The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-03-18
Lord Byron's Opinion of
the Marvellous Man.
CELEBRATED LINGuIs1s OF IRELAND.
A Spaniard Who Possessed
aWonderful Memory.

Chief among the celebrated names Of
antiquity we find that of Mithridates,
king of Pontus, and enemy of Rome.
His name is familiar to every schoolboy
who has dipped little i'll the Latin writ
ers His empire comprised, according to
some writer's Notwithstanding to
Others twenty-five different nations; it is
asserted that he was perfectly acquainted
with the languages spoken by these peo-
pies. Ancient writers assert that he never
needed to employ an interpreter in COIL
versation with his subjects, though speak
ing tongues so dissimilar. The famous
Cleopatra is likewise stated to have spok-
.en with ambassadors from several lands,
in their own languages. 1t is not assert
ed. however, that she at all equalled the
great king Pontus i'll knowledge Of
languages, as certainly it could not be ex-
pected that any lady could at all peer his
tremendous capacity for eating and
drinking!
In the reign OF Su1eynan, the Magnii-
cent. in the beginning of the sixteenth
century, there lived linguist Of some
celebrity, named Genus Bey. His his
tory was a curious one: his father was a
poor fisherman in sunny Corfu, and his
son used occasionally to bear him COM
pany upon the blue waters, which gave
him his harvest. On such an occasion as
this, it happened that they perceived a
suspicious bark bearing down upon them
They. at first, thought not but that it
would pass by. But. it was not to be.
on the pirates deck. sailing away for the
where was he?
Genus, Bey, the lad OF Corfu, was sold
at Constantinople. His masters took him
to Egypt, Syria, and other places, east
and west, so that opportunity being offer
ed to his linguistic talents, he soon be-
came proficient i'll considerable Num-
Der of languages His fame became noised
about, and in a short time to the Sultan
himself. This imperial parsonage sent for
him, and finding that his celebrity was
based on good grounds, promoted him
to be first dragoman. or interpreter, and
pasha He was" writes an old French
writer, ''the first man OF his day, for
speaking divers sorts of languages, and
of the happiest memory under the feav
ems" For it appears that he knew per-
fectly no fewer than sixteen languages,
videlicet: Greek, both ancient and mod
ern, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Turkish.
Moorish, Tartar, Armenian, Russian,
Hungarian, Polish, Italian, Spanish, Ger
man, and French"
In connection with linguistic attain
ments, the name OF Picus de Mirandula,
OF more correctly, Giovanni Pico della
Mirandola, naturally recurs to the men,
DRY. He was an Italian, son of duke
OF the same name, and born in 1863. Be
fore he was 20 he knew twenty-five Ian
guages, and spoke large number OF
them with ease and correctness. His
memory was one of great tenacity. 1t is
stated of him, that after having read any
work presented to him, he could repeat
the authors works by heart and even re-
cite them backwards! This certainly is a
strong statement, and no doubt much ex-
aggerated, but it is sufficient to show that
he was one whose real qualities were so
extraordinary, that almost anything
would be credited about him. He died
at the age of 81.
Fernando di Cordova was a Spaniard
who lived about the same time as Pico
and who was worthy to be accounted his
rival He had finished his studies in
grammar and rhetoric at the early age of
TO- Soon he became conversant with
Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Chaldee, Arabic,
and many of the European languages.
He could recite, it is said, the whole OF
the Bible by heart. One fact, showing
great powers of memory, is related by
Cardinal Wiseman concerning the Italian
Father de Rossi, very learned Oriental
scholar, who died in 1924. The anecdote
was told to Dr. Wiseman by persons who
heard the feat DONE De Rossi was with
some friends, and without any prepara-
ton on his part, it was proposed that
they should choose line out OF any part
of any of the four Italian poets, Dante,
Petrarcll, Tasso or Ariosto This being
done, De Rossi at once recited the hun
dred lines which followed-and having
selected different lines in different books.
De Rossi was able still to "cap" them
with the hundred lines which followed
Naturally !heir establishment was great.
But what was it, when. after selecting a
line at random for the purpose. they
heard him recite, line by line backwards,
the hundred lines which Immediately pre-
coded the chosen line? And this was
done several times, also.
The Admirable Crichton' was Scot,
born in 1861. educated at ST. Andrews;
but, no doubt still more so on the con-
tinent All the gifts and graces which de-
note the profound scholar and accom-
plished gentleman were his, none sur
passed him in fencing, horsemanship, and
gymnastic skill; in philosophy. poetry, di-
yinity, and general learning. was. the