- (09) BIBLIOGRAPHIE HELLENIQUE XVIII TOME PREMIER
- 102* Lacrymm § Suspiria Ecclesise Grxcx : or, the Distressed State of the Greek CHURCH. Humbly Represented in a LETTER το her Late Majesty Queen ANNE, from the Pa- triarch of Alexandria ; By the Hands of ARSENIUS Arch- bishop of Thebais, Now Residing in London. LONDON : Printed in the Year MDCCXV. In-4° de un feuillet non chilfre + iv et 16 pages. Tres rare. Le feuillet 1 non chiffre contient le litre, dont le verso est blanc. Les pages ι a iv sont occupees par un appel a la charite des fideles qui debute ainsi: The following Papers set forth the deplo- rable Circumstances of the Greek Church of Alexandria. Les pages 1 et 2 formant le feuillet signe A manquaient dans l'exemplairc d'apres lequel nous avons fait la presente description. Pages 3 a 5 : To the Most Noble, most Reverend, Honourable and Worthy, the Nobility, Clergy, Gentry and Commons, Citizens or Strangers in the Kingdom of England, whose Hearts God hath touched with Divine Love and Charity, to Commisserate the Dis- tresses of their Afflicted Brethren. The Humble Petition and Request of Arsenius Archbishop of Thebais, in Mgypt. Cetle requete est datee de Londres, le 18 aout 1715 et signee Ό ταπεινός Μητροπολίτης Θηβαΐδος Άραενιος. Le signataire expose qu'envoyeen 1712 par Samuel, patrianche d'Alexandrie, pour representer aux princes et etats protestants d'Europe la situation deplorable de l'Eglisegrecque sous la tyrannie turque et faire appel a leur cha- rite, il n'a pu, a cause de l'etat des affaires publiques, obtenir l'as- sistance sur laquelle il comptait. II sollicile des secours afin d'ac- quitter les dettes qu'il a du faire avec sa suite et de regagner avant Thiver son pays natal. Pages 6 a 10 : To the Most Gracious, Serene, Mighty, Invin- cible, and Christian Princess, ANNE, by the Grace of God, etc. Epitre datee du Siege patriarcal d'Egypte, 25 fevrier 1712, et signee de Samuel, patriarche d'Alexandrie. Pages 11 a 12 : Le certificat ci-apres : We William Farrington, Consul for Her Most Sacred Majesty, of Great-Britain, Sfc. in Cairo, and all the Kingdom of Mgypt; being requested by the Right Reverend Samuel, Greek Patriarch of Alexandria, Residing in this City, to give Testimony of what has passed, relating to his Person, since his Accession to the Patriarchal Dignity ; we do, from our own Knowledge, as Residing upon the Place, and being from ΑΝΝέΕ 1716 129 Day to Day informed, Testify to All, to whom these Presents may come, That the Right Reverend Gerasimo, late Greek Patriarch of Alexandria, finding himself, through Age and Distempers, contracted in his Voyage to Walachia, &c. inca- pable any longer to officiate, as being almost continually obliged to keep his Bed, and being desirous to lay down the Patriarchal Dignity, he did, in the Presence of the Greek Clergy of this Place, Alexandria, Damiata, &c. willingly Renounce it. Whereupon the said Clergy, and the Principal Persons of that Nation did unanimously Elect, the Present Right Reverend Samuel, at that Time Archbishop of Libya, to Succeed him ; and he was, according to the Custom of this Place, afterwards publickly confirm'd therein by the Pasha, &c. Some Time after which, being designed for Cons- tantinople, Moldavia, Walachia, &c. for to gather some Cha- rity toward the Support of his Church; he, in order thereto, visited several Places within his Jurisdiction, and then pro- ceeded to Alexandria to Embark : But while he was there, waiting for a Conveyance, he received Letters from Constanti- nople, with Advice, that one Cosmo, formerly Archbishop of Mount Sinai, had, by the Force of Money, procured himself to be invested by the Grand Visier, as Successor to the Right Reverend Gerasimo, in the Patriarchal Seat, and that he was quickly to follow with Commands, &c. to the Greek Nation, to acknowledge him as such. Where upon the said Right Reverend Samuel, was obliged to return up here, to consult with the Greek Clergy, and Heads of that Nation, what were the proper Methods to be followed in such a Conjuncture; and they Agreed, That the ought by no Means, to suffer himself to be deposed by his Adversary, but endeavour to baffle his Designs, by giving to the Pasha, and other Commanders, what might be necessary. Quickly after arrived the said Cosmo, bringing with him Commands, &c. directed to the Pasha, &c. to put him in Possession of the Patriarchal Seat : So that the Right Reverend Samuel was, to maintain himself BIULIOCKArUIE HKLLEMQUE XVIII I ---- 9 130 BIBLIOGRAPHIE HELLfiNIQUE in his Station, obliged to spend large Sums of Money, to procure which, (by the Power entrusted him with, by the Greek Clergy, and Heads of the Nation,) he was forced to Sell a great many of the Vessels, &c. belonging to the Church, and many more to put in Pawn, which has brought the said Church considerably in Debt; to retrieve which, having resol- ved to send several Persons into several Parts of Christendom, to procure what they can of Charitable Contributions. We do, at the Desire of the Right Reverend Samuel, accompany them with this our Attestation, Signed with our own Hand, and Sealed with the Seal of our Cancellaria. Dated in Cairo, the Twenty-second Day of February, 17H/2. Page 13 : Autre attestation du meme,datee du Caire, le 8 fevrier 1714/5. Page 14 : Certiiicatde Benjamin Loclington, agent et consul de Grancle-Brelagne a Tripoli de Karbarie, datedu 15 aout 1712. Page 15: Certifical de John Hieronymo Waldeck, consul des Pays-Bas, date de Tunis le 4/15 octobre 1712. Page 16 :La piece suiv.ante : Extract of a Letter from the Clergy of the Church of Alexandria, Dated at Grand Cairo, in Aigypt, February 20. 1715. to the most Reverend Arsenius Archbishop of Thebais, at London. We have received your Two Letters, one for the most Reverend Patriarch Samuel, the other for the Clergy, Dated the 29th of July 1714, which came to our Hands the 23d of January, 1715 : But the most Holy Patriarch being Departed the 21st of September, for Constantinople, we were obliged to open them, in which Ave find your Desire of his Holiness's new Recommendatory Letters for your Friends; which, in his Absence, we have thought proper to send you, one for..... the other for.....as you requested of him. The most Reverend Cosmo, has renounced all Title and Pretence to the Patriarchal Throne of Alexandria, by Eccle- siastical Deeds, Signed with his own Hand (as of Right belon- ging to Samuel) and a short Time after his Renunciation, he was duly Elected Patriarch of Constantinople'; upon which he wrote Letters to our Patriarch, inviting him to come thither, to Establish a firm Peace and Friendship. This being the necessary Cause of his Absence, we have sent the Letters you desire, Signed by all the Prelates an Clergy of this Church, as also a new Certificate from the English Consul here. Description faite sur un exemplaire obligeamment communique par M. Ingram Bywater (a Londres) et lui apparlenant.
