Home life in Hellas, Greece and the Greeks - eBooks4Greeks.gr

THE ISLES 71tiri in Santorin until 1617, and Venice did notrelinquish Tenos until 17 18, when Athens hadbeen Turkish for more than two and a halfcenturies. And in the islands the yoke waslighter. Naxos, Andros, Paros, and Tenos were•allowed to retain their own laws and customs.Silk, wine, and food-stuffs remained free of dutyas before. The capitation tax was low, and aboveall things they enjoyed immunity from the odioustribute of children. The Turks did not troublethem so long as the taxes were paid, and once ayear sent a commissioner to receive them. Greekand Latin hated each other more than they hatedthe Turk. The Bey during his short annualsojourn had to listen to mutual accusations andrecriminations, to which, no doubt, he gave littleheed so long as the tribute was forthcoming.There was never any love lost between the haughtyLatins with their aristocratic prejudices and thedemocratic Greeks. The latter invited the Turksboth to Naxos and Andros. They regretted itwhen the Jew, Joseph Nasi, was made Duke ofNaxos. Suleiman the Magnificent had beensucceeded by Selim the Sot. That egregiouspotentate gave the island duchy to his booncompanion. Nasi never visited the islands, butgoverned them by deputy. Nevertheless he remainedDuke of Naxos until his death in 1579.Whatever grievances they might have against theLatins, this was too much for a people who, whenthey had occasion to mention a Jew in conversa-