Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-07-07
THE MAN OF MANY TONGUES.

n
article in the Edinburgh Review. of which DR.
Russell, President of Maynooth College. was
the author, have been hitherto the best extant
studies OF the great linguist, Cardinal Mezzo-
iantl, whose appetite for langua ges enabled him
10 dlgest, more or less perfectly :. fifty, and
bo'0gnese- DIR. Russell has been persuaded
by MS own inclination and by the judcious
urgency of several correspondents, to bring
more completely together all the facts relating
To ms subject in a book. The Cardinal was the
most wonderful example upon record of man s
power OF comprising for himself the gift of
tongues. tie wrote nothing; he was not a
famous thinker. The same unfailing memory
that was at the foundation of his success as n
hnguist, fixed in his mind what he read of the
literature of each tongue and all that was in
ms memory was instantly at his command. II
rs very possible that this facility of nassooe
IRON one train of thought into another. which
Is seldom found to be com patible with habits of
profound rcfectlon, Is allied to that relish for
punS which DIR Russell also shows that he had
and yields ike the achievements of the munster
natter Tor surprise in an outward sembiance of
great suengia that really is an evidence of
"edhhess Whatever may have been the rea-
SOB, certain Is the fact that Cardinal Mezzo-
fanti, who not only possessed but had at com.
mahd range ct actual knowledge almost with
out equal for its width, and who to become ono
"i the most valuable scholars of our time, had
only to bring powers Of comparison and iudg-
ment 10 bear upon masses Of fact which seldom,
come together In the same brain, but which did
meet In his, wrote nothing. That he was mod
est, amiable and good. we gladly admit: but.
except In his private sphere of labor as a char
liable man and priest, he did nothing for the
world but fill his head and show to those with
whom he personally was brought into contact
now much knowledge of u certain kind a single
head can hold. In this respect he was a mar
vei, and so great marvel that the truth will
NOS hereafter be credited if testimonies be not
carefu3ly collected in good time.
MesEofanti has been ten years dead, many
OF thoe who could bear certain witness TO par-
ucuiaf points relating to his curious attain.
mentSare dead also; but so many still survive
that ff9tl them and from the published n,,tices
Of htsQry and scientific travellers who visited
hin stksme or Bologna, a body of Important
evidenJs ean be collected. 1t was ii me, tbcre-
fore, Thar some writer should tro, ,hlp himself
To define what the attainments ri this Nnguist
really Sere, and furnish men # futnra .,enar-
ationSwith a record that sh all sove Ca7dinol
MezzofantIs many parts # spe.cb from sucb
historic doubts as have beset those who are
N more vaguely told Ike. things of Mithridates.
III nuSSeu r, haS not grudged the necessary
~ uOuOie' Ino lap Jrs of the Cardinal among
Ine young heh ShO Studied languages in the
froPasanua I'D Ade his attainments, now i'm this
now now ~ tnat branch Of his especial study, pretty
ae' known To many persons who are
nov now ii' Ing in all quarters Of the globe With
any u these who were accessible DR. Russell
.e rs US that he has communicated, he has col
Iected testimonies also from several living Eu-
rOpeaR scholars who were qualified to add im-
portant testimony to the sum of evidence from
which be finally deduced his astonishing con-
clusIon. The languages and dialects of which
the Cardinal acquired knowledge are .hus
classified
L. Languages frequently tested, and spoken
with rare excellence Thirty in number.
II States to have been NEOken fuently but
hardly sufficiently tested Nine.
Ill. Spoken rarely, and hess perfectly
Eleven
". Spoken imperfectly; few sentences
and conversational forms Eight.
'. Studied from books, but known to have
been spoken Fourteen.
VI. Dialects spoken, or their peculiarities
understood The list contains the dialects of
ten languages, seven of the French, six of the
Italian, five of German, four of Arabic &C.
amounting to total of thirty eight
These acquisitiOns were made in obedience
to an extreme hunger for such knowledge.
When young Able at Bologna, Mezzofanti
was accustomed TO receive intelligence from the
lunkeepers of the town when any foreigner ar
rived, and hasten to him for the purpose of Sc
curing more Of that which was to him the lux
uIy OF life.
Work was incessant, the time for sleep was
reduced to some four hours day, and though
the worker lived his life through to the end of
the allotted span, he lived with an iii-nourished
body, he was spare, round shouldercd and sick
ly. There Is great deal in MeZzOfantis life
that has stronger resemblance to that of an
Italian scholar in the beginning of the sixteenth
than In the middle OF the nine teenth century
There is the simple sppetite for work in the
poor student, who at a very early age becomes
professor In an university, and lives on a sti-
of few W thpr nd
lesser emOluments, make up N income of about
fiye-and- twenty pounds n year; there is the
confusion introduced into the land by French
armies-it might be Of the armies of Francis
the First-the stOppage of university work,
the struggles for bread by exercise of skill as a
teacher under the patronage of noble houses.
There is the professorship recovered, and again
lost through loyalty to Rome. The scholar has
become librarian in his town, and for his mar
vellous attainments as linguist there Is a re-
sort OF the learned to his lodgings, where on
scanty income he maintains poor married sis
ter, feeds, teaches, and plays with her crowd of
children. Every stranger OF note who travels
through Bologna goes as surely to see Mezzo-
fant as to see any other chief sight of the place,
and the inguist is happy, since from every
stranger be can pick up some addition to his
glossary. lie Is not vain in any mean sense.
he does not over-estimate his powers no man
declares more frankly than himself that his
power OF language than of thought But he
takes pleasure in being accosted and tested in
all sorts of tongues, partly through a natural
and amiable vanity, partly because a variety
Of foreign talk gives him such pleasure as
the steam of many dishes may give to the gour-
mand. Therefore-and because also there is
an inbOrn gentl ,ne,s and courtesy de:ermin-
ing his whole demeanor--he takes in good part
the visits Of sight seers Three centuries ago
men did 50, and when they failed in so doing,
men noted the dlscOurtesy. It was another
italian professor who in old times roughly re-
buked the intrusion of an inquisitive and gap
ing world into his study. tine day there came
an unwelcome and unknown visitor Of rank
whom ne 1isconcerted by sitting silently before
him iace to face. Tho visitor stammered and
stared. The scholar, when they had thus sat
for about ten minutes, suddenly wheeled round
his chair, and said, . Now, SIR that you have
had good front view Of me, study uie te-
hind ("
MsZzofanti would have perished rather than
exhibit discourtesy like that He enioyed in
A