sentences:  He showed from childhood linguistic aptitude, and having mastered several European languages, he devoted himself to the study of Semitic languages and Sanskrit.When a boy of thirteen he deciphered some old inscriptions on the tombstones of Padua which had puzzled older scholars.Two years later, happening to read D'Abbadie's narrative of his travels in Abyssinia, he resolved to write a history of the Falashas.