The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-12-07
COASTS, shout Great Men.

An interesting chapter might he wri ,5s ,
,hnnt tho spyeak,,esses Of great men. ihe
anccdotns 81. Arehme6es will be felacll'-
bcred: he rtrshes through, Tire streets OF es.
rscuse. al frcsca. crylIg a" E,reka, anu ~
tho taking Of the city he was kllcd .! SOY
der while tracing geonetricai lines on saho'
Socrates, when filed win some iuea,
would stand for hours liked hkc STATUE.
II is recorded Of him that ne stoou anhG tne
soldiers in the camp of Pot'dea, IN rooted 40.
strsc,ion, listening to his "prophetc = OF
"sUpernat,lral voice.
Democriti,s shut himself up for days to-
..cther In a little apartment in bis garden.
Dante was subject to hts Of abstraction, ID
which he often quite forgot himself. One
dav he found an interesting book, which he
had long sought for, in druggists shop at
Sienna, and sat reading there till night came
on, 8
Bude, whom Erasmus called the wonder Of
France, was thoroughly absent man. One
day his domestic broke into his study with
the intelligence that his house was on ire.
$50 inform my wife," said he; "yor know
I do not Interfere in household aifars!" y
Scaiiger only slept for q few hours, and
passed whole days without thinking OF food.
Suny, when his mind was occupied with
plans Of reform, displayed extraordinary fits
of sorgetfulness. One day in winter, when
OH bis way to church, he observed, GLOW
cold it is to-day ~ 6Not more cold than
usual" said one of his attendants. "Theu
! must have the .ague," said Snlly. "ls it
not more probable that you are too scantllr
dressed Pr he was asked. On lifting the
:unic the secret was at once discovered; he
had forgotten all his under-clothes but his
breeches
Mrs. Bray tells somewhat familiar story
of the painter Stothard. When invited on
one occasion to dine with the poet Rogers,
on reaching the house in st. JameS's Palace,
he complained of cold, and CHANGING to put
his hand on his neck, be had forgotten to put
on bis cravat, when he hastily returned home
TO complete his attire af-s.. egs- ....,.,s. q,
Button was"very fond Of dress. lie as
sumed the air Of the grand seigncur, sported
Jewels and fnery, wore rich lace aud yelvets,
and was cur!ed and scented to eycess--wear-
ing his hair en- paptlotte while at his studies.
Pope, TOO, was little dandy in bag-wie
aad sword; and his crooked figure, enycloped
IN fashionable garments, gave him the look
OF ali oyer-dres3ed monkey. FOl,a'rc, also,
was fond Of magnificent attire, and usually
dressed In an absurd manner.
Diderot once travelled from st. Peters
burgh to Paris In his morning-gown and
nigbt-cap, and in this guise promenaded the
streets and public places of the towns on his
route. He was often taken for madman.
While composing his works he used to walk
about with rapid strides, and sometimes
throwing his wig in the air when he had
struck out happy idea. One day friend
found him in tears. "Good heaYcns!" he
, exclaimed, "what is the matter?" 6 am
weeping,5,' said Diderot, "at story that l
have Just composed"
Young. the poet, composed his "Night
Thoughts" with skull before him, in which
he would sometimes place lighted candle
and he occasionally sought his sepulchral in
spiration by wandering among the tolnbs at
midnight. Mrs. Radcliffe courted the horrors
with which she filled her gloomy romanceS
by supping on haIfraw beelstcaks, pleutl.
fully garnished with cuions. Dryden used
to take physic before setting himself to com
pose . lew piece, kalit, the German pull
losopher, while featuring 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 sewcd on. Kant, on commence
ing the lecture, fixed his eye on the usual
place. The button was therel Fancy the
CONSERVATION OF the philosophers, whose
ideas had become associated with that but
tonless garment. His lecture that day was
detestaDle; he was quite unhlnecd by The
circumstance.
Too many authors have been fond Of the
bottle. Rabeais said, Eating and drink
Ing are my true sources Of inspira-
ton. See this bottle! 1t is my true and
only uciicon, my cabaiistic fountain, my
sole enthusiasm. Drinking. deliberate;
and deibcrating, drink EnniuS, Aschy-
lus, and Cato all got their inspiration while
drinking. Mczelai always had large bottle
OF wine beside him among his books; he
tAunk OF it at each page he wrote. He turned
the nj Git into day, and never composed eN-
cept by lamp-light, even in the daytime. All
his windows were darkened. and it was no
unusual thing for him to showa friend to the
door with a lamp, though outside it was
broad daylight. On the contrary, Farillas,
the historian, never wrote except ut full mid
day. His ideas, he imagined, grew and de-
clined with the SUMS Light Watson's drt
Journal.