Memorials and Other Papers — Volume 1De Quincey, Thomas
General
Memorials and Other Papers — Volume 1
De Quincey, Thomas
English essays
The Turks, occupied with gathering a trophy of heads, neglected to
pursue. But the work was done. The defeated advance fell back upon the
main body; and that same night the whole army, panic-struck, ashamed,
and bewildered, commenced a precipitate retreat. From this moment Prince
Ypsilanti thought only of saving himself. This purpose he effected in a
few days, by retreating into Austria, from which territory he issued
his final order of the day, taxing his army, in violent and unmeasured
terms, with cowardice and disobedience. This was in a limited sense
true; many distinctions, however, were called for in mere justice; and
the capital defects, after all, were in himself. His plan was originally
bad; and, had it been better, he was quite unequal to the execution
of it. The results were unfortunate to all concerned in it. Ypsilanti
himself was arrested by Austria, and thrown into the unwholesome
prison of Mongatz, where, after languishing for six years, he perished
miserably. Some of the subordinate officers prolonged the struggle in
a guerilla style for some little time; but all were finally suppressed.
Many were put to death; many escaped into neutral ground; and it is
gratifying to add, that of two traitors amongst the higher officers,
one was detected and despatched in a summary way of vengeance by his own
associates; the other, for some unexplained reason, was beheaded by his
Turkish friends at the very moment when he had put himself into their
power, in fearless obedience to their own summons to _come and receive
his well-merited reward_, and under an express assurance from the
Pacha of Silistria that he was impatiently waiting to invest him with a
pelisse of honor. Such faith is kept with traitors; such faith be ever
kept with the betrayers of nations and their holiest hopes! Though in
this instance the particular motives of the Porte are still buried in
mystery.
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