[Thommas]

As another indicator of his massive intellect, I understand that he memorized for recitation The Lays of Ancient Rome.

This massive poem by Macaulay has embedded that well known fragment:

Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
``To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his gods,

[oldvirginian]

Churchill had a terrible lisp as a child. To combat it he memorized poems, plays and passages from books.
With Demosthenes as his inspiration he then spent hours each day standing in front of a mirror watching his mouth as he recited the passage. Not content until he could speak with confidence his lisp wouldn’t embarrass him.