THE WAR OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE 1821 TO 1833 BY W.ALISON PHILLIPS 1897

64 THE WAR OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE
was the brother of Alexander Hypsilanti, whose failure
in the Principalities has already been recorded;
and, in spite of the collapse of the northern rising, he
proclaimed himself the lieutenant of his brother, and
persisted in looking upon himself as acting under the
authority of the Hetairia. He was no more remarkable
for capacity than his brother, but he was superior
to him in character; and there is no reason to suppose
that he was otherwise than an honourable, brave, and
upright man, or that he would not have done all in his
power to prevent the ghastly and shameful scenes
which he was too soon to witness. 1
Hypsilanti now proposed, by the mouth of Prince
Gregorios Cantacuzenos, terms to the besieged.
He
promised that, if they would cease to prolong a useless
resistance and peaceably submit, their homes would be
respected and they would have nothing to fear for their
i M. Lemaitre (p. 71), whose bias is obvious, maintains
the contrary; he accuses Hypsilanti of having foreseen
'
what would take place after the capitulation, though he
none the less displayed a lively indignation against his men,
which gained him the momentary esteem of our officers.'
Since, even by M. Lemaitre's admission, he had the esteem
Of the French officers on the spot, it should require more
than the bare assertion of a prejudiced partisan to make
us believe him guilty of a base and senseless crime. Cf.
'
Gordon, History of the Greek Revolution, i. 220. Even his
enemies were forced to confess that, to ardent patriotism,
he united courage, integrity, and humanity.'