Fuseli early gained a reputation for scholarship, poetry, and painting.
He possessed such extraordinary powers of memory, that when he read a
book once, he thoroughly comprehended its contents; and he not only
wrote in Latin and Greek, but spoke them with the fluency of his native
tongue. He acquired such a perfect knowledge of the several modern
languages of Europe, especially of the English, French, and Italian,
that it was indifferent to him which he spoke or wrote, except that when
he wished to express himself with most power, he said he preferred the
German. After having obtained the degree of Master of Arts from the
college at Zurich, Fuseli bade farewell to his father's house, and
traveled in company with Lavater to Berlin, where he placed himself
under the care of Sulzer, author of the "Lexicon of the Fine Arts." His
talents and learning obtained him the friendship of several
distinguished men, and his acquaintance with English poetry induced
Professor Sulzer to select him as one well qualified for opening a
communication between the literature of Germany and that of England. Sir
Andrew Mitchell, British ambassador at the Prussian court, was
consulted; and pleased with his lively genius, and his translations and
drawings from Macbeth and Lear, he received Fuseli with much kindness,
and advised him to visit Britain. Lavater, who till now had continued
his companion, presented him at parting with a card, on which he had
inscribed in German. "Do but the tenth part of what you can do." "Hang
that up in your bed-head," said the physiognomist, "obey it--and fame
and fortune will be the result."