Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-22
GREAT MEN.

An interesting chapter might be writ
ten about the weaknesses Of great men.
The anecdotes Of Archimedes vii be
remembered; he rushss through the
streets Of Syracuse, al frescO, crying,
EuTekaW and at the taking OF the
city he was killed by a soldier while
tracing geOmetrical lines on sand.
Socrates. when filed with some idea,
would stand for hours fixed like statue.
II is recorded Of him that he stood amid
the soldiers in the camp Of POudea in
rooted abstraction, listening 10 her ''pr0-
phstieD or supernatural" voice.
DemOcritus shut himself up for days
together in a little apartment in his
garden. Dante was subject TO fits Of
abstraction, in which he often quite
forgot himself One day he found an
interesting book, which he had long
sought for in a druggists shop at Sienna,
and sat reading there till night came on.
Bude, whom Erasmus called the
wonder Of France, wss . thoroughly
absent man. One day his domestic
broke into his study with the iutelii-
gence that bis house was On ire. Go
and inform my wife" ne said; YOU
know I do not interfere in household
affairs %
ScaIigeF only slept for a few hours, and
passed whole days without thinking Of
food. Sully, when his mind was Oc-
eupied with plans Of reform, displayed
extraordinary fits Of fOrgetfUlness. One
day Ia winter, when on his way %
church, he observed, How cold il IS
tO-day!n Not more cold than usual,n
said one Of his attendants. Then I
must have the ague," said SulIy. " Is
it not more probable that you are too
scantily dressed ?n he was was asked. On
lifting the tunic the secret was at once
discovered; he had forgotten ali his
under-clOthes but his breeches!
Mrs. Barry tells a somewhat familiar
story Of the painter StothsTd. When
invited on one occasion to dine with the
poet Cogers, on reaching the house in
st. James Palace, he complained Of
cold, and CHANGING TO put his hand on
his neck, he had forgotten TO put on his
cravat, when he hastily returned home
to complete his attire.
Button was very fond Of dress. He
assumed the air OF the grand seigneur,
spOrted jewels and fiuery, wore rich lace
and velvets, and was CURED and scented
to eXeess-weariDg bis hair ca I0pflOts
while at his studies. Pope, too, was
little dandy in g bag wig and sword;
fashionable garments gave him the look
of an Overdressed monkey. VOItaire,
also, was fond Of magnificent attire,
and usually dressed in an absurd man
ner.
Dider0t once travled from st. Peters
burg TO Paris in his morning gown and
nightcap, and in this guise prOmenaded
the streets and public places Of the
towns on MS route. He was often taken
as a madm9n. While composing his
works he used to walk about with rapid
strides, and sometimes throw his wig
in the air when he had struck out =
happy idea. One day a friend found
him in tears. Z" Good heaveusr he ex-
claimed, what is the matter9'' &" am
weeping said Diderot. 81 at a story that
I have just composed.
Young, the poet, composed his Nfght
Thoughts with q skull before him in
which he would sometimes place q light
ed candel; and he occasionally sru~ht
bis speulchTal inspiration by wandering
among the tOmbs At midnight. r.rs-
Radcliffe cOurted the horrors with which
she filed the gloomy rumances by sup
ping on half-raw beef steaks. lleuJiflsv
gsrnished with onions. Dryden used 10
take physic before setting himself 10
CON- pose new piece rant, the ter
man philosopher, while Iecturng. had
the habit Of fixing his attention upon
one Of his auditors who wore garment
without button in a particular place
One day the student had the button
Eewed on. Kant, on commencing the
lecture, fixed his eve on the usual place.
The button was there, Fancy the con-
sternatiOn Of the philosopher whose
ideas had become associated with that
buttOnless garment. His lecture that
day was detestable; he was quite IN
hinged by the circumstance.
Too many authors have been fond Of
the bottle. Rabelats said, " Eating and
drinking are my true and only Heiicou.
my cabalistic fountain, my sole en-
th1siasm. / deliberate; and delibe-s-
ting, l drink" Ennius, Eschv!us.
and Cato all got their inspiration while
drinking. MeZeral always had a large
bottle Of wine beside him among his
books; he drank Of it at each page he
wrote. He turned the night into day.
time. All his windows were darkeneds
and it was no unusual thing for him to
show a friend to the door with lamp.
though outside it was broad daylight.
On the contrary, Variilas, the historian,
never wrote except at full midday His
ideas, he imagined, grew and declined
with the suns light WufsOu's Art
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