View PDF version of this page

Mnzaffer, Paslia of Nicosia Pasha of Caramania Agha of the Janissaries Janpulad Bey Sanjaq of Tripoli Beylerbey of Greece Pasha of Sivas and Marash Ferca Frainburaro Sanjaq of Antippo, killed Suleiman Bey, killed Three Sanjaqs of Arabia, killed Mustafa Bey, General of Adventurers, killed The Fergat, Lord of Malattia, killed The Framburaro of Diverie [Divrigi], killed and many other Turks of rank, Sanjaqs and others, whose names 1 omit for brevity's sake, and not to weary the reader with a list of mere infidels. From the capture of Famagosta right np to the harvest of the following year there fell a great dearth on the realm of Cyprus, and those very few poor gentlemen who remained in the island, having been ransomed together with citizens of Nicosia, struggled to make a living as muleteers and hawkers of wine, cloth and other little things, a very different life from their old one. The citizens of Famagosta remained for the present in their houses, bnt many were driven out by the Turks who came to lodge there, and then took possession. Mustafa returned to Constantinople with twenty-one galleys, but because he arrived just at the time of onr famous naval victory the populace did not as usual go to meet him, or fire saintes, and there were very few who went to congratulate him, the reason being that in losing that naval battle all Constantinople hod snffered severely: one had lost his son, others their fathers, brothers, or husbands, and all wreaked on him the blame of having stirred up the war. Abont this time an envoy arrived from Famagosta to confirm the treaty made by Mustafa with the citizens. They were allowed to live as Christians, provided only that there shonld be no one of the Latin Church. To these the Turk would grant neither chnrch, bouse nor any privilege. The Latins in Famagosta were thus compelled to dissemble their faith and rites. The Greeks on their side hoped to keep all their Greek churches, but none was granted them except the Greek Cathedral, and when they offered handsome presents they got as well the little chnrch of S. Simeon. There were granted to them besides the houses of which the Tnrks had not possessed themselves, and that if a Turk cared to sell a house the citizens of Famagosta shonld have the right of preemption, bnt if the Tnrks would not sell then each of them shonld keep what he held. The rest of the churches were used as stables, or for other unclean purposes, and S. Nicolo, the Cathedral Church of the Latins, was made a mosque by these miscreants. This was indeed a punishment and act of justice upon the Greeks of this kingdom, many of whom while they were under the rule of the Latin Christians abhorred the limpid water of the Holy Roman obedience, and despised the life-giving stream of its Head ; for as these Greeks preferred to be subjects to that gangrened limb, the Patriarch of Constantinople, because he and his fellow-patriarchs, especially the Patriarch of Jerusalem, when the poor Cypriot merchants and pilgrims went to their churches held aloof from them, considering them excommunicate, because in Cyprus they gave their allegiance to the Latins, and saying the same in even stronger terms to the Greek bishops of Cyprus, because they were elected by the Royal Latin Council, and confirmed by the Latin 160 EXCERPTA CYPRIA.

View PDF version of this page