Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1874-06-27
Instances of Remarl.abIs sIemor,.


have been given from the time Of
Cicero, who concludes that memory
Is not of the heart, blood, brain, or
e atoms; whether of air or FIRE be is
not, like the rest, ashamed 10 say he
is ignorant; the undertakers, how
ever, 10 swear that IL is divine, hav-
ing regard TO such men as Cineas,
the ambassador OF Pyrrhus, who
saluted the Senate and all the peo-
pie by their names the second day
after his arrival at Rome; Of TheO-
dectes, the disciple of Aristotle; and
of Hortensius,' a man of his own
time. We have most Of us heard Of
Joseph Scaliger, who learned the
twice twenty-iour books Of the lii
ad and Odyssey in three weeks, Of
Avicenna, who repeated by heart
the whole of the Koran At the age
of 10; of Lipsius, who was willing
to Tecite the histories of Tacitus
word for word, giving any one
leave TO plunge a dagger into his
body If he made a mistake-an idle
license, for few would have cared
to run the resultant risk; Of the
youth of Corsica of good appear
ance, mentioned by Muretus, who
recited all the barbarous words the
latter had written till he was tired
OF writing, and stopped at last, as IL
was necessary to stop somewhere,
while the youth, like Oliver, asked
for more. Certainly said Mure-
tus, 'he was no boaster, and he told
me he could repeat in that way &c.
600 words. For my own part |
made trial of him after many days,
and found what he said true This
Corsican, as those others, was no
doubt Of q soul disdaining silver
and gold, or be might have made
his fortune by Offering his services
TO an Emperor. OF Frances Sua-
rez, who, after the witness of Stra-
da, could quote the whole of Angus
tine (the fathers works would fiji
sFaaIi iibrury1 from the egg 60 tho
apple. OfDr. Thomas Fuller, who
could name in order all the signs
on both sides of the way from the
beginning Of Paternoster-row at
Ave Maria-lane to the bottom of
Cheapside to Stocks Market, now
the Mansion House. OF Maglia-
becchi, whose name is pleasantly
and permanently associated with
spiders and the proof Of the lost MS.
Of Wm Lyon, who for a bowl of
punch, a liquor of which he was
exceedingly fond, repeated a Daily
Advertiser, in tho morning, which
he had read once only, and then in
the course of u debaueh, overnight.
Jedediah Buxton, if his witness
be true, could by some mnemoteeh-
ny of his own, multiply 80 figures
by 80, without paper, and amused
himself when at the thcater by
of the words used bv
that of the pots of beer drank dur
ing twelve years of his life; OF
lerah Colburn, a mere child, there
remains on record n testimony
that he could tell the number Of
in 5S years In less time
han the question could be written
iown; and that prodigy Of parts,
Pascal, is said to have forgot notl-
ng thought, read, or done during
lis rational age. This, says the
Iuthor of the essay on tho Conduct
If the Human Understanding, is a
hing so wholly inconsistent with
'ur experience Of human nature
hat TO doubt it Is no reprehensible
tretch of skepticism. The same
eNark might be well applied to
'ther marvels, as of Cyrus, who is
eported by Pliny to have possessed
hat necessary good of life TO such
degree that he knew the names
# all the soldiers in his army-an
ccount, by the way, considerably
by XenophoD, who sub
titutes generals for soldiers; and of
iithridates, prototype Of Magli-
becchi; who spoke the tongues Of
wenty-two peoples under his rule.
n the one n nomepclature was sup
the other had no need
# any dragoman. There was in
ireece, says Pliny, a man named
,harmidas, who. when q person
sl2el1 ntsn iOf any DOok M liorlryi
eiated the contents OF 10 to that
,ersOn by hears. Such Lalies uro,
Ike those of miracles aud spiritual
manifestations, interesting, perhaps,
'ut supported by insufficient evil
Ience. Though says QciEtilian,
never had the good fortune to
witness such a performance speak
ng of some mental gymnastics Of
+ this kind, 4 yet conceive tho be-
ef in their possibility may be well
herished if for none other reaJon
nan that some who think 1t prac.
cable may go and attempt to do
kewise, So Leibnitz defended
nc search for the Philosophers
tone by saying it frequently dis
Jvered scientific truth.-The Corn
i'll.