The Historians' History of the World 04

Oddly enough, all Müller’s important works were written before he himself had ever visited the land of which he treated. Needless to say, a desire to visit Greece was ever with him, but it was long before the desire was realised. At last, however, the opportunity came to visit Greece in a semi-official capacity; the government granted him leave of absence from his university work, and provided him with a draftsman to make sketches in Greece under his direction. In the autumn of 1839 he started on this memorable and, as it proved, fatal tour. A story is told of his entry into Greece which will illustrate the power and charm of his personality. A friend of Finlay, the English historian of the later period of Greece, chanced to be on the same boat with Müller, and, after landing, he at once reported to Finlay that a most extraordinary man had come to Greece—a man whose name and nationality were unknown to him, but who had surprised everyone on the boat by seeming to speak all languages with equal facility and to discuss all topics with a like affluence of erudition. “I don’t know who he is,” said the narrator, “but he is somebody quite out of the common.” Needless to say, Finlay was not left long in doubt as to who this “somebody quite out of the common” really was.

With what enthusiasm and energy Müller began his investigations in the land, every part of which was so dear to him and at once so familiar and so novel, may be easily imagined, but his labours were not destined to reach the results that had been hoped; for, partly perhaps through over-exertion and fatigue, he was stricken with a fever, was brought back to Athens unconscious and delirious, and died there on the 1st of August, 1840. His work was thus cut short while he was yet in his prime, but even so he will always be remembered as one of the most prominent contributors to Grecian history of any age.

Munro, Observations on Persian Wars, London, 1898; article in the Journal of Hellenic Studies.—

Mure, William, Grecian Literature, London, 1854.—Murray, A. S., Greek Bronzes, London, 1898.

Nagiotte

, E., Histoire de la littérature grecque, Paris, 1883.—Nepos, C., De Viris Illustribus, Venice, 1471 (ed. by Dionysius Lambinus, Paris, 1569); Lives of Illustrious Men, London, 1723.—Nicolai, R., Griechische Litteraturgeschichte, Leipsic, 1876.—Niebuhr, B. G., Lectures on Ancient History, London, 1852; Stories of Greek Heroes, London, 1887.—

Niese, B., Gesch. der Griechischen und Macedonischen Staaten, Gotha, 1893.—Nitzsch, C. W., Die Römische Annalistik von ihren ersten Anfängen bis auf Valerius Antias, Berlin, 1873.

Oman

, C. W. C., History of Greece to Macedonian Conquest, London, 1890; History of Greece to Death of Alexander, London, 1891.—Oncken, W., Athen und Hellas, Leipsic, 1866.—Osborn, H. F., From the Greeks to Darwin, New York, 1894.—Overbeck, J., Gesch. der Griechischen Plastik, Leipsic, 1857.