This is the first part of Russell's book about Mezzofanti, in which the authors reviews all famous polyglots from Antiquity to 1850.

In the Life of Cardinal Mezzofanti I have attempted to ascertain, by direct evidence, the exact number of languages with which that great linguist was acquainted, and the degree of his familiarity with each. Eminence in any pursuit, however, is necessarily relative. We are easily deceived about a man's stature until we have seen him by the side of other men; nor shall we be able to form a just notion of the linguistic accomplishments of Cardinal Mezzofanti, or at least to bring them before our minds as a practical reality, until we shall have first considered what had been effected before him by other men who attained to distinction in the same department.

Ancient period
Legendary linguists, Mithridates and Cleopatra, The Romans, Decline of the Study, Separation of the two empires, The Crusaders, Frederic II, The Moorish schools in Spain, Coucil of Vienne, Roderigo Ximenes, Venetian travellers, Greeks in Italy, Linguists of the east, Dragomans, Genus Bey, Jonadab Alhanar, Interpreters in the Levant, Ciceroni, Syrian linguists, The Assemani, Greeks, Armenians, The Mechitarists

Spanish and Portuguese linguists:
Fernando Di Cordova, Covilham, Libertas Cominetus, Arias Mantanus, Del Rio, Lope de Vega, Missionaries, Antonio Fernandez, Carabantes, Pedro Paez, Hervas-y-pandura

Italian Linguists :
Pico della Mirandola, Teseo Ambrosio, Pigafetta, Linguistic Missionary colleges, The Propaganda, School of the religious orders, Giggei, Galani, Ubicini, Maracci, Podesta, Piromalli, Giorgi, De Magistris, Finetti, Valperga de Galuso, The de Rossis

French Linguists :
Postel, Polyglot-Pater-Nosters, Scaliger, Le Cluse, Peiresc, Chasteuil, Duret, Bochard, Puguet, Le Jay, De la Croze, Renaudot, Fourmont, Deshauterayes, De Guigne, Diplomatic affairs in the Levant, De Paradis, Langles, Abel Remusat, Modern School and the d Abbadies

Linguists of the Teutonic race :
Müller, Bibliander, Gesner, Christmann, Drusius, Maes, Haecx, Gramaye, Erpen, The Goliuses, Hottinger, Ludolf, Rothenacker, Andrew Müller, Witzen, Wilkins, Leibnitz, Gerard Müller, Schöltzer, Buttner, Michaelis, Catholic Missionaries, Berchtold to Humboldt, Biblical linguists, Hungarian linguists, Csoma de Körös

British and Irish linguists :
Crichton, Andrews, Gregory, Castell, Pockock, Ockley, Clarke, Wilkins, Toland, Henley, Carteret, Jones, Adam Clarke, Robert Jones, Young, Pritchard, Lee

Slavonian linguists :
Early Period, Jaroslav, The Romanoffs, Berunda Pameva, Peter the Great, Catherine I, Mentschikoff, Timkofsky, Ingumnoff, Senkowsky, Poles, Meninski, Groddek, Rzewuski, Italinski, Bohemian, Komnensky, Dobrowsky, Hanka

Other linguists :
Miraculous gifts of tongues, Royal linguists, Lady linguists, Infant phenomena, Uneducated linguists,