Unable to make fresh progress in deciphering the demotic passage, Young turned his attention to the hieroglyphs on the Stone. The beginning of the hieroglyphic inscription was missing, but most of the final lines were complete. Young compared them carefully with the last lines in the demotic version, and made an important discovery. In this excerpt, the author’s description of Thomas Young’s actions portray him as a person who

gives up easily.
believes in luck.
tries new ideas.
takes silly risks.