Chapter XVII: (recapitulation.)

Plan pursued in preparing this Biography—Points of
inquiry—Number of languages known to Mezzofanti—What is meant
by knowledge of a language—Popular notion of it—Mezzofanti’s
number of languages progressive—Dr. Minarelli’s list of
languages known by him—Classification of languages according
to the degrees of his knowledge—Languages spoken by him with
great perfection—Languages spoken less perfectly—Languages in
which he could initiate a conversation—Languages known from
books—Dialects—Southern and central American languages—Total
number known to him in various degrees—His speaking of
languages not literally faultless, but perfect to a degree
rare in foreigners—Comparison with other linguists—His plan
of studying languages—Various systems of study—Mezzofanti’s
method involved much labour—Habit of thinking in foreign
languages—His success a special gift of nature—In what this
consisted—Quickness of perception—Analysis—Memory—Peculiarity
of his memory—His enthusiasm and simplicity—Mezzofanti as a
philologer, as a critic, a historian, a man of science—Piety
and charity, liberal and tolerant spirit—Social virtues, pp. 457-493.