The life of Cardinal Mezzofanti: With an introductory memoir of eminent linguists, ancient and modernRussell, Charles William
History
The life of Cardinal Mezzofanti: With an introductory memoir of eminent linguists, ancient and modern
Russell, Charles William
Linguists; Mezzofanti, Giuseppe, 1774-1849
Among the scholars of modern Hungary there are a few names which deserve
to be mentioned. Sajnovitz’s work on the common origin of the Magyar
and Lapp languages, though written in 1770, long before the science
of Comparative Philology had been reduced to its present form, has
obtained the praise of much learning and ingenuity. Gyarmathi, who wrote
somewhat later on the affinity of the Magyar and Finnic languages (1799)
is admitted by M. Bunsen[164] to “deserve a very high rank among the
founders of that science.” But neither of these authors can be considered
as a linguist. Father Dubrowsky, of whom I shall speak elsewhere,
although born in Hungary, cannot properly be considered as a Hungarian.
Kazinczy, Kisfaludy, and their followers, have confined themselves almost
entirely to the cultivation of their own native language, or at least to
the ethnological affinities which it involves.
I have only discovered one linguist of modern Hungary whom I can consider
entitled to a special notice, but the singular and almost mysterious
interest which attaches to his name may in some measure compensate for
the comparative solitude in which it is found.
I allude to the celebrated Magyar pilgrim and philologer, Csoma de Körös.
His name is written in his own language, Körösi Csoma Sandor; but in the
works which he has published (all of which are in English), it is given
in the above form. He was born of a poor, but noble family, about 1790,
at Körös, in Transylvania; and, received a gratuitous education at the
College of Nagy-Enyed. The leading idea which engrossed this enthusiastic
scholar during life, was the discovery of the original of the Magyar
race; in search of which (after preparing himself for about five years,
at Göttingen, by the study of medicine and of the Oriental languages,)
he set out in 1820, on a pilgrimage to the East, “lightly clad, with a
little stick in his hand, as if meditating a country walk, and with but
a hundred florins, (about £10), in his pocket.” The only report of his
progress which was received for years afterwards, informed his friends
that he had crossed the Balkan, visited Constantinople, Alexandria, and
the Arabic libraries at Cairo; and, after traversing Egypt and Syria,
had arrived at Teheran. Here, on hearing a few words of the Tibetan
language, he was struck by their resemblance to Magyar; and, in the hope
of thus resolving his cherished problem, he crossed Little Bucharia
to the desert of Gobi; traversed many of the valleys of the Himalaya;
and finally buried himself for four years (1827-1830), in the Buddhist
Monastery of Kanam, deeply engaged in the study of Tibetan; four months
of which time he spent in a room nine feet square, (without once quitting
it), and in a temperature below zero! He quickly discovered his mistake
as to the affinity of Tibetan with Magyar; but he pursued his Tibetan
studies in the hope of obtaining in the sacred books of Tibet some light
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account