He was a
native of Dereham, Norfolk, but had wandered much in his youth, first
following his father, who was a Captain of Militia. He went from south
to north, from Kent to Edinburgh, where he was entered as pupil in the
High School, and took part in the "bickers" so well described by Sir
Walter Scott. Then the boy followed the regiment to Ireland, where he
studied the Celtic dialect. From early youth he had a passion, and an
extraordinary capacity, for learning languages, and on reaching manhood
he was appointed agent to the Bible Society, and was sent to Russia to
translate and introduce the Scriptures. While there he mastered the
language, and learnt besides the Solavonian and the gypsy dialects. He
translated the New Testament into the Tartar Mantchow, and published
versions from English into thirty languages. He made successive visits
into Russia, Norway, Turkey, Bohemia, Spain and Barbary. In fact, the
sole of his foot never rested. While an agent for the Bible Society in
Spain, he translated the New Testament into Spanish, Portuguese, Romany,
and Basque--which language, it is said, the devil himself never could
learn--and when he had learnt the Basque he acquired the name of
Lavengro, or word-master.
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