1823. Feb. 22 Greece J.B. to Greek Legislators

You have not for your affliction any such unpunishable Depredator General

Oppressor General, Corrupter General, Deluder©General God upon earth as that to

which we [...?] under by the name of Monarch as in Germany, Italy, Russia,

France Denmark the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and England [...?] in

this liberty /Standing on this pinnacle/ you may look down with pity

You have no Aristocratical cast of men to deal by you as the Helots were dealt

with by the Spartans /hacedaemons[?] /Your Spartan [...?]/: [...?] who for the

tyranny they suffer /experience/ at the hands of the despot make themselves

/find a compensation/ in that which they join in /concurr with him/ in

exercising over their fellow slaves

You are not inflicted with the plague of priests. For though a class of men who

under that name pretend to that knowledge of the Almighty which it is not given

to man to possess, yet you know them too well to suffer them to tyrannize over

you: and ere long you will learn from the example of the Anglo©American United

States that an established priesthood paid at public expence by forced

contributions are no more necessary to the maintenance of piety than useful to

the maintenance of morality: and as for the body so for the soul, to those who

think they have need of a physician you will leave the care of choosing one for

themselves Relieving your fellow citizens from all burthens imposed on them on

this pretence, youwill not forget what is /the protection/ due to actual

possession, nor suppose that possession derived by priests /from priests/ is

less entitled to protection, than if it were derived by some fore fathers

Standing on this /From this other/ eminence likewise you may look down upon all

those other nations whom I have brought under your review