Intellectual Activity

Although the arduous living conditions in besieged Chandax restricted the inhabitants' intellectual pursuits and interests, they did not entirely put paid to them. During the siege, Gerasimos Vlachos continued to teach those thirsting for knowledge "in both dialects", while also fighting up on the walls at the Jesus Bastion. It was at this time that Marco Antonio Foscolo wrote Fortounatos, a comedy which includes references to the war and the enemy, as well as the hope of victory.

«...And the iniquitous Turkish dog is so frightened

that he no longer dares to draw near under the walls,

for he remembers the past, in fear and trembling,

and still laments what he suffered on land and sea ». (lines 99-102)

«...So all of you wait for joy unbounded,

And in a little while you will see freedom" (lines 117-118)

(Marco Antonio Foskolo: Fortounatos, Alfred Vincent, Theocharis Detorakis, S.C.H.S. 1980)