The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-06-18
MarVels of Memory.

Some examples of the feats Of MEM
ory would be rejected rs altogether
fabulous had they not been given us on
authority of the highest respectability.
1t is related of Themistocles that he
could call by their names every citizen
of Athens, though they amounted to
twenty thousand. Cyrus knew the
name of every soldier in his army.
Mithridates, King of Pontus, knew
each one of his eighty thousand soldiers
by his right name. Hugo Grotius, on
being present at q review of some regi-
ments in France, recalled all the names
of the single soldiers in the order of the
roll-call. Scipio knew all the inhabi-
tants OF Rome. Seneca could repeat in
order two thousand words heard only
once. Cook, the tragedian, is said to
have committed to memory the entire
contents of large daily newspaper.
Lord Granville could repeat from be-
ginning to end the New Testament in
the original Greek. George III. is said
never to have forgotten the face he had
once seen, or the name he had once
heard. Racine knew by memory oil
the tragedies of Euripidies. Justus
Lipsius vcntured to rehearse the works
of Tacitus from the first word to the
last, and then from the last word to the
first, even when man was standing
before him with n drawn dagger to
pierce him the very moment he should
fail to give single word. Bottegella
knew by heart whole books, verbatim.
Mirandola used to commit the contents
of book to memory after reading it
thrice, and could then not only repeat
the words forward but backward.
Thomas Cranwell in three months COM
mittcd to memory, when in Italy, AN
entire translation of the Bible as made
by Erasmus. Leibnitz knew all the old
Greek and Latin poets by heart, and
could recite the whole Virgil, word for
word, when an old man. Bossuet knew
the Bible by heart, and could also re-
peat, verbatim, all Homer, Virgil and
Horace, and many other works. The
Abbe Poule carried all his serm0ns-the
compositions of forty yeurs--in his
head.
Mozart has a prodigious memory of mu-
steal sounds. At the early age of fourteen
he went to Rome to assist mt the solem-
mites of Holy Week. Scarcely had he
arrived there ere he ran to the Sistine
Chapel to hear the famous 1fserere Of
Allegri. 1t had been forbidden to take
or give copy OF this famous piece Of
music. Aware of this prohibition the
young German placed himself In a
corner and gave the closest attention to
the music. On leaving the church he
noted down the entire piece. The Fri
day after he heard it IA second time, and
followed the music with his copy in
hand, assuring himself of the fidelity
of his memory. Next day he sang the
Miserere at concert, accompanying
himself on the harpsichord-a perform
ance which caused SO great sensation
at Rome that Pope Clement XIV inn
mediately requested that the musical
prodigy should be presented to him.
One of the most remarkable instances
of memory we have ever met with was
that OF young Florentine named Mag
liabechi, who died in the year 17li.
This young man possessed most un-
satiable passion for reading, and became
familiar with nearly every book then
extant in Europe. He seemed to have
no taste for any particular subject, but
read indiscriminately whatever came
to hand. He was able to retain nearly
everything he read till he became at
length living, speaking index Of all
the literature of the age. The learned
consulted him when writing ON any
subject with regard to which they de-
sired information, and he was always
able 10 direct them to the books which
treated upon the matter, designating
those which discussed it fully aud thoss
which merely touched it. He reInem
bered not only the matter of the books
but also the places where they wer'
found, and by studying catalogues he
, came familiar with the great librarie
+ he had never seen. lie became librar