CHAPTER I (1774-1798)
Birth and family history — Legendary tales — Early education — First masters — School friends — Ecclesiastical studies — Illness and interruption of studies — Study of languages — Anecdote — Ordination — Appointment as Professor of Arabic — Deprivation of professorship

CHAPTER II (1798-1802)
Straitened circumstances — Private tuition — The Marescalchi family — The military hospitals — Manner of study-the Magyar, Czchish, Polish, Russian, and Flemish languages — Foreigners — The Confessional — Intense application

CHAPTER III (1803-1806)
Appointed as Asssistant Librarian of 'the Istitato di Bologna — Catalogue Raisonné — Professorship of Oriental Languages — Paper on Egyptian obelisks — De Rossi - correspondence with him — polyglot translations — Caronni's account of him — Visit to Parma,Pezzana — Bodoni — Persian — Illness — Invitation to settle at Paris — Domestic relations — Correspondence — Translations

CHAPTER IV (1807-1814)
Labour of compiling Catalogue — His skill as linguist tested by the Russian Embassy — Deprivation of Professorship — Death of his mother — Visit to Modena and Parma — Literary friends — Giordani's account — Greek scholarship — Bucheron's trial of his Latinity — Deputy Librarianship of University — Visitors - Lord Guilford — Learned societies

CHAPTER V (1814-1817)
Restoration of the Papal Government — Pius VII. at Bologna — Invites Mezzofanti to Rome — Re-appointment as Professor of Oriental languages — Death of hisfather — Notices of Mezzofanti by Tourists — Kephalides — Appointed head librarian — Pupils — Angelelli — Papers read at Academy

CHAPTER VI (1817-1820)
Tourists' Notices of Mezzofanti — Society in Bologna — Mr Harford — Stewart Rose — Byron — The Opuscoli Letterari di Bologna — Emperor Francis I. at Bologna — Clotilda Tambroni Panegyric of F. Aponte — Lady Morgan's account of Mezzofanti — Inaccuracies The Bologna dialect — M.Molbech

CHAPTER VII (1820-1828)
Illness - Visit to Mantua, Modena, Pisa, and Leghorn— Solar Eclipse — Baron Von Zach — Bohemian — Admiral Smyth — The Gipsy language — Blume — Armenian - Georgian - Flemish — Pupils - Cavedoni,Veggetti, Rosellini - Foreigners — Daily duties - Correspondence — Death of PiusVII. - Appointment as member of Collegio dei Consultori — Jacobs' account of him — Personal appearance — Cardinal Oappellari - Translation of Oriental Liturgy - Mezzofanti's disinterestedness — Birmese

CHAPTER VIII (1828-1830)
Visit of Crown Prince of Prussia - Trial of skill in languages — Crown Prince of Sweden — M. Braunerhjelm - Countess of Blessington — Irish students - Lady Bellew — Dr. Tholuck - Persian couplet - Swedish — Cornish Dialect — Frisian — Abate Fabiani - Letters — Academy of the Filopieri

CHAPTER IX (1831)
Political parties at Bologna — M. Libri's account of Mezzofanti - Hindoo Algebra - Indian literature and history - Indian languages - Manner of study — Revolution of Bologna - Delegates to Rome - Mezzofanti at Rome — Reception by Gregory XVI. — Visit to the Propaganda - Dr. Cullen - Polyglot conversation - Renewed Invi-tation to settle at Rome- Consents - Calumnies of revolutionary party - Dr. Wordsworth - Mr. Milnes — Removal to Rome

CHAPTER X (1831-1833)
Rome a centre of many languages — Mezzofanti's pretensions fully tested — Appointments at Rome — Visit to the Chinese College at Naples - History of the College — Study of Chinese - Its difficulties - Illness — Return to Rome - Polyglot society of Rome — The Propaganda — Amusing trials of skill - Gregory XVI — Library of Propaganda rich in rare books on languages — Appointed First keeper of the Vatican Library - Letters

CHAPTER XI (1834)
The Welsh language - Dr.Forster — Dr.Baines — Dr.Edwards — Mr. Rhys Powell — Flemish - Mgr. Malou - Mgr. Wilde — Canon Aerts - Pere van Calven — Pere Legrelle — Mezzofanti's extempore - Dutch verses — Bohemian - The poet Frankl — Conversation on German and Magyar Poetry-Maltese - Padre Schembri - Canonico Falzou — Portugueses - Count de Lavradio

CHAPTER XII (1834-1836)
The Vatican Library - Mezzofanti's colleagues - College of St. Peter's - Mezzofanti made Rector - His literary friends in Rome — Angelo Mai - Accademia della Cattolica Religione - He reads papers in this Academy - Gregory XVI's kindness - Cardinal Giustimani - Albani - Pacca - Zurla — Polyglot party at Cardinal Zurla's in his honour - Opinions regarding him — Number of his languages - Mr. Mazzinghi - Dr. Cox - Dr. Wiseman — Herr Fleck - Greek Epigram — Herr Fleck's criticisms - Mezzofanti's Latinity — His English - Dr. Baines - Cardinal Wiseman - Mr. Monckton Milnes - Mezzofanti's style formed on books - Lady Morgan's opinion of hisEnglish — Swedish Literature - Professor Carlson - Count Oxen-stjerna — Armenian Literature - Mgr. Hurmuz — Padre Angiarakian Arabic of Syria — Greek Literature - Mgr. Missir - Romaic - Abate Matranga - Polish Literature — Sicilian — The Poet Meli

CHAPTER XIII(1836-1838)
Californian — Ottawa — Algonquin — Arabic — Albanese — Cingalese — Chinese — African languages — Letters

CHAPTER XIV (1838-1841)
Cardinal priest — Cardinal — Finances — Residences — Polyglot tributes — Frugality — Abbadies — Abyssinian — Basque — Critics — Modesty

CHAPTER XV (1841-1843)
Author's own testimony — Physical aspect — English — English dialects — English litterature — English church — Propaganda — Polyglot recitation — Polyglot conversation — Irish — Polyglot poems — Character — Humor

CHAPTER XVI (1843-1849)
Favorite nephen — Sister — Later years — English — North American Languages — Criticism — Spanish — Other languages — Russian — Polish — House of Catechumen — Death of Gregory XVI — Sickness — Death

CHAPTER XVII (RECAPITULATION)
Introduction — Definition — Stages — Table — Languages — Analysis — Reader's recollection — System to study languages — Natural Gift — Mental Process — Literary circles — Regrets — Criticisms — Writer — Conclusion