During the nine mouths of their sojourn at Malta, they had made considerable progress in the Italian language, which was spoken extensively in the Levant; and now, without wholly neglecting the Italian, they applied themselves to the languages of Syria.
Mr.Bird made the Arabic--spoken by the Maronites and Syrian Roman Catholics--his chief study; and Mr.Goodell the Armeno-Turkish, -- Turkish written with the Armenian alphabet,--which was the language of the Armenians.
Going to Sidon for aid in his linguistic studies, Mr.Goodell formed the acquaintance of Yakob Agha, an Armenian ecclesiastic, who had dared to marry, a privilege not allowed to him as a bishop.

That he might be able to defend his course, he began the study of the New Testament, and thus became impressed with the wickedness around him.
He was at that time acting British agent at Sidon.

Mr.Goodell also became acquainted with Dionysius, another Armenian bishop, who had committed a similar offense, and engaged him as a teacher; giving him the name of Carabet, the "Forerunner." He was a native of Constantinople, and had lived thirty-six years in the Armenian convent at Jerusalem.

During the last nine of these years, he was a bishop.

On account of his age, his services and acquirements, he was regarded as having the standing of an archbishop.