MAHONY, Francis (1804-1866), “Father Prout,” Roman Catholic priest, scholar, journalist, song-writer, and humorist, was born at Cork of a respectable middleclass family in 1804. His classical education was chiefly obtained at a Jesuit college at Amiens, and after studying theology at Paris he received clerical ordination, and served in Switzerland and Ireland. He then came to London, and officiated for some time in the chapel of the Bavarian Legation. While there he fell in with the coterie of wits and men of letters who were then engaged on Fraser's Magazine, and, soon finding their society and pursuits more congenial to him than those of the Romish priesthood, he, about 1834, began to contribute his celebrated Prout papers to Fraser. These consist principally of translations of well-known English songs into Latin, Greek, French, and Italian verse, which he humorously represents as being the true originals from which the English authors had merely plagiarized them. The songs of France, and those of modern and ancient Italy (including among the latter many most felicitous renderings of Horace’s odes), were then given in English versions, accompanied by a running commentary full of queer humour and often acute criticism. Prout’s translations have been universally admired for the extraordinary command which they display of the various languages into which his renderings are made, and for their spirit and freedom both of thought and expression. Perhaps, however, the wonder at his polyglott learning has led to less attention than is deserved being paid to the remarkable excellence of many of his English versions of French and Latin odes. In happy abandon they are often almost unequalled, and most of them have all the unfettered character of original compositions. It ...