Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-30
GREAT MEN.

4
An interesting chapter might be writ
/ ten about the weaknesses of great men.
/ The anecdotes of AIchimedes will be
remembered; he Fushes through the
streets of Syracuse, al JreScO, crying,
/ A" Eurekan and at the taking of the
city he was killed by soldier while
tracing geometrical lines on sand.
Socrates, when filled with some idea,
would stand for hours fixed like a statue.
1t is recorded Of him that he stood amid
the soldiers in the camp of POtidea in
rooted abstraction, listening to her 'prO-
pheticn 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 be 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, was a thoroughly
absent man. One day his domestic
broke into his study with the intelli-
gence that his house vas on fire. "GO
land inform my wife" he said; "you
know do not interfere in household
affairsF"
Scaliger only slept for few hours, and
passed whole days without thinking of
food. Sully, when his mind was Oc-
cupied with plans of reform, displayed
extraordinary fits of foTgetfulness. One
day in winter, when on his way to
church, he observed, Chow cold it is
to-dayi" 90 Not more cold than usual, u
said one of his attendants. "Then l
must have the ague,n said Sully. " Is
it not more probable that you are too
scantily dressed?" he was was asked. On
lifting the tunic the secret was at once
discovered he had forgotten all his
under-clOthes but his breeches!
Mrs. Barry tells a somewhat familiar
story of the painter Stothard 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,
spoTted Jewels and finery, wore rich lace
and velvets, and was curled and scented
to excess-wearing his hair en- 11GpiJotte
while at his studies. Pope, too, was a
little dandy in a bag wig and sword !;
and his crooked figure envelOped in
fashionable garments gave him the look
of an Overdressed monkey. VOltaire,
also, was fond Of magnificent attire,
and usually dressed in an absurd man
neT.
Diderot once travled from st. Peters
burg to Paris in his morning gown and
uightcap, and in this guise prOmenaded
the streets and public places of the
towns on his route. He was often taken
as a mailman. 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 a
happy idea. One day a friend found
him in tears. GOOD heavensvp he ex-
claimed, "what is the matter?" 81 am
weeping" said Diderot, " at story that
1 have just composed"
Young, the poet, composed his Night
Thoughts with q skull before him, in
which he would sometimes place light
ed candel; and ne occasionally sought
his speulchral inspiration by wandering
among the tombs at midnight. Mrs.
Radcliffe courted the horrors with which
she filled the gloomy rOmances by sup
ping on half-raw beef steaks, plentifully
garnished with onions. Dryden used to
take physic before setting himself to
compose a new piece. Kant, the Ger
man philosopher, while lecturing, had
the habit of fixing his attention upon
one of his auditors who wore a garment
without a button in a particular place.
One day the student had the button
sewed on. Kant, on commencing the
lecture, fixed his eye on the usual place.
The button was therel 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 I'M
hinged by the circumstance.
Too many authors have been fond of
the bottle. Rabelats said, {" Eating and
drinking are my true and only Helicon,
my cabalistic fountain, my sole en-
thusiasm. I deliberate; and delibera-
ting, / drink Ennius, Eschylus,
and Cato all got their inspiration while
drinking. Mezeral always had 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 darkened;
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, Varillas, the historian,
never wTOse except at full midday. His
ideas, he imagined, grew and declined
with the SUMS light WdtSon's Art
Journal.