The life and correspondence of Sir Anthony Panizzi, K.C.B., Vol. 1 (of 2): Late principal librarian of the British museum, senator of Italy, etc.Fagan, Louis
History
The life and correspondence of Sir Anthony Panizzi, K.C.B., Vol. 1 (of 2): Late principal librarian of the British museum, senator of Italy, etc.
Fagan, Louis
Panizzi, Anthony, Sir, 1797-1879
But the English version is not so; “_He came unto his own, and his own
received him not_.” Mr. Major, the present Keeper of Maps, in the
British Museum, was at the time sitting in the same room with Panizzi,
and seeing him point out the mistake committed by Sir Henry Ellis, in
order to court enquiry exclaimed: “How do you account, Sir, for the
words “_in propria_” being used instead of “_ad suos_” which might have
been the version, had the English translation, the only one with which
he was then acquainted been correct. Panizzi was amazed at the question,
and turning round to his friend, exclaimed, “Goodness, he knows all
about it, I had never noticed the difference.” It is, however, a
pleasure to reflect that no very serious results accrued from these
disputes between the antagonists, and this is to be attributed to the
circumstance that both were true gentlemen, in the strict sense of the
word, and both men of education.
Whatever differences they may have had, they controlled their feelings,
and reined in their animosities, guided by the polished hand of
education, which, as was instilled into our minds, in our schoolboy
days,
“Emollit mores nee sinit esse feros.”
The whole case affords a fair example of the influence of gentle blood
and good breeding, as opposed to that grossness of ignorance, the sure
tendency of which is to cause forgetfulness of our better nature,
delivering us bound into the power of unbridled passion, and forcing the
most trivial disagreements to issue in petty spite and ill-feeling.
Conduct unworthy of a gentleman was the last thing that would be found
on either side in the case of Panizzi _v._ Ellis.
It is devoutly to be wished that this would happen on every occasion
where two men opposed in views meet; but it has been our lot to see a
very different state of affairs, where the disputants were unequally
matched on the intrinsic points of education and breeding.
But before dismissing the subject of quarrels (if such a term is
applicable to the jealousies and misunderstandings of educated men), we
must refer to the strong antagonistic feeling evinced towards him, whom,
in very bad taste, his colleague, Sir F. Madden, was wont to dub the
“_Foreigner_;” whilst necessity only compels the production of some
evidence of this, and makes us acknowledge our reluctance at laying-such
matters before our readers:—
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