emency of
the Grand Seigneur. At the same time circular letters were addressed to
the Epirotes, warning them to abandon the cause of a rebel, and to
consider the best means of freeing themselves from a traitor, who, having
long oppressed them, now sought to draw down on their country all the
terrors of war. Ali, who every where maintained numerous and active
spies, now redoubled his watchfulness, and not a single letter entered
Epirus without being opened and read by his agents. As an extra
precaution, the guardians of the passes were enjoined to slay without
mercy any despatch-bearer not provided with an order signed by Ali
himself; and to send to Janina under escort any travellers wishing to
enter Epirus. These measures were specially aimed against Suleyman Pacha,
who had succeeded Veli in the government of Thessaly, and replaced Ali
himself in the office of Grand Provost of the Highways. Suleyman's
secretary was a Greek called Anagnorto, a native of Macedonia, whose
estates Ali had seized, and who had fled with his family to escape
further persecution. He had become attached to the court party, less for
the sake of vengeance on Ali than to aid the cause of the Greeks, for
whose freedom he worked by underhand methods. He persuaded Suleyman
Pacha that the Greeks would help him to dethrone Ali, for whom they
cherished the deepest hatred, and he was determined that they should
learn the sentence of deprivation and excommunication fulminated against
the rebel pacha. He introduced into the Greek translation which he was
commissioned to make, ambiguous phrases which were read by the Christians
as a call to take up arms in the cause of liberty. In an instant, all
Hellas was up in arms. The Mohammedans were alarmed, but the Greeks gave
out that it was in order to protect themselves and their property against
the bands of brigands which had appeared on all sides. This was the
beginning of the Greek insurrection, and occurred in May 1820, extending
from Mount Pindus to Thermopylae. However, the Greeks, satisfied with
having vindicated their right to bear arms in their own defence,
continued to pay their taxes, and abstained from all hostility.

At the news of this great movement, Ali's friends advised him to turn it
to his own advantage. "The Greeks in arms," said they, "want a chief:
offer yourself as their leader. They hate you, it is true, but this
feeling may change. It is only necessary to make them believe, wh