Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-01-09
MAGLIABECHI's PRODIGIOUS MEMORY

Magliabechi was born at Florence on the
29th Of October, 1888 His parents were of SO
low and mean rank, that they were well sat
isfed when they had got him into the service
of a man who sold green's He had never
learned to read, and yet he was perpetually
poring over the leaves of old books that were
used as waste paper in his masters shop.
A bookseller who lived in the neghborhood,
and who had often observed this, and knew the
boy could not read asked him what he meant
by looking so much at the printed paper. He
said that he did not know how it was, but that
he loved it Of all things; that he was very un-
easy in the business he was in, and should be
the happiest creature in the world, if he could
live with him, who had always SO many books
about him. The bookseller was pleased with
his answer and at last told him that, if his
master was willing to part with him, he would
take him.
Young Magliabechi was highly delighted,
and the more SO when his master, at the book
sellers request, gave him leave to 60 He
went therefore, directly to his new and much
desired business, and had not been long in it,
before he could find any book that was asked
for, as readily as the bookseller himself Some
time after this he learned to read, and from
this this time forth, whenever he could find
moments leisure, he was found with book in
his hand.
He seems never to have applied himself to
any particular study. An inclination for read
ing was his ruling passion and prodigious
memory his great talent. He read every book,
almost indiferently, as they happened to come
into his hands and that with surprising
quickness, and yet retained not only the sense,
but often all the words, and the very manner
of spelling ...
His extraordinary application and talents
soon recommended him to Ermini, librarian to
the Cardinal of Medicis, and Marmi, the great
Dukes librarian. He was by them introduced
into the conversations of the learned, and made
known at Court; and he began to be looked
upon everywhere as prodigy, particularly for
vast and unbounded memory
1t is said that there was trial made of the
force of his memory which, if true, is very
amazing A gentleman of Florence, who had
written q piece which was to be printed lent.
the manuscript to Magliabechi and some time
after it had been returned, went to him, with q
melancholy face, and pretended to have met
with a most unhappy accident by which, he
said, he had lost his manuscript The author
seemed almost inconsolable for the loss of his
work, and entreated Magliabechi to try to rec
ollcct as much of it as he possibly could, and
write it down. Magliabechi assured him he
would, and, on setting about it, wrote down the
whole manuscript without missing word
By treasuring up everything he read in so
strange manner, or at least the subject and
all the principal parts of the books he ran over
his head became, at last as one of his acquaint-
ances expressed himself "a universal index
both of titles and matter
By this time Magiabechi was grown so fa-
nous for the vast extent of his reading and his
amazing retention of what he read, that it be-
gan to grow common among the learned to
consult him when they were writing on any
subject. Thus, for instance, if priest was
composing a panegyric on particular saint,
Magliabechi would, on his applying to him, in
form him what writer's had spoken favorably
of the saint, and in what part of their works
the commentators were to be found-in some
cases to the number of above one hundred au-
thors. He would tell him not only who had
treated of his subject expressly, but Also who
had only touched upon it accidentally, in wri-
ting upon other subjects; both which he did
with the greatest exactness, naming the author,
the book, the words, and often the very number
of the pages in which they were inserted. He
did this SO often so readily and SO exactly, that
he came at last to be looked upon almost as an
oracle
Latterly, he read the title-pages only; then
dipped here and there into the preface, dedica-
tion, and advertisements if there were any, and
then cast his eyes on each Of the divisions and
different sections or chapters of the book; and
thus he conceived the matter almost as COM
pletely as if he had read it at full length.
Magliabechi had local memory, too, of the
places where every book stood: as in his mas
ter's shop at first and in the Pitt, and several
other libraries afterwards and seems to have
carried this even farther than to the collection
Of books with which he was personally ac
quainted. One day the great Duke sent for
him, after he was his librarian, to ask him
whether he could procure for him book that
was particularly scarce. No, sir" answered