficulties," he said, "but the case is this:The siege of Tripoli is the work of the army. What have the primates todo with it? I might as well demand a seat in the synod of the church."
Germanos's eyes brightened. He realized the impossibility of pushinghis first demand just now, and this, at any rate, would be a stepgained. For the rest, he trusted in his own ability to soon get inhis hands the chief share of the work of the supreme council, whichPetrobey had suggested, and with the most diplomatic change of front,he proceeded to conciliate N
"My dear Nicholas," he said, "I wish with all my heart you had a placein the synod of the church. As a priest you would have soon earned one;but you selected another vocation, in which I need give no testimony toyour merits. But consider, dear Nicholas, this is a national movement,and the church is a great national institution, and has always had avoice, often the supreme voice, in the direction of national affairs.You must not think we want to interfere in military matters; you willnot find Charalambes, for instance, or, for that matter, me, wishing tolead a sortie or direct the fire. In England, as you know, there aretwo great legislative houses--one composed of the lords of the land,without initiative, but with the power of check; the other, the electedbody--the voice of the people. You generals are the elected body, onyou the initiative depends; but we primates correspond to the titularpower. And where can you find so splendid and august a government asthat? See, I come to meet you half-way; it is not the time now totalk of the supremacy of the church, meet me half-way, and allow thatin national concerns we should not be without a voice. There are twopowers in this new Greece; if they are in accord, the danger we havespoken of melts like a summer mist."
Nicholas looked across at Petrobey.
"You would have me follow?" he asked. "Well, I consent."
Germanos was careful not to betray too much elation at the successof this scheme, and he soon spoke of other things. Prince DemetriusYpsilanti, whom the Hetairia, or Club of Patriots in north Greece, hadchosen to take the place of his treacherous and inefficient brother,was shortly to come to the Peloponnesus. Hitherto the proceedingsof the club had been very secret and their funds intrusted to a fewagents, such as Nicholas and Germanos; but the rapid success of thewar, and its still more brilliant promise--for in north Greece aswell it had spread like fire--had rendered all further concealmentunnecessary, and they came forward now as the authors of the libertyof Greece, a credit which was, through their admirable agents, duethem, and they were exercising their undoubted right in giving thecommand to whomever they would. Germanos also assured Petrobey andNicholas that they were both in the highest favor with the club, andthat Prince Demetrius was most amicably and warmly inclined to them. Hemight also tell them that the prince had no intention of interferingin the conduct of the war, which he was content to leave in moreexperienced hands; but he was coming as the head of the Hetairia, whichhad organized and financed the outbreak of the war, and he was sure,so thought Germanos, to approve of the step they had decided on, toappoint a national senate, and no doubt he would take his place at thehead of the assembly.