Up to that time, Panofka and de Witte, out of scientific enthusiasm, had
taken charge of the editorial work for the Institute in Paris. When they
retired, Bunsen appointed Lepsius in the place of de Witte, who
initiated him into the business. After his predecessor had left Paris,
Lepsius took charge, in his absence, of the printing of the annals of
the Institute and of the correspondence. These affairs claimed a large
portion of his time, and he would have gone immediately to Rome, the
headquarters of the Institute, had he not felt that his work in Paris
was not completed as far as Coptic was concerned. He also devoted
himself with special ardor to ancient Egyptian and hieroglyphics. In
these he continued to profit by the assistance of Salvolini, whose
rapidly progressing interpretation of the Rosetta stone interested him
greatly. Yet Lepsius already began to feel a slight mistrust of him,
especially on account of the unfavorable manner in which he expressed
himself regarding the industrious Egyptologist Rosellini, whom
Champollion had esteemed highly. From Bunsen, too, Lepsius had heard
nothing but praise of the latter, and moreover, Rosellini’s historical
works served him as a starting point for his own chronological
investigations, which began to interest him the more, the better he
succeeded in deciphering for himself the names of kings and little
historical hieroglyphic texts. For the great rapidity and certainty of
his progress he was indebted to the excellent linguistic training which
he had enjoyed. He had already exercised his talent for deciphering in
handling the Eugubian Tables. The critical method of his philological
guides had so become a part of his flesh and blood, that Bunsen could
justly describe him as safe against the danger of publishing anything
uncertain or untenable, or of announcing good results prematurely.
Before Rosellini had become personally acquainted with Lepsius he
magnanimously confided to the promising new disciple of his science all
of his notes that the latter desired to see, and gave him by letter
whatever explanations he wished. This he did in such an amiable manner
that Lepsius wrote to Bunsen: “I have taken extraordinary pleasure in
the inestimable liberality and courtesy of Rosellini. One meets with the
contrary among the French scholars here. If the French were better
etymologists they would perceive that in science as in life _liberté_
and _liberalité_ come from the same root.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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