General Makrygiannis Memoirs, part 1
Brother readers! Because I have taken on this weakness to burden you with my ignorance (if what I am writing here comes to light and I find out when this idea first occurred to me - since 1829, February 26, in Argos - and I follow the struggles and other events of the homeland) I tell you, if you do not read everything, none of the readers has the right to express an opinion either for or against. That I am illiterate and cannot follow the order of what is written and... then the reader is also enlightened. Entering into this work and continuing to write about the misfortunes inflicted on our homeland and religion, which were caused by our foolishness and our selfishness, both by religious people and by politicians and by our military men, and I too am indignant at these things, that we have greatly harmed our homeland and so many innocent people have perished and are perishing, I note the mistakes of all and reach the present day, where we never sacrifice virtue and patriotism and are in this miserable situation and are in danger of perishing. Writing these causes and the circumstances, where we all brought the ruin of our homeland, then as I also have a share in this homeland and society, I write with great indignation against the causes, not because I have any particular malice against them, but the zeal for my homeland gives me this indignation and I could not write more sweetly. This manuscript, from the occasion where many raids were made on me, I had hidden it. Now that I took it out, I read it all and wrote up to the month of April 1850, and reading it I saw that I do not wake up more sweetly for each individual. So first of all, this, and then in many places I repeat the same things (that I am illiterate and do not get angry and do not follow a tactical order) and thirdly, those that I note in the first ministry of Koletis, where he made so many great mistakes against his homeland and his religion and his fellow citizens, all honest people - and shed so much unjust blood of his fellow citizens and let his unhappy homeland suffer and let it suffer even now in his death from his own students and comrades, where we are governed by his own corrupt Parliaments and other such people, where they did not leave a penny in the treasury, and the whole state was brought into great misery and disorder and a large fleet of dogs have blocked us, where It has been about three months, and they have taken all our ships and have broken up all our trade and have defaced our flag and the people of the islands are dying of hunger and those who have their ships are writhing in the streets and crying with black tears. All these sufferings and many others are the works of Koletis and his company, who left an order for us to be governed with this system and with such companions. And from this we suffer and what we will suffer further, God knows. And these were for his foreign purposes and his selfishness and to fragment the Third of September - where he talks about religion and other salvation of the fatherland - this Constitution - and we have it on paper and instead of benefiting us it is destroying us more and more. All the others, where I write from the beginning, are saints before him and his present company, with-all-where the first mistakes gave birth to these too. For all this I write here. As a man, I can die and either my children, or someone else will copy them, to bring them to light, first of all the people, whom I write with indignation against, to describe the deeds of each one and his name in a good way, not with insults, so that all this may be useful to later generations and they may learn to sacrifice more virtue for their homeland and their religion, to live as people of this homeland and with this religion. Without virtue and pain for their homeland and faith in their religion, nations do not exist. And be careful not to be deceived by selfishness. And if they stumble, then they will go to the gallows, as we have suffered. -We are all rolling towards the gallows every day. When this manuscript is brought to light, honest readers will read it in its entirety, beginning and end, and then they will have the right to make their own judgment, either for or against.
1829 February 26, Argos. I have been appointed by the government of Governor Kapodistrias as General Commander of the Executive Power of the Peloponnese and Sparta. My station is here in Argos. I live and work with the Government and everywhere in the provinces with authorities and officers, and whenever necessary, I travel to all these places for the sake of general peace and I carry out my duties while sitting here most of the time. And so that I wouldn't run to coffee shops and other such places and get used to them - (I knew a little about writing, that I hadn't had a teacher for reasons I'll explain, not having the manners) I would call on one friend and another and they taught me something more here in Argos, where I sit unemployed. Of So, after a month or two of learning these letters that you see, I imagined writing my life, what I did in my youth and what I did in society when I came of age, and what I did for my homeland, where I entered the mystery of the Society for the struggle for our freedom and what I saw and know where they happened in the Struggle, and in what I participated to the best of my ability and did my duty, that which I could. I should not have entered into this work an illiterate, burdening honest readers and great men and wise men of society and putting them at a burden, arousing their curiosity and causing them to lose the precious values in them. But since I, as a human being, have also received this weakness, I ask your forgiveness for the burden that I will give you. If I am an honest man, I want to write the truth, as the writings took place, which I will note. All readers have a duty to first investigate through my conduct, how I behaved in the community and the Struggle, and if I behaved honorably, base it on my writings, if I behaved dishonorably, do not believe anything. And after you learn that I behaved honorably and see noted documents and proofs, beginning and end, from various, from governments and from authorities and from many others, from where I have served with my fellow competitors, where God has made me worthy to have in my direction, my best in the struggle and in services, from where I was ordered. With eighteen men I first set out in the struggle, until God deserved me to have under my direction a thousand and four hundred. The records of my homeland were never defiled, neither in the government, nor in the provinces, nor in individuals, where we fought in Roumeli, Peloponnese and the islands and Sparta, it is nowhere the slightest accusation for us. You will see from the gums the places marked here and there, and everywhere in the state and in the archives of the government these appear. And with as many men as God deserved me and I commanded, various disorders and seizures plagued the homeland, beginning and end, glorified be the all-good name of God, he did not allow us to be defiled. And these graces must be owed by the fatherland to the honorable and good and brave patriots, my fellow fighters, where I had my direction in the struggle, where we also contributed according to our strength to the needs of the fatherland. It is the virtue and patriotism that they showed, of these good patriots, not me. That I did not have this virtue, nor do I have it yet, as in the wars, and now in the service they are my best. They are also now in the service, under my direction, the brave and good officers of Missolonghi with their good and brave leader Mitro Deligiorgis, the garrison commander in the struggle of Missolonghi. There are many brave and honorable islanders and Peloponnesians, good fighters are Roumeliotes. They are the good and patriotic householders and officers of Athens, where we fight in the castle of Athens and elsewhere in the battles of the fatherland. And the virtue of all these good patriots - the goodness of God first - saved us from whatever harms the fatherland. Your lordship, good readers, I call upon you, although you want to know the truth, to investigate all this where you will see, whether it is true or false. I call upon you one thing, all honorable readers, you have no right to make any judgment either for or against, if you do not read it all - and then you are householders to make whatever judgment you want, either for or against. When you have read it all, beginning and end, then make a judgment for those who brought misfortunes to the homeland and civil wars for their individual interests and selfishness and from them the unhappy homeland and the honest fighters suffered and are suffering to this day. I will state the truth nakedly and without passion. But the truth is bitter and those of us who do evil are looked down upon, that we both want evil and self-interest to do it and we want to be called good patriots. And this cannot be done, nor will I hide it and let it remain hidden, that the homeland was damaged, devalued and all this amounts to a curse upon us all. And the causes of evil will be told, and stories and newspapers tell them every day. And they do not mean mine and they should be written by the advanced and not by simple illiterate people and should be licked by the younger and later generations to have more virtue and patriotism. The homeland of each person and religion is everything and he must sacrifice both patriotism and live he and his relatives as honest people in society. And then they are called nations, when they are adorned with patriotic sentiments on the contrary they are called the old scum of the nations and the burden of the earth. And for this reason as the general homeland of each and the work of the struggles of the smallest and weakest citizen, he also has his interests in that homeland, in that religion. Man should not be burdened and neglect these and the advanced So, after a month or two of learning these letters that you see, I imagined writing my life, what I did in my youth and what I did in society when I came of age, and what I did for my homeland, where I entered the mystery of the Society for the struggle for our freedom and what I saw and know where they happened in the Struggle, and in what I participated to the best of my ability and did my duty, that which I could. I should not have entered into this work an illiterate, burdening honest readers and great men and wise men of society and putting them at a burden, arousing their curiosity and causing them to lose the precious values in them. But since I, as a human being, have also received this weakness, I ask your forgiveness for the burden that I will give you. If I am an honest man, I want to write the truth, as the writings took place, which I will note. All readers have a duty to first investigate through my conduct, how I behaved in the community and the Struggle, and if I behaved honorably, base it on my writings, if I behaved dishonorably, do not believe anything. And after you learn that I behaved honorably and see noted documents and proofs, beginning and end, from various, from governments and from authorities and from many others, from where I have served with my fellow competitors, where God has made me worthy to have in my direction, my best in the struggle and in services, from where I was ordered. With eighteen men I first set out in the struggle, until God deserved me to have under my direction a thousand and four hundred. The records of my homeland were never defiled, neither in the government, nor in the provinces, nor in individuals, where we fought in Roumeli, Peloponnese and the islands and Sparta, it is nowhere the slightest accusation for us. You will see from the gums the places marked here and there, and everywhere in the state and in the archives of the government these appear. And with as many men as God deserved me and I commanded, various disorders and seizures plagued the homeland, beginning and end, glorified be the all-good name of God, he did not allow us to be defiled. And these graces must be owed by the fatherland to the honorable and good and brave patriots, my fellow fighters, where I had my direction in the struggle, where we also contributed according to our strength to the needs of the fatherland. It is the virtue and patriotism that they showed, of these good patriots, not me. That I did not have this virtue, nor do I have it yet, as in the wars, and now in the service they are my best. They are also now in the service, under my direction, the brave and good officers of Missolonghi with their good and brave leader Mitro Deligiorgis, the garrison commander in the struggle of Missolonghi. There are many brave and honorable islanders and Peloponnesians, good fighters are Roumeliotes. They are the good and patriotic householders and officers of Athens, where we fight in the castle of Athens and elsewhere in the battles of the fatherland. And the virtue of all these good patriots - the goodness of God first - saved us from whatever harms the fatherland. Your lordship, good readers, I call upon you, although you want to know the truth, to investigate all this where you will see, whether it is true or false. I call upon you one thing, all honorable readers, you have no right to make any judgment either for or against, if you do not read it all - and then you are householders to make whatever judgment you want, either for or against. When you have read it all, beginning and end, then make a judgment for those who brought misfortunes to the homeland and civil wars for their individual interests and selfishness and from them the unhappy homeland and the honest fighters suffered and are suffering to this day. I will state the truth nakedly and without passion. But the truth is bitter and those of us who do evil are looked down upon, that we both want evil and self-interest to do it and we want to be called good patriots. And this cannot be done, nor will I hide it and let it remain hidden, that the homeland was damaged, devalued and all this amounts to a curse upon us all. And the causes of evil will be told, and stories and newspapers tell them every day. And they do not mean mine and they should be written by the advanced and not by simple illiterate people and should be licked by the younger and later generations to have more virtue and patriotism. The homeland of each person and religion is everything and he must sacrifice both patriotism and live he and his relatives as honest people in society. And then they are called nations, when they are adorned with patriotic sentiments on the contrary they are called the old scum of the nations and the burden of the earth. And for this reason as the general homeland of each and the work of the struggles of the smallest and weakest citizen, he also has his interests in that homeland, in that religion. Man should not be burdened and neglect these and the advanced So, after a month or two of learning these letters that you see, I imagined writing my life, what I did in my youth and what I did in society when I came of age, and what I did for my homeland, where I entered the mystery of the Society for the struggle for our freedom and what I saw and know where they happened in the Struggle, and in what I participated to the best of my ability and did my duty, that which I could. I should not have entered into this work an illiterate, burdening honest readers and great men and wise men of society and putting them at a burden, arousing their curiosity and causing them to lose the precious values in them. But since I, as a human being, have also received this weakness, I ask your forgiveness for the burden that I will give you. If I am an honest man, I want to write the truth, as the writings took place, which I will note. All readers have a duty to first investigate through my conduct, how I behaved in the community and the Struggle, and if I behaved honorably, base it on my writings, if I behaved dishonorably, do not believe anything. And after you learn that I behaved honorably and see noted documents and proofs, beginning and end, from various, from governments and from authorities and from many others, from where I have served with my fellow competitors, where God has made me worthy to have in my direction, my best in the struggle and in services, from where I was ordered. With eighteen men I first set out in the struggle, until God deserved me to have under my direction a thousand and four hundred. The records of my homeland were never defiled, neither in the government, nor in the provinces, nor in individuals, where we fought in Roumeli, Peloponnese and the islands and Sparta, it is nowhere the slightest accusation for us. You will see from the gums the places marked here and there, and everywhere in the state and in the archives of the government these appear. And with as many men as God deserved me and I commanded, various disorders and seizures plagued the homeland, beginning and end, glorified be the all-good name of God, he did not allow us to be defiled. And these graces must be owed by the fatherland to the honorable and good and brave patriots, my fellow fighters, where I had my direction in the struggle, where we also contributed according to our strength to the needs of the fatherland. It is the virtue and patriotism that they showed, of these good patriots, not me. That I did not have this virtue, nor do I have it yet, as in the wars, and now in the service they are my best. They are also now in the service, under my direction, the brave and good officers of Missolonghi with their good and brave leader Mitro Deligiorgis, the garrison commander in the struggle of Missolonghi. There are many brave and honorable islanders and Peloponnesians, good fighters are Roumeliotes. They are the good and patriotic householders and officers of Athens, where we fight in the castle of Athens and elsewhere in the battles of the fatherland. And the virtue of all these good patriots - the goodness of God first - saved us from whatever harms the fatherland. Your lordship, good readers, I call upon you, although you want to know the truth, to investigate all this where you will see, whether it is true or false. I call upon you one thing, all honorable readers, you have no right to make any judgment either for or against, if you do not read it all - and then you are householders to make whatever judgment you want, either for or against. When you have read it all, beginning and end, then make a judgment for those who brought misfortunes to the homeland and civil wars for their individual interests and selfishness and from them the unhappy homeland and the honest fighters suffered and are suffering to this day. I will state the truth nakedly and without passion. But the truth is bitter and those of us who do evil are looked down upon, that we both want evil and self-interest to do it and we want to be called good patriots. And this cannot be done, nor will I hide it and let it remain hidden, that the homeland was damaged, devalued and all this amounts to a curse upon us all. And the causes of evil will be told, and stories and newspapers tell them every day. And they do not mean mine and they should be written by the advanced and not by simple illiterate people and should be licked by the younger and later generations to have more virtue and patriotism. The homeland of each person and religion is everything and he must sacrifice both patriotism and live he and his relatives as honest people in society. And then they are called nations, when they are adorned with patriotic sentiments on the contrary they are called the old scum of the nations and the burden of the earth. And for this reason as the general homeland of each and the work of the struggles of the smallest and weakest citizen, he also has his interests in that homeland, in that religion. Man should not be burdened and neglect these and the advanced So, after a month or two of learning these letters that you see, I imagined writing my life, what I did in my youth and what I did in society when I came of age, and what I did for my homeland, where I entered the mystery of the Society for the struggle for our freedom and what I saw and know where they happened in the Struggle, and in what I participated to the best of my ability and did my duty, that which I could. I should not have entered into this work an illiterate, burdening honest readers and great men and wise men of society and putting them at a burden, arousing their curiosity and causing them to lose the precious values in them. But since I, as a human being, have also received this weakness, I ask your forgiveness for the burden that I will give you. If I am an honest man, I want to write the truth, as the writings took place, which I will note. All readers have a duty to first investigate through my conduct, how I behaved in the community and the Struggle, and if I behaved honorably, base it on my writings, if I behaved dishonorably, do not believe anything. And after you learn that I behaved honorably and see noted documents and proofs, beginning and end, from various, from governments and from authorities and from many others, from where I have served with my fellow competitors, where God has made me worthy to have in my direction, my best in the struggle and in services, from where I was ordered. With eighteen men I first set out in the struggle, until God deserved me to have under my direction a thousand and four hundred. The records of my homeland were never defiled, neither in the government, nor in the provinces, nor in individuals, where we fought in Roumeli, Peloponnese and the islands and Sparta, it is nowhere the slightest accusation for us. You will see from the gums the places marked here and there, and everywhere in the state and in the archives of the government these appear. And with as many men as God deserved me and I commanded, various disorders and seizures plagued the homeland, beginning and end, glorified be the all-good name of God, he did not allow us to be defiled. And these graces must be owed by the fatherland to the honorable and good and brave patriots, my fellow fighters, where I had my direction in the struggle, where we also contributed according to our strength to the needs of the fatherland. It is the virtue and patriotism that they showed, of these good patriots, not me. That I did not have this virtue, nor do I have it yet, as in the wars, and now in the service they are my best. They are also now in the service, under my direction, the brave and good officers of Missolonghi with their good and brave leader Mitro Deligiorgis, the garrison commander in the struggle of Missolonghi. There are many brave and honorable islanders and Peloponnesians, good fighters are Roumeliotes. They are the good and patriotic householders and officers of Athens, where we fight in the castle of Athens and elsewhere in the battles of the fatherland. And the virtue of all these good patriots - the goodness of God first - saved us from whatever harms the fatherland. Your lordship, good readers, I call upon you, although you want to know the truth, to investigate all this where you will see, whether it is true or false. I call upon you one thing, all honorable readers, you have no right to make any judgment either for or against, if you do not read it all - and then you are householders to make whatever judgment you want, either for or against. When you have read it all, beginning and end, then make a judgment for those who brought misfortunes to the homeland and civil wars for their individual interests and selfishness and from them the unhappy homeland and the honest fighters suffered and are suffering to this day. I will state the truth nakedly and without passion. But the truth is bitter and those of us who do evil are looked down upon, that we both want evil and self-interest to do it and we want to be called good patriots. And this cannot be done, nor will I hide it and let it remain hidden, that the homeland was damaged, devalued and all this amounts to a curse upon us all. And the causes of evil will be told, and stories and newspapers tell them every day. And they do not mean mine and they should be written by the advanced and not by simple illiterate people and should be licked by the younger and later generations to have more virtue and patriotism. The homeland of each person and religion is everything and he must sacrifice both patriotism and live he and his relatives as honest people in society. And then they are called nations, when they are adorned with patriotic sentiments on the contrary they are called the old scum of the nations and the burden of the earth. And for this reason as the general homeland of each and the work of the struggles of the smallest and weakest citizen, he also has his interests in that homeland, in that religion. Man should not be burdened and neglect these and the advanced So, after a month or two of learning these letters that you see, I imagined writing my life, what I did in my youth and what I did in society when I came of age, and what I did for my homeland, where I entered the mystery of the Society for the struggle for our freedom and what I saw and know where they happened in the Struggle, and in what I participated to the best of my ability and did my duty, that which I could. I should not have entered into this work an illiterate, burdening honest readers and great men and wise men of society and putting them at a burden, arousing their curiosity and causing them to lose the precious values in them. But since I, as a human being, have also received this weakness, I ask your forgiveness for the burden that I will give you. If I am an honest man, I want to write the truth, as the writings took place, which I will note. All readers have a duty to first investigate through my conduct, how I behaved in the community and the Struggle, and if I behaved honorably, base it on my writings, if I behaved dishonorably, do not believe anything. And after you learn that I behaved honorably and see noted documents and proofs, beginning and end, from various, from governments and from authorities and from many others, from where I have served with my fellow competitors, where God has made me worthy to have in my direction, my best in the struggle and in services, from where I was ordered. With eighteen men I first set out in the struggle, until God deserved me to have under my direction a thousand and four hundred. The records of my homeland were never defiled, neither in the government, nor in the provinces, nor in individuals, where we fought in Roumeli, Peloponnese and the islands and Sparta, it is nowhere the slightest accusation for us. You will see from the gums the places marked here and there, and everywhere in the state and in the archives of the government these appear. And with as many men as God deserved me and I commanded, various disorders and seizures plagued the homeland, beginning and end, glorified be the all-good name of God, he did not allow us to be defiled. And these graces must be owed by the fatherland to the honorable and good and brave patriots, my fellow fighters, where I had my direction in the struggle, where we also contributed according to our strength to the needs of the fatherland. It is the virtue and patriotism that they showed, of these good patriots, not me. That I did not have this virtue, nor do I have it yet, as in the wars, and now in the service they are my best. They are also now in the service, under my direction, the brave and good officers of Missolonghi with their good and brave leader Mitro Deligiorgis, the garrison commander in the struggle of Missolonghi. There are many brave and honorable islanders and Peloponnesians, good fighters are Roumeliotes. They are the good and patriotic householders and officers of Athens, where we fight in the castle of Athens and elsewhere in the battles of the fatherland. And the virtue of all these good patriots - the goodness of God first - saved us from whatever harms the fatherland. Your lordship, good readers, I call upon you, although you want to know the truth, to investigate all this where you will see, whether it is true or false. I call upon you one thing, all honorable readers, you have no right to make any judgment either for or against, if you do not read it all - and then you are householders to make whatever judgment you want, either for or against. When you have read it all, beginning and end, then make a judgment for those who brought misfortunes to the homeland and civil wars for their individual interests and selfishness and from them the unhappy homeland and the honest fighters suffered and are suffering to this day. I will state the truth nakedly and without passion. But the truth is bitter and those of us who do evil are looked down upon, that we both want evil and self-interest to do it and we want to be called good patriots. And this cannot be done, nor will I hide it and let it remain hidden, that the homeland was damaged, devalued and all this amounts to a curse upon us all. And the causes of evil will be told, and stories and newspapers tell them every day. And they do not mean mine and they should be written by the advanced and not by simple illiterate people and should be licked by the younger and later generations to have more virtue and patriotism. The homeland of each person and religion is everything and he must sacrifice both patriotism and live he and his relatives as honest people in society. And then they are called nations, when they are adorned with patriotic sentiments on the contrary they are called the old scum of the nations and the burden of the earth. And for this reason as the general homeland of each and the work of the struggles of the smallest and weakest citizen, he also has his interests in that homeland, in that religion. Man should not be burdened and neglect these and the advanced
