Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-01-02
GOssip AbOut Great Mem.

Gossip About Great Mem.
An interesting chapter might be writ
ten about the weakness of great men.
The anecdotes of Archimedes will be
remembered he rushed through the
streets of Syracuse, al fresco, crying,
Eureka !" and at the taking of the
city he was killed by soldier while
tracing geometrical lines on the sand.
Socrates, when filled with some idea,
would stand for hours fixed like a
statue. 1t is recorded of him that he
stood among the soldiers in the camp
of Potidea in rooted abstraction, listen
ing to his prophetic or 81 supernatural
voice.
Democritus shut himself up for days
together in little apartment in his
garden. Dante was subject to fits of
abstraction, in which he often quite for
got himself. One day he found an in
teresting book. which he had long
sought for, in druggists shop at Sienna,
and sat reading there till night came on.
Bude, whom Erasmus called the won
der of France, was a thoroughly absent
man. One day his domestic broke into
his study with the intelligence that his
house was on fire. SEQ inform my
wife" said he; you know do not in.
terfere in household AFFAIRS"
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 forgetfulness. One
| day in winter, when on his way to
ob,,,ob he Houy oolI -,
to-dayr' "Not more cold than usual"
said one of his attendants. "Then l
must have the ague," said Sully. is it
not more probable that you are too
scantily dressed ?' was asked. On lift
ing his tunic the secret was discovered ;
he had forgotten all his underclothes
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 Place 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 a grand seigneur
sported jewels and finery, wore rich lace
and velvets, and was curled and scented
to excess-wearing his hair en- papilcttt
while at his studies. Pope, too, was 6
little dandy in bag wig and sword
and his crooked figure enveloped IL
fashionable garments gave him the ap
pearance of an overdressed monkey
Voltaire also was fond of magnifcen
attire, and usually dressed in absurd
manner.
Diderot once travelled from st. Peters
burg to Paris in his morning gown and
night-cap, and in this guise promenadeo
the streets and public places of the towns
on his route. He was often taken for s
mailman. While composing his work:
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 II
tears. "Good heavens ~ he exclaimed
"what is the matter" 81 am weeping,
said Diderot, Z" at a story l have jus
composed r.
Young, the poet, composed his Nigh
Thoughts" with a skull before him, il
which he would sometimes place
lighted candle; and he OCCASIONAL,
sought his sepulchral inspiration b,
wandering among the tombs at mid
night. Mrs. Radcliffe courted the hor
rors with which she filed her gloom,
romances by supping on half.raw beef
steaks, plentifully garnished with onions
Dryden used to take physic before set
ting himself to compose a new piece
Kant, the German philosopher, Will,
lecturing had the habit of fixing his at
tention upon one of his auditors VIII,
wore garment without button in
particular place. One day the studen
had the button sewed on. Kant, OF
commencing the lecture, fixed his eye
on the usual place. The button wa
there! Fancy the CONSERVATION of tn
. philosopher, whose ideas had becom
associated with that buttonless gar
ment. His lecture that day was de
testable; he was quite unhinged by tn
circumstance.
Too many authors have been fond Q
the bottle. Rabelais said. Eating an,
drinking are my true sources of inspira
ton. See this bottle! 1t is my tru
} and only Helieon, my cabalistic foun
tain, my sole enthusiasm. Drinking,
, delhi crate; celebrating, l drink.
Ennius, Eschylus and Cato all got thei
/, inspiration while drinking. Mezera
always had a large bottle of wine besid
: him among his books; he drank of it a
} each page he wrote. He turned tn
night into DAY, and never composed ez
cept by lamp light, even in the day
time. All his windows were darkened
and it was no unusual thing for him t
show friend to the door with a lamp
, though outside it was broad daylight
On the contrary, Varillas, the historian
; never wrote except at full midday
; His ideas, he imagined, grew and d,
clined with the SUMS light.