University of Virginia Library

6. CHAP. VI.

IT was about three or four o'clock in
the afternoon, that some one, who had
read the advertisement respecting Teague,
came to the Captain, and informed him,
that a person, answering the description,
had been lately employed to teach Greek
in the University. Struck with the idea,
that the bog-trotter might have passed himself
for a Greek scholar, whereas he understood
only Irish, he set out to the University,
to make enquiry. Knocking at
the door of the principal, he was admitted;
and, being seated, addressed him as
follows: Said he, sir, a pedeseque of mine,
(for talking to the rector of a college, he
did not chuse to use the vulgar terms, waiter,
or bog-trotter,) a pedeseque of mine,
whom I have found useful, save that he is
somewhat troublesome in pretending to
places of appointment for which he is not

qualified; a thing, by the bye, too common
in this country; where men, without
the aid of academic knowledge, thrust
themselves into places requiring great
learning and ability: (This he said to
slatter the man of letters; as if a man could
know but little, that had not been forged
or furbished at his school): I say, this pedeseque
of mine, has absconded for some
days; and I have been able to collect no
account of him until last evening, that a
person, having read an advertisement of
mine in the gazette, came to me, and informed,
that one, answering the description
I had given, both as to appearance
and accomplishments, had been lately employed,
as professor of the Greek language,
in this University. Now, though I well
know this Pady, as I may call him, to understand
no Greek; yet, as he speaks Irish,
and has much assurance, and little
honesty in matters where his ambition is
concerned, I did not know, but he might
have imposed himself upon you, for a
Greek scholar, and obtained a professorship.

The principal made answer, that it was
true that a person from Ireland had been
lately employed in that capacity; and that

should he be discovered to be an inpostor,
it would be using the university very ill.
The Captain thought so too; and taking
it for granted that it was Teague, expressed
his surprise that they had not examined
him, before he was admitted; or at
least had such proof by letters as would
have had ascertained his being qualified.
The principal observed, that as to examination
they had no one at hand to examine,
as there were none of the trustees
or professors of other branches in the university
understood Greek; as for himself
he did not, having not studied it in early
life, and for a series of years, having giving
himself to politics and mathematics;
so that unless they could send out for a
Roman Catholic priest, or a Scotch clergyman,
there was none to examine. The
improbability of any person passing himself,
above all things, for a master of the
Greek language on the score of understanding
Irish, was such, that it never came into
their heads to suspect it, so as to demand
letters.

Had you known said the Captain, this
bog-trotter of mine, (here he forgot the
word pedeseque) as well as I do, you
would not be surprised at his attempting

any thing; and that he should be now in
your academy giving Greek lectures, understanding
nothing but the vernacular
tongue of his own country. Here he gave
an account of his setting up for Congress,
&c. as explained in the preceding
part of this narrative.

However, wishing to see the raggamuffin
that he might unkennel him, he was
accompanied by the principal to the chamber
of the pseudo professor, considering as
he went along, in what manner he should
accost him; whether he should break out
upon him with a direct invective, or with
ironical words; such as, Mr. Professor,
you must be a very learned man, not only
to understand Irish, but Greek: but perhaps
the Greek and Irish language are
much the same. It must be so; for I know
that a few days ago, you did not understand
a word of this, and to acquire a dead
language in such a short time would be impossible,
unless the living tongue was a
good deal a-kin to it. But I had never
understood that Irish had any more affinity
to the language of Athens and Sparta,
than the Erse, or the German, or the
Welch; however, we must live and learn,

as the saying is; you have shewn us what
we never knew before.

Conning a speech of this sort in his own
mind, with a view to divert the principal,
and amuse himself with Teague, he entered
the chamber of the professor; who sat
in an elbow chair with Thucidydes before
him.

What was the surprise of the Captain
to find that it was not Teague.

In fact, it was a person not wholly unlike
him, especially in a hinge of the
brogue which he betrayed in his discourse;
for though the professor was really a man
of education, having been early sent to St.
Omer's, where he had studied, being intended
for a priest, and understood not
only the Greek, and Latin, but spoke
French; yet in the pronunciation of the
English tongue, he had that prolongation
of the sound of a word, and articulation
of the vowel O, which constitutes what
is vulgarly called the brogue, as being
the pronunciation of the native Irish; who
being a depressed people, are most of them
poor, and wear a kind of mean shoe, which
they call a brogue.

After an apology to the professor for
mistaking him for a certain Teague O'Regan,

whom he had in his employment,
at the request of the professor, the principal
and the Captain took seats.

The professor said, His name was not
O'Regan, being O'Dougherty; but he
knew the O'Regans very well in Ireland.
There was a Pady O'Regan in the same
class with him at St. Omer's, when he read
Craike. That he was a good scholar, and
understood Craike very well; and he would
be glad if he was over in this country to
tach Craike here; it appeared to be a very
scarce language; but he had become a
praste, and was now a missionary to Paraguay,
in Sout-America.

The Captain punning on his pronunciation
of the word Greek; and willing to
amuse himself a little with the professor,
could not help observing, that he was under
a mistake, as to the scarceness of the
Craike language in these States. That
there were whole tribes who spoke the
Craike language; there was that of the
heron, and the raven, and several other
fowls. A German professor, who was present,
apprehending the Captain to be under
a mistake, and willing to correct him,
observed—It is, said he, the Creek language,
that the professor means. As to

that, said the Captain, it is also spoken
plentifully in America. There is a whole
nation of Indians, on the borders of South
Carolina and Georgia, that speak the Creek
language; men, women, and children.

The professor knowing more of the classics
than of the geography of these United
States, and of the heathen gods more
than of the aborigines of this country, expressed
astonishment. If what you tell me
be a trut, said he, it is a crate discovery:
perhaps dese may have de fragments o' de
books o' de philosophers and poets that
are lost, and de professors cannot come
acrass in deir own countries; but I have
tought dat de Craike language was spoke
only in de Morea, and a little in Russia,
and Constantinople.

The Captain assured him, the principal
favouring the mistake, by a grave face,
and bowing as the Captain spoke, that it
was absolutely the vernacular language of
these people.

Why den, said the other, do dey not
get professors from amongst dese, to tache
Craike in deir Colleges?

Because, said the Captain, we have been
heretofore on hostile terms with these Indians;
and it is but of late that we have

made a peace. But now, it is to be presumed,
we shall have it in our power to
procure from them able teachers.

The professor was alarmed at this; as
supposing it would supercede the necessity
of his services; or, at least, much reduce
the price of his tuition. He could have
wished he had not come to this quarter of
the world; and was almost ready, in his
own mind, to bind up what he had, and
go back to Clogher.

So ended their visit to the University,
and the Captain withdrew.