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
What Henley was in the learned languages, the distinguished statesman
Lord Carteret, afterwards Earl of Granville, was in the modern. With all
his brilliant qualities as a debater, and all his great capacity for
public affairs, Carteret combined the learning and the accomplishments of
a finished scholar. Swift said of him that “he carried away from Oxford
more Greek, Latin, and philosophy, than became a person of his rank.” He
spoke and wrote French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and even
Swedish; and one of the first causes of the jealousy with which Walpole
regarded him, was the volubility with which he was able to hold converse
in German with their common master, George the First.
But Henley and Carteret stand almost alone among the English scholars of
the early half of the seventeenth century; and the first steady impulse
which the study of languages received in England, may be chiefly traced
to the attractions of the honourable and emolumentary service of the
East India Company. What the diplomatic ambition of France in the Levant
effected among the scholars of that country, the commercial enterprise
of the merchant princess of England achieved in her Indian territory;
and the splendid rewards held out to practical Oriental scholarship,
gave an impulse to the study of Eastern languages on a more liberal
and comprehensive scale.[183] It is in great part to this, that we are
indebted for the splendid successes of Sir William Jones, of Marsden, of
Colebrooke, of Craufurd, of Lumsden, of Leyden, and still more recently,
of Colonel Vans Kennedy.
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