The Portland daily press., 1894-12-15

Burnett mention MIN. Al an earAer oa'e
still he astonished Sir Phihp oAippeh' "ho
wrote, have seen a little poy' I'VE years
old last month, son of Mr.. "otten' minister
OF the parish. who hath lnsti uo'eu LIS chilo
Within the last three-quarters VI d year III
the reading the Latin. Greek anu hepre"
languages, which he can rea4 oiinoss as
we'll as English Sir Fhliip perceived,
however, that it was strength Oh memory
which gave this advantage not depth OF
knowledge, SO that he is reaoy 10 nistaAe
when some words of different s'gniicatlon
have near the same sound" he was ADMIT
ted to Catherine Hall, Caihorioge, some
months before his tenth blrthday'' ana was
graduated at twelve years anu nVe months.
But We remark without surprise that the
prodigy did nothing in particular AFTER
wards He took orders, accepted sine
cure, published a book, and died at sixty
one years. That is all.
Again, we have the son OF Dr. Clench,
not twelve years old. Pepys assisted
Evelyn in testing this boys prod1gious
maturity of knowledge, and the result as
founded them. as we'll it might. They put
him through chronology, history. geogra-
ply, the several systems of astronomy,
courses of the stars, longitude, latitude.
doctrine of the spheres, courses and
sources of rivers, creeks, harbors, eminent
cities. boundaries and bearings of countries
not only IN Europe but in any other part
of the earth: (which he did readily resolve
and demonstrate his knowledge of. readily
drawing out with his pen anything ne would
describe.', All this. we may suppose, as
Mr.. Pepy's department. Then sylvia
took a turn. asking Master Clench the most
famous things in any of the Greek or no.
man histories, monarchies, republics, war
colonies, exploits by sea and land, the Olo
and New Testament, the succession OF all
the Babylonian, Persian, Greek
Roman-with all the lower Emperors,
Popes. hereiarchs, and councils. the con-
troversy about Easter. tenets OF the
Gnostics, Sabellians, Arians, HISTORIANS;
the difference between st. Cyprlan and
Stephen about Rehaptization; schisms, the
Olympic games, and Synochronisms, and
but we may finish up with an etc. The list
must be read to find belief. Finally. after
a course of law, che gives stupendous
account of both natural and moral phlloso-
ply and even in metaphysics" Probably
this wonder, who was las beautiful as an
angel, "died young; we have no later intor-
nation about him. But Evelyn had
prodigy at home. AT two and half years
his son Richard could perfectly read any
of the English, Latin. French. and Gothic
letters. Before his fifth year he could
translate English into Latin and vice-ver-
sa, understood the grammar OF both
languages thoroughly. spoke correct
French, and chad strange passion for
Creek His disposition to mathematics was
wonderful; he could demonstrate several
propositions in Euclid and much else. At
five years and three days he died, smoth-
cred, as poor Evelyn believed. by the
women and maids who put too many blank
cts on him as lie lay in his cradle before
very hot fire.
An astonishing phenomenon was LIE Petit
Beuehasteau, who was presented to Louis
XIV. at the age Of seven. to Queen CHRIS
tina of Sweden, to the hing Of Spain, and
to Oliver Cromw ell improvising the most
exquisite verses to each in the language OF
the country. At ten years old he published
book, crowned by the Academy LA Tyre
du jeune Apollon " which is treasured by
bibliophiles. There are endless references
to him in the memoirs of the period. but we