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GRE GOBl vow FEIW AaOlLE.

THE NEW

Bvt of 0itm0vp,

FOUNDED UPON THE PRINCIPLES
TAUGHT BY

M. GREGOR VON FEINAIGLE:

AND APPLIED TO

Chronology, History, Geography, Languages, Systematic
Tables, Poetry, Prose, and Arithmetic.

TO WHICH ARE ADDED,

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY,

FROM THE EARLIEST PEKiOD TO THE PRESENT TIME ;
AND

INSTANCES OF THE EXTRAORDINARY POWERS

NATURAL MEMORY.

Illustrated by Engravings.

WITH NUMEROUS CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS.

Constat memorinm halere quiddam artificii et non omnem d
natura proficisci, Cic,

%tm^on :

PRINTED FOR SHERWOOD, NEELY, AND JONES,
PATERNOSTER-ROW ;

M.Keene and J. Cumming, Dublin; Bell and Bradfute, Edinburgh ;
and Brash and Held, Ulaigow.

1813.

'[^terta at €)t3tiojur0'=i^atC]

J, Fawcett, Printer,
Newcastle Street, Loudon.

stack
Annex

PREFACE ^^.^

TO THE -^Q^

FIRST EDITION.

As the art which forms the subject of
this volume is sufficiently discoursed on,
in the introductory matter prefixed to the
system contained in the present work,
it remains only to give an account of the
origin of this publication.

The system, here presented to the pub-
lic, is that taught by M. Von Fein-
aigle; who, by the public exhibitions
which he has given of the proficiency of
some of his pupils, has excited a very ge-
neral interest and curiosity as to the mne-
monic art. The following pages contain,
amidst various other matter, the sub-
stance of fifteen of the Professor's lec-
tures, on the application of the art to
Chronology, Geography, History, Lan-
guage, Systematic Tables, and Poetry and
Prose; being the whole of one course,
with the exception of one lecture on
Arithmetic and Algebra. This was omit-
ted because the subject to which it relates,
is so complicated in itself, as to render it

IV PREFACE TO

impossible to give an intelligible account
of it within the compass necessarily pre-
scribed to this publication ; and because
the subject was not of such general in-
terest or utility, as those which are here
treated of.

The Editor is not aware that any apo-
logy is due to the Professor on account of
this publication. The principal peculia-
rities of his system had found their way
into pretty general circulation, by oral
communication, before this work was con-
templated : and the accounts which were
thus circulated, like most traditions, were
by no means calculated to give satisfac-
tory or creditable notions on the subject.

The Editor attended one course of
lectures, and, after the example of several
of his friends, took very copious notes.
Finding, however, that the materials
which he had thus collected, were so
confused and disorderly, as to be nearly,
if not wholly, useless ; and being unwil-
ling that the time he had bestowed on the
subject should become entirely without
profit, he applied himself to draw up
these lectures in a more intelligible form,
for his oivn vse ; supplying, at length, the
analogies and other illustrations to which
the lecturer had very cursorily and dis-
tantly alluded. In this attempt, parum
Claris dare lucent., the matter swelled it-

THE FIRST EDITION, V

self nearly to the contents of the followmg
pages.

Several of his friends who had attend-
ed the Lectures, were pleased to think
that the subject had profited much in
his hands ; and that the science, thus il-
lustrated and explained, was much moret
intelligible than it was in its original state
of communication. They accordingly
urged him to publish this improved ac-
count of the system, as well for the be-
ne fit of those persons who had actually at-
tended courses of Lectures, as of those
who wonld be satisfied with such an ac-
count of it as is herein contained. With
this request he has complied, whether
rightly or erroneously, it is not, perhaps,
for him to determine. On this subject
he only wishes to add, that, however se-
condari) and derivative tiiis undertaking
may, at first sight, appear to those who
have not attended the Lectures, — they
who have attended them, will be able, (the
Editor is confident,) to give him ample
credit for oriqiuaUly .

No expense has been spared in sup-
plying this volume with appropriate en-
gravings, together with the diagrams ne-
cessary to illustrate the work, and which
have been chiefly furnished to him by tlm
kindness of his friends.
A 3

Ml PREFACE.

In order to render this work as com-
plete as possible, an account has been
inserted of the Principal Systems of Ar-
tificial Mevnory : and, accordingly, the
public and private repositories of curious
literature have been diligently searched
for- scarce books on this subject.

Some instances of the extraordinary
powers oi Natural Memory conclude the
volume: they have been inserted from
a persuasion that they will be new to
many persons, and agreeable to all. In
short, nothing has been omitted, which
was thought capable of illustrating or
giving interest to the subject; and it is
hoped, nothing has been inserted, which
the curious reader would wish to be sup-
pressed.

Under these circumstances, the Editor
takes leave of his readers, in full conli-
dence, that w hatever may be the success
of his publication, he has at least deserv-
ed well of them, in his intentions and en-
deavours to promote their advancement
in useful knowledge.

London,

August, 1812.

SECOND EDITION.

If the sale of a book b6 any criterion of
its merit, the present work must stand
high in the opinion of the public, as a
large impression fms been disposed of, in
the short space o^four months. The ge-
neral utility, indeed, of this * New Art of
Memory,' needed only to be known to
be properly estimated and successfully
practised.

The appearance of such a system
as this, has produced (as miglit na-
tuVally be expected) many imitators.
The merit of having improved upon the
original plan of M. Feinaigle, does not,
however, appear to belong to any of these
persons; for the editor is enabled to state,
without fear of refutation, that either an
attendance upon M. Feinaigle's lectures,
or indeed the former edition of this book.

"Vlll ADVERTISEMENT TO

has furnished more than the outlines of
those systems which were so recently
taught in the metropolis. The diagrams,
indeed, distributed to the pupils who
attended these lectures were, evidently,
copied from those of M. Feinaigle. The
hieroglyphics, it is true, were exchanged
for others of a different nature, but the
principles and the practice of the art were
precisely the same.

The chief peculiarities which distin-
guish this edition from that which pre-
ceded it, are the following : —

1. The editor has adopted a more con-
venient and connected disposition of his
materials, and has given an introduction
to mnemonics partly new, together with
several additions and illustrations calcu-
lated to extend the knowledge of this art,
and to accelerate the progress of the stu-
dent. Among the additions may be named
tlie application of the art to Arithmetic,
which was not inserted in the former
edition, for the reasons stated in another
part of this volum e.

2. Some new and interesting notices
of hooks have been inserted in the ac-

THE SECOND EDITION. ix

count of the Principal Systems of Artifi-
cial Memory. This sketch contains no-
tices of more than sixty* works on the
subject, including copious extracts from
many books of great curiosity and value.
A small portion of extraneous matter has
also been omitted, and the whole of
LiQwe's Mnemonics has been introduced.
This change was made for two reasons ;
(1.) on account of the extreme scarcity of
Lowe's original tract, and (2.) because
some persons, perhaps, may be inclined
to practise this system, and yet be un-
willing to purchase the last edition of
Grey for this purpose.

3. To the account of instances of the
extraordinary powers of natural memory,
is appended an interesting narrative of
Zerah Colbium, the young American who
is so well known for his wonderful pow-
ers in extemporary calculation. This
extraordinary youth seems, indeed, to ri-

• It is, perhaps, worthy of remark, that oue of the most cele-
brated bibliographers of the present day, Brunet, — in his
Manuel du Libraire, {Paris 1810,) notices one work only on Ar-
tiBcial Memory, viz. that oH Grataroli translated by Hope — tiie
same solitary book inserted by De Bure, in his Bibliogra-
pliie Jnsttuctive.

Xll ADVERTISEMENT.

of common life, it would be endless and
useless to specify; the editor will, there-
fore, conclude in the words oi GrataroU^
an eminent writer on mnemonics: —

' It sufliceth therefore, that we have
expressed a methode or compendious
waye, the whiche whosoever foloweth
shall easel ye (^o tijjat CjCCrd,BC ht tlOt !acft^
pngc) get and attayne the certeine and
sure remembraunce, of manye and sun-
drye thinges, as due occasion shall re-
quire : imt ai3f for tf|e ^luggi^l) miti gstik,
\tt tljcin ^luggc aitti ^itti^t ^till, to tDjjome
an t^iitgc^ arc ijiisfjrtca^mg/

London,
January, 1813.

CONTENTS.

I. NEW ART OF MEMORY.

INTRODUCTION ^^S^ 1

CHAP. I. Principles 31

II. Chronology 55

III. Geography 63

Sect. 1. Principles 63

2. General Geography 68

S. Particular Geography 76

4. Statistics 81

IV. History 88

V. Language 98

Sect 1. On learning Languages 98

2. Sketch of the origin of Language . . 10^

3. Account of sonic attempts towarJs

a universal cliaracter or alphabet 109
4.Proposed philosophical arrangement
of the alphabet as applied to lan-
guages in general 12?

5. The derivation of French from La-

tin, shown to consiit, principally,
in the change of certain letters
according to established rules. . . . 1S3

6. Mode of learning the conjugations

and declcn.xions of a language, ex-
emplified in the Latin 146

7. Particular directions for tlie acqui-

sition of a language 151

^T CONTENTS.

CHAP. VI. Systematic Ta^bles PageI53

VII. Poetry and Prose 162

VIII. Arithmetic 173

II. PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF ARTIFICIAL MEMORY,

CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED.

Thomas Bradwardin 182

Matheolus Perusinus 183

Jacobus Publicius ib.

John Priis 184

Baldwin of Savoy 185

Peter of Ravenna ib.

Jacobus Colinseus 1 85

Nicholas Chappusius ib,

John Romberch 187

Lodovico Doici 188

William Grataroli •.... 189

William Fulwod ib.

Stephen Cope 206

John Spangenberg 208

Cosmus Rosselius ib,

Jordano Bnmo 208, 2 1 1

Thomas Watson 20.9

John Michael Albert • ib.

Philip Gesvaldi ib.

John Baptist Porta 212

F. H.Marafioti 213

Lambert Schenckel 214

Anon. ib.

Joh.Paep. (ialbaicus 214

Arnold Backhusy 215

Martin Sommcr 217

Seinpronius Lancioni 227

Jolui Henry Alsted • ••• »b.

CONTENTS. XV

AdaraBrux Page 227

Fr. Mart. Ravellin • -V. •• - 234

Robert Fludd ..V..?. 236

Apsines (Graec. Rhet.) 237

Adam Naulius ib.

John Willis • 238

Anon 281

Joaun. Velasquez >b.

Hugo Car'Jbnnell 282

RaymundLully 282,283

Andrew Valieri 282

Adrian le Cuirot ib.

Joh. Conrade Dannliawcr 283

Meyssonerus • ib.

Hejiry Herdson 286

John Belot 307

Anon. ib.

Athanasius Kirchcr ib.

Johannes Austriacus 308

John Shaw 309

Simon Wastell ib.

Anon. 328

Jo. Brancaccio 239

Marius D'Assigny ' 330

Thomas Erhardt 338

Claude de Buffier ib.

Richard Grey 340

Solomon Lowe 363

Dan. Geo. Morhof 404

Fr. B. J. Feyjoo -405

Anacardina, Aguilera, Epiphanius de Moirans,
Conti, Mesji'^orus A. Ferreya de Vera 406

XVI CONTENTS.

III. INSTANCES OF THE EXTRAORDINARY
POWERS OF NATURAL MEMORY.

Hortensius Page 407

Seneca 408

Aviceima ib.

Joseph Scaliger 409

Bishop Jewell ib.

Lipsius 410

Muret ^ 411

Famianus Strada 412

Thomas Fuller 413

Humphry Burton 414

Dr. Wallis 415

Antonio Magliabechi , , 4l6

William Lyon 419

Jedediah Buxton 420

Zerah Colburn 437

Directions respecting the Plates.

Portrait to face the Title.
Plate I p. 38

II 53

III 64

IV 69

V ibid.

%• Before the reader uses Plates II. III. IV, and V. it will be
mdvisable to fake them out 0/ the volume and paste them on stiff
paper. If the white paper be cut aunty, it will fold up, so as accu-
rately to represent the floor, four walls, and deling of a room.

Mti of i$temor».

fntro&uction.

]\t EMORY, in the sense in which it is to be
understood in the present work, (for it is not
employed always in the same precise sense) can-
not, perhaps, be better defined than in the words
of Mr. DuGALD Stewart, " It is that fa-
culty which enables us to treasure up, and pre-
serve for future use, the knowledge we acquire ;
a faculty (he adds) which is obviously the great
foundation of all intellectual improvement, and
without which, no advantage could be derived
from the most enlarged experience."

With the various metaphysical theories con-
cerning Memory which have been advanced by
different philosophers, we shall not pretend to
meddle; as such an investigation would not
much assist our present purposes. Whatever
may be the relation in which the Memory stands
to the other principles of our constitution, it is
B

2 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

beyond all controversy, a most necessary and ex-
cellent faculty : so much so, that, as Dr.
Watts observes, " all other abilities of the
mind borrow from hence their beauty and per-
fection ; for other capacities of the soul are al-
most useless without this. To what purpose (as
the same eminent author inquires) are all our
labours in knowledge and wisdom, if we want
Memory to preserve and use what we have ac-
quired ? What signify all other intellectual or
spiritual improvements, if they are lost as soon
as they are obtained ? It is Memory alone that
enriches the mind, by preserving what our labour
and industry daily collect. In a word, there can
be neither knowledge, nor arts, nor sciences,
without memory ; nor can there be any improve-
ment of mankind in virtue or morals, or the
practice of religion, without the assistance and
influence of this power. Without memory, the
soul of man would be but a poor, destitute,
naked being, with an everlasting blank spread
over it, except the fleeting ideas of the present
moment."

This faculty exists, however, in very difi^erent
degrees, indiff'erent men. Some persons possess
astonishing vigour of memory,* while others are

* For many remarkable instances of the extraordinary
powers of natural memory, the reader is referred to the
conclusion of this volume.

INTRODUCTION. 3

deplorably deficient in this faculty; or, as Mr.
Locke has beautifully expressed the same idea,
** in some persons, the mind retains the charac-
ters drawn on it like marble, in others like free-
stone, and in others, little better than sand."*
Theniistocles, the Athenian, indeed, is saidf to
have been oppressed by the strength and tenacity
of his memory, and to have wished for the pos-
session of the faculty of oblivion, rather than an
increase of the powers of remembrance ; but it is

* IMr. Locke, speaking of the continual decay of our
ideas, says, " The ideas, as well as cliildren, of our youth,
often die before us : and our minds represent those tombs,
to which we are approaching; wiiere though the brass
and marble remain, yet the inscriptions are effaced
by time, and thp imagery moiiUI/^rs awoy. The pictures
drawn in our minds are laid in fading colours, and if
not sometimes refreshed, vanish and disappear. How
much the constitution of our bodies, and the make of our
animal spirits are concerned in this, and whether the tem-
per of the brain makes this dift'erence, that in some it re-
tains the characlers drawn on it like marble, in others like free-
stone, and in others, little belter than sand ; I shall not here
inquire : though it may seem probable, that the constitu-
tion of the body does sometimes influence the memory j
since we oftentimes find a disease quite strip the mind of
all its ideas, and the flames of a fever in a few days calcine
all those images to dust and confusion, which seemed to
be as lasting as*if graved in marble." IVorks, vol. i. p. 76.
ed. 4to. 1777.

t Plutarch Apophtl).

4 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

more than probable that, in this respect, if the
anecdote be true, he stands an exception from
all the re.n of mankind. Plenus rimanim sum,
may be truly, and without reproach, said by al-
most every man, with regard to his memory :
and that not only concerning matters difficult to
be retained, but even concerning the most ordi-
nary occurrences of life.

To remedy this inconvenience, and provide as
effectually as possible against the mischiefs of
forgetful ness, various artifices have, at different
times, been resorted to. Of these, the topical
memory of the antients stands first, both in point
of date and of celebrity ; and as its principles
are very analogous to those of the present system,
we shall give some account of the origin and
general plan of that invention. And, as PRO-
FESSOR Barron, has Jilread trodden this
path, ho apology will be offered to the reader
for presenting to him, that author's very excellent
account of the subject, prefaced by some of the
ingenious remarks with which he has introduced
it.

'" The recollection* which ordinary memo-
ries possess, appears to be resolvable into two
principal sources, the vivacity of the impression
and association. *****

* Barron's Lect. on Belles Lettres and Logic, v. 1. p. 609.

INTRODUCTIyON. 5

" But the principal expedient for assisting the
memory is derived from association. For in-
stance, when I see a house, I naturally recollect
the inhabitants, their manner of life, and the in-
tercourse I have had with them. The sight of a
book prompts the memory of its contents, and
the pleasure, or profit, I have received from the
perusal of it. A view of the sea may suggest the
idea of a storm, and the painful recollection of
the loss of property, or of the life of a friend,
by shipwreck. The act, then, of aiding recol-
lection by association, is to connect thoughts re-
mote, or abstract, with others more obvious and
familiar, that the recurrence of the latter may
bring along with it the memory of the former.
Thus the sight of my ring, which I cannot miss
to observe, reminds me of the action, to suggest
the remembrance of which I moved it from one
finger to another. The ringing of the bell, or
the sounding of the clock, prompts the recollec-
tion of the business [ had resolved to perform
at these times. A glimpse of the first words of
a paragraph, or a page, introduces the recollec-
tion of the whole. In a word, we must connect
the things we wish to remember with the imme-
diate objects of our senses, tiiat offer themselves
daily to our attention, but particularly with the
objects of our sight, the most vigorous and lively
of all our senses, and of which the objects are,
B 3

6 NEW AIIT OF MEMORY.

perhaps, more numerous than those of all our
other senses put together.

" This theory is the foundation of all contri-
vances which have been, or, perhaps, can be,
employed to help recollection. It is the ground-
work of the famous artificial memory of Simo-
NiDES, a lyric poet, of the island of Ceos, one
of the Cyclades, who flourished in the sixty-first
olympiad, about five hundred and thirty-five
years before the birth of Christ, and [who] is ce-
lebrated by Cicero and Qu ;NCTi LI AN. Both
these authors relate the folkvving mythological
incident, on the occasion which suggested the.
invention. Simonides was employed by Scopas,
a rich Thessalian, to compose a panegyric on
him for a ce; iu; sum of money ; was invited to
a festival, given by Scopas to his fi lends, in
order to rehearse it, but was sordidly refused
more than iialf the stipulated compensation, — be-
cause puzzled; perhaps, with the sterilify of the
principal subject, he had introduced a long epi-
sode, amounting to half the poem, in praise of
Castor and Pollux. Simonides so'»n found an
avenger of the insult. He was immediately sum-
moned froMi the company by two young men on
horseback, supposed to be Castor and Polhix in
disguise, who appeared to protect their favourite
poet ; and who, as soon as they had saved Simo-
nides, made the roof fall on Scopas and his

INTRODUCtlON. 7

company, bruising them so to death that not a
lineament of them could be known. Simonides,
by recollecting the manner in which they sat at
table, was enabled to distinguish them, and to
deliver them to their friends for burial. The aid
which the recollection of the poet received, on
this occasion, is said to have suggested the idea
of an artificial memory.

" The principle of the scheme of Simonides,
is to transfer a train of ideas, the archetypes of
which are not the objects of sense, and are,
therefore, of difficult recollection, to another
train which we cannot miss to recollect, because
the archetypes are not only objects of sense, but
objects of sight, with which archetypes we are
perfectly familiar; or which may be placed ac-
tually before our eyes. Suppose then Simo-
nides were to commit to memory a discourse,
consisting of speculations concerning govern-
ment, finance:!, naval affairs, or wisdom, none
of the archetypes of which could be made objects
of sense, at least, at the time of delivery ; and
to assist his recollection, he were to connect the
series of ideas, in that discourse, with a series of
objects, which he could either place in sight, or
with which he was so familiar, that he could not
fail to recollect them ; he would proceed in the
following manner. He would take a house, for
instance, either the one in which he might deli-
ver the discourse, or another ; with every part of

8 NEW AltT OF MEMORY.

which he was perfectly acquamted. He would
begin at some fixed point of that house, suppose
the right side of the door, and he would proceed
round it in a circular line, till he arrived at the
point from which he set out. He would divide
the circumference of the house into as many
parts as there were different topics, or para-
graphs, in the discourse. He would distinguish
each paragraph by some symbol of the subject it
contained ; that on government, by the symbol
of a crown, or a sceptre ; that on finances, by
the symbol of some current coin ; that on naval
affairs, by tiie figure of a ship ; that on wisdom,
by the figure of the goddess who presided over
it. He would either actually transfer, or sup-
pose transferred, these symbols to the different
compartments of the house, and then all he had
to do, in order to recollect the subject of any
paragraph, was, either to cast his eye on the
symbol during delivery, or to remember upon
what division the symbol was placed. The
memory, by this contrivance, easily recalled the
discourse. The orator eidier saw, or could not
fail to remember the compartments, because he
was perfectly familiar with them. Neither could
he forget the symbols of each paragraph, because
they were no more than hieroglyphical paintings
of the sense.

"In the place of a house, we may assume,
according to Quinctilian, a public building, the

INTKODUCTION. 9

walls of a city, a well known road, or a picture,
to divisions of which we may refer our symbols.
Metrodorns assumed the circle of the zodiac,
which he divided into 360 compartments, equal
to the number of degrees of which it consists,
making a compartment of each degree.

" Some people carried this art so far as to
comprehend the words of a discourse, by con-
structing symbols for each of them, and refer-
ring, in like manner, these symbols to compart-
ments. This seems to have constituted nearly
what we call short-hand writing, except that our
short-hand writers oblige themselves to commit
to memory the meaning of their symbols, and
pretend not to refer these to any more familiar
objects. Quinctilian accordingly observes, that
this pretended improvement terminated in confu-
sion, and embarrassed, much more than it assisted,
recollection. However much, therefore, he might
prize the scheme of Simonides, he rejected this
supplement as nugatory, or detrimental."

This system of Mnemonics was a favourite
pursuit with the Greeks ; — and was cultivated
with success by the Romans, among whom Cras-
sus, Julius Cagsar, and Seneca, are said to have
particularly excelled in this art

Such were the origin and principles of tiie cele-
brated topical memori/ of the antients : from
which source are derived all the various modern
systems of local and symbolical memory, that

It) NEW ART OF MEMORY.

have been promulgated from the thirteenth to the
eighteenth century. We shall here briefly reca-
pitulate the names of the principal zcriters on the
subject, referring our readers lO another part of
this volume for an acj^count of the different sys-
tems.

That luminary of science, Haymund Lully,
born in 1236, seems to have been the first mo-
dern who brought the art of memory into notice,
after it had lain dormant for so many ages. This
art was termed transcendental, aiid distinguished
by his name.

In the Jifteenth century mnemonics seem to
have occupied the attention oi PnhliciuSy Priis,
Peter of Cologne, and Peter of Ravenna, who
successively published systems of local and sym-
bolical memory.

In the year 15S3, Romberch published his
Congcstorium Artijiciosct Memorici, which con-
tains a very complete view of his predecessors'
labours, with many important additions. Gra~
taro/i, an Italian physician, was the next writer
on this subject, who in 1555, put forth a trea-
tise, * de memoria reparanda etc.* This was
translated into English by William Fulwod,
under the title of ' the Castel of Memorie ;' and
afterwards rendered into French by Stephen Cope.
The treatise of Grataroli contains nuich curious
matter.

The works of Spangenberg, Rosselius, Bruno,

INTRODUCTION. U

Albert, Porta, Marajioti, and others, appear-
ed about the close of the sixteenth century, but
they contained nothing very materially new on
the mnemonic art.

The seventeenth century was remarkable for
the number and variety of mnemonistic works
which issued from the presses of the continent.
England also had her share in this honour, anil
produced one or two books worthy of examina-
tion. The system of Schenckel occupied the
greatest share of attention in France and Ger-
many. Schenckel was followed by Alsted, Brux,
RaveUin, and Nau/uis. Brux also wrote an
essay upon the * art of forgetfulness,' and gave
numerous rules for acquiring perfection in this
useful science.

The principal work published in Englayid, on
the subject of the local memory, appeared in
16 18, under the title oiMnenionica; shears
Meminiscendi, etc. by John Willis ; and was trans-^
lated in I66I, by one Sowersby, a bookseller.
This curious and rare volume is replete with in-
formation respecting- mnemonics, and discourses
at large concerning every particular which re-
quires the attention of the student.

In the year l651, Henri/ Herdson, who styles
himself a Professor by Public x\uthority in the
University of Cambridge, published his Ars
MnemonicOfSive Herdsonus Bnixiatus, etc. in

12 NEW AKT OF MEMORY.

Latl» and Euglish. It is merely a republication
of part of Brux's Simonides Redivivus.

The mnemonical essays published on the con-
tinent from 1620 to 1702, were principally by
Azevedo, Carbonel, Cuirot, Dannhazver, Belotf
and Brancaccio : — several anonymous systems
were put forth also during this period. Er-
hardt's Ars Memoriae, appeared in 1715, and
Morhof^wdi Father Feyjoo, have, both, disserta-
tions expressly upon the subject ; the one in his
Polyhistor, and the other in his Cartas Eruditas
y Curiosas.

From the time of Feyjoo (1781) to I8O6,
(if we except a German translation of Schenckel
by Kliiber) the local and symbolical memory
seems to have lain completely dormant. In the
Philosophical Magazine for December, I8O6,
there is the following notice : —

" A new branch of science is begun to be stu-
died in Germany. It is the science called by the
antients mnemonica, or the art of memory. We
find in Herodotus, that it was carefully taught
and practised in Egypt, whence it was trans-
planted into Greece. This historian attributes
the invention of it to Simonides ; but this opi-
nion is refuted in a dissertation published by M,
Morgenstern, of Dorpat, upon mnemonica. He
there asserts, that this science is more intimately
connected with the Egyptian hieroglyphics than

INTRODUCTION. 13

is generally thought, and that this connection
may help to explain them. However the case
may be, this singular art, so long neglected, has
reappeared in Germany with some eclat. M.
Aretin, who may be accounted the restorer of it,
has recently had M. Kaestner, a clergyman, as
his pupil, whom he has permitted to teach his
new doctrine at Leipzic ; at the same time exact-
ing a promise from him not to suffer his pupils
to write down his lectures. M. Kaestner travels
about like Dr. Gall.

" According to a book written, it is said, by
a child of twelve years of age, and mentioned in
the Leipzic catalogue for the last September
fair, mnemonica is a true science, and may be
taught by means of seventeen different rules, and
which will give a memory to individuals of every
age."

In March 1807, M. Gregor Von Fein-
AiGLE, a native of Baden, visited Paris, and
delivered Lectures on his ' New System of
Mnemonics and Methodics.' In the PhilosO'
phical Magazine for June, 1807,* there is the
following extract from a letter written by M.
FiCHTEL, at Paris, to a friend in London,
giving some account of M. Von Feinaigle's
exhibitions there.

* Vol. xxviii. p. 92.
C

14 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

" Paris, 2d March, l807.
" During my residence in this metropolis I
heard a great deal of a new method of mnemo-
nique, or of a method to assist and fix our me-
mory, invented by Gregor de Feinaigle. Not-
withstanding the simplicity with which he an-
nounced his lectures in the papers, I could not
determine myself to become a pupil of his, as I
thought to find a quack or mountebank, and to
be laughed at by my friends for having thrown
away my cash in such a foolish manner. Per-
haps I should hesitate to this moment about the
utility of this new invented method to assist our
natural memory, had I not had the pleasure of
dining at his excellency's the Count of !RIetter-
nich, the Austrian ambassador, who followed,
with all his secretaries, the whole course of lec-
tures : they all spoke very advantageously of it,
likewise several other persons of the first rank I
met there: in consequence of this I was inserted
into the list of pupils, and I follow, at this mo-
ment, the lectures. All I can tell you about
this method is : it is a very simple one, and easy
to be learned, adapted to all ages and sexes : all
difficulties in such sciences as requiie an extraor-
dinary good memory, for instance, the names
and epochs in history, are at once overcome and
obviated. There is not one branch of science to
which this method cannot be applied. It is easy

Introduction. 15

to be perceived that such an invention cannot
pass without some critique, and even sarcasms,
in the public prints : some of them were very
injurious, and plausible enough to mislead the
public, who, knowing nothing of the method,
are always more ready to condemn than to assist.
Mr. Feinaigle, to answer all these critics at
once, adopted a method not less public for Paris
than the public papers, but less public for the
rest of Europe : he gave, the 22d of last month,
a public exhibition to about 2000 spectators, in .
which he did not appear at all, only about 12
\)r \5 of his pupils : each of them made such an
t!pplication of the method as his situation in life
required. The principal parts were the follow-
ing : history about names and years ; geography,
with respect to longitude, latitude, number of
inhabitants, square miles, &c. &c.; grammar
in various languages, about different editions of
the same work ; pandects, their division, and
title of each book, title, &.c. ; different systems
of botany, poetry, arithmetic, &c. &c. At lait
one desired the company to give him one thou-
sand words, without any connection whatsoever,
and without numeric order ; for instance, the
word astronomer, for No. 6*2 ; zvood, for No.
188; loveli/, for No. 370; dj/nasti/, for No.
23 ; David, for No. 90, &c. Sec. till all the

16 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

numbers were filled : and he repeated the whole
(notwithstanding he heard these words, without
order, and but once,) in the numerical order ;
or he told you what word was given against any
one number, or what number any one word
bore. It is still more striking, but certainly,
likewise, more difficult, to retain as many num-
bers however great they may be. For words
and numbers I could venture myself, with the
greatest safety, as far as one hundred of each ;
and I am sure, after having fixed them once,
which is done in less than ten minutes, I could
repeat tliem to you at any period, without ever
thinking any more of them.

*' M. Feinaigle is about to visit England."

To the testimony of M. Fichtel may be added
that of the celebrated French astronomer, M.
Lalande, who says, " I have witnessed the
extraordinary effects produced on the memory,
by the method of M. de Feinaigle : one of his
pupils is able to repeat, in any order, without
the least mistake, a table of fifty cities in all
parts of the world, with the degrees of longitude
and latitude in which they are situated ; the same
is the case with chronology : in the Annuaire, I
have inserted 240 dates from antient and modern
history, and M. de Feinaigle's Scholars repeat

INTRODUCTION. 1?

them all — an astonishing aid in the study of geo-
graphy and history !"

In the Monthly Magazine for September,
1 807,* there is a letter under the signature of
Common Sense, which, though somewhat illi-
beral in its remarks, displays considerable know-
ledge of tha principles of the * local and symbo-
lical Memory.'

" Any person (says this writer) who wishes to
try an experiment on the powerof association, need
only make use of the succession of rooms, closets,
stair-cases, landing-places, and other remarkable
spots or divisions, of his own house, with all the
parts of which he may be supposed to be very fa-
miliar. Let him apply any word or any idea to the
sevorul parts of the house, in any. determined order
of their succession, and he will find it almost
impossible, in recalling the same order of the
parts of the house, not to associate the idea or
word which he had previously annexed to each
part. Thus, for' example, a person may learn
the succession of the Kuigs of England in ten
minutes, by annexing the names of each suc-
ceeding monarch to the successive rooms, clo-
sets, and principal parts of his own house,
beginning at the upper story, and regularly de-

* Vol. xxiv. p. lOj.
€ 3

18 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

scending ; or, at the lower story, and regularly
ascending.

" Any other permanent and familiar class of ob-
jects will, in general, answer the purpose better
than the rooms of a house. I was myself edu-
cated in the vicinity of Oxford-street, and the
streets running out of that street south and north
(beginning at Charles-street, Soho-square, and
proceeding to Dean-street, Chapel- street, and
so on to Park-lane, and down on the other side
to Rathbone-place and Hanway-yard) are the
permanent and familiar set of objects, which I
make use of for my own purpose of successive
association. Tiie counties in England, the king-
doms and the countries throughout the world,
the villages, and other objects on a great road,
or the streets of a city, are all well suited to this
business of association ; and either of them may
be taken indiflferently by various persons, accord-
ing to their acquaintance with them. The greater
the variety of ideas connected with this set of
objects, which may be called the associating
key, the more easy, and the more certain is -the
power of recollection.

" If I do not hazard a charge of egotism, I
shall mention, as illustrative facts, that by this
new art I once committed to memory, in a sin-
gle murning, the whole of the propositions con-
tained in the three first books of Euclid, and

INTUODUCTION. ly

with such perfection, that I could for years after-
wards specify the number of the book on hearing
the proposition named, and could recite the
proposition on hearing the number and the book;
and I have frequently, in mixed companies, re-
peated backwards and forwards from fifty to au
hundred unconnected words, which have been
but once called over to me. 1 may also add, to
prove the simplicity of the plan, that I taught
two of my own children to repeat fifty uncon-
nected words in a first lesson, of not more than
half an hour's continuance."

M. VoN Feinaigle visited England some
time in the early part of 181 1. In order to exhi-
bit a detail of his progresses in this country, we
have made some extracts from the Periodical
Works and Public Papers which gave an account
of his various experiments.

" On the22d of June, 181 1, M.VouFeinaigle*
gave at the Royal Imtitulion, a public experi-
ment of the efficacy of his Method of facili-
tating and ai>sisting Memory. The Managers
of lite Institution, in consequence of the appli-
cation of the Committee of Literature and Sci-
ence, granted permission for this public display
of the art, without, however, making themselves
in any way responsible as to Us character. The

* Gent. Mag. vol. Ixxxi. part 1. p. .281.

dlO NEW ART OF MEMORY.

exhibition took place before an assembly of se-
veral hundred Ladies and Gentlemen, who were
astonished and delighted with the result of the
experiment. Four children, two boys and two
girls, all under 14 years of age, had been put
under Mr. Feinaigle's care but two or three
days before : he had one of the girls but an hour
and a half; and the longest tuition that any of
them had received was but four hours and a
half. — One of them repeated Goldsmith's Her-
mit backward and forward, and stated the stanza,
the line, and the order of any remarkable word
required of him. — One liille girl answered to
questions in t!ie chronology of tlie Roman Em-
perors ; and another multiplied, without slate or
paper, two sums of eight rig,ures by eight, and
declared that she had not previously been taught
arithmetic. — A boy determined the geographical
situation by degrees and minutes, of 50 different
cities; and on a planisphere chalked out on a
board, marked down the true situation of places
named to him. — Mr. Fincher, of the Institution,
also recited the Mineialogical Tables of Ilauy,
tiie second part of which he had taught himself
on Mr. Feinaigle's system, together with the fust
part of Brisson's Ornithologic System ; and he
declared, from his own experience, that the
principles of Mr. Feinaigle's art were equally
calculated to give facility in the acquisition, and

INTRODUCTION. 21

certainty in the retention, of the tables of any
other science — a fact which was confirmed by
several Gentlemen present, who have attended
the private courses of the Professor. — ^The exa-
minations were carried on by Mr. Disney, Chair-
man of the Literary and Scientific Committee ;
and for a great part of the time, Mr. Feinaigle
retired from the Lecture-room. Nothing could
be more satisfactory than the result of the expe-
riments ; and the company returned Mr. Fein-
aigle their thanks. — The Professor, Aug. 26,
repeated the experiment at Liverpool, where the
Rev. Jonathan Brookes, at the request of the
Mayor, selected from the diflferent charity-
schools of the town, children upon whom the
experiment might be made. The exhibition took
place before a very numerous assembly. Four
children had been put under Mr. Feinaigle's tui-
tion but three days before, two boys and two
girls, and none of them had received more than
two hours' instruction; neither of the girls could
make or read a figure when first presented to
him. The examinations (which were carried on
by the Rev. Jonathan Brookes) were precisely
of the same nature as those at the Royal Insti-
tution ; and the results were equally satisfac-
tory.

" On the 6th of April, 1812, the effects of M.
Von Feinaigle's system were exemplified at

22 NEAV ART OF MEMORY.

the Surry Institution, before a numerous as-
sembly of Proprietors and Subscribers, by the
examination of five young persons, who had
previously been committed to the care of M.
Von Feinaigle.*

" 1. Master H. S. (13 years of age) deter-
mined the geographical situation oi Jifty princi-
pal towns in different parts of the globe, assign-
ing to each its longitude and latitude in degrees
and minutes, and named the country in which it
is found. He also marked on a blank plani-
sphere the true situation of the towns named to
him.

2. Miss P. K. (11 years of age) repeated
fifty stanzas of four lines each, from the second
part of Mrs. More's ' Sir Eldred of the Bower.'
These she repeated consecutively, and in any
order desired. On any remarkable word being
mentioned, she determined the stanza, the line,
and the place of the line, in which it was to be
found ; and also how many times the same word
occured in the Poem.

" 3. Miss M. A. K. (15 years of age) an-
SM'ered to all the decleiisions, as well of sub-
stances as of adjectives, of the Latin Language ;
and gave a full account of all the conjugations.

• Tlie whole of this report is 1,iken from the Mvrnin^-
Post of April 18th, 1812.

INTRODUCTION. 23

both active and passive, witliout any previous
knowledge of that language.

** 4. Miss S. S. (of the same age with the
preceding pupil) answered to the declensions and
conjugations of tlie Greek Language, and de-
clined and conjugated several regular nouns and
verbs proposed to her. This pupil had never
seen a Greek character till put under the care of
the Professor,

" The whole instruction received hij th^
above pupils consisted oj" Jive lessons only, of
one hour each.

" Master S. H. explained the physical, ma-
thematical, and chemical characters of minerals,
after Hauy's system, assigning the systematical
order of any character v.hatever proposed to him,
and showing in what manner any mineral ought
to be examined and tried, to ascertain its nature.
This pupil received only two hours' instruction
from M. Feinaigle.

" Master S. H. afterwards requested the audi-
ence to give twenty words, or names, without
any order or connection whatever. These words
were written on a board, and numbered from one
to twenty as follows : —

1. Tower. 5. Chapel.

2. Gate. G. Institution.

3. Steeple. 7. Crotch.

4. Church. 8. Grey.

24 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

9. Regent. 15. Hill.

10. Feinaigle. 16. Nelson.

11. Syracuse. 17. Archimedes.

12. Wellington, 18. Palestine.

13. Graham. 19. Button.

14. Ten. 20. Reform.

" After inspecting the number and words for
a space of time, not exceeding three minutes,
the pupil named every word in the series, both
forward and backwards : to any number that m as
proposed to him, he assigned the proper word,
and vice versa.

" A series of twenty-eight figures, named pro-
miscuously by the audience, was then written
down, as, 8. 5. 1. 0. 5. 0. 2. 9- 6. 8cc. &c. &c.
These the pupil surveyed attentively, for about
five minutes, and then repeated them forwards
and backwards. He afterwards declared how-
many 8s. 2s. 93. &.C. occurred in the series, and
the relative situation of each figure.

" In consequence of the disappointment of
many of the Proprietors and Subscribers, who
could not obtain admittance into the Lecture
Room on the 6th instant, the above experiments
were repeated on Wednesday evening last to a
crowded auditory. On this evening the follow-
ing additional evidences of the utility and uni-
versality of M. Feinaigle's System were ad-
duced.

I'NTRODUCTION. 85

''' 1. Master J. C. answered to two sums in
multiplication of 8 numbers, by 8 numbers each.
Each sum containing 8 separate products, be-
sides the total product ; he repeated any pro-
duct required of him. The separate operations
being represented on a board, by cyphers — on
any one cypher, or line of cypliers, on either
sum being effaced, he replaced them by the ap-
propriate figures. This pupil was employed for
ten minutes only, in committing the figures to
memory.

" 2. Miss S. T. answered to the Chronology
of the Kings of England, from William the Con-
queror, down to his present Majesty, in any
order that was desired. She also named the
predecessor and successor of any King pointed
out to her. This pupil received four lessons of
one hour each.

*' Master S. H. after one hour's appIicatioUf
repeated a Greek word from Aristophanes, con-
sisting of seventy-six syllables and \65 letters,
both forwards and backwards ; he also named
any syllable in any order desired, determining its
numerical situation."*

At these public experiments, M. Von Fei-

• Similar experiments liave been given at the Russell
Institution, Freemasons' Hall, the London Tavern,
etc, etc. etc.

26 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

NAIGLE distributed a syllahuSy in which the
nature of the pupil's examination was stated ;
and the six following notes, or explanations, of
the objects of his * New System of Mnemonics
and Methodics,' were subjoined.

*' 1. Sijstematic Tables. A method that is
at once speedy and effectual for acquiring the
perfect knowledge of systematical tables, is an
object of higher value and greater importance
than at first it might appear. How often are we
attending courses of lectures upon particular
sciences, without being able to form a clear idea
of the whole, or to give ourselves an account of
what we are learning ! When, by the means here
recommended, we are enabled to know previously
the great divisions and subdivisions of a system,
it is not difficult to refer to those fixed points all
our ideas, and at once to secure our knowledge
aheady attained, and to accelerate our progress
in the science. A system acquired by this me-
thod is not a dry and sterile series of words ; h
is a well-arranged classification of real know-
ledge. We learn in like manner all the systems
of any science, whatever ; however complicated
they may appear.

" 2. Languages. The learning and teaching
of languages are not only facilitated by the sys-
tem of Mnemonics, but acquire more light and
more solidity than ever they were thought sus-

INTRODUCTION. 5?

ceptible of. It is a fact well known to all my
pupils, that, almost in any language whatever,
the declensions may be learnt in a single hour,
and all the conjugations in another. It can
easily be conceived, that all the rest may be ac-
quired with the same facility : but this is not
all the advantage of my system : anomalies, irre-
gularities of verbs, and similar difficulties which
have been hitherto the torment of the scholars,
become, by this system, the most pleasing and
most instructive part of the language. My pu-
pils are convinced, by the most satisfactory ex-
perience, that grammar is to be learned in the
language, not the language in the grammar ; and
when the true way is once known, it becomes
delightful to them to go on with ease and promp-
titude, by themselves, from one language to ano-
ther.

*' 3. Prose atid Poetry. When we know pieces
of prose or of poetry in such perfection that we
are able to answer at pleasure to any single word,
it is not to be imagined that in learning them we
have to fix one word after another ; but what-
ever we commit to our memory is there in such
an order that we are sure to find it again when-
ever we may wish fur it. The matter and the
diction are necessarily distinguished, and every
thing treated after its own nature, and we are
therefore sure neither to omit any thing that is

S9 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

to be said, nor any word by which it ia to be ex-
pressed. Persons who could never before get by
heart either prose or poetry, have, by a short
practice of this method, acquired the greatest
readiness and facility.

" 4, Geography, Tliis part of geography*
has only been learned by ray common manner of
fixing in the memory proper names in general,
and that of noting the arithmetical figures wher-
ever we meet them. The true system of geo-
graphy is the object of more than one of my
lectures ; and by this new system the study ac-
quires a degree of facility, and the science itself
a degree of perfection, of which it was never
thought susceptible, and yet without which it
can never be essentially what it ought to be.
Those who w ould think it needless, or of no use,
to know the situation of every remarkable point
of the globe by degrees of longitude and latitude,
have to consider, if without these degrees, geo-
graphy itself, or any geographical chart, could
ever exist ; and, if not, they surely cannot main-
tain that what is essential to geography itself may
be neglected in the study of geography. This
perfection is not only given to the science by my
system, but is also attained with greater facility

• This refers to the longitude and latitade of the fifty
cities repeated by the pupil.

INTRODUCTION. 29

and certainty than even the former imperfect
knowledge could be acquired by any other method
whatever. The same principles are applicable
with equal efficacy to all th^i subsidiary parts' of
a perfect geographical knowledge, and it is
shown how to fix in the memory, for instance,
the government, the extent, the population, and
the military power, the products, the commerce,
the manufactures, the arts and sciences, 8cc. of
every state. Those who are acquainted with the
principles of the present arrangement, cannot but
feel how much easier it must be to compare,
according to this plan, one kingdom with another
by simple memory, than after any other plan,
with all the assistance of books and systematic
tables.

** 5. Chronology. What is done with regard
to the kings of England may be done with any
chronological series of sovereigns ; and though
such a series presented nothing more than what
may be consideied as great epochs of history,
even of those the present system offers a greater
number than any other system of chronology,
and fixes them more easily than it has ever been
possible to do by all those ingenious historical
tables which have been invented to assist the
memory in this interesting sivv\y. But the high-
est perfection of historical knowledge is cejrtainly

to know the whole history, not only by great
D 3'

so NEW ART OF MEMOllY.

epochs, but year by year, and fact by fact ; and
this perfection no other system has ever been
able to afford.

" 6. Multiplication. To make a multiplica-
tion, consisting of a greater number of figures in
the multiplier as well as in the multiplicand,
only by memory, without writing any thing, may
certainly in many cases be desirable, or of great
utility, and is at least a certain proof that the
prmciples of the present method reach every
where, and that to its means nothing is too dif-
ficult or too complicated. It is undoubtedly of
the highest importance to be able to fix in our
minds the numbers in general. Statistic geo-
graphy, history, mathematics, in short, almost
evei7 science is full of numerical figures. Mul-
tiplication tables, square and cube numbers, loga- '
rithms, algebraic formulae, and all the mathema-
tics can be submitted to those rules."

Since the period of M. Von Feinaigle's
arrival in this country, he has been delivering a
variety of courses of fifteen or sixteen lectures
each, for which the charge of five guineas has
been made ; but the pupil is at liberty to attend
any particular lecture, a second time, 'should he
not sulficicntiy comprehend it at the first hearing.
M. Von J'einaigle has not confined his visits to
the metropolis: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liver-
pool, etc. etc. have, in the summer season, been,
successively, the theatre of his exertions.

CHAP. I.

^rinctple0*

Xhe memory may be compared to a ware-
house* stored with merchandise. A methodical
arrangement of the contents of such a repositor}',
enables its owner to find any article tliat he may
require, with the utmost readiness. With a
general knowledge of the contents of a library, and
of the manner in which the books are distributed,
a person may, even when absent from the spot,
determine, with certainty, the situation of any
particular book.-j- " ^Medallists," says Mr.

* Memory is, as it were, thcstorchor.se of our ideas;
for the narrow'niind of man not bting capable of having
many ideas under view an<l contemplation at ouce, it was
necessary to have a repository to lay up those ideas, which
at another time it might make use of. Lock on tlu Human
Understanding, vol. i. p. 111.

t The well known anecdote of Magliabeciii, librarian
to the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosmo III. will suffici-

32 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

Addison,* " upon the first naming of an em-
peror, will immediately tell you his age, family,
and life. To remember where he enters in the
succession, they only consider in what part of the
cabinet he jies; and by running over in their
thoughts such a particular drawer, will give you
an account of all the remarkable parts of his
reign." If our ideas were ananged with equal
method and order, the mind would turn to them,
with the like facility.

Sensible objects have a powerful effect in re-
calhng to the mind the ideas with which it was
occupied when those ideas were presented. Thus
the sight of any remarkable scenes in the course
of a second journey, will frequently remind a per-
son of the subject of which he was thinking or
talking when he last travelled that road ; or, to
adopt the elegant language of Mr. Foster,*!*
" Places and things which have an association

ently illustrate and continTi this fact. The Grant! Duke
having asked Mugliabcchi whether he could procure a
book that was particularly scarce, he replied, ' no, sir, it is
impossible, for there is hut one iu the world, that is in the
Grand Siguier's library at Constantinople, and is the se-
venth book on the second shelf, on the right hand side as
yon go in.'

* Dialogue upon the usefulness of ancient Medals, pp.
21, 22, Vl,no. 1726.

t Essays, p. 12. For a very pretty illustration of this
sulycct, see also Spectator, No. 417.

PRINCIPLES. 53

ifvith any of the events or feelings of past life,
will greatly assist the recollection of them. A
man of strong associations finds memoirs of
himself already written on the places where h«
has conversed with happiness or misery. If
au old man wished to animate, for a moment,
the languid and faded ideas which he retains of
his youth, he might walk with his crutch across
the green where he once played with companions
who are now probably laid to repose in another
spot not far off. An aged saint may meet again
some of the effects of his early piety in the place
where he first thought it happy to pray. A walk
in a meadow, the sight of a bank of flowers, per-
haps even of seme one flower, a landscape with
the tints of autumn, the descent into a valley, the
brow of a mountain, the house where a friend
has been met, or has resided, or has died, have
often produced a much more lively recollection of
our past feelings, and of the objects and events
which caused them, than the most perfect de-
scription could have done."

Indeed, it will be found upon investigation,
that locality is the most efficacious medium of
reminiscence : and that system of memory will
be the most serviceable, which brings this prin-
ciple into the most extensive operation. For
this reason, local'dxj (or, the connection of our
ideas with places) is made the foundatign of the

S4 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

present system. In this respect, it is analogous
to the scheme of Mnemonics practised by th^
antients, but it is here applied much more exten'
sively and advantageously than it was by them.

A rdom having generally four walls, the most
obvious division of it is, into four sides, and each
wall or side may be subdivided into panneis or
compartments. Accordingly, the antient system
xlivided a wall into five spaces. Thus, suppose
the letter M to be represented on a wall as
under ;

Five spaces are thus gained in the places
marked by the figures 1, 2, etc. Every wall of
the room was, in imagination, divided in this
manner ; and this plan was applied to as many
rooms as were found necessary to the extent of
each particular scheme — every room being simi-
larly divided into four sides, — and every side
being subdivided into five compartments. Thus,
any idea which, according to this method, had
been associated in the mind with the forty-eighth
compaitment, would be placed in the third com-
partment of the second wall, in the third room.

PRINCIPLES.

3ii

But as fevv compartments could be obtained on
each wall by these means, the calculation of high
numbers would be exceedingly difficult. To
remedy this defect, each wall might be divided
into nine or ten compartments, thus.-

If a wall be divided into nine parts, there will
be 36 compartments in every room. In order to
ascertain the situation of any particular number>
it is to be considered in relation to the total num-
ber of the subdivisions. For example, if the
situation of number 48 be required ; according
to the last mentioned division of the rooms, it is
^o be found by considering the projxortion which
that number bears to 36, the total number of the
compartments in this arrangement. If the num-
ber in question be less than this total, the place
inquired after will be obvious; thus 12 being
within the number o6, must, of necessity, be in
the first room : being above 9, it is equally clear
that it cannot be on the'first wall ; and being less
than 18, it must, necessarily, be on some part of
the second wall : and as it exceeds the number of
the first wall by 3, it follows, of course, that its

S6 NEW ART OF MEkORY.

place must be in the third compartment of the
second wall. If the number in question be higher
than the number of the compartments in one
room, its place will be readily found by dividing
it by that number. Thus, suppose 48 to be the
number whose place is required :

36)48(1. 2

9)12(1. 2

As 48 exceeds 36, we know that it cannot be-
in the first room, the 1 is therefore changed into
2 ; and the fraction remaining, shows it to be in
the twelfth compartment. There being nine
compartments on every wall, this remainder, or
number of the compartment, is dfvided by 9? for
the purpose of ascertaining the wall. Now, as
the divisor is contained more than once, but not
twice, in the dividend, it follows that the com-
partment sought must be on the second wall; tlie
remainder gives the specific compartment. This
operation, then, shows that 48 is in the third
compartment, on the second wall, in the second
room. This was the plan adopted by the antients
when they divided their rooms into parts ; bu!
being both complicated and difficult, it has been
rejected in the present system, and another scheme
has been introduced in its place, which is more
simple in its construction — less difficult in its appli-
cation— and much more extensive in its powers.

PRINCIPLES. 37

We shall now proceed to explain the mode of
dividing a room according to the New System of
Memory, and to develop the principles of the
art. It is, however, necessary to premise, that
the pupil must not attempt too much at first, but
should proceed gradually in the acquisition of
this system ; for his ultimate success in it will
greatly depend upon a perfect knowledge of the
first principles.* As in mathematics no problem
can be demonstrated without understanding all
the preceding demonstrations, — so every advance
in this art, must be grounded on the full posses-
sion of all the antecedent doctrines.

We shall divide a wall in the following manner:

1 t 2 1 3

4 1 5 1 6

7 1 8 1 9

These figures are arranged from left to right,
in the usual manner of writing ; and for the more
easily remembering their situation, it will be
found that if two lines be drawn diagonally, from
the four corners of the figure, they will intersect

* Assumcudus usns paulatim, ut pauca primum complcc*
tanmr animo, quae reddi fideliter possint : mox per iucre-
menta tarn modica, ut onciaii se labor ille non sentiat,
augenda usu, et exercitatione innlta contincnda est, quae
quidem maxima ex parte meraoria constat. — Qidnct. Inst,
Orat. lib. X, Opera, tom^ II. p 253. Ed. Bipont, 1784.
£

NEW AKT OF MEMORY.

all the odd numbers. (See Plate I. fig. 1 .) There
is now a single wall divided into nine squares or
compartments ; these we shall name places, and
say, the first place, second place, third place,
etc. etc.

The same mode must be pursued with the
three remaining walls in this room ; by these
means, four walls are obtained — each being
divided into nine places. In order to find the
number 36 in this room, we should naturally say
four times nine will be 36, and should, of course,
conclude that 36 would be in the last place of
the last side or fourth wall of the room : but this
calculation is erroneous ; 6 must ever be in the
same situation, which will be that occupied by
the point in the following figure :

The place occupied by the number 6, in all the
four walls, would be thus designated ;

I L

"FT

J ,

'■■

'•

/•"ff

,A^i'

V/i 1 \ \^X

'w ;

/ / \ \,

/ \

^^\

^ / \ \l

luni ii'vvi vnvniK xxixn

■>

■

'•'

'■/

•3

...

—

'■-"

i-l

•)

•i

111

•9

•J

•'

'i>

■a

„

•■-'

„

..<!

-•<

««

—

ff.

Li_

PRINCIPLES. 59

It must now be determined how we are to
reckon these walls : if we stand in a room with
our back to the windows, the first wall is on our
left, the second before us, the tliird on our right,
and the fpurth behind us. We shall, however,
commence with the floor, and divide it into nine
parts in the same manner as the walls. Where
are 10, 20, 30, 40, etc. to be placed ? Every
decade begins a new spries, and the decimal is
placed on the cieling of the room ovei its proper
wall ; thus, the first decimal, or 10, will be over
the first wall ; the second decimal, or 20, will be
over the second wall ; the third decimal, or 30,
will be over the third wall ; the fourth decimal,
or 40, will be over the fourth wall ; the fifth de-
cimal, or 50, as its tenth part exceeds the num-
ber of walls, will be assigned to the cieling of
the room, and will consequently be the highest
number in the first room, forming the connecting
link betw.eeu this room and the second.

NEW AUT OF MEMORY.

FIRST ROOM.

Second mill.

•a

•{^

H»

s->

ifi'

Floor

■*

7
6

-o

€

Fourth Wall.
rSOCieling

As one room will not supply us with suffi-
cient numbers, a second room must be provided.
The floor of the second room is denominated the
yifth wall, the wall on the left, tlie sixth ; the wall
before us, the seventh ; that on our right, the
eighth ; and the one behind us, the ninth ; and as
the number 50 was upon the cieling of the first,
so the number 100 will be upon the cieling of
the second room.

PRINCIPLES.

SECOND ROOM,

Seventh Wall.

-id

o
5

7';

8;^

C-5

C-.

•s

rf^

te-

0»

>«

c©

'••a--
1

•-0

C-.

Ninth fPull.
I 100 Cieling. |

Numbers, probably, originated . from holding
wp the fingers of tlie haad thus : | , [ | , [ | J ,j
j I I I ; live was made by holding up the
thumb and little finger, with the ether fingprs.
down, tlms/'"^"'':;V^'"«'''; forming the numeral V ;
six was made by, erecting another finger and cou-.
linuing the former position ; thus VI and VII,

* Floor or fifth Wall.
E 3

42 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

VIII and Vim, in the same way, by adding a

finger each time : ten was formed from two fives,

y
thus, making X.

A °

The learner should now exercise himself in

finding the situation of the diiferent numbers in
the two rooms. Where, for example, are QQ,
47, 35, 21, 62, 82, 99, etc. The room must be
first ascertained ; as to this there can be no diffi-
culty, for as 50 is the lesser number in the first
room, all the numbers exceeding 50, and as far
as 100, will be found in the second room.

Having found the room, the left hand figure
will denote the zcall, and the right hand figure
will show the place ; thus, 29 is in the first
room, second wall, and ninth place; 47, fourth
wall, seventh place ; by cutting off the left hand
figure, the numerical order of the wall is given,
and the remaining figure acquaints us with the
place.

In order to remember a series of words, they
are put in the several squares, or places, and
the recollection of them is assisted by asso-
ciating some idea of relation between the objects
and their situation ; and, as we find by expe-
rience, that whatever is ludicrous, is calculated
to make a strong impression upon the mind,
the more ridiculous the association the better.
Being provided with two rooms, we will take
the floor of the first room, and place some-

PRINCIPLES. 43

thing in each of the nine squares. In illustra-
tion of this experiment, sensible objects will be
given, as the association of ideas between them
and the places is most striking.

1
Apple

2
Monkoy

3
Man

4
Ship

3
Pipe

6
Cap

7
Tankard

3
Boat

9
Tree

The ideas of these images must be connected
together, and it will then be almost impossible
to forget the order in which they are arranged.
The first is an apple, the second a monkey;
this monkey, takes the apple, eats, and offers it
to the man who is in the third place ; the man
is just going to embark on a long voyage, and
for this purpose a ship will be in the fourth place ;
but he will smoke his pipe before he leaves his
native country ; — pipe is in the fifth place ; — and
when he has finished smoking, he calls for his
jiight'Cap, which will be found in the sixth
place ; before he retires to rest, he wishes for
another tankard of ale ; tankard occupies the
seventh place. In the morning when this man
awakes, a boat is ready to convey him to the
ship ; this boat is in the eighth place ; a tree
a found in the ninih place— it shall be a

44 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

willow-tree, and iDust grow by the water-side,
on the very identical bank from which the man
embarks in the boat. Any different objects
may be taken promiscuously, and the connec-
tion made between them, at the moment, as
chance or fancy bids. The chief use of this
example is to induce a habit of fixing certain ob-
jects in a regular order, that we may always
know where to find them. For this purpose the
pupil should exercise himself iu the numerical
situation of the different objects, and be enabled
to determine it quickly.

The floor and the walls are localities on
which the figures and words must be arranged,
in the several places or squares, iii the order
above described. Were a series of twenty -six
figures to be taken, for instance, the following :

, .Uj^';n.^.A.^ ^2, 6 3 1, 4.5 2
"8 796.578964314

Or a series of consonants thus :

f I I m n g m fprsti'srn
(Full many a gem of purest ray, serine.) •

or any other series of figures, or consonants, it
would be found very difficult to remember them.
The figures, and the letters^ are merely signs of

PRINCIPLES. 45

signs, and cannot easily be fixed in the memory ;
the understanding having no exercise. The ele-
ments of words must, therefore, be sought for.
Dr. Grey changed figures into letters, and
thus made words ; but these words could not be
fixed in the memory without constant repeti-
tion, and strenuous application ; the different
words required to be remembered in his MeDio-
via TechnicUf being almost equally burthensome
with the facts and dates which they were intend-
ed to imprint upon the memory. The mode
of changing figures into letters was known long
before the time^of Dr. Grey. The substitution
of letters for figures was practised by most anti-
ent nations ; in the Hebrew and Greek languages,
there are no arithmetical signs, but the letters of
the alphabet are used in iheir place. Shop-
keepeis and others, from an early period, had
been in the habit of marking the articres which
they had to sell, with certain letters, as arbitrary
symbols, for the prices in pounds, shillings, and
pence.

We now take the consonants, and attach one
or more to the series of figures, 1, 2, 3, 4*
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0 ; each figure having its ap-
propriate consonant, (^ee Plate 1. fig. 2.) The
consonants only are resorted to, for ihey com-
pose, like the skeleton of the human body, the

NEW ART OF MEMORY.

principal parts ; the vowels are but the liga-
ments.

The letters appropriated to the figures are not
merely arbitrary, but are adapted as nearly as
possible to the form of the figures,*

t, like the figure 1, is a perpendicular, or
down stroke, and differs only from it, in the ad-
dition of the small horizontal line drawn across
the upper part of it ; t is more like the figure 1,
than any other consonant, if perhaps, we ex-
cept the letter /. An additional reason for as-
signing the letter Mo 1 is, that it occurs in the
word uni^.

71, is the appropriate letter to represent 2,
there are two down strokes in it.

7n, furnishes us with three down strokes, it
will then give the idea of 3 : if we place a 3
thus CO > it will afford a tolerable outline of the
letter m.
,,,,r, is to represent 4: r when written, (See

* Dr. Grey who assigned both vowels and consonants
to figures, in a manner perfectly arbitrary, lias the fol-
lowing scale :

(tU

,/'

Here a and h stand for l, e and d for 2, i and t for 3, etc.

PRINCIPLES. 47

Plate T. fig. 2.) resembles somewhat a 4. The
letter r occurs also in our word foia- ; in the
German ybA/-; in the Dutch vier ; in the Latin
quatuor; in the French quatre; in the Spanish
and Portugueze, quatro ; in the Italian quattrch;
in the Greek TBj<ra^is ; in the Russ, chety'ire ;
and in a variety of other languages.

The English L was borrowed from the Ro-
mans ; they had it from the Greeks, and they again
from the Hebrews, whose famed is much like
©ur L, excepting that the angle is somewhat
more acute.. L was used as a numeral letter
ioxjifty, and may, therefore, be assigned to the
figure 5. d, in writing is the reversed form of
this figure. (See Plate I. fig. 2 )

Ci k, g, q- The figure 7, with a slight curvature,
may be made to resemble a crooked stick, and as
we shall remember this stick the better, if some-
thing be hung upon it, a cage slirtll be suspended
there. In the word cage we obtain the conso-
nants c and g ; k also is added to the number,
for c is more frequently pronounced hard {ka)
than it is soft (se); q being a gutteral and a
crooked letter, shall go along with the cage and
the stick. For the figure 7 there are then
f, k, g, and q.

b, h, V, TO. In the figure 8 there are two
noughts, or two round things : these may be

NEW AET OF MEMORY.

converted into beehives, and if one be placed
upon the other, there will be a tolerably accu-^
rate idea of the figure 8. In the word beehive,
are obtained b, k, v ; and w may be added, for
it is compounded of vv.

p,f. The figure 9 is not unlike a pipe, and
as a pipe is seldom used without a piiff' of smoke
issuing from it, we have the p and J" in these two
words ; they are inseparably connected, and can-
not easily be forgotten.

s, X, z. The o being a round body, it may
be compared to a wheel or grinder in a mill; this
wheel, when in swift rotation, gives out a hissing
sound, and the hissing consonants *, x, z, are at-
tached to the cipher, x is formed from two half
circles ; and z is the first letter of the word zero.

These letters, and the figures which they arc
intended to represent, should be impressed strong-
ly upon the memory, as the letters must be con-
verted into words, by the introduction of vowels

8 1
b t

5 0

m s

7 9
c p

2 6
n d

3 1
m t

4 5
r I

1 8
t b

0 9
s p

6 5
d I

7 8
c b

9 6
p d

4 3
r m

PRINCIPLES.

The two consonants representing two figures
must be converted into a word, to which should
be affixed some striking idea ; and the images
represented, connected together. Tlie objects
when selected, each beijig a word, must be
arranged in the different places, beginning with
the floor, and proceeding to the first, se-
cond, and third walls, etc. In making these
words, it is necessary that the two consonants re-
quired should be the two Jirst in the word ; if
there be more than two it is of no importance,
as the two first only will be needful. It will not
be difficult to make a perfect figure from the ske-
leton we have just seen.

Floor of the First Room.

BaT

NeeDle

MouSe

CaP

MuTton

RoLl

TuB

SoaP

DoLl

First Wall of the First Room.

CaBbage

PnDding

RnM

50 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

A bat is seen flying after a mouse, -which shel-
ters itself under a cap, stuck full of Jieeclles.
There is some mutton for dinner, and a roll to
eat with it. The tub and soap show that it is
washing-day ; the servants playing with the chil-
dren and their do/l, have forgotten to boil the
cabbage and the pudding. As a rompensation
for this loss, a large bottle of rum is produc-
ed. By this method, it will be easy to commit
to memory a long series of figures, to repeat
them backwards or forMards, to name the first,
fourth, fifth, eighth, etc. or to say how many
fours, fives, noughts, etc. are contained in the
series.

The converting of figures into letters, and
making sense by the introduction of vowds, will
be found applicable to many of the purposes of
common life. If we purchase any articles, and
would remeiiiljer the mt-tt'iui-e or weight of thera,
and thus prevent ftaud in the shop-keeper, it is
only necessary to change the figures into a word
or words, and connect them with some strange or
ludicrous idea. Should we buy 3*2 yards of cloth,
muslin, etc. it is easy to say, that a wa/j brought
home the cluih, and the measure is given to us :
if 30lbs of cheese, a 77iouse that had been gnaw-
ing the cheese, would fix the weight imme-
diately. The number of a hackney-coach, or of

PRINCIPLES. 51

a house, may be preserved in the same manner.
The purposes in domestic life to whicli this sys-
tem is applicable, are almost infinite, and need
no further specification.

We have already learned to divide a room into
parts, as the floor and walls, — to subdivide these
into places, — to change figures into letters, — and
to form worcte ; and, by these means, to remember
series of figures, or of things. It would be a
material advantage to us, to have some fixed or
certain rooms : we may take, for instance, those
with which we are best acquainted, and fix the
different places upoji the various articles of fur-
niture, as a chair, a chest of drawers, etc. What
we have learned, hitherto, is not sufficient : as
yet, an intellectual order only has been obtained;
nwnheis have been localised, but there is still a
deficiency, — the realities are wanting.

If the reader has practised our instructions in
a room in which he is accustomed to spend the
greater part of his lime, and this room should
have been hung with pictures, engravings, or
plans, or ornamented with busts, etc. he will
have been very materially assisted in the remem-
brance of his places, or localities. We can, after
a little practice, ascertain the order of different
things placed in a room which we hnve long fre-
quented. The transition is slight, but the im-

59. NEW ART OF MEMORY.

pression w\\\ be permanent. Let \is fill the
squares or places with some pictures of our o\Vn
drawing : the two rooms will be then furnished,
and it will be as easy to remember the symbols,
or hieroglyphics, as to remember the situation or
place of any picture, or article of furniture in a
room. Instead of having a carpet on the floor,
■\ve can suppose that the floor is inlaid or con-
structed of mosaic. This will allow us to put
sjmbols there.

The outlines of the symbols are intended to
represent, as accurately as possible, the various
figures in the two rooms, so that they may
be permanently fixed in the memory. (See
Plates II. and III.) And here we dismiss the
pupil for a season, giving a general hint, tliat
it will be advisable to make himself perfect-
ly familiar with the situations of the different
symbols, before he diinks of looking into the
next chapter. Until a knowledge of these
symbols be obtained, no further progress can
be made hi the system. It is, at least, indis-
pensably necessary, that the pupil should answer
with facility to any questions put to him respect-
ing the j^Vs^ room, containing fifty symbols; the
second room may be acquired at leisure.

•

PRINCIPLES.

The following are the names attached to the
difterent symbols :

fit^t iHooni.

1 Tower of Babel.
,2 Swan.

3 Mountain, or Parnassus.'

4 I.ooking-glass.

5 Throne.

6 Horn of Plenty.

7 Gln.ssi-blower.

8 Midas.

9 Flower, or Narcissus.

10 Goliatu, or Mars.

11 Pillars of Hercules.

12 David with the Lion.

13 Castle, or Nelson's Mo-

nunient.

14 Diogenes, or Watchman.
Ij jEsculapius, or Serpent.

16 Ceres, or GJesuier.

17 Archimedes, or Carpen-

ter.

18 Apollo.

19 Robinson Crusoe.

20 Peacock.

21 Vaulter, or Rider.

22 Cocktijfhtiug.

23 Pegasus.
21 Elephant.

25 Sanclio Panza.

26 Charioteer.

27 Don Quixote.

28 Pa^-k-horse.

29 S tandard-bearer.

30 Sysiphus.

31 Capid.

32 Diana.

33 Clouds, or Sky.

34 Noah's Ark.

35 Curtius.
36j Kermitage.

37 Miner.

38 Moses.

39 Vesuvius.

40 Pleauire Garden.

41 Monument.

42 Golden Calf.

43 Staie Ued.

44 Piano-Forte.

45 Bajazet.

46 Fount lin, or Square.

47 Vulcan.

48 Apis.

49 Orange-Trcc.
40 Bacchus.

F 3

NEW ART OF MEMOllY,

dScconti i!!o

51 Pigmalion.

52 Jupiter.

53 Neptune.

54 Toilette, or Penelope.

55 Fleet.

56 Guitar Player,

57 Conjurer.

58 Orpheus. »

59 Samson.

60 Still.

61 Bagpipes.

62 Phoenix.

63 Temple of Glory.

64 Fame.

65 Schoolmaster.

66 Tents.

67 Mutius Sccevola.

68 Mercui-y.

69 Mausokum.

70 Lottery, or Fortune.

71 Saturn.

72 Ceutaur.

73 Pedlar.

74 Thresher. '

75 Garden Engine.

76 Gardener.

77 Mowers.

78 Pagan Priest.

79 Direction-Post,

80 Apothecary.

81 Cymbal-Player.

82 Trojan Horse.

83 Actason.

84 Cabriolet.

85 Europa.

86 Brewer.

87 Hunter.

RR Bullfighting.

89 Hercules.

90 Burning-Glass.

91 Tantalus.

92 Hawker, or Sportsman,

93 Golden Fleece.

94 Lime-Tree.

95 Shepherd.

96 Cap of Lil)erty.

97 Solomon.

98 Trophy.

99 Avenue.
100 Justice.

•

CHAP. n.

C|)ronclogp*

.JLhe pupil is, by this time, supposed to have
iixed all the symbols in the first room, and to be
enabled to tell readily the first, seve?:;th, thir-
tieth, forty-ninth, etc. and also to say wliat place
is occupied by Midas, Sisyphus, etc. In making
the application tt) chronology, we shall confine
ourselves to the succession of the kings of Eng-
land since the conquest.

1. William the Conqueror. A word
must be now made from William ; the first half
wil is taken, and to this is added low, by which
willozi) is obtained ; this enaliles us to remember
William. The willow is fixed upon the Tower
of Babel, our first symbol ; we have then fVil-
Uam I, but another circumstance remains ; he
was the conqueror : — we hang some laurel, the
reward of valour, and the crown of conquest,
upon the willow tree. The date is yet wanting ;

56 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

we say the laurel is dead ; in the word dead,
are d, d for 66 ; the 1000 being understood,
through the whole series.*

2. William Rufus, or William II.
There must be tzi)o willows, one on each side of
the swan; the swan is put into a red (bag): by
making the bag red, we preserve tiie meaning of
the Latin word Rufus.

3. Henry I. There is one hen upon the
mountain tossing up the ground ; (toss).

4. Stephen. The looking-glass is very
much stiffened ; there is a watch placed before
the glass ; this is (timely ). The word stiffened
will recal to the mind the name of Stephen.

5. Henry II. A (taylor) sitting upon the
throne, with two hens, one under each arm.

6. Richard I. This was the Jirst rich
man, — the hornoi plenttj is before him. The
first rich man, probably, pilfered from other peo-
ple ; he must have been a (thief).

7. John. The glass-blower's name was
John (Taffi^).

* As the reader will find at p. 60, a tabular view of
this application, we shall merely explain the manner of
connecting the different images, inclosing the word which
gives tlie datc'ia a parenthesis.

CRONOLOOY. 57

8. Henry ril. Midas, or the man with
the loMg ears, has just received a present of three
hens ; he puts one in each ear, and one in his
mouth, the hens are so near to eacli other, they
are ahiiost (united).

9. Edward I. To fix the name of Edward,
we convert the verb to zcard, that is, to watch,
into a substantive, and say here is one weirdy
guard, oi- soldier, watering Narcissus, or the
flower, with an (engine).

10. Edward II. There are two wards, or
guards, behind Goliath, each in a (mask).

11. Edward III. Three soldiers as guards
between the Pillars of Hercules, playing with a
(mo7ikei/).

1^. Richard H. This is the second rich
man, who meets David putting his hand into
the lion's mouth ; David is mocking at the lion's
strength, (inock.)

13. Henry IV. We take a (miiff"), put
four hens in it, and place it on the pyramid.

14. Henry V. Diogenes h-^%Jive hens in
his lantern ; they are very noisy and trouble-
some,— (rout' em.)

15. Henry VI. Aesculapius, or the doc-
tor, is very much annoyed by six hens, which are
(running) round the serpent.

16. Edward IV. Here are four soldiers

56 KEW ART OF MEMORY.

taking away poor Ceres, and putting her in a
(redoubt).* ,

17. Edward V. Archimedes, ovlht carpenter.

18. Richard III. Apollo.

As these two kings are of the same date, one
word will be sufficient to fix it. Here are j^rc
guards preparing to rob the third rich man ;
Apollo is looking on, and amusing them with a
tune on his lyre ; in the mean while, Archimedes,
or the carpenter, vociferates (rob'etJt).

19. Henry VII. Robinson Crusoe is seen
to shoot seven hens, in a (rebellion).

20. Henry VIII. There is a Peacock,
with eight hens in her nest ; they are young and
cannot speak, — they are (lisping).

21. Ebwakd VI. We hav« here the vault'
er, or rider ; one man is a sufficient weight for a
horse ; but our liorse must carry seven. There
are six guards, or wards, upon this horse, besides
the vaulter, who are all scrambling for a piece of
a (lark).

22. Mary. There must be some rejoicings
where there is a cock fight ; it is very possible
that the town may be (illuminated).

25. Elizabeth. This queen had so flour-
ishing a reign, that she is (allozeed) to ride upon
Pegasus.

* As t!ie b is not souiuUd in pronunciation, the r, (/, f ,
are the letters Avhich give tlie date.

CHRONOLOGY. 59

i4. James I. Tlie word chains sounds
somewhat like James; we will, therefore, put
the Elephant in cliaius : what (dhmal) chains.

25. Charles 1. ^oov Sancho Panzaw\io\\
his ass ! Poor fellow, lie met with many
(denials).

26. Charles IE. The cAarioifecr is running
a race ; the (odds) are against hnn.

27. James II. Don Quixote must be put
jn chains ; he must have two sets of chains j he
shall have (double) chains.

28 William HI. The patient ^ac Morse

ravelling along the accustomed road, arrives at

that part where three willows have been planted :

how melancholy it is to see so many willows !

(do weep).

29- Anne. The Standard Bearer is just
arrived on a visit to (cousin) Anne.

30. George I. Sisyphus is rolling up the
hill " his huge round stone," — but he stops and
listens to some one who is playing on the
(guitar.) *

George II. This sovereign is a (king)
(between two kings of the same name.

George HI. has had some important con-
cerns with (Cadiz).

* No. 30, as it completes a wall, may iaclude George I,
II, III.

NEW ART OF MEMORY.

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CHAP. III.

(gtosrapljj)^

In the application of the Art of Memory to
Geography, this science will be considered under
the following heads; (1.) Principles. (2.) Ge-
neral Geography. (3.) Particular Geography.
(4.) Statistics.

Sect. 1. — Principles,

Geographical charts represent the situation of
cities, towns, seas, continents, etc. on the globe ;
but we w II suppose that nothing of this kind has
ever been fiibricated ; that there are no charts :
if we wish to ascertain the relative situation of
any places, the means must be invented to ac-
complish what is required, beginning with the
first principles. Whenever the memory is to be
treated with, we siiould employ the powers of
reason. The charts must be drawn in our intel-
lect, and we should proceed step by step ; what
is wanting in the memory, will be supplied by
reason.

64 NEW ART OF MEMORT.

The earth being a round body,* it is repr©=
sented by a globe; but as both sides of this globe
cannot be seen at the same time, it must be di-
vided into hemispheres or halves ; there will then
be an eastern and a western, or, a northern and a
southern hemisphere.

Suppose a circle to be described, and a point
placed within it ; the situation of this point must
be determined witii relation to some other part
of the circle. If a horizontal line be drawn
across the circle and divide it equally, the line
appears to us straight ; but cannot, in reality, be
so, because it is half the circumference of a globe.
A perpendicular line is then drawn, and the
hemisphere is divided into four equal quarters :
each quarter containing 90° or one-fourth of 360";
every circle containing HGO". (See Plate I. fig. 3.)
The horizontal line must be taken for the equator.
The quarter then in which the dot or point ap-
pears, should be divided by QO lines, but as this
would completely conceal the surface of the
diagram, and obliterate the little point itself, we
will divide it into 9 parts. (See Plate I. fig. 4.)

The point is now evidently within the first
stripe or line, and if these lines be named ladders,

• The earth is, as every one knows, an oblate spheroid,
but it would be needless to descend to particulars, in a
Seoeral illustration.

GEOGHAPUY. 65

we shall say it is on tlie first ladder ; but its situa-
tion is novv only half determhied. Tiiese ladders
are divided into f^teps ; and each has nine steps.
This will be effected by drawing 8 horizontal
lines across those already made. (See Plate I.
fig. 5.) The point is still on the first ladder,
but on what step ? It is on the sixth step.

Two rooms should be provided, with four walls
in each ; in the upper room is to be placed the
northern hemisphere, and the southern is to be
supposed under the northern, in the lower room.
We will begin with the northern hemisphere, di-
viding it into four equal parts or quarters ; trans-
ferring one quarter to the first wall. (See Plate
I. fig. 6.)

The former division of a wall was thus :

1 I '-M 3
-^ I ■> I 6

r i 8 I 9

It will not, however, be more diflicult to re-
member nine figures in one line, than in three.
The floor of the upper room in which we stand
is the equator ; upon this we reckon the longi-
tude. Prom the pole to the equator there are
90", but we only place 60" on the wall, the re-
maining 30" being fixed in the cieling. In each
of these squares, there are 10° of longitude, and
10" of latitude.

NEW ART OF MEMORY.

The horizontal lines are parallels of latitude^
and the perpendicular lines afe meridians or cir-
cles of longitude.

The series of walls in the first room will be as
follows :

II.

15 J6

III.

IV.

Upon referring to the globe, it will be found
that the whole hemisphere, north of the equator,
has been transferred into the first or upper room ;
the southern hemisphere being reserved for the
room beneath.

Before we proceed further, the meridian must
be fixed. Tiiis, in English charts, is taken from
London, or more correctly fiom Greenwich,
counting the longitude east and west from that
place. The French place their meridian in
P,ins, but they mark also in their maps the lon-
gitude from Ferro, from which island, all the
other European nations commence theirs ; by
these means, die longitude which is laid down on
a foreign n\ap is comprehensible by ihcm, and
the Parisian mode is easily understood by any

GEOGRAPHY. 6?

other continental geographer, but o\ir maps are
not intelligible any wliere but in England.

In making our calculation we shall adopt the
meridian of Ferro, because it divides the globe
into those two equal parts or hemispheres, which
are usually represented on niaps. Suppose a
place to be in 254° of longitude, and 43° of
latitude ; on what ladder, on what step, and on
what wall will it occur ? We must take 254,
(and as it will be remembered our hemisphere
is divided only into tens of degrees) we must cut
off the unit iigure, thus 25,4, and we have 25 left,
but as the 25th ladder would include only those
degrees under 250, and 254 being above that
number, it is on the l6ih ladder. To ascertain
on what wall this 26th ladder is, and its nume-
rical situation there, ih* figures 2 and 6 n)ust be
added together ; the product gives the number of
the ladder. By counting the difference between
6 and 8, thus 6, 7, 8, three, the number of the
wall is given. In the latitude 43, the 3 is re-
jected, and 4S being past 40 it is on the fifth
step. A place theii iu longitude 254 and lati-
tude 43, will be found on the 26th ladder, fifth
step ; or on the third wall, eighth ladder, and
fifth step.

If we read that an engagement had taken place
bttvveen two ships in S24° longitude, 36° S. lati-
tude, how shall we find on which wall this spot

C8 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

is situated ? We know that south latitude must be
in the lower room, and that 3G being more than
30, must be on the 4th ladder step. For the
longitude, as in the foregoing example, we cut
off the unit 32,4 — 324 is more than 320, there-
fore it must be on t!ie '33rd ladder; these two
figures are now added together ; the product 6
gives the situation on the wall, and by counting
from 3 to 6 — 3, 4, 5, 6, we get 4, which is the
number of the wall. This event, therefore, took
place near the mouth of the Rio de la Plata ; on
the 4th wall, 6th ladder, and 4th step, of the
southern room.

Sect. 2. — General Geography,

We are now provided with a geographical net,
with which all the different places may be taken,
from the smallest to the largest. What we have
learned in the common way on globes is soon
forgotten, there being no connecting media to
bring the different countries to our recollection.
Supposing we are looking at a globe, and we fix
our eyes upon England, we cannot see its anti-
podes ; places can be seen only in one direction.
The Chinese, v\hen shown a map of the world,
said, why put us up in a corner ? we are in the
centre. In fact, every where is the centre, and

Wltyyiay

Jh4MUft»f. ty Jfun, ,-.'^. jre«4

X D [ JLS

GEOGRAPHY. 69

the centre is every Mliere. The whole circum-
ference is equally distant from us wherever we
may be. The four quarters of the northern
hemisphere being arranged on the four walls,
Mhen we are in the room, we can, in an instant,
see every part of the hemisphere. (See Plate
IV.)

On the Jirst wall will be a partof the Atlantic
Ocean, the whole of Europe and a great part of
Africa and Asia.

On the second wall will be found the remain-
der of Asia, and a large proportion of the North
Pacific Ocean.

On the third wall there is a continuance of the
Northern Pacific Ocean, and a part of North
America.

On the fourth wall there is the remainder of
North America, part of South America, the
American Islands or West Indies, and a great
part of the Atlantic or great Western Ocean.
This completes the northern hemispliere, and
occupies the first or upper room.

In the second or /ower room, (see Plate V.)
on the first wall, we have a part of the Southern
Atlantic Ocean, part of Africa, and the Indian
Ocean.

The second wall is occupied by the remainder
of the Indian Ocean, the Indian Archipelago,
and by New Holland.

70 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

The third wall contains tlie Southern Pacific
Ocean, and tlie South Sea Islands.

The fourth wall has nearly the whole of South
America.

Thus there are in the northern Room the
whole Continent of Europe and Asia, the greater
part of Africa, the whole of North, and part of
South Araeri*^a; the Iowa; or Southern Room
containing the remainder of Africa and South
America, the Asiatic Islands, Polynesia and
Australasia.

Supposing the windows of our room to be on
one side, if we stand with our back to them, the
first wall is on the left ; this wall is divided into
nine ladders, which show the longitude, and each
ladder into nivie steps, giving the latitude.

On the Jirst ladder,^/'s^ step, there is almost
entirely sea, being a part of the Atlantic Ocean;
a small portion of Africa, however, is disco-
vered. On this part Sierra Leone is situated. The
square on which this fails is known by the num-
ber 1 ], (1st. ladder, 1st. step,) — here the symbol
for 1 1 is, the Pillars of Hercules. These pil-
lars are placed in the square; one pillar is fixed
in the sea, the oUier on land. Leone will rccal
to mind the name of a Lion ; a lion must be
placed between die pillars, and the situation of
this place will then be fixed in the memory.
On the second step there is a part of the At-

•EOGHAPHY. 71

lantic Ocean and of Africa ; upon this part of
Africa are Senegal, Cape Verde, and Goree ; and
the symbol for the l,2lh place (1st ladder, 2d
step,) is David with the lion ; if it be said that
David in tearing the sinews of the lion, is gored
by the animal ; and that he has a green cap
in his hand, these throe places will be fixed
in this square. It is quite sufficient if the words
given recal the names of the places to our me-
mory.

On the third step are the Canary Islands;
these are somewhat like a cluster of birds (Ca-
nary Birds) that must fly round the Pyramid,
the symbol for 1, 3, (1st ladder, 3d step.)

On lUe fourth step, there is part of Portugal,
and the island of Madeua. The symbol for 14
is Diogenes with the lantern. This man is the
proprietor of the island, and has come to Ma-
deira from ijisbon, on purpose to drink a bottle
of his favorite beverage.

On the Ji/th step is Cape Fini'^terre. The
symbol for 15 is iEsculapius with his serpent ;
a serpent then shall be placed at the extremity of
the \dU(\, ( Finis terr(B,)

On the sixth step thtre is a small part of Ire-
land. The symbol for l6 is Ceres, or the j^lean-
er; she shall have a garland upon her head;
gar-land and Ire- land are too much alike in
sound to be easily forgotten.

74 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

On the seventh step is Iceland, The sym-
bol for 17 is Archimedes, or the Carpenter:
he is breaking up the ice, and that we may re-
niember the name of the celebrated mounti
Hecla, we will say, that he acquits himself wi<
vej7 great eclat. . \v-

These illustrations seem amply sufficient l^' i:^
rect the pupil in the application of this * ni
geography, so far as it relates to the use ot
symbols, and the connecting ideas to be as ^
ciated with them.

While we count our meridians all east from
Ferro, it must be remembered, tliat in English
maps, London, or rather Greenwich, is taken
for the first meridian, from which the degrees
are countetl 1 80° East, and 1 80° West. If a place
be described in longitude 121° west of London;
to reduce it to the meridian from Ferro, 12 1** must
be substracled from 180°, (the whole number of
degrees west,) the remainder is 59, which added
to 180, aud the 18° difference between the cal-
culation from London and Ferro, will give the
product 275°. A place then which is 121° west
of London, may be said to be 257" east oi
Berro. The meridian of Paris is 20° east from
Ferro, and 2 from the meridian of London.
This process is at once simple and correct, and
will allow us to use a general meridian which

CtEOGKAPTIY. 75

will be intelligiUe on all maps, and to all per-
sons.

The best mode of learning the geography is to
..'j^ke a chart of Mercator's projection of the
earth, in which the degrees of latitude and lougi-
'e are marked by tens, that it may coincide
^1 the divisions on the walls, each of the
res there containing 100°; 10' both ways.
i$^l.li the squares in the map must be covered
■.,>vith a sheet of paper, except one, that is
the first step on the first ladder ; the space
taken up by the land in this square should be
noticed, and the outline of the land described ia
the map, and traced upon a drawing, or diagram,
of the first wall, divided into ladders, and ladder-
steps, as seen before. Tliese squares should be
sufficiently large to show some of the principal
projections of the land, that the most remark-
able places may be inserted ; thus constructing a
small chart.

In the lower room, which contains the south*
ern hemisphere, we must count downzeardf
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, etc. still begimiing with the
equator.

Every one of the small squares may be divided
into degrees.

74 NEW ART OE MEMORY.

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_L I III III 1 1

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. — I, ■ J

Suppose the point in this square to represent
Madeira. This point is about on' -fifth of the
whole, therefore, it is iu 2° of longitufie, and a
little less than one-fifth of the whole 10° of lati-
tude, we see then 32*^ | of latitude, and 2" of longi-
tude ; there is not an error of | of a degree.

GEOGRAPHY* 75

To ascertain the relative situation of towns,
some association must be formed between the
towns and cities found in any one square.
If a sort of narrative be invented, the me-
mory will be materially assisted. We will tak«
25 for an example : in tliis are niany towns,
as Madrid, Barceloua, Bourdeaux, Rociielle,
Brest, Rouen, and Paris. The svmbol for 25
is Sancho Panza. Sancho then must set out oa
his travels ; he departs from Madrid, and ar-
rives at Barcelona, where he has to call for
some parcels (Barcelona); lie then goes to
Bourdeaux, and is very fond of drinking a
bumper of good Bourdeaux zoiiie ; thence he
travels to Rochelle, where he rests on a rock :
being pressed for time at Brest, he departs for
Rouen; and by rozcing down the Seine, arrives
at last at Paris. To remove the appaient diffi-
culty of fixing the names of so many squares, it
must be observed that, the greater proportion
of them is occupied by sea, where, of course,
there is nothing to fix. It may also be sup-
posed, that as there are no less than eight elevens,
there will be much confusion in remembering
the name of any particular place. An associa-
tion has already been formed for the eleven in
the first wall. In the eleven in the second wall
is Ceijlon : it is not likely that we sliall ever com-
mit so great an error as to place Ceylon on our

NEW ART OF MEMORY,

first wall, or Sierra Leone, or Goree, on the
second. The locality of each is so permanentljr
fixed as to defy any thing like confusion.

Sect. 3. — Particular Geography.

In particular charts the divisions are different
from those in general charts ; being divided into
SBuch smaller parts.

€1

€0
59
58
57
56
55
54

—

26 27 28 '29 30 31 32 33 34 35

TThe above is a chart with a series of figures.
The figures which run along the bottom of this
chart are the degrees of longitude ; those which
run up tlie sides are tlie degrees of latitude. The
Latitude must be counted North or South of the
Equator, and the Longitude, East or West of the
first meridian. There is here a scries of ladders

GEOGRAPHY. 77

and steps, but very differently numbered from
those which have been seen before. The square
in longitude CJl)*, and latitude 55*, if brought to-
gether will make 2955 ; the tens must be re-
jected, and the units only left. We know that
the squares in longitude, from 20 to 30, are on
tlie third ladder, and tVoin SO to 40 on the fourth;
and that the latitude begins on the sixth ladder step.
To remember this, some word must be formed
from the two figures. Having cut off the tens,
we find 2955 becomes 9 longitude, and 5 lati-
tude. The minutes are next to be determined. '
The distance from line to line is 60 minutes, one
half will of course be 30 minutes; ^ — 15; | — 45;
J — 12; ii—5. When the geography of Eng"
land is to be learned, we should commence from
the bottom or 3outh of the map, as England is
above the equator : when any country is beneath
the equator, we must of course count down-
wards. Although the floor is not used in geo-
graphy, it will be convenient to suppose this
chart of England placed upon the floor, that the
different counties may be arranged in order ; or
it may be supposed to be on a table, &c. or on
any other object.

England is generally divided into Circuits,
each of which contains a certain number of
counties.

H 3

T8 NEW ART Olf MEMORY.

Circuits in England and Wales,

I 11 III IV V VI VII VIII

f 1

w
o

The usual division of (he Counties is into
Home Circuits, etc. etc. but this will not be
adopted here. The following is our arrangement
of them.

I. South East. Sussex, Hertfordshire, Kent,
Middlesex, Esses, Surrey.

ir. South West. Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dor-
setshire, Somersetshire, Devonshire, Cornwall.

in. East. Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge-
shire, Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Bucking-
hamshire.

IV. West. Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Glouces-
tershire, Worcestershire, Monmouthshire, Here-
fordshire, Shropshire.

V. Midland. Northamptonshire, Rutland-

GEOGRAPHY. 79

shire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, NoUingham-
shire, Warwickshire, Derbysiiire, Staffordshire,
Cheshire.

VI. North. Yorkshire, Durham, Norlhuni'-
berland, Lancashire, Westmoreland, Cumber-
land.

Vn. North Wales, Montgomeryshire, Den-
bighshire, -Flintshire, Merionethshire, Caernar-
vonshire, Anglesea.

VHL South Wales. Glamorganshire, Breck-
nockshire, Kadnorshire, Caermarthenshire, Car-
diganshire, Pembrokeshire.

All these Circuits are numbered in a series as
ladders, and the counties are the steps ; there-
fore 4,4 will be 4th circuit, 4th county, and so
of the rest. — The symbol of 44 is a piano-
forte ; if it be said that the keys of the instrument
are bound with worsted, Worcestershire will be
immediately brought to our recollection. In the
same manner we must proceed with the others,
fixing each on a symbol, and connecting some
strange and ludicrous idea with this symbol.

The student should be prepared with a small
map of England which is not coloured ; and
colour the circuits, each with a separate colour.
The first, for Instance, blue ; the second, yel-
low ; the third, green ; the fourth, red ; the
fifth, lilac ; and when he comes to the sixth,

80 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

begin again. When this is done, it must be
remenibered that the numerical order of the Cir-
cuits is represented by the dif^'erent colours. The
first colour will be blue, the second yellow.

When the counties are numbered, the pupil
must count upwards, commencing with the
lowest. The more effectually to distinguish
their numerical order, we use the colours.
The first county in the first circuit, must be
bordered wiih blue ; the second county with
\ellow; the timd with green, etc. and the like
with die other remaining counties in the circuit.
The numerical order of the counties will thus be
firmly nnpressed on the memory.

France contains one hundred and ten depart-
ments. These are to be divided into eleven 7?e-
gioiis, containing ten departments in each. The
regions should be arranged in geograpliical order,
commencing from ^ the equator, and counting
upwards. The meridian is taken from Paris.
West of this meridian we comiuence witii O, the
region of the Pyrenees. On the East is I the
Region of the Mediterranean, IT of Piedmont,
III of Charente, IV of Lake Leman, V Central
Region, VT Fuiisterre, Vtl Region of .luiat,
Vlll of the Seine, IX of the Rhone, X northern
Region.

If we wish to know the thirty-fifth dcj)art-
ment, it will be found in the third region, fifth

GEOGRAPHY. 81

-department. To distinguish the region there are
five colours; one colour serves for I and VI. a
second for II and VII, a third for III and VIII.
In the same manner one department is distin-
guished from another.

Sect. 3. — Statistics. "

It has been shown that by the aid of the first
principles of this science, it vvill not be difficult
to find the situation of kingdoms, provinces, etc.
and their respective longitude and latitude.
There are, however, many other particulars
which it is important to remember, as the num-
ber of inhabitants, the natural products, the
military power, the extent in square miles, the
form of government, the state of commerce, of
the arts, etc. etc. These may be all fixed in
the memory with equal facility. Suppose that
there is before us, a table, and that all the
kingdoms of Europe, are placed upon it, and
arranged according to their relative importance.
This is shown in the following statistical table.

NEW ART OF MEMORY.

*-<

1— 1

> 1
" 1

C/3

C
it

p
<<

o
>>

s
c

^ :

OEOORAPHY. 83

The first symbol he'in^ the Tozoer of Babel,
it must be connected, in some manner, with the
kingdom, which is placed first. This is Eng-
land. Tlie Tower of Babel was the cause of
the confu.'«ion of languages : in England are
heard many different languages. Spain shall be
II. The symbol for 2 is a Swan ; a swan then
is placed in the sea, between Spain and Eng-
land, and it will swim to Enghmd to convey
intelligence. Ill is France, and is represented
by the mountain, or Parnassus ; — the Pluses
are banished from France. IV is Sweden,
represented by a looking-glass, which hiay be
emblematic of the smooth surface of the Baltic
Sea, when calm, and at rest. By such compa-
risons as these it will be easy to fix any thing that
may be required. It novv remains to mention
the objects in the particular squares or places.

1. Population. The symbol for this square
is the Tozi'er of Babel. From the top of a
tower, some idea may be formed of the popula-
tion of a city, by the number of people walking
in the streets.

2. Natural products. This square is repre-
sented by the swan. A swan is an animal.
Animals may be reckoned among the natural
products of a country.

3. Mititan/ power. A fortification may be
supposed to be on a moutttain ; and, as this is

S4 NEW ART OP MEMORY.

tlje symbol for 3, the military power will imme-
diately occur to us.

4. Extent in square miles. The looking-glass^
which represents 4, will by its four-square figure,
call to mind the square miles.

5. Government. It will not^ be difficult to
connect the idea of a throne, wiih that of govern-
ment, whether it be monarchial, republican, or
any other form of government. A throne is the
symbol for 5.

6. State of commerce. Commerce, the source
of plenty, may well be represented by the Horn
of Plenty, the symbol for 6.

7. Arts and Manufactures. To remember
these it will be only necessary to think of the
Glass-ljlower, the symbol for 7.

a. The Sciences. The symbol for 8, Midas,
or the man with long ears, is capacitated for the
reception of all branches of science.

There is here again a series of ladders and
ladder-steps, which must be denominated by
their respective num>>ers. In the number 2,4
there is 2 for Spain, and 4 for the extent in
square miles, or the second ladder, fourth step :
4,6 is the Commerce of Sweden; fourth ladder,
sixth step.

In the statistical table may be placed every
particular that it is necessary to know respecting

GEOGEAPHY. 85

a nation. The manner of application for each
square is now considered.

1. Population. This is changing every year ;
the thousands and hundreds must therefore be
omitted, and the millions only preserved. The
population for England will be the number ], I,
first ladder, first step : this is represented by the
pillars of Hercules. England contains l6 mil-
lions of Inhabitants.* This number will be fixed
in the memory by changing the figures into a
word; t d will be the consonants giving the num-
ber ; — it may be said then, that there is a Toad
crawling up the pillars of Hercules.

2. Natural Products. If a country be re-
markable for the excellence of its horses, a rude
outline of this animal may be drawn in the
square belonging to the natural products. If it
contain extensive salt mines, a barrel or basket
of salt may be placed by the horse ; if good
wine, two bottles of wine should be added ; iron
may be represented by bars, and sheep by an
outline, as with the horse. To connect these
circumstances togetlier, some narrative should
be invented, the more improbable and ludicrous
the better. The horse being pressed by hunger,
eats the salt, but becoming thirsty, in conse-

• Accordiug to the last Population Returns, 16,5)2,144.
I

NEW ART OF MEMORY.

quence, drinks the wine ; the wine has an effect
upon him, he becomes frantic, breaks the bars
of iron, and endangers the safety of the sheep.
The symbol for 12 is David with the Lion;
David must hold the horse, and take especial
care that the Lion does not devour the sheep.

In the course of our reading, if it be required
to commit to memory any remarkable circum-
stance respecting a country, we should take a
sheet of paper and divide it as our table is di-
vided, placing in the appropriate squares a re-
semblance, or rude outline, of the object or
circumstance to be remembered. This mode
will assist the memory very materially, and ex-
cite a greater degree of attention than the mere
idea which is presented to the mind by reading.

3. Military Power. The state of the mili-
tary force, in time of peace as well as of war,
must be considered, with the divisions into artil-
lery, cavalry, and infantry ; or, any other ar-r
rangement may be made which the nature of the
military force, in any particular country, may
demand. The square may be thus divided:

Navy

Artillery

Cavalry

Infantry

CEOGRAPHY. 8?

4. Extent in Square Miles. Here we should
divide the square into several parts, significant
of the face of the country ; whether it be culti-
vated or uncultivated, wood-land, meadow, or
pasture, arable, etc. and what may be the ex-
tent of water in the country.

5. Government. If die government be mo-
narchial, a king may be supposed sitting upon the
throne, attended by princes ; or, if of the mixed
kind, he is supported by Lords aaid Commons.

6. Commerce. Tn this are arranged the prin-
cipal exports and imports, and whatever relates
to trade in general.

7. ^rts and Manufactures. Those of Eng-
land might be represented in many ways. - It
will be sufficient, perhaps, to place there the
steam-engine and the cotton-mill, and there will
be a visible remembrance of the arts and manu-
factures of our own country.

8. The Sciences. To this square belong th«
principal universities or foundations for the pro-
pagation and increase of knowledge, with the
various literary and scientific Institutions, as also
the philosophers, poets, etc. etc.

This general system of statistics is applicable,
of course, to any particular country, and to its
various subdivisions. In England, for instance,
it might be applied to every county, m the sam«
manner, as it is used for the whole kingdom.

CHAP. IV.

)mtox^.

JL H E pupil having acquired some knowledge of
the details of geography, including statistical ta-
bles, and also of the mode of fixing in his me-<-
mory the chronological succession of sovereigns,
will proceed to the study of history with peculiar
advantages.

The following arrangement of some dates will
introduce us to the application of the mnemoni-
cal principles to history.

Place
6
4
0
7
4

There are here units of years, tens of years, or
decennials ; and hundreds or centuries. As the
division into rooms already noticed, will be here
resorted to, we cut off the first series of units,
and call them places ; the next which are rejected

Room

Stripe

HISTORY. 69

are named stripes ; and the remaining figures,
rooms. For example, 1786, would be seven-
teenth room, eighth stripe, and sixtli place ;
1524, fifteenth room, second stripe, and fourth
place, and so of the rest. 87 is in O room, or
the room of units and tens,* eightii stripe and
seventh place. When we view a choice collec-
tion of pictures, some impressions of the excel-
lence of a particular picture, and of its situation
in the room or gallery, are generally fixed in the
mind. The remembrance of one picture will
suggest the situation of another, and in this
manner it will not be ditiicult to fix the places
of the more conspicuous paintings : and if there
are many rooms, the particular room may be
distinguished. Instead of a room being filled
widi pictures, it is easy to imagine that it is oc-
cupied by the events of a whole century : in this
room are all the years, reduced to localities.

A room is now taken with three walls, (see
Plate I. fig. 7) each of nnIucIi is divided into
three stripes ; and each stiipe into nine compart-
ments or squares, as ue have, in some instances,
done on our walls.

Each of these stripes is now a ten; and before
the first ten, there is O stripe, which is placed

• Tne second io the room of centuries.
13

90 KEW ART OP MEMORY.

on the floor : on this are put 1, 2, 3, etc. to 9.
The number 100 must be placed on the cieling
of the second room, which should be divided in
the same way. This number will also serve as
an inscription to designate the room.

As it will be needful to appropriate a room to
each century, there will be occasion for a series
of rooms. This series will be thus arranged.

Here are the hundreds; and those before 100
are placed in the preceding or O room. There
is now a necessity for a tenth room. To obviate
this inconvenience it will be easy to suppose that
the house is a double house. Thus we shall be
furnished with rooms for 2000 years.

But whence, it will be asked, are so many
rooms to be procured ? Every one is familiar
whh the apartments in his own house. All
these rooms must be employed, and named,
first, seventh, fourth, etc. and it will be better
to choose rooms which are supplied with pic-
tures, furniture, or some other remarkable ob-
jects, upon which numbers may be fixed. Each
room will be distinguished by one of the sym-
bols. The Jirst room will have the tower of
Babel painted Hpou it ; and to fix this more

HISTORY. ^1

Strongly upon the memorv, it may be observed
that the proprietor of the room h a great linguist,
and the idea of the confusion of languages can-
not fail to suggest to us the Tower of Babel, the
distinguishing symbol of this room.

The second room will be designated by the
Swan ; the occupant of this room may be
much attached to the study of ornithology ; he
may be fond of birds, and possess an extensive
aviary.

The third room will have Parnassus or the
Mountain; this room may be the habitation of a
poety or of one who has a taste for poetry. If there
1)6 not a sufficient number of rooms in our own
house, some of those belonging to our frienda
may be engaged, whether they be at London,
Edinburgh, or Vienna. Having placed them
ideally, in order, we are now ready to fix what-
ever is required to be remembered.

For example, in the history of England it will
be found that William the Conqueror began to
reign in lOGQ. This date must be placed in
the tenth room, sixth stripe, and sixth place.
The tenth room will belong to Goliath, and we
shall have associated this idea with the room, by
comparing the possessor to Goliath in size and
«hape, or in character for courage, bravery, or

92 NEW AKT OF MEMORY.

any other similar quality. The second king is
William Riifus, who ascended the throne in the
year 1087; he will, of course, be placed in the
same room, on the eighth stripe, and seventh
place, and the whole of the stripes and places
between this and the former, may be devoted to
William the Conqueror. .

Charlemagne, who was crowned Emperor in
the year 800, is, naturally, placed on the cieling
of the eighth room, — the room belonging to
Midas. With Charlemagne may be arranged
Egbert, or any king of another country whose
reign was coeval with that of Charlemagne.

When the present historical arrangement has
become familiar, it will be proper to take -a
sheet of paper for every century, forming a room
and making the proper divisions of three walls
and a floor, as above described. A particular
fact may be then put upon paper, by sketching a
rude outline of the circumstances, by figures of
animate or inanimate beings ; this, though it may
appear to some unnecessary, will imprmt the
different facts upon the memory more forcibly
than the usual mode of committing them to
writing. This v'ill be sufficiently exemplified by
the following bieroglyphic :

ttlSTORV.

It is thus explained. A convention was en-
tered into in Eg)'pt, between General Khber,
on the part of the French, and the Grand Vizier j
on the part of the Sublime Porte, which was
approved by the Cabinet of London. The
straight line with the crescent on its top denotes
the Grand Vizier, by its superior height to the
perpendicular line which is to represent General
Kleber ; the line drawn through the centre of
this line forming 2 acute angels, is intended for
the General's sword. To denote the convention
two lines are drawn, which meet together in the
centre, and represent the shaking of hands, or a
meeting. The convention was formed in Egypt,
which is signified by a pyramid. The Cabinet
of London is typified by the outline of a cabinet
on the right of the diagram ; the head of a ship
placed in the square denotes London, as it is
frequented more than any other port by ships.

94 KEW ART or MEMORY.

It is not to be supposed that each division will
become more difficult in proportion as it is filled
with events. The reverse indeed will be the
case. It is a much greater labor to retain a few
facts scattered throughout the different squares,
than it is to remember a multiplicity of them,
each being arranged in order. If we take a few
insulated facts, there can be but little connexion
between them ; but when there is a multiplicity
of events disposed in order, by associating them
together, the one assists the remembrance of the
other, and a strong connecting chain is formed,
the links of which can scarcely be broken. The
facility of committing these facts to memory is
increased by their number. In selecting the
facts we should be careful to take the simple
facts ; and not to mistake their connecting cir-
cumstances, or consequences, for the facts them-
selves.

It may be asked, perhaps, is there not occa-
sion for a different room for every country ? Cer-
tainly not. The history of one country must
never be separated from the history of another
country. We can .scarcely speak of an event of
very great political importance which has hap-
pened in England, without involvii)g the history
of most of the European States, of the East
Indies, etc. etc. The political interests of one
country are almost always united with those of

HISTORY. 95

another country. Sometimes, the events of one
nation are of high importance; sometimes those
of another nation. The gradual progress of a
nation to power, and the gradual decline an^
extinction of that power must be familiar to
every one who is, in the slightest degree, ac-
quainted with history. The wheel of power,
like the fabled wheel of fi>rtune, is continually
revolving ; and, as one nation, in one century,
takes the lead in importance and influence ; the
next views it sunk into insignificance, and conse-
quently yery unproductive of peculiar or striking
events.

Some, however, may object, that we shall
not be able to distinguish any particular event, so
as to assign this event to its proper country.
There can be, however, no fear of this. Sou^e
particular circumstances connected with, and
inseparable from, the fact itself, cannot fail to
distinguish the country in which this event hap-
pened, whether in England, France, Spain, Ger-
many, or any other part of the world.

Hitherto, that period of time only has been
considered which is posterior to the Birth of
Christ. Antecedently to this period, however,
there is a space of four thousand and four years.
This time, though embracing a large number of
years, is by no means so pregnant with events as
that after the Birth of Christ.

0(5 KEW ART OF MEMORY.

Plate I. fig. 8. represents the series of cen-
turies, and on the left of this series are placed tke
events that happened from the creation to the
Birth of Christ.

It would be easy to assign to each year its
proper place ; but the first SOOO years are so
barren of events, that it would be useless to do
so ; and the difficulty of remembrance would be
enhanced by the paucity of dates worthy of being
committed to memory. We ought not to take
rooms where there is nothing to fix. It is only
necessary to know the true series of facts ; the
years must be put into words. Thgre are but
four years before the four thousandth year. In
these the Creation, and the birth of Cain and
Abel, are the principal events. From 4000 to
1000 there are not more than thirty principal
facts. If there were 300, not more than three
rooms would be required. The period which
includes the histories of Greece and Rome, will
produce a greater number of facts ; and there
will be more certainty as to the dates. From
the building of Rome then to the Birth of Christ,
there will be occasion for seven rootns. (See
Plate 1. fig. 9.)

These remarks will suffice for the antient and
modern history, — for the antediluvian and post-
diluvian periods. We may, however, wish to
remember not only the principal facts in general

HISTORY, 97

history, but to enchain and fix the fleeting
visions of tlie moment, — those passing incidents
Avhich interest, amuse, or instruct us. " The
sacred treasure of the past" is not the only
*' substantial shadow" which will be registered
in our ideal repository. We shall be enabled to
arrange y«^«re events, and thus have an orderly
disposition of every circumstance of business or
pleasure, in which we may be engaged. In this
repository may be placed passing events, those
already entombed in the grave of time, and those
which are yet to seek the same sepulchre. Our
ideal almanack will enable us not only to regis-
ter appointments — but to enrol the payment of
bills and other mercantile concerns. To the
diarist it will be a neverfailing source of profita-
ble istruction and amusement.

To fix the events of a whole year more places
are required. Our year is divided into months,
weeks, and days; and into four seasons. Every
room has four sides. Every season contains
three months, and each wall contains three
stripes. (See Plate I. fig. 10.) The months are
named first, second, third, fourth, and so on ;
on each stripe are the days of the month, and
consequently a sufficient number of squares or
places, in which the facts and events may be
arranged. To remember the first, second, and
third mouths, the figures may be changed inta

98 NEW ART OF MEMOEY.

letters, and the letters into words, if necessary.
If it be required to commit to memory some
remarkable circumstance which happened on the'
25th of June, we should take the figures 6,25
(sixth month, 25th day,) and change them into
letters ; these would he d n i; of this we might
make Daniel, or any other word that would
associate better with the nature of the event. If
it be 6,8 (June 8th) we might say d v (dove)
and connect it with the leading feature of the'
event.

The advantage of resorting to symbols for
the representation of sensible objects, has, al-
ready been insisted upon : it must, however,
be repeated, that the rude outline of any one
object, if drawn upon the paper, will contri-
bute more essentially to imprint the circum-
stance upon the memory, than whole pages of
laboured description and minute detail. The
Egyptian hieroglyphics were formed in this
May, and the key to their interpretation (the
combination of the different images) was a sacred
trust reposited with the priests. The symbols
which may be formed will serve the purpose of
secret writing : for we may be well assured that
they will be as unintelligible to every one but
ourselves, as the piiest-writing was, to the
profanum vulgus of Egypt.

CHAP. V.

I^ausuase*

Sect. 1.— 0/i learnins Lanc^uafres,

J. HE learning of Languages is, in these days,
an object of such general pursuit, and at the
same time of such real importance, that every
plan of instruction which has for its object to
abridge the labour of this study, or to give per-
manence to its acquisitions, comes to our con-
sideration with the strongest claims on our
attention. The first approach to the study of
Languages presents to view a long and dreary
passage, but which must be travelled through
■with care and diligence, by those who wish to
make any useful progress. Now it would cer-
tainly be a great advantage to turn and shorten
this toilsome road, and to be enabled to pursue
our journey through the regions of science by
more direct and less fatiguing advances.

That any course of learning should be devised
by which the acquisition of Languages shall be

100 NEW ART oy MEMORY.

rendered an expeditious and unlaborious task, it
would be presumptuous to expect. But it may
be reasonably hoped, that, in the progressive im-
provement of human experience, new methods
of instruction may be introduced, in this as well
as in other sciences, which may afford additional
facilities to learning, and clear away many obsta-
cles to improvement which former ages were
unable to remove. ^

It is quite obvious that the difficulty in ac-
quiring a foreign language consists in the consti-
tutional difference of our native tongue, and that
which we propose to learn. If the grammatical
properties of the two languages were similar, the
mere obtaining of a copia verborum would be
an undertaking of no great difficulty. But how
considerable a labour it is to obtain a perfect
knowledge even of the genders and declensions
of nouns, the conjugations of verbs, and other
matters which are the very initials of language,
any one who has had the least experience of the
drudgery of teaching can well testify.

It would seem, then, that one of the most
extensive facilities which can be afforded in this
matter, is to point out the affinities of different
languages — to systematise, as far as can be, their
similarities ; and, where it is practicable, to tjace
and notify their variances. In other words.

LANGUAGE. 101

if the expression may be allowed, to exhibit the
uriivenalities of language.

Something of this nature will be attempted in
the present chapter. It is inserted, because it
constitutes a part of M. Von Feinaigle's in-
structions ; and because the Editor hopes that,
it will be found to contain some useful matter.
But he does not mean to delude the reader into
an expectation that he will be here provided with
a sort of talismanic key, which shall enable him,
without labor and without loss of time, to un-
lock the janua linguaruni. Indeed that (what-
ever some interested enthusiasts may pretend) is
what no intelligent reader would expect, nor
any honest man venture to promise. All that
will be here attempted will be, to exhibit some
of the most important similarities of different
languages — to show that, notwithstanding indivi-
dual peculiarities, they still retain strong marks
of affinity in many essential particulars.

Facies non omnibus nna,
Kec tamen diversa ; qualem decet esse sororum.

Ov. Met. l. 2. V. 13.

And, to bring the matter more home to practice,
to offer some rules, by the assistance of which
one language may be usefully applied to the ac-
quisition of another.

As we are about to consider some of the uni-
k3

102 NEW ART OF MEMOllY.

versal properties of language, it may not, per-
haps, be thought improper to enter on the
subject with a slight sketch of the origin of lan-
guage.

Sect. 2. — Sketch of the Origin of Language.

*' We are informed by Scripture, that when
the building of Babel was begun, about eighteen
hundred years after the fall, tliewhoJe earth was
of one speech. And had no miraculous inter-
position taken place, it is probable, that some
traces of it would have remained in every lan-
guage to this day. For, though, in so long a
time, many words must have been changed,
many introduced, a»id many forgotten, in every
country, yet men being all of the same family,
and all deriving their speech from the only one
primitive tongue, it may be presumed that some
of the original words would still have been in
use throughout the whole eaith : even as in all
the modern languages of Europe, some Greek,
and some Hebrew, and a great deal of Latin, is
still discernible. But Providence thouglit lit to
prevent this ; and by confounding the language
of the builders of Babel, to establish in the
world a variety of primitive tongues.

•^ •fp W "F

" Languages are either Primitive or Derived.

LANGUAGE. 103

That those which are formed out of the «ame
parent tongue should all resemble it and one ano-
ther, and yet should all be different, is not more
wonderful, than that children and tlieir parents
should be marked with a general family likeness,
and each distinguished by peculiar features.
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, and a
great deal of the English Tongue, are derived
from the Latin ; with the addition of many new
words, and new modes of termination and syntax
which were introduced by the northern nations.
And, therefore, all these languages resemble the
LiBtin and one another ; and yet each is different
from it, and from all the rest. But, if we could
compare two original or primitive tongues toge-
ther, the Hebrew for instance, with the Gothick
or the Celtick, or the language of China, with
that of the Hurons in North America, we should
not discern, perhaps, the least similitude : which,
considering that all mankind are of the same fa-
mily, could not be fully accounted for without
supposing, that some preternatural events like
that at tlie confusion of Babel, had some time
or other taken place. But this history solves all
difficulties."*

• Beattie on Language, in his Dissertations, pp. 304-
206, 4°.

104 NEW ART OF MfiMOftY.

This is the general opinion respecting the ori-
gin of ilie diversity of Languages; but it is not
an uncontroverted doctriiie. Dr. Priestley*
has argued upon this point in the following man-
ner :—

" The present diversity of language is gene-
rally believed to have taken its rise from the
building of Babel, and to have been brought
about by the interposition of the Divine Being;
but it is no uiipiety to suppose, that this (agree-
able to most other operations of the Deity)
might have been brought about by natural means.
The possibility of this natural deviation seems
to be deduced from the following considera-
tions.

" First. The primitive language, or that
which was spoken by the first family of the
human race, must have been very scanty, and
insufficient for the purposes of their descendants,
in their growing acquaintance with the world.

" Second/^. Not being fixed by the practice
of writing, it would be very liable to variation.

" Thirdly. Supposing the primitive language
to have had few inflections, (because few would
have been sufficient,) it would easily admit any
inflections, which chance or design might sug-

* Lecture on the Theory of Language, p. 287, and leeq.

LANGUA.OE, lOJ

gest to the founders of different families, or to
their successors. These different inflections
would consequenily introduce different construc-
tions of words, and different rules of syntax :
and thus what are called the very stamina of
languages, would be formed independently of
one another, and admit of all possible varieties.

" Fourthly. Considering into what different
climates mankind were dispersed, furnished with
the bare rudiments of the art of speech, into
what different ways of living they fell, and how
long they continued without the art of writing,
(without which no language can be fixed,) it
seems to be no woixier that languages should be
so different as they are ; both with respect to the
rules of inflection, with the fundamentals of
grammar which depend upon them, and the
words of which they consist.

" Tiie difficulty which some allege there is,
in conceiving hosv languages should arise in the
world so very different, not only in the words,
but in the manner of using them, seems to arise
wholly from the supposition, that the primitive
language was copiou'^, regular, and perfect in all
its parts: the difficulty of changing such a lan-
guage is allowed ; but the fact, is apprehended,
is nuich easier accounted for upon the present
hypoihusis.

" To these arguments it may be added, that

106 NEW ART OF MfiMORY.

to a person thoroughly acquainted with the pre-*
sent state of mankind, ti.e prodigious diversity of
human manners and customs may probably ap-
pear almost as difficult to be accounted for, as
the diversity of languages only."

The late Dr. G. GRnGORY has obsefved
on this subject, that it is impossible to say what
was the nature of the confusion of language at
Babe/ ; whether it consisted in the invention of
new tortus, or in the improper use of the old.
The miracle at Bahel, he adds, might be only
a temporary confusion,* sufficient to set aside
that useless and absurd undertaking : and it is
more natural to suppose, that the consequent
dispersion of mankind was the effect of dissen-
tions occasioned by having misunderstood each
other, than that ihey could not live together, be-
cause they did not all continue to speak the same
language.

II. The origin of alphabetical writing is in-
volved in as much doubt as that of the diversity

* This conjecture, as Dr. Gregory states in a note,
is fonfirmed by a criticism of Mr. Bryant, wlio remarks,
in his analysis of Ancient Mytiiology, that ("THJli^ really
signifies lip, and that consequently the niiia(;le was not
any alteration in the language, but a failure or incapacity
in labial utterance, which, soon after their separation,
tlaey recovered.

LANGUAGE. 107

of language ; and the controversies which have
arisen on both subjects have been Mmilarly con-
ducted— one side pretending to found their argu-
ments on the authority of the Scriptures, and
the other side denymg that those records furnish
any such inference.

They who have recourse to supernaturnl inter-
position to account for the origin of writing,
allege that the first alphabetical writings were the
two tables of stone, which, as we are infoi med
by Moses, were written by the finger of (iod
himself. And it must be acknowledged (in the
words of Dr. Priestley) that the oldest acco. nt
we have concerning the use of letters in Asia
and Greece is so circumstanced, as by no means
to clash with this hypothesis. It seems Itkewise
very probable from Robertson's compansou of
Alphabets, that all the known ones might origi-
nally have been derived from the llebiew, or
Samaritan.

But in opposition to these arguments it has
been asked — If the Deity had taught or revealed
such an art to mankind, why is it not explicitly
noted in that complete history of revelation,
which inspiration has handed down to us ? The
writing on the tables at Mount Sinai is not
spoken of as a new invention; and if it had been
such, and particularly if it had been the imme*
diate act of the Deity, is there the least proba-

108 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

bility tl*t so important a fact would have been
omitted by the sacred historian ? There are va-
rious other arguments in this matter, but these
form the hinge of the dispute ; and we shall close
this subject with a very satisfactory observation
of Dr. Priestley, who reniarks, that, the imper-
fections of all alphabets, the Hebrew by no
means excepted, seems to argue them not to
have been the product of divine skill, but the
result of such a concurrence of accident and
gradual improvement as all human arts, and
M'hat we call inventions, owe their birth to. For
certainly, the alphabets in use bear no marks of
the regularity and perfection of the works of na-
ture : the more we consider the latter, the more
reason we see to admire their beauty, just pro-
portions, and consequent fitness to answer their
respective ends ; whereas, the more we examine
the former, the more defects, superfluities, and
imperfections of all kinds we discover iu them.
Besides, had there ever been a divine alphabet,
it would certainly have established itself in the
world by its manifest excellence, particularly as,
upon this supposition, mankind were incapable of
devising one themselves.

Ill, But whatever may be the origin of «/-
phabeticai zci iiing, it is certain that all alpha-
bets are, more or less, defective. In the or-
thography of modern languages, in particular, it

LANGUAGE. 109

is a great inconvenience, as has feeen truly
observed,* that the pronunciation does not cor-
respond with the writing ; but that the same let-
ters have different sounds, and the same sounds
are often represented by different letters : some
letters also, according to the pronunciation, are
superfluous in some words, in others letters are
wanting. This is chiefly a mark of their deriva-
tion from other languages : since, in many of
those differences, the speUing leans to the an-
tients, when the pronunciation is modern. Tlius
the (p) in the word receipt is not pronounced ;
but it shows the derivation of the word from
recipio in Latin. Some words of the same
sound are spelled differently, to preserve a dis-
tinction in writing, as air, heir : hair, hare, etc.
Other words, on the contrary, which are spelled
in the same manner, are pronounced differently,
to preserve a distinction in speaking ; as I readr
and I have read.

Sect. 3. — Accmint of some attempts towards
forming a universal Character or Alphabet.

All the alphabets extant are charged by
Bishop Wilkin s with great irregularities,

* Priestley's Lectures on Language, p. 43.
L

no NEW ART OF MEMORY.

with respect both to order, number, power,
figure, etc.

As to the order it appears, says he, inartificial,
precarious, and confused, as the vowels and con-
sonants are not reduced into classes, with such
order of precedence and subsequence as their
natures will bear. Of this imperfection the
Greek alphabet, which is one of the least defec-
tive, is far from being free : for instance, the
Greeks should have separated the consonants
from the vowels ; after the vowels they should
have placed the diphthongs, and then the con-
sonants ; whereas, in fact, the order is so per-
verted, that we find the o the fifteenth letter in
the order of the alphabet, and the &>, or long o,
the tvi'enty-fourth and last : the e the fifth, and
the n the seventh letter.

With respect to number, they are both redun-
dant and deficient; redundant by allotting the
same sound to several letters, as in the Latin c
and k,f and ph ; or by reckoning double letters
among the simple elements of speech, as in the
Greek I and ^|/, the Latin q or cu, x or ex, and
the j consonant. They are deficient in many
respects, particularly with regard to vowels, of
which seven or eight kinds are commonly used,
though the Latin alphabet takes notice only of
five. Add to this, that the difference among

LANGUAGE. Ill

them with regard to long and short, is not suffi-
ciently provided against.

The powers again are not more exempt from
confusion ; the vowels, for instance, are gene-
rally acknowledged to have each of them several
different sounds ; and among the consonants we
need only bring as evidence of their different pro-
nunciation the letter c in the word circa, and g
in the word negligence. Hence it happens, that
some words are diflferently written, though pro-
nounced in the same manner, as cessio and sessio ;
and others are different in pronunciation, which
are the same in writing, as give, dare, and give,
vinculum.

Finally, he adds, the Jigtires are but ill con-
certed, there is nothing in the characters of the
vowels answerable to the different manner of pro-
nunciation ; nor in the consonants analogous to
their agreements, or disagreements.

As we are on this subject, the reader may not
be displeased, perhaps, to have the various
schemes which have been proposed for the emen-
dation and correction of the English Alphabet
brought together in one concise view.

** There have been many schemes offered for
the emendation and settlement of our ortho-
graphy ; which, like that of other nations, being
formed by chance, or according to the fancy of
the earliest writers in rude ages, was at first verj

112 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

various and uncertain, and is yet sufficiently irre-
gular : of these reformers some have endeavoured
to accommodate orthography better to the pro-
nunciation, without considering that this is to
measure by a shadow ; to take that for a modet
or standard, which is changing while they apply
it. Others, less absurdly indeed, but with equal
unlikelihood of success, have endeavoured to
proportion the number of letters to that of
sounds, that every sound may have its own cha-
racter, and every character a single sound. Such
would be the orthography of a new language to
be formed by a synod of grammarians upon prin-
ciples of science. But who can hope to prevail
on nations to change their practice, and make all
the old books useless ? or what advantage would
a new orthography procure equivalent to the con-
fusion and perplexity of such an alteration.

" One of the first who proposed a scheme of
regular orthography, was Sir Thomas Smith,
Secretary of Slate to Queen Elizabeth, a man of
real learning, and nmch practised in grammatical
disquisitions.* After him auother mode of

• In the prefa;' ' ohnson's English Dictionary

(from whWA this h. .iiatled) a f^peclmevi may be

seen of .Ilia rfePoTMcrj or«if>g)«ifhy. Tke want ol" juoper
ty,p98, itowever, renders >* y^">•^^'ii^h\t to etliibit this and
ptji^r spe,ciaieu3 here.

LANGUAGE. 113

writing was offered by Dr. Gill, the cele-
brated Master of St. Paul's School in London.
Dr. Gill was followed by Charles Butler,
a man who did not want an understanding which
might have qualified him for better employment.
He seems to have been more sanguine than his
predecessors, for he printed his book according
to his own scheme.

'* In the time of Charles I. there was a
very prevalent inclination to change the ortho-
graphy ; as appears, among other books, in
such editions of the works of Milton as were
published by himself. Of these reformers every
man had his own scheme ; but they agreed in
one general design of accommodating the letters
(o the pronunciation, by ejecting such as they
thought superfluous. Some of them would have
written these lines thus :

All the erth
Shall then be paradis, far happier place
Than this of Eden, and far happier dais.

" Bishop Wilkins afterwards, in his great
work of the philosophical language, proposed,
without expecting to be followed, a regular or-
thography ; by which the Lord's prayer is to be
written thus :

Y«r FSdher hsitsh art in h6ven, hfllloed bi
dhyi nam, dhi cingdym cym, dhy sill bi dyn in
erth as it is in heven, etc."
l3

ili NEW ART OF MEMORY.

Here Dr. Johnson has closed bis account,
which we shall emleavour to complete by no-
ticing some other philosophical speculations of a
similar nature that have been submitted to the
public. But we shall first present the reader
with a more detailed accourit of Bishop Wilkins'
plan of a universal and philosophical language.
This account we shall give in an extract from
Dr. Priestley's Lectures on the Theory of
Language, because it contains the most clear
and concise exposition of it, that can possibly be
given.

" Having in the first place, with prodigious
labour and exactness, distributed all things
to which names are given into classes ; under
forty genuses or general heads, (some of which,
however, are subordinate to others) he assigns a
short and simple character to each of these forty
genuses,---a definite variation of the character, to
each difference under the genuses, — and a further
variation for each species, etc. By this means,
the characters, representing all things that have
names, have the same analogies with one another
that the things themselves have.

" Characters being provaded for the names of
things, the grammatical distinctions of words,
numbers, tenses, persons, voices, etc. are denoted
by some appendage to the character.

" In this manner may we be furnished with an

LANGUAGE. 115

universal character, which shall represent ideas
directly, without the intervention of any sounds,
and which may be equally understood by people
using any language whatever.*

" To make this character efFable, the Doctor
(Wilkins) appropriates a single sound to the
characters representing each genus and difterence,
and also to each variation and appendage before
mentioned : and they are so contrived, that the
simple sounds adapted to all the parts of the
most complex character may be pronounced with
ease, as one word.

" By tliis means any people, after they had
applied this character to represent their ideas,
might soon learn to read it in the same manner

• Tbc languages of Europe have one instance of this
kind of writiny;. Their aritkmeliculfiguus, which were de-
rived from the Arabians, arc signiticantiBarks precisely of
the sarae nature as the universal characters ai)Ove men*
tioued. They have no depondcnte on words ; but each
figure represents an object — represents the number for
which it stands : and accordingly, on being presented to
the eye, is equally understood by all the nations, who have
agreed in the use of those cyphers — by Italians, Spaniards,
French and English, however diflerent the languages of
those nations are from one another, and whatever dift'erent
names they give in tlieir respective languages, to each nu-
merical cypher.— JB?«Jr on the Belles Lett. Led. vii.

H6 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

as any other people ; whereby, in conversation
as well as in writing, they might make themselves
perfectly understood by one another.

" The elements of this character and language
are so few, and the combination of them so
easy, that the Doctor (VVilkins) says he has no
doubt, that a person of a good capacity and me-
mory may, in one month's space, attain to a
good readiness of expressing his mind this way,
either in the character or language.

" As the names of individuals cannot be com-
prehended in tables of genuses and their differ-
ences, the Dt)ctor (VVilkins) hath contrived an
ALPHABET of all the simple articulations of the
human voice ; to which he hath assigned two
sets of characters, to be used at pleasure : the
one consists of short and plain strokes, the other
is a kind of delineation of the position of the
organs in forming the articulations."

This plan Dr. Priestley considers the most
rational of all the plans of a universal and phi*
losophical language. And he adds, whenever
this noble project is resumed, it seems to be im-
possible to proceed upon a better plan than
this. The principal thing that is wanting to the
perfection of it is a more perfect distribution of
things into classes than, perhaps, the present
state of knowledge can enable us to make.

LANGUAGE. 117

Mr. JiODWicK, in t\ie Philosophical TranS"
actions* gives ' an Essay towards an universal
Alphabet.' His plan was to contain an enume-
ration of all such single sounds, as are used in
any language : by means of which people should
be able to pronounce truly and readily any lan-
guage; to describe the pronunciation of any
language that shall be pronounced in their hear-
ing, so as others accustomed to this language,
though they had never heard the language pro-
nounced, shall at first be able truly to pronounce
it : and lastly, this character was to serve to
perpetuate the sounds of any language what-
ever.

The construction of " a new alphabet, and a
reformed mode of spelling," has also occupied
the attention of that celebrated Philosopher, Dr.
Franklin. His plan may be seen in his mis-
cellaneous works.'!" In this alphabet he has
attempted to provide that no letter should have
two sounds, and every sound should be repre-
sented by a distinct letter. " It is to be observed
(he says) that in all the letters, vowels, and con-
sonants, wherever they are met with, or in what-
ever company, their sound is always the same.

r— ■

• Vol. xvi. p. 126.
t Vol. ii. p. 357. ed. Lond. 1806.

il8 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

It is also intended, that there be no superfluous
letters used in spelling ; i. e. no letter that is not
sounded ; and this alphabet, by six new letters,
provides that there be no distinct sounds in the
language, without letters to express them. As
to the difference between short and long vowels,
it is naturally expressed by a single vowel, where
short ; a double one, where long : as for mend,
write mend; but for remaitied, write re-
meen'd ; for did write did, but for deed write
diid, etc."

In this alphabet c is omitted as unnecessary ;
k supplying its hard sound, and s the soft ; k
also supplies well the place of z, and with an s
added, the place of .r : q and x are therefore
omitted. The vowel u, being sounded as oo,
makes the w unnecessary. The ?/, where used
simply, is supplied by i, and where as a diph-
thong, by two vowels : that letter is therefore
omitted as useless. The jod, j, is also omitted,
its sound being supplied by a new letter, which
serves other purposes.

The philosophical construction of the alphabet
may be best seen in the following account, writ*
ten by himself, and entitled :

LANGUAGE. IIQ

" Remarks oh the alphabetical Table."

^It is endeavoured to give the alphabet a more nU'

\ fund order ; beginning: first witli the simple sounds

to <' formed by the breath, with none or very little

huh J help of tongue, teeth, and lips, and produced

r chiefly in the windpipe.

C Then coming forward to tliose formed by the roof
^' ' i of the tongue next to the windpipe.

j.^ „^ ^ Then to those, formed more forward, by the forc«
t. d. i part of the tongue, against the roof of the mouth.

{Then those formed still more forward in the
mouth, by the tip of tlie tongue, applied first to
the roots of the upper teeth.

$.z.

Then to those formed by the tip of the tongue, ap-
plied to the ends or edges of the upper teeth.

C Then to those formed still more forward, by the
/• ^'' ^ under lip applied to the upper teeth.

{Then to those formed yet more forward, by the
upper and under lip opening to let out tiie sound-
ing breath.
/ And lastly, ending with the shutting up of the
m. J mouth, or closing the lips while any vowel is
t.sO"uding.

It is impossible for want of proper types to
give a specimen here of the Doctor's reformed
mode of spelling ; but several examples may be
seen in the 3rd vol. of his works, p. S57, in
which is inserted a correspondence which was

120 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

carried on between the Doctor and Miss Ste-
phenson, on this subject, and in which the
former urges the utility of his scheme, and
endeavours to answer the objections raised
against it."*

Mr. Noah Webster, another American
author, has proposed a more moderate inno-
vation, " to render our orthography sufficiently
-regular and easy."

1. The omission of all superfluous or silent
letters. Thus bread, head, give, bread, built,
meant, realm, friend, would be spelt, bred,
hed, giv, brest, bilt, ment, relm, frend.

2. A substitution of a character that has a
certain definite sound, for one that is more vague
and indeterminate. Thus, mean, near, speak,
grieve, zeal, would become, meen, neer, speek,
greeve, zeel. Thus key should be written kee ;
laugh, laf; daughter, dawter ; blood, blud ;
character, karacter; chorus, korus, etc.

3. A trifling alteration in a character, or the
addition of a point would distinguish different
sounds, without the substitution of a new cha-

* Mr. Webster states, that the Doctor, amidst all his
other employments, public and private, actually conl-
piled aUictionai7 on this scheme of reform, and procured
types to be cast for priiiting it. But it never was
printed.

LANGUAGE. HI

racter. Thus a very small stroke across the
would distinguish its two sounds. A point over
a vowel might answer all the purposes of dif-
ferent letters. And for the diphthong on, let the
two letters be united by a small stroke, or both
engraven on the same piece of metal, with the
left hand line of the w united to the o.

These, with a few other inconsiderable altera*
tions, Mr. Webster thinks, " would answer every
purpose, and render the orthography sufficiently
correct and regular."*

The only other scheme of reformation we shall
notice is that put forth by Mr. Elphinston.
We shall transcribe the first paragraph of his
preface, f

" Evvery tung iz independant ov evvery
oddher. Hooewer seeks dhe anallogy (or nat-
tural rule) ov anny tung, must dherfore find it at
home; nor wil dhe seeker seek in vain. Inglish
diccion dhen haz no laws, but her own. Yet,
in her picturage, and consequently in much ov
her livving practice ; hav anny oddher laws, or
any lawlesues, been prefferably regarded. No
more can anny language adopt dhe system ov any
oddlier; dhan anny nacion, dhe hoal poUity ov

* Dissertations on the English Language, p. 394.
♦ Propriety ascertained in her Picture, 4^.

122

NEW ART OF MEMORY".

anoddher iiacioii : for such adopter wer no more
a distinct nacion or language ; wer but a mon-
grel, or an eccoe."

Sect. 4. — Proposed Philosophical Arrange'
merit of the Alphabet as applied to Language
in general.

The ordinary arrangement of the alphabet be-
ing thus defective and unphilosophical, we shall
propose another mode of disposing the letters,
which we shall endeavour to justify, by assigning
a reason for allotting to each letter the particular
place which it occupies. We shall exhibit our
alphabet, then, in this form : —

a
c

ph f

d
*h

o
u

' t

According to this scheme, the letters are dis-
tributed into four colunais, each column con-
taining five letters. This arrangement is not an
arbitrary one, but is made upon principles of
philosophical propriety.

LANGUAGE. 125

The first column contains the vowels. Y, is
a vowel in Englisli, but it is by no means an
essential part of the alphabet. It takes in general
'the sound of i, as in rhyme, cyder, system, synfax,
etc. For this reason (as Mr. Walker has ob-
served) printers, who have been the great cor-
rectors of our orthography, have substllultd the
i in its stead, in many instances. We shall dis-
card ?/, therefore, fi cm our alphabet.

The vowels are placed first, because they can
be pronounced without the assistance of conso-
nants, while consonants cannot be pronounced
without the aid of vowels. In order to arcount
for the arrangement of the vowels, thus ; a, e, i,
0, u; we must advert to the pronunciation of them.
The French pronunciation is the most natural and
pkilosophical ; for in the course of that pronun-
ciation of the vowels, there is a regular gradation
of sound from the most open to the closest, — ■
from high to low, — aw, a, ee, o, en. This h
the order of nature. The sound of a is produced,
by a very wide opening of the lips ; which are
somewhat more closed in the pronunciation ofe,*
and still more so in the utterance o( i. When o
is pronounced, the lips approximate still more,
and at the sound of u, they are almost closed.

This subject may be further illustrated by the
following extract from Mr. Walker's Princi-
ples of Engli.'ih Pronunciation prefixed to his

124 NtW AUT OP MEMORT.

Critical Pronouncing Dictionary. After ex-
hibiting a detailed view of the organic formation
of the vowels, not differing materially from that
before stated, he renjarks that, in this view we
fiid, that, a, e, and o, are the only simple or pure
vowels : that i is a diphthong, and that w is a
semi-consooant. If we were inclined (he adds)
to contrive a scale for measuring the breadth or
narrowness, or, as otliei s term it, the openness or
closeness of the vowel, we might begin with t
open, as Mr. Elphinston calls it, and which he
announces to be the closest of all the vocal
powers. In the pronunciation of this letter, we
find the aperture of tlie mouth extended on each
side ; the lips almost closed, and the sound
issuing horizontally. The slender a in waste
opens the mouth a little wider. The a in father
opens the mouth still more, without contracting
the corners. Tlie German a, heard in wall, not
only opens the mouth wider than the former a,
but contracts the corners of the mouth, so as to
make the aperture approach nearer to a circle ;
while die o opens the mouth still more, and con-
tracts the corners so as to make it the os rotun-
dum, a picture of the letter it sounds.

Consonants are divided into different classes
according to the seat of their intonation, or from
those organs of speech which are chiefly em-
ployed in forming them. The distinction which we

LANGUAGE. 12S

shall adopt, is .that which divides them into
labials, gutturals, dentals, and palatals ; as they
are formed by the lips, the throat, the teeth, or
the palate : or, in other words, because the
breath, in passing from the lungs, is intercepted
in those seats or places, or at least is very strongly
compressed there.

In the second column are the consonants b,

f, P, T>'

jB is a labial : it is formed by intercepting the
passage of the breath through the mouth, by
closing the lips.

F may be represented by ph. Ph occurs
chiefly in words derived from the Greek, and
written in that language ^. The Italians,
in such words, write y,* thus, while we adhering
strictly to derivation write philosopher, they write
Jilosofo*

P is a labial, formed (like h) by closing the
lips ; but in a less forcible manner. The Ara-
bians (says Mr. Wallis) have not this letter, but
substitute for it either Be or Phe. The illiterate
Jews in this country usually confound b and p
in their pronunciation, using the one for the other.

* Euudem olini (j)li) sonum habuisse ac/ inscriptiones
veteres confinnant, in quibus altonun pro altcro proniiscue
adhibeii {•erninms : ut pliidelis pro fiddis, — Middleion d€
ImI, Lxtcu Pron, Disc,

126 KEW ART OF MEMORY.

F is a labial : it is formed by a touch of the
upper teeth and the under lip. It is, indeed, the
flat fj to which letter it bears the same relation
as "p does to h. The Arabians and Persians have
not this sound ; and Wallis is of opinion that the
English-Saxons either had it not, or wrote it by
f ; for they used, he says, no v consonant, and
they wrote many words with f^ as the English
did after them, for some ages, which are now
written with v, as well as those which are now
written withy.- as gij\ heofon, etc. which are
now written give, heaven. And Priscian ac-
knowledges, that the Latins formerly pronounced
y with the same sound, with which afterwards
the V consonant was pronounced.

In the third column, are c, g, q, x.

C and g are both gutturals ; c has the sound
of s and k ; g of J and k. As the sound of k is
usually given to c, there is great reason for sup-
posing that this was its original sound.* In the
less frequent sound of c, the guttural becomes a
hissing sound. The hard sounds of c and g, (ka,
ge) are produced by a stroke in the throat, and
are consequently gutturals : g is the only weak
sound of tch, as in church ; ch is a guttural as-
pirated.

• 'WalHs observes, that tl)e Latin k was formerly used
for c : for the Komous wrote judiflfereutly Calendie and
Kaknda.

LANGUAGE^ 127

Q is the strong sound of c, which, as was be-
fore observed, is a weak guttural.

X is written egs, ecs, and eks ; it is a guttural
aspirate, with a hissing termination. Aspirate
and hissing are compound sounds.

The fourth column contains d, h, t, t.

D is a dental, or produced by pressing the
tongue against the gums of the upper teeth, and
then separating them.

T is also a dental, and is similarly formed.

H. This letter is no more than an aspiration,
or breathing forcibly before the succeeding vowel.

^ is a hissing dental. It is the flat s, and
bears the same relation to that letter as h does
tojJ, andy'tou. It is formed by placing the
tongue in the same position as in t and fZ, but
not so close to the gums as to stop the breath :
a space is left between the tongue and the palate
for the breath to issue, which fojms the hissing
or buzzing sound of the letter.

X, //?, w, are placed in the centre because they
are of a middle ilature between mutes and con-
sonants. They are generally termed liquids,
because, in pronunciation, they easily flow inta
and combine with the mutes. X is a weak pala-
tal, in is a labio-palatal, and n is a strong palatal.
JR is not found in all languages, it is formed
by the forcible expulsion of the air, which during
its passage, causes a tremulous motion of the

123

NEW ART OF MEMORY.

tongue. The Greeks sometimes wrote this let-
ter with an aspiration, and we, follow their ex-
ample ill rhetoric, rhythm, etc.

aS is a hissing palatal, and is formed in the
same manner as z.

J and V are placed between the highest vowels
and the weakest consonants.

We shall subjoin the following tabular view
of the powers and qualities of the consonants,
accordinof to this system.

Labials.

Gutturals, 1 Dentals. 1

a labial with
a weak touch

a guttural witl]
the sound of A;
a weak touch

a weak den-
tal.

a labial with
a strong touch
aspirated.

a guttural; weak
sound of che.

a dental aspi-
rated.

I J

k L

a weak pala-
tal.

a labio-pala-
tal.

a strong pala-
tal.

Q r

s T

a labial with a'
strong touch.

thestrongsound
of c.

a strong den-
ial.

V w

y z

a labial with a guttural as-'
I weak toucii,'pirated,with a
)ut aspirated; hissing sound.
It is the weak
sound of'i)/t.

1 hissing den-
tal.

. 1

LA.NGUAGE.

120

As in the course of this chapter we have no-
ticed the schemes of different autliois on this
subject, it may be as well to insert here the fol-
lowing tables of the consonants ; extracted from
Dr. Wallis, Mr. Walker, and Mr. Elphiuston.

(I. From Dr. AVallis *)
Synopsis of the Letters.

Mute

Labial or
Lip

HaU" Mute B

( Half Vowel

Mute

c ^

Palatine or

g ^ Palate

a
c

< Half Mute D

Half Vowel N

[utp C

Guttural or
Throat •\ Half Mute G

Half Vowel wasisrh

a Lowioi

a shjli

CH
G

L R

* Grammatica Angliamay p. 55.

NEW ART OF MEMOBY.

B
o

- -d

LANGTJA«E.

131

{5. From Mr. Elphinston.*)
TABEL OV AFFINNITY.

DUE LICQUIDS.

i Ungual, I guttural, I dental, \ labial^

DHE MUTES.
direct ; dopri'saire ;

simfd,

k, c, f

aspirate,

th
eb, si

ch [tsh']

sinipel.

aspirate.

>labial.

Vdental.

\sibbilating,
[zh]zi J

/ pallatal or
^■giittural.
gb J

J; o L - U Vcompouai

1 J

We may conclude this part of our subject in
the words of Mr. Walker on a similar occasion.
" In this sketch of the formation and distribution

• * Propriety ascertained is her Picture,' p. 3,

132 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

of the consonants, it is curious to observe on how
few radical principles, the almost infinite variety
of combination in language depends. It is with
some degree of wonder, we perceive that the
slightest aspiration, the almost insensible inflexion
of nearly similar sounds, often generate the most
different and opposite meanings. In this view
of nature, as in every other, we find uniformity
and variety very conspicuous. The single Jiatf
at first imprinted on the chaos, seems to operate
on languages; which from the simplicity and
paucity of their principles, and the extent and
power of their co-mbinations, prove the goodness,
wisdem, and omnipotence of their origin.

" This analogical association of sounds is not
only curious, but ustful : it gives us a compre-
hensive view of the powers of the letters : and,
from the smull number that are radically differ-
ent, enables us to see the rules on which their
varieties depend : it discovers to us the genius
and propensities of several languages and dia-
lects; and, when authority is silent, enables us t©
decide agreeably to analogy."

LANGUAGE* 133

Sect. J. — The derkation of French from Latirtf
skozcn to consist, principally, in the change
of certain letters according to established
rules.

When two difFeient nations have an inter-
course together, either by means of war or com-
merce, an attempt is made on both sides, to ren-
der the language of each, mutually understood.
For example, France was once conquered by
the Romans. The French people were, of
course, subject to the laws of tjitdr conquerors,
and if they had any complaints to prefer before
the courts, were, of necessity compelled to make
them in Latin,

- The people in acquiring this language, did
nut resort to grammars; lhe\f had heard a
part^ular name given to a particular object,
another name to another, etc. and had con-
stantly seen the objects characterised by these
names. The French had heard the Romans
mention a bridge, vvhich they called pons; they
heard them speak of the expense of a bridge,
(pontis) of going to a bridge, (ponti) of destroy-
ing this bridge, (ponlem) of going far from it,
(ponte) of more bridges, (pontes, pontium, pon-
tibus, etc.) The common people seeing such
terminatk)ns affixed to each word, and not caring
to understand or remember ihem, rejected tlieia
N

134 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

off at once, preserving the body of the word
pout, and forming tlie French ponte. The
Spaniards and Italians followed the example.
The terminations, which, in Latin, formed the
declensions, were omitted ; and as in this last
word, so in many other derivatives from Latin
appellatives, the last vowel only was changed,
and a great part of the original word remained.
What is done in adjectives and substantives, also
takes place in verbs.

In Latin, the verbs have their infinitive moods
terminaled in re; once preceded by a, once by
e, and once by i, as are=ere=ire. It has been
observed, that the consonants are weak, strong,
aspirated, and hissing. All nations used the
letters of the alphabet, but they changed the
pronunciation according to the genius of their
respective countries. The language of one peo-
ple abounds with weak letters, others with strong,
hissing, or gutteral letters, etc.

The Latin word f rater when changed into
French, has the letter a weakened, and it be-
comes e — as in frere: the deep Roman a is
taken away, and the weaker letter e is substi-
tuted, as in mare, mer: chare, chere; pater,
pere ; catena, chaine. As it is the genius of the
French language to shorten their verbs, the
Latin infinitive are, becomes er ; as in amare,
uimer. In the third conjugation the final e only

LANGUAGE. 135

is cut off, and the ir remains, as in fiiiire, Jinir ; '
venire, venir, etc. etc. In the second conjuga-
tion which ends in ere, were the final e to be re-
jected, er only would remain, which would be
the sime termination as that of the first conjuga-
tion. If it be changed into i, the third conjuga-
tion will appear ; we seem then in danger of
losing a wh jle conjugation. Tiiis inconvenience,
however, will be soon obviated. The genius of
the language requires that the sound should be
shortened ; there remains, then, no other mode
than to deprive the ere of the first vowel, and
the second conjugation in re will be found, as
perdere, perdre. By taking away the vowel that
precedes the r, this letter would come into con-
tact with a preceding consonant, with which, in
some cases, it would be impossible for it to
stnid. The verb valere, would, according to
the rule just given, become valre ; but as / and
r cannot stand together, one should be taken
away. To connect them a sharp vosvel nmst be
inserted, and this must be e, but then the conju-
gation would be lost. Let us try i, and we shall
find it will become oir.

The Latin trea is changed into trois, for va-
lere, there is valoir ; this cannot be an irregular
conjugation, for all the remaining parts are con-
jugated regularly ; as there is only the infinitive
vu/uir, it is then neither regular, nor irregular,

136 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

but regulated. This oir can only stand for the
infinitive mood ; it is instead of valre : if the
infinitive mood be not found regularly, the future
cannot be given. As r is indispensable, we must
part with the /. The Latin vvord ca/x, is made
chalk in English, but in pronouncing this word,
the I is opened and the pronunciation becomes
(chawk) changing the c into ch. in Freflch^
calx becomes chaux; in the Latin word alter,
the I is opened and alter is converted into autre >
saltare into sautre.

From the Latin pulvere, the French infinitive
would be pulver,* but the / is resolved into eu,
and V is changed into d; thus, pulvere becomes
poudre; cinere, cindre. In vaudre, the / must
be rejected, and au supplied ; thus valre — vau.
In the future, the French do not say, as in Latin
or English, / will do,— hut I have to do ; they
take the present of avoir, add it to the infinitive,
and thus form the future vaudr-ai, vaudr-as,
vaudr-a ; we cannot say voulerai. In the pre-
sent tense, in Latin, there is valet ; the e is re-
jected, and as the / and t cannot stand together,
/ is opened as before, and we immediately have
vaut.

It has been shown already, that the infinitive
moo^s of the Latin ending in are, ere, ire, are
changed into er, re, ir, in French. The first
and last conjugations are both made by rejecting

LANGUAGE. 137

the final e. Afterwards we find a fourth conju-
gation in oil'; it has been shown how this is
formed, and that it is not a new conjugation, for
no tense or person is formed from oir.

If the Latin and French languages are com-
pared together, it will be easy to prove how
much one is derived from the other, and how
very materially the study of the Latirt and French
will facilitate the acquisition of other languages.
Those who are acquainted with the Latin lan-
guage know that mus is the termination of the
first person pKual, so that from are we get
amus, from ere, emus, from ire, imiis. ii the
first person plural in French be required, the
vowel must be omitted, and ms will be given*
The French words iion, nom, noms, are all pro-
nounced in the same manner; for when m is
final, it is pronounced as h, which has a nasal
sound : m, then, is no more necessary, for if we
write according to the pronunciation it would be

In the verb darner, for cxamp'e, the infini-
tive termination er is changed into oris, and we
have darisoiis. The second person in Latin, is^
known by the termination tis — atis — etis — if is:.
the same principle that directed the French to
shorten the forn>er person, induces them to pur-
sue tlie same method here. The i is taken away
vmd ts \a left, \vhich has tlie same sound as, a«d,

138 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

may be supplied by, z. The word is written
according to its pronunciation, and from darner
is produced da?isez. The Latin termination ent
is continued in French, but is mute ; they say
dansent (danse) as if there were no eiit.

In the next tense the past time occurs; we
danced yesterday: again for the first person
plural there is oris, but this would denote the
present tense ; to distinguish, therefore, the im-
perfect, from the present, tense, and to show
that it is past, i is placed before ons, as ions ;
and this is always found in the imperfect in all
conjugations. In the second person, present,
there is ez ; to denote the imperfect, i nmst be
added, as iez. For the third person, ent with
the i before it, ient ; but this requires some lit-
tle addition ; o, therefore, is placed before the
J, and oitrit i^ formed. This tense, then, is dan-
dons, dansiez, dansoient.

The future, we shall dance, will require some-
thing more than ons; the whole iniinilive is here
taken, and the termination ons is added ; thus
■ne have da user, danserons, danserez, and dan-
sei'ont. From ont comes the infinitive danser^
to dance. This future also has an imperfect, /
would dunce; i the sign for the imperfect being
added> danieiions, daiiseriez, danser'oint, are
obtaiiied. If the word danserions be analysed>
Uiu5, danse \ r \ i \ ons^ it will be *bund tbafr

LANGUAGE. 139

vNS is the sign of the third person plural ; i of
the imperfect ; aiKl ;■ of the future.

There are yet two more tenses to be consi-
dered. The first is the preterperfect, 7ce have
danced^ or we danced. In Latin, the termina-
tions are }uiis, stis, runt ; the mus is softened
into wes, as in parlames ; the stis was formerly
written parlastes, but as the s was not sounded,
it was entirely dropped, and the i being softened,
formed parlates; and runt was softened into
rent, as in parlerent. In the imperfect of the
subjunctive mood, flie terminations are ssions,
ssiez, and the third person would be ssaient ;
but that would be a longer termination than the
genius of the French language would allow, it is
therefore shortened into ssent.

If the person, tense, etc. of the word Juiiriez,
be required, it nmst be remembered that ez is
the sign of the second person plwral ; that i is
the sign of an imperfect tense, and r of the fu-
ture : it is liierefore the second person plural of
the future imperfect. In rendroit, t is the sign
of'the third person singular, oi is the sign of the
imperfect, and r of the future ; it is then the
third person singular of the future imperfect, and
belongs to the conjugation ending in re.

A French verb which is termed irrcrrular.
is nevertheless derived regularly from the
Latitt> For example the verb plaire^ This

140 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

verb is evidently derived from the h-atm p/acere :
to convert tliis word into French, it must be cur-
tailed, and the first step towards this, will be to
leave out the e before the /•; there will then be
placre, but as c and r cannot combine together,
and tile r is absolutely necessary, the c must be
dispensed wiih ; the a being changed into the
softer sound ai, which forms plaire. To form
the different persons and tenses, it remains only
to reject the final e, and add the proper termina-
tions.

The French verb connoitre is derived from the
Latin cognoscere. We will now consider the
vaiious changes which take place (iuring the pro-
cess of derivation. In the word connoissance,
which is also derived from cognoscere, the so is
changed into ss, and the o is sliortened into oi,
oiss : we then have cognoisseie ; but as there
cannot be a double e, the first is taken away, be-
cause the latter is wanteci for the infinitive ter-
minaiion ; the word becomes then cognoissre :
the r being too vvei.k by itself, it must be
strenglhened by a d or t ; a t h preferred ; the
g is changed into n, and the double s is lost — at
last connoitre is obtained.

In thej^utitre, the r is retained ; as counoitrai,
coiinoitras, etc. but in other tenses, the r is
changed into its original s — je cotuiois, tu <:o«-
iioiSf etc.

LANGUAGE. 141

Anollier example may be found in mourir.
In the Latin, there is for the infinitive, some-
times moriri, but generally mo/7'. To form
mourir, the final i nmst be taken from moriri,
and the 0 softened into on ; for the future, the ir
is rejected, and we have je mourai — tu mouras,
etc. In the present, the infinitive termination
is omitted, and an s is added, as je viours, tu
mours; but as the ou is too long, it is changed
into en, as je meurs, etc. In the same manner,
when in the Latin word dolor there are two
ihort o's, they are strengthened and converted
into ou and eu ; as, dolor, douleur ; color,
eouleur ; and from dolorosus comes douloureux.

When the Latin word debere is to be sought in
French, the b must be changed into v (devere,)
the second e being rejected, it becomes devre,
but as the v and r cannot combine together, the
termination re is changed into oir, devoir. This
verb then is not regular, but regulated. It is
impossible to obtain the future from devoir, as
it is irregular, and must be derived from the re-
gular verb devre. In the present, the r is re-
jected, and it becomes devs ; but, as v and *• cannot
stand together, and as s is the personal character,
it must remain, and the v be omitted ; the word
des is then left, but as the e is too weak, it must
be strengthened by changing it into oi : we have
then dois — je dois, tu doisy il doit. When in

142 NEW ART OF MEMOTvY.

the plural there are two syllables, tlie e is re-
stored, and devons, devez, doive/if, are ob-
tained.

It remains ou]y to fix the conjugations. This
may be easily done by observing which of the
vowels, a, e, i, precedes the personal termina-
tions rcns, rez, ront. The Latin conjugations
may be learned in the same way. In the verb
aller, we do not, in the present tense, Bayfa/Ie^
hut jevais; the v a is in not then derived from
aller, but from tlie German, zcenden. It takes
part of the present from one verb, and the re-
mainder from another. When the Latin verb
habere is to be converted into French, the b is
changed info r, and hatere is formed ; the /*
not being sounded in French, it is omitted, as
avere; the first e is rejected, and the re being
changed into oir, we have avoir.

In the present, the oir would be s — avs; but
V and s not combining together, the v must be
omitted, and the a is softened into ai — making
uis; the s not being pronounced, it is therefore
dropped ; we have tiien ai — -jai : the future
comes from the infinitive ax're ; the v being re-
solved into u; as avrai — aurai — auras — aura.
The second person singular always takes s for its
character, as in Latin — habes — as=dehes — doi&.
The third person has t from the Latin, but as
this letter was not pronounced in some cases, it

LANGUAGE. 143

has been dropped ; yet it is again brought into
use, when the nominative case is put after the
verb, wlien two vowels would come together, as
aima-t-il? — moura-t-'U? When the nominative
precedes the verb, the t is omitted.

The following observations showing the pro-
cess of derivation in some particular languages,
and the mode by which one letter is substituted
for another, will serve to illustrate the subject
upon which we have been treating. Thty are
taken from Dr. Rees' Cyclopaedia.*

** The substitution of a labial for an aspirate
or a guttural, or a diphthong, forms a general
principle which pervades the Latin tongue in its
formation from die Greek. Hence vicus, a vil-
lage, from oixoj; vinum, w^ine, from oivog\ oris,
a sheep, from oig ; video, to see, from n^co. With
respect to our own language a similar analogy
prevails, which has converted a guttural into a
labial ; thus laugh is pronounced la/f; enough,
oiuff; and most of those words which begin or
end with ?/ and zc, whether derived from He-
brew, Greek, or Gothic, began or ended with
a guttural. On tliis general principle year may
safely be said to be derived directly, or indirect-
ly, from yvfoj, a circle, and means a period,

• Art. Etymology.

144 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

or revolution of time ; wheel from «y^<w to rotlf
etc. etc.

" The prefixing of the letter s to Greek words
is a principle that pervades the Latin tongue ; as
in sperno, to despise, from ttts^vyi, the heel ; thus
the primary sense of sperno is, to put the heel
upon ; qn the same principle is salio, insilio, in-
sult, taken from aWoiMai, The French gene-
rally drop the gutturals either in the middle or
at the end of vfords ; hence we should be justi-
fied by an invariable analogy in saying, that eau^
water, is from aqua, and seul from singulm.
The Italians generally drop the liquid /,• agree-
ably to this custom of the language, Jiiime is
derived from Jiumen, a stream, and piano from
planus, a plain. In German, most of those
words which have t in English, are used with an
s ; as teaser, water ; besser, better ; es, it : and
the corruption of m into f or v, is a principle
that runs through the Welsh tongue ; thus, ve,
voer, and vayr, are but the Latin words, me,
fnare, and major."

We shall conclude this section with some ex-
cellent rules given by Mr. Greenwood,* for
ascertaining when an English word is derived

• E.ifay toward a Practical English Grammar, p. 21'^.

LANGUAGE. 145

from Latin,- and how it may be made Latin
again.

1 . Most English words, ending in nee, or cy,
are derived from Latin words in tia ; Tempe-
rantia, dementia ; Temperance, Clemency.

2. Words in ion, in Enghsh, are made Latin
by casting away n ; as. Question, Questio ; Re-
iigion, Religio.

S. Words ending in ty are made Latin by
changing ty into tas; as. Liberty, Libertas;
Charity, Charitas.

4. Words ending in nde are derived from the
Latin, by changing o into e ; Fortitude^ Forti"-
tudo ; Gratitude, Gratitudo, etc.

5. Adjectives, which end in d, do for the
most part become Latin, by the addition of us ;
as Rigid, Rigidus ; Putrid, Putridus, etc.

6. Words ending in t, n, or r, between two
vowels become Latin by changing the last vowel
into us ; as, Mute, Mxitus ; Obscure, Obscu-
Tus; Obscene, Obscanus, etc.

7. Most words ending in 7U are made Latin,
by changing nt into ris ; as Latent, Latens ,'
Vigilant, Vigilans, etc.

8. Many words ending in al, by the addition
of is become Latiij; as Liberal, Liberalise
Substantial, Substantialis.

146 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

Sect, 6. — Mode of learning the Conjugations
and Declensions of a Language.

In the Latin infinitive are, ere, ire, are the
terminations of the primary conjugations ; there
are two more in ere which are secondary. The
first person singular is given by the termination
0, as eo — deleo from delere ; and io — audio from
audiere ; but we do not say amao from amare^
but amo : a and o are two dependant vowels ;
the a is merged in the o according to the genius
of the language ; for a labial cannot precede a
lingual vowel. In eo and io there is first ^
lingual, and then a labial vowel, we conse-
quently have :

amare — delerie— audire — larabere — fugere
amo —deleo — audio — lambo — fugio

The preterperfect tense is terminated by vi, as
amavi — delevi — audivi, except in the secondary
conjugations which only change the o of the pre-
sent tense into i; as lambo — Iambi— fugio—

The supine is known by the termination tuntf
as, amatum — deletum — auditum— lambitum —
fugitum. The personal characters are in the sin-
gular 0 (amoj, m (amabam^, s (amas—amabas,

LAK6UACE. U7

( (ama? — amabaO 5 and in the plural, mus, tis,
nt, as (amamz«, ama^js, amanO* The third per-
son plural from ire is not iiit, but being softened
in the pronunciation by the insertion of ti, be-
comes iunt, as audiunt, fugiunt ; and the se-
condary '(^re, as in lambere does not make lam,'
bent in the third person plural, but lamhunt.
The different tenses to be considered are the pre-
sent, imperfect, preterperfect, preterpluperfect,
and future ; and there are two moods, the indi-
cative and the subjunctive, each of which con-
tains all llie foregoing tenses.

In the present tense of the subjunctive mood
when the vowel is a in the infinitive, it is changed
into e ; and when it is e in the infinitive, it be-
comes a in the subjunctive ; this may be thus

e
remembered a / « amare — amem : delere-^

deleam; legere — legam. The character of the
imperfect is ha in the indicative, and re in the
subjunctive mood. The word hare will bring
this to our recollection — amabam — amarem;
deleham — delerem.

The character of the preterperfect is i in the
indicative, except in the secondary verbs, and in
the subjunctive is erim ; amavi — amaverim;
delevi — deleverim ; — Iambi — lamberim.

148 NBW ART OF MBMORY.

The preterpluperfeci of the indicative ia
known by the termination veram, etc. except
■when the pretcrptrfect is formed simply with t,
in which case it is eram. The same tense in tbo
subjunctive is vissem, or issem :~^amaveram'—
amavissem ,• — deleveram — delevissem ; legeram
•—•hghsem.

The future of the indicative is formed by bo in
amo and deleo, and by am in lambo and Jugio,
In the subjunctive mood^ the future termination
is formed from the preterperfect indicative by
the addition of ero throughout; as amabo—*
amavero ;—delebo — delevero ; lambam — lam'
hero.

The following tables of the Latin conjuga-
tions and declensions may be committed to me-
mory, by placing them on a wall, a mantle-
piece, a door, etc. preserving the situations of
the moods, tenses, and declensions as described
in the tables.

LANGUAGE.

149

.IS

,§1

•-

bo-bis
ani-es

s
"3 .22

£■?«

•»^

3 —

0 cj

1 ^

.. 0

2-^

'u,

'■S

,4^

«; c

«<5

■-

1 "=

►-5

.S '=<

•^0

-<j

<v 0

5 1 ^•

«.s 5'i^ rt-^

> S .E

;|'s=i

0
Q.

« 0
i< 0

-r Si

■y?

Sinsjiilar
plural cud
of all the
scs in tli(
dicative
subj. moo

150

NEW Allf Oi MEMORY.

V V ^ ^ ^

J3 O » 3 S

^ O ij <u n

o.H.M V «

S.-2 p:|

!« £ >) tC ^

p.-. © s o

«j {^ Si n Ri

.s o ii c* u .a

C 1 H tl 5^ ~

.:s o <ii fj o .a

S 3
.2 I

LANGUAGE. 151

Sect. T, ^—Particular Directions for the acqui"
iition of a Language.

Having fixed the terminations of the declen-
sions and conjugations, and observed the signs of
the different cases, the student may proceed to
the learning of a language. Supposing this to
be the JLatin language, an easy book must be
first taken, for instance, a Latin Bible, and an
English one, placed by the side of it. In the
latter we read, " In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth," etc. etc. In the
Latin it is, In principio creavit Dens ca'lum et
terram, etc. The two versions having been
compared, the first word is found to be the
same in both ; the second in the Latin (princi-
pium) does not resemble the English ; its mean-
ing may, however, be ascertained with tolerable
accuracy from its situation ; and as o is the sign
of the ablative singular, there will n6t be much
difficulty in discovering the translation of p?'//ic/-
pium to be ' in the beginning.' The next word in
Latin is creavit, this is found to be a verb by its
termination ; cre-a-vi-t is proved to be of the
first conjugation by the character a ; v shows it
to be the preterperfect tense, and t gives the
third person singular. It is impossible to err in
assigning creavit its proper meaning ; the
word so nearly resembles the English created.

J.52 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

Who createtl ? God created — Deus is the nomi-
native. What did he create ? the heaven and the
earth: cochun et terram will immediately be
presented to us; our caleiiial and terrestrial
cannot fa' I to give the meaning of diese words>
and the final m will point out to us Uiat they are
in the accusative case. In this manner, we should
proceed for two or three pages, and then read
them for three or four times more, till we can
translate with tolerable facility. We do not
consult grammars to learn the rules, but merely
to solve any difficulty that may occur. In the
present mode, the grammar is learned in the lan-
guage, anil not the language in the grammar.
Every rule is an abstraction, and cannot be un-
derstood without an example. Instead of long-
rules we learn examples, and these should be
fixed upon the walls of a room in proper order.
The striking analogy between many modern lan-
guages, and the consequent facility of acquiring
several languages, at the same time, must be
evident to every one. This is particularly the
case with the English, German, Latin, French,
Italian; Spanish, and Portugueze languages.

CHAP. VI.

)pstematic Cables.

JL H E knowledge of systematic Tables is pecu-
liarly important to the student in any branch of
science, whether it be botany, zoology, chemis-
try, mineralogy, etc. and the mode of fixing
these tables in the memory, must be deemed of
very great use to all who are concerned in such
pursuits. The application of this art to such
tables will be shown in the following Mineralo-
gical Table of Hau y.

The characters of Minerals are of three kinds,
Physical, Geometrical, and Chemical,

; I. GENERAL.

1. Specific Gravity, (according to the Hy-
drostatic balance of Nicholson.)

2. Cohesion.

1. In Solids is proved :
I. By friction with a File,
t Yielding.
ii Not yielduig.

154 NEW aut of memory.

Physical characters, continued.

II. By rubbing the angular parts of one mi-

neral against the angular parts of ano^
ther mineral.

III. By Percussion with a hammer.

i Dirticult to be broken.

a Brittle.

Hi Crumbling.

IV. By a Steel.

i Giving Fire<
u Not giving Fire.

V. By flexion or pressure.

i Simply Flexible.
21 Elastic.
Hi Ductile.
iv Soft.

1. In its own nature.

2. Having imbibed a fluid.

VI. By the force of Traction.

2. Liquids (yielding with the slightest pressure.)

I. By moistening the hand.

II. By not moistening it.

II. PARTICULAR. (As found by the senses.)
1. Impression upon the Tongue.
I. Bi/ Taste,
i Salt.

ii Astringent.
Hi Sweetish.
iv Pungent.
V Bitter.
vi Urinous.

SYSTEMATIC TABLES. 155

Physical characters, continued.
II. By adhesion.

2. Feeling.

I. Unctuous and Greasy.

II. Smooth, hut not greasy.

III. Harsh.

3, Smell.

J. By Breathing.

II. By Rubbing.

III. By Heating.

i Aliaceous, or garlic-like.
ii Bituminous.
Hi Sulphureous.

4, Sound.

I. By Percussion,

II. By Bending.

5. Light.

I. By Reflexion, (producing Colour.)
i Colours of the mass.

1. In their species.

2. In their distribution.

i Uniform.
ii Variegated.

1. In stripes.

2. In spots.

3. In their action.

1. By change of colour.

2. By reflex irises.

156 NETf ART OE MEMOKY.

Physical characters, continued.

ii Colours of the Streak.

1. Similar,

2. Dissimilar.

ill Colours of the Powder,

1. Similar.

2. Dissimilar.
(Producing Lustre)

i Brilliant.
ii Dull.
Hi Greasy.
tv Silky.
V Pearly.
vi Metallic,
vii Pseudo-Metallic,
II. jBy Refraction.
(Transparency.)

1. Limpid.

2. Transparent but coloured,

3. Translucid.

4. Opaque.

iil« J5_y Phospltorescenct,
i By heating,
ii By rubbing,

6. Electricity,
I. Passive.

i By communication.
ii By rubbing.
1. Vitreous.
3. Resinous.

SYSTEMATIC TABLES. U7

Physical characters, continued.
in By heating.

(Vitreous on one side, and resiuoui
on the other.)
II. Active »
t Vitreous.
a Resinous.
iii Neither vitreous nor resinous >

f. Magnetism.

I. Simple,

II. Polar.

11. (geometrical €i^tmtt0,

L FORM.

1. Determinable.

I. Elementary.

II. Secondary.

J. Indeterminable.

I. By rounding oflf the surfaces and angles.

II. Striated and rough.

III. Amorphous bodies, (i. e. bodies of an

irregular form.)

3. Imitative.

I. Bodies formed by concretion.

II. Pseudoraorphous bodies, (i. e. such as

have assumed the form of another body,
for which they are substituted.)
p

IB9 NEW ART OF MEMORY,

Geometrical characters, continufd.
II. STRUCTURE,

1. Laminated.

2. Lamellated, '

3. Stratiform,

4. Foliated,

5. Fibrous.

j With parallel fibres^
it With radiated fibre?.

6. Granulated.
J', Compact.

8. Cellular.
in. FRACTURE,

I. Directions,

I, Longitudinal.

II, Transverse.

III, Indeterminate,

g. Varieties.

I. Conchoidal.

II. Smooth.

III. Rough.

IV. Scaly.

V. Articulated,

, BY FIRE.

1. With Straw.

I. Fusibility.

II. The result of Fusiop,

nu Tiie Reduction of metallic Substances.

SYSTEMATIC TABLE«f« 159

Chemical characters, continued*
2. With red-hot Coals.

I. Volatility.

II. Detonation. "

III. Decrepitation.

IV. Ebullition.

II. BY ACIDS, (and in particular by the Nitrli

Acid.)

i. Dissolution with effervescence.

2. Dissolution without efferves-
cence.

3. Reduction into jelly.

III. BY ALKALIES.

1. Dissolution of Copper by Ammonia,

forming a beautiful blue Colour.

2. The Vapour of sulphuretted Ammo-

nia, blackening the Carbonate of Lead. ^

The characters of minerals, as we have seen,
are physical, geometrical, and chemical. The
physical characters are general and particular;
and both these are again subdivided. The ge-
neral physical characters must be first consi-
dered. In order to fix these, we should take a
room \vhich is familiar to us, and place the va-
rious divisions upon the different objects in that
room, which are also well known to us, invent-
ing some connecting circumstance by which w«

160 NEW ART OF MEMOKY.

may be the better enabled to remember the par-
ticular division of the table.

Having a room in which there are four walla,
"we take 'the first which is on our left hand, and
commence with specific graviti/, the first divi-
sion of the general characters, and to fix this in
our minds a balance is placed on the top of the
wall, near the cieling. The next division ia
cohesion, which is put by the end of the balance }
if we ask what preserves the whole wall in its
present firm state, the answer will be cohesion.
There is now occasion for a sopha, which is
placed against the lower part of the wall ; upon
which the solids must be put ; cohesion in solids
is proved in six different ways. In one corner of
the sopha, a file is placed, which will call to
mind the first mode, friction with a file ; in ano-
ther corner, some minerals of an angular shape ;
and thus we must proceed to fix the six different
divisions. The sub-divisions will be easily re-
membered, if connected, in some way, with the
principal outlines, which are thus permanently
fixed. Having filled one wall with the general
physical characters of minerals, the particular
characters are next to be considered. The paV"
ticular physical characters of minerals are known,
1. by taste, 2. by adhesion. Another wall is now
needful, in which there may be a door : on this
door a tongue is placed as the emblem of taste ;

SYSTEMATIC TABLES. l6l

the door being divided into six compartments, in
tlie first is found a cube of salt, to convey the
idea of saline ; on the second a stritig for
astringent; in the third some sweetmeats for
sweetish; in the fourth, a knife for sharp, which
may cut the string in the second compartment ;
bitter in the fifth division will come immediately
under sweetish ; and cannot fail to be remem-
bered by the contrast which it presents ; urinous
is in the sixth and last division, and will need no
symbol. In this way must the pupil proceed
with the remaining divisions of the table, fixing
each upon an object, and connecting some
striking circumstance with the object, that will
afford a permanent idea of the system \\hich he
is desirous to acquire.

CHAP. vn.

anlj Brose.

A HE first materials of a poetic edifice are to be
found in metaphors, allegories, arid in various
kinds of fiction ; , and, it is thus all images,
comparisons, allusions, and figures, particularly
those which personify moral subjects, concur in
adorning such a structure. When these images
are reduced into verse, ihe ear is delighted to a
high degree, and the mind insensibly repeats
them while the eye reads them. This is parti-
cularly the case with rhyme. Cadence, har-
mony, and especially rhyme, afford the greatest
assistance to the memory that art can invent;
and the images, or poetic fictions, that strike
our senses, assist in engraving them deeply on
our minds.

When a historical narrative is related in prose f
the facts only are stated in a plain, regular order,
without any minute description of the different
objects which occur in the course of the history.

fOETRY AND PROSE. l63

The poet; however, proceeds differently. He
describes, minutely, every object wliicli presents
itself; if it be a mountain, we have a lively de-
scription of its situation, the objects seen from
it, and the trees or houses upon it. Should
there be a castle on this mountain, its antient
and present state is accurately described, toge-
ther with the characters of its various possessors
and their contests for the occupation of it : these
descriptions we read with pleasure, and they are
more firmly imprinted upon the memory by the
variety and succession of images employed in
them.

In order to commit to memory any particular
piece of poetry which may be divided into stan-
zas, each consisting of four, six, eight, or ten
lines, etc. it is necessary to take one stanza at a
time, to read it over, and to select the principal
objects or images, and combine them with the
Jirst symbol ; attaching (he next stanza to the
second symbol, and so on with the remaining
stanzas. By these means we are not only ena-
bled to recite the whole poem in regular order^
but to repeat any one or more stanzas in any
order, — to determine the numerical situation of
any line or vvord in the poem — and to say how
often any particular WDid may occur. As we
are able to repeat any stanza in the poem, it will

1(54 NEW AHT OF MEMORY.

only be needful to count the lines or words, if it
be required to determine the numerical situation
of any line or word.

It will not be d fficult to apply these princi«
pies to the repetition of poetry. A single illus-
tration, perhaps, will be sufficient \ and, for this
purpose we take the first stanza of Goldsmith'*
Edwin and Jiigeiina.

" Turn, gentle hermit of the dale,

" And guide my lonely way
" To where yon taper cheers the vale

" With hospitable ray."

We must here reflect, and imagine that we sets
a Hermit standing on the Tozcer of Babel, and
turning round with inconceivable rapidity ; a
very large taper is placed upon his head. An-
gelina is walking by the tower and calling out
loudly to the hermit ' to guide her lonely way ;'
the taper cannot fail to suggest the remainder of
the stanza.

In a poem that is not divided into stanzas, we
must take 4, 6, 8, or 10 lines, preserving the
connection, and fix them upon a symbol. Se-
veral small pieces of poetry may be readily im-
printed upon the memory by placing them upon
the pictures, or furniture, of the wall of a room
with which we may be acquainted. Though
the symbols are not here actually resorted tO;,

yOKTRY AND PROSE. l65

yet the principle that is pursued, is precisely
the same, for what are the symbols, but
pictures which line the walls of our imaginary
rooms f

As a further illustration of the mode of com-
mitting poetry to memory, we shall give the fol-
lowing examples from Nolegar, as quoted by
Feyjoo, iu his Cartas Eruditas,*

First Example,

Feuix Divina
De tan hellas alas
Humilde, y piadosd
Al Cielo te ensalzas.

Divine Phcenix,
With such beautiful wings,
Humble and Merciful,
Thou laisest to Heaven.

" The Pkanix in the first verse of this stanza,
(says Noiegar) must be placed on the first predi-
cament of the sphere,f on the right hand, and a
papal crown, or tiara, or any other thing be-
longing to the Church, must be put on its head ;
because we cannot apply any other material ob-

• Tom. i.

t This will answer to the first place in the first wall of »
room.

166 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

ject, to represent the Word Divine; w6 majf
then make a reflectioji or two on these images,
and say, why has a Phcenix, the Papal Crown
on its head ? It is a Divine Phoenix, a Divine
Phmnix. Then the second predicament of the
left hand shall be taken for the second verse, and
a drum with a stick to beat it, may be placed
there ; the stick may explain the word [t?e] with,
* # #^ I imagine that the drummer being
ready to beat it, says [<^e} with and the drum
Itari] such ; in the same place, I would put two
beautiful women silting by the drummer, who
should have two wings lying at his feet ; and
speaking of the second predicament, f would say,
JDe tan hellas alas (with such beautiful wings.)

" On the third predicament opposite th« first on
the right, I would put a woman kneeling and
soliciting the pardon of a poor man condemned
to banishment, who should be there with a
chain, and by this image I xvould recal to mind
the words of the third verse, Humifde y piadosa
(humble and merciful.) On the fourth predica-
ment, I would place a piece of carpet, (alfomhra)
or any thing whose name begins with al [to,] and
I would only use this syllable, to which I would
sew the tester of a bed, and would say (al eielo)
to heaven; and for the word thou raisest I would
put a Priest, raising the Host, to whom the Cu-
rate (ayudantei) should hold some salt, saying

POETRY AND PHOSE. l67

(ten sal alzas) take some salt, (thou raisest.) In
tills last image the figure Apenthesis is formed,
and reflecting, I should say (ensalzas) thou
raisest.

Second Example.

Pongan, Scnor, el medio, y el gohitrm
Lot altos alribtilos de tu Essencia.

Sir, let >r«'tIiod and government be established
By the high attributes of thy Essence,

'' In order to commit these verses to memory,
(says Nolegar,) on the right hand of the table
upon which I am writing, and where my ink-
stand is, I would place a slave, or a black wo-
man, with a basket and two hens in it ; and cJos*
to the slave a Marquis or Duke, who on enter-
ing my room should attempt to frighten the hens,
at which the slave must say (Po)tgan, Senor,)
Let them lay, Sir. On the right hand of the
slave I would place a Medi§ Ce/emin (half a
Peck measure,) and on the left hand a Chairif
signifying the letter (i/) (G) or some (hiel)
Gall, For government, I would place oue of
the many Governors of my acquaintance, who is
astonished at what is going forward, I would
reflect, and think that I heard him say, Ponganf
Scnor, el medio y el gobierno. To represent
ihs other Terse, I w ould put for (los altos) tWQ

168 NEW AUT OF MEMORY.

or three pieces of timber with some tiles, taking
these for the whole of the roof of a house, which
consists of timber and tiles ; and for (atributos)
attributes, I would place two tributary Princes,
with an image of the letter (A) on the head of one,
who must be going to collect tributes or taxes,
and if his name be Andrew, the better ; because
the (A) might be placed as an imi^e of the name.
Then supposing our food to be dependent on the
collection of the taxes, it would be easy to re-
remember, that Andrew was bringing some attri-
butes by the letter (A) ; now, at the feet of this
collector, I would place an alembic of Quint-
essences, or a Distiller, with a glass full of wa-
ter, (Quintessence, already drawn,) who should
mind not to break it with his feet ; and close to
the glass I would place a small stick, or the
stick of a drummer, made of iron, that we may
remember it is not to be broken ; because it
might be used as we have already said, for an
abecedario, meaning (de tu) of thy. In this
manner, whenever I write, I shall remember
that I have this verse at my right hand; Pongan,
Senor, el Medio, y Gobierno ; and on my
left, the other ; Los altos atributos, de tu Es"
sencia"

When Prose is to be Committed to memory,
the particular passage, or chapter, should be
read over carefully two or three times, and

POBTRY AND PROSE. l69

having selected the principal images or objects,
it will be necessary to form a narrative by com-
bining them with the different symbols. We
should take a few lines only at a time, and pro-
ceed gradually in fixing the various objects pre-
sented to us.

To remember the principal points in a Sermon
which is regularly divided into parts, it is only
needful to take the different heads or titles as
they are given, and arrange them on the cieling
of the church or chapel, placing some on the
cornice, and others in various parts, in regular
order.* Or, a sort of imaginary tree may be sup-
posed springing from the centre of the cieling,
and the proofs and illustrations adduced by the
preacher, may be suspended on its branches.
This method will be rendered more effectual,
if a symbol of the idea be formed, as for

• A plan somewhat analogous to this, is mentioned by
Mr. I^ugald Stewart, who observes, " I have been
told of a young woman, in a very low rank of life, who
contiived a method of committing to memory the sermons
which she was accustomed to hear, by fixing her atten-
tion, during the different heads of the discourse, on dif-
ferent compartments of the roof of the church ; in such a
manner as that when she afterwards saw the roof, or re-
collected the order in which its compartments were dis-
posed of, she recollected the method which the preacher
had observed in treating his subject.— Elements qf the
PJiilosophy of the Human Mind, p. 456.

j70 new art of memory.

Justice a pair of scales, etc. etc. This, hoW'
ever, is not essential.*

Mr. Stewart, speaking of the assistance ren-
dered to an orator, or public speaker, by the topi-
cal memory, in recollecting the plan and arrange-
ment of his discourse, considers the accounts
given of it by the antient rhetoricians, as abun-
dantly satisfactory, and makes the following per-
tinent observations on the subject. " Suppose
(says this author) that I were to fix in my me-
mory the different apartments in some very large
building, and that I had accustomed myself to
think of these apartments always in the same in-
variable order. Suppose farther, tliat in pre-
pnring myself for a public discourse, in which I
had occasiou to treat of a great variety of parti-
culars, I was anxious to fix in my memory, the
order I proposed to observe in the communica-
tion of my ideas. Tt is evident, that by a proper
division of my subject into heads, and by con-
ncctinaf each head with a particular apartment,
(w.!ii( h I could easily do, by conceiving myself
to be sitting in the apartment while I was study-
ing the part of my discourse, I meant to connect

* The chapter and verse of the text maybe soon fixed,
}>y changing the nnnilnr of each into a hieroglyphic, and
formjujf an association between the two.

POETRY AND PROSE. Ifl

with it,) the habitual order in which these apart-^
menls occurred to inv thoughts, would present
to me, in tlicir proper arrangement, and without
any effort on my part, the ideas of which I was
to treat. It is a'so obvious, that a very little
practice wou'd enable me to avail myself of this
contrivance, toithout any embarrassment or dis-
traction of mi/ attention." *

A public speaker may arrange the arguments
of his adversary on various parts of his person,
and thus be enabled to review and answer
a multiplicity of observations made by many
different speakers. The first remark might be
placed on his head, one in each eye, one in
each ear, another on his nose, mouth, etc. etc.
if it be required to remember a iiigh number,
we need only resort to the symbols : for in-
stance, 27,819 will be fixed by remember-
ing the names of Don Quixote, Midas, and
Robinson Crusoe, the 'i7th, 8th, and IQth
symbols.

The advantages of this part of the system
to the different professions are very great. Tiie
minister — the legal student, and the Member

• Elements of the Philosiyphy of the Uumun Mind, pp.
456, 4,07.

172 NEW ART OE MEMORT.

of Parliament, may all practise this method
with success. The application of these principles
will also render an essential service to the mer"
chant and ihe man of business, iu the various
couceriis ol life.

CHAP. Vlll.

Sititijmetic*

Xhe application of Mnemonics to arithinetie
was entirely omitted in the former edition of this
work, becanse the editor did not conceive at that
time, that the system could be rendered suffici-
ently intelligible to the general reader. Anxious,
however, to make this edition as complete as
possible, he has given faithfully the substance of
Mr. Feinaigle's Lecture on Arithmetic, without
any attempt at illustration. As this Lecture has
been accurately detailed in a recent publication,*
it is extracted from that work, but without any
of tlie reporter's commentaries and observations.

" We have now to see how our methods will
apply to Arithmetic.

" In this subject we think we have, or may have
evidence, for every particular proposition. But
let us think a little ; in many cases we have cer-

• Cross' Examination of Feinaigle's Arithmetic.
S3

174 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

tainty : but is certainty and evidence the same
thing ? For instance we know that 6 multiplied
by 6 gives 36 : this is certain ; but is it evident ?
Ail we can say is that we have learned so : but
where is the evidence that 6x6 gives just 36 ?
When you say that 6 X 6 is 36, you answer that
it is three tens and six units ; but see we this ?
How are we convinced that it is just 36 and no
other number ? It is only in our machine ; but
how it comes we know not. We have these
products given us in our multiplication tables,
which we all know how difficult it is for children
to learn ; nay, many grown persons cannot learn
it, because it is founded only upon tlie poor na-
tural memory, upon which we can never depend.
We make it only an object of memory instead of
presenting it to the intellect, and we have no evi-
dence, because we want the first evidence. To
find the first evidence we must cousider the fi-
gures ihemselves. Let us see then what is in the
figures : we have

123456789

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

100, &c.

1000, &c.
What conies after 9 ? Is it 10? No; 10 is a
higher unit, and must therefore be placed before
the 1 ; now what comes after 10? Is it 1 1 .?
No ; it is 20. Thus we find those nations did

ARITHMETIC. 175

who employed letters for numbers : after having
used the first 9 they went on thus, 10, 20, 30,
&c. and not 10, II, 12, &c. .Thus change these
numbers as you please, you will always find they
go from 1 to 9, and by considering the numbers
in this way, the child sees at once that the rap-
port of 10 to 60 is exactly the same with that of
1 to 6 ; and all the relations of these numbers
are at once in his mind. The first thing then
must surely be to give the evidence of those fi-
gures ; after this every thing will be easy. In
problems, the greatest difficulty is to understand
. the question ; when we do that, the problem is
half solved ; the mind then acts like an alge-
braical formula. O I we see — put this here,
and that there ; do this, and do that, and it is
done.

" Let us see then how we are to get the true
idea of number.
Let this be one, --------O

Let it be one something, an apple, or an
orange, or whatever, and let this be
another, ---------Q

Now what have we here ? Is this two ? 1 see only
two ones ; an I we say that these are equal to one
two: But how kn>)W we this?. Have we evi-
dence in the tiling itself that two ones are the
same with one two ^ I should see two things in
one thus : ---------<I)

176 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

and the child sees at once that two halves are
equal to one ; and that two halves and one are
equal to one two. In the same manner I have
for three, a circle divided into three sectors ;
and the child sees at once that three thirds are
equal to one ; and that the half of 3 thirds is one
half; and that three thirds and two halves and
one are equal to three. And so on for the higher
numbers.

*' Thus tlie child sees at once the proportions
between the fractions : those things which are
most difficult to be learned by the common way
are here the first to be acquired, because they go
M'ith the first conception. If I say give me one
half of three thirds, or one third of one half, or
one half of one third, or one third together with
one half of one third, he gives me them at once,
because he has a clear conception of their mean-
ing. I give not these things to the child, he
must give lliem to me ; and it is wonderful what
calculations many children will make when they
go on witli their reason ; but all this is gone
when they begin with the usual methods, be-
cause evidence is taken away, and commonly we
find that the more instruction they receive, the
difficulty is the greater. But in our method they
proceed with pleasure, because they continue to
have evidence ; and I will engage that any child
instructed in this method, would in one fortnight

ARITHMETIC. 177

perform calculations of which you have no idea.
So true is this, that if we were to unknow all that
we have learned, and begin from the foundation,
it would be better.

** We can go on with the same principles to
Mathematics ; in them we have three things,
weight, measure, and number ; but all are redu-
cible to number.

" If we now represent our succession of . •
units thus, and divide ten into two halves, . .
as we have seen that this is necessary for . .
representing two in one. If I ask what . .
is 6 to 8, or give me one half of eight, . .
and one fourth of eight, the. child finds
this at once, which is sometimes the solution
of a difficult problem. If we go onto Addi-
tion, and ask what is 7 and 8 r the child sees
at once that 7 is equal to 5 and 2, and that
8 is equal to 3 and 3 ; so that 7 and 8 are
equal to two fives and five, or one ten and five,
or fifteen. In the same manner 6 and C) are one
ten and two, 8 and 8 are one ten and six, See. &.c.
so that we see addition is certainly demonstrated
thus ; and subtraction is as evident.

" Let us go on then to Multiplication. Say that
we ask how much is eight taken six times, the
answer nmst be in tens and units, the child sees
that 8 is equal to 5 and 3,

and 0 is equal to 5 and 1.

178 NEW ART OF MEMORY.

And multiplying tlieSe he has - - - - 25
Thus every number must be considered by 15
what it is in rapport to 10 and 5. 5

48
But let us see if this is not in our dots also, .

We have certainly above a and below b and e
four dots, which are the tens ; above b we have
four, and above c two; two nuiltiplied by four
gives eight for the units, so that we have 48.

" In the same manner 7 nmltiplied by 9>
we have 6 tens, and one multiplied by ?>,
or 3 units, that is 63. tjj

ARITHMETIC. 179

And so 8 multiplied by 9, we have 7 tens,
and one multiplied by two units or 72,
and so in every odier case; only the rule ^'
must be changed when we change the .
object of the question.

So that we see a child has no need of the mul-
tiplication table ; he burdens not his mind with
it; he sees not only the relation of the different
numbers, but he sees all haw they affect and
combine with each other; ail is in tlie nature of
the thing ; the evidence is before liim.

" Let us now go on to Division. Suppose we
have to divide 63 by 7 ; let us see if this is not
included in the nature of the thing. We have

7)63(

If we subtract the 7 from 10, we have 3; and

180 KEW AKT OF MEMOHY.

if we add this to 6, we have 9 the quotient.
Divide 54 by 9.

9)54(6
Subtracting the 9 from 10, and adding the re-
mainder to 5, we have 6 the quotient.

4 2

SO 6)48(8 8)72(9 and so on.

And in cases where the dividend does not exactly
contain the devisor, as in

9)76(8
we find by multiplication, that 8 mulkiplied by 9
gives 72, we have then 4 over, which is conse-
quently 4 ninths.

" Thus in every case we have always the answer
to the nearest whole number. Here also we
have no need of the multiplication table, which,
as I said before, is so difficult to learn, as the
numbers themselves give us the answer ; it is in
their nature. You see then how easy it is to ad-
vance by our method, and we charge not th«
memory with what it is so difficult to fix."

PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS

^irttficial iHemotp.

CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED.

JlA-S many of the treatises on this subject are
extremely rare, we shall give the title of each,
and occasionally notice their contents ; but we
shall not attempt a particular analysis of the early
books, as the same principles will be found am-
ply developed in those of a more recent date,
from which copious extracts will be made. In
some few instances, indeed, on account of its
rarity, or usefulness, the whole work has been
reprinted ; and, a slight sketch of the author's life
has, when practicable, been introduced. The
articles thus noticed are all numbered; the books
are chronologically arranged, according to the
dates of their publication ; and the MSS. are
referred to that period in which their respective
authors probably tlourished.

182 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

1. ThomcB JBradwardini Ars 3Iemora-
tiva. 3IS.

This curious manuscript is No. 3744 in the
Shane Collection, preserved in the British Mu-
seum. It consists of three pages and a half of a
small duodecimo size, and treats of places, and of
images or symbols to be arranged in the places ;
and, is evidently an attempt, though a feeble one,
to form a system of topical memory, according to
the plan of the antients.

Thomas Bkadwardin was called the
Profound Doctor, and was born in Sussex,
about the beginning of the fourteenrfi century.
He was educated at Merton College, Oxford, of
which he was proctor in 1325. Being called to
court by Stratford, archbishop of Canterbury, he
was made confessor to Edward III. and presented
with a canonry of Lincoln, and also with the
chancellorship of St. Paul's, London. He ac-
companied the king in his warlike expeditions;
and to his sanctity of life and pious prayers, the
superstition of the age attributed much of the suc-
cess attending the arms of that monarch. His
writings were partly theological ; and he appears
to have been one of the most enlightened eccle-
siastics of his age. He gained great credit by his
mathematical works.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 183

2. Matheoli Perusini iractatus Artis Me-

morativce, 8°. 1470. [BL Ictj

This work was often reprinted in subsequent
years.

3. Jacohi Puhlicii Ars Memorativa in-

cipit feliciter, 4°. p&L IctJ

4. In 7iova mirahilique ac perfectissima

Memorise Jacohi Puhlicii, prologus
feliciter incipit, 4". [iJL Jct*]

These two articles are without date, place, or
printer's name. Panzer* has arranged No. 3.
among the books printed at Cologne, by John
Gnldenschaff, but does not assign any date to it.
Publicius was the author of Ars conficiendi epis-
tolas TulUano more, printed in 1488; and of
Artis Oratories Epitom. Ars Epistolaris et Ars
Memorise, printed in 1482. It is very proba-
ble, then, that tlie article under consideration, was
printed before the year 1482, and afterwards re-
printed with, the two other tracts of Publicius.
Tlie Ars Memorativa seems to have been the
fountain from which every successive writer has
taken copious draughts. It treats of the airange-

• Aunales TypograpUici, torn. I., p, 343. eiL Norimh. iTSt-

184 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS Of

ment of places and the combination of images.
Several wood-cuts are given, of the most rude and
grotesque description, representing the alphabet
by symbols taken from diiFerent objects.

5. Ars 3Iemoraiiva per Johannem Priiss.

foL Argent. 1488. [ijj. let.]

6. Petrus Colonia, Ars Memorativa, 4".

[W. let.]

No. 6. consists of eight leaves, with several
badly executed wood-cuts, evidently the produc-
tions of a very early period. It is without date,
place, or name of the prmter. The arms of
Cologne occupy the whole of the last page;
from this circumstance, and from the addition
of the author, it may be inferred that the work
was printed at Cologne. The address to the
reader notices the attempt of Publicins, and ex-
presses the author's desire to form a compendious
view of the Art of Memory for the use of all
persons. There is, of course, but little differ-
ence between the schemes of Publicius, and Pe-
ter of Cologne. The wood-cuts, which are nu-
merous, are interspersed with the letter-press, and
are intended to represent images of particular ob-
jects; as a carpenter, by a hammer ^ a cobier,
ii by a shoe, etc, etc.

ARTIFICIAL WEMORY. 18.^

7. Incipit Ars Memoria venerabilis Sal-

donini Sahodiensis Medicce Artis
D act oris Eximii, 4°. Paris. [6L let ♦]

This article is without date, place, or name
of the printer. It is, in fact, a republication of
Publicius, with some introductory rule&, which
are dehvered in Latin hexameters, aceompanied
by a prosaic comment and exposition. Manget,
m his Bibliotheca Script or um Medicorum*
has the following meagre information respecting
this * venerable and illustrious medical Doctor.'
* Baldovinus (Sabodie.mis), De eo erstat, Ars
viemoricc carmine cum glossis. Varisiis^ in 4°.'

8. Fcenix Duni Petri Rauenatis Me-
morice magistri, A°. Venetiis, 1491.

9. Memorice Ars quce Phcenix inscribitury

8". Paris, 1544.

10. Phcenix sen Artificiosa Memoria CI.

J. V. D. et militis J>. Petri Raven-
iiatis Juris Canonici olim in Pata-
vino Gymnasio Professoris celeber-
rimi, 4*"^ Vicentice, 1600.

• Tom. L p. 224.
S3

186 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

In this work, [Nos. 8, 9, 10.] the places and
images are noticed at large, with various rules for
forming, arranging, and combining them. If we
would remember, says Peter, any particular cir-
cumstances, we must form some vivid imagination
of the event, and associate it with the names of
some" pretty girls"ofouracquaintance! ! ! Iwould

^wish him that is melancholy, (says Burton) to
study Cosmus Rosselius, Peter Ravennas, and

■ Schenckelius Detectus.

1 1 . Jacohi Colincei Campani de Memoria

Arti/iciosa compendiosumopusctdnm.
Jmpressit Ascensms, 4". ^Paris'] 1515.
Venundatur in Aedihus Asccnsianis.

12. Nicholcd Chappusii de mente et me-
moria lihellusntilissimus, 4*^. \^Paris\
1515. Venundatur ubi impresstis :
est in Aedibus Aseensianis. [hi. Jct.]

The two preceding articles are little more than
a repetition of the scheme of Peter of Ravenna,
with some observations on the theory of natural
memory. They are both beautiful specimens
of early typography, and have in the title a large
colophon [in wood] representing a room of a
printing ofiice, in which are a compositor at work,

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 187

a press, a man laying on the ink, and another
working the press.

13. Congestorium Artificiosce Memorice
Joamiis Romberch de Kyrpse; — opus
omnibus Tkeologis, predicatoribiis ;
confessoribuSy advocatis, etuotariis;
medicis, philosophis ; Arti liberalium
professor ibus. Insuper mercatoribus,
nuntiis, et tabellariis perfiecessarimn,
8°. Veneius,per 3Ielch. kUtessa, 1533.

[hi let.]

This work abounds with the most curious wood-
cuts ; according to tlie title, it is intended for di-
rines, preachers, confessors, advocates, notaries,
physicians, philosopliers, and professors, of the
liberal arts: it is also very necess-ary for mer-
chants, messengers, and amanuensts. The au-
thor speaks of natural memory, its seat, etc. and
illustrates his observations by the representation
of a head, on which the situations of thought,
fancy, etc. are laid down with great care. Arter
having treated of the necessity and use of places,
and images, of visible places and fictitious places ;
the author recommends the fixing of certain places
upon the walls of the different rooms of a house,
monastery, or other place : and, the better to re-
member the situation of the places, puts symbols

188 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

there. A wood cut is given with the symbols
for figures as hij^h as 30, niauy of which repre-
sent very accurately the outline of the figure. The
alphabet is represented in the same way by sym-
bols ; and, in one instance, entirely by birds of
different species.

In speaking of languages, in order to fix the
numbers and cases of nouns in the mind of
the pupil, M. Romberch resorts to the fol-
lowing expedient. A naked man is to personate
the singular number ; ihe nominative case is to be
placed on the head of this man, the genitive in
his right hand, the dative in his left, the accusa-
tive on his breast, the vocative on his middle, and
the ablative on his knees. A man clothed gives the
plural number, and the cases are to be disposed in
the same manner, as on the naked man. Two
chapters are devoted to the merchants; in the one,
they are instructed to remember the weight and
measure of their goods ; and in the other, the debts
owing to them, the bills which they have to pay,
etc. etc. I'hree chapters are dedicated to gam-
ing; one explains tlie application of the art to
dice, another to cards, and the last to chess.

Another edition of Romberch's Congestorium
was published at Franckfort, in iGO^, 8°. Xo-
dovico Dolci translated this book into- Italian,
but gave it a dialogue form j it was printed at
¥enice, iu 8". 1562..

, ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 189

14. DeMemoria reparanda, migenda, ser-

vandaque lib. itmis ; et de locali vel ar-
tificiosa Memoria lib. alter Cruill.
Grataroli, 8°. JRomcc, 1555.

A prior edition of this treatise was printed at
Basle in lo54, with Grataroli's Opuscula, which
were all corrected by himself. Many other edi-
tions followed, and a translation into English was
made by William Fulwod nnder the following
title.

15. T/ic Castel of Memorie : iv herein is
contemned the restoring, augment-
ing, and conseruinge of the Memo-
rie atid Remembrance, tvith the
safest remedies, and best precepts
thereunto in any icise apperteining :
made by Gidielmus Gratarolus JBer-
gomatis Doctor of Artes and Phy-
sike. Englyshed by William Fid-
ivod. The Contentes ivherof ap-
pear in the Page next folowing.
Imprinted at London in Fleete-
streete by William How, dwelling
at Temple barre. [bl. let.]

iQO PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

An earlier edition of this extremely rare book
is noticed in the Censura Literaria.* After the
line in the title of this edition, * The contentes/
etc. there is a cut of the Printer's sign with the
motto post tenebras lux. * Printed at London
by Rouland Hall, dwellynge in Gutter-lane, at
the signe of the Half Egle and the Keye, 1562,
12°.' The address to the reader is dated Nov.
20, 1562. The date to the edition from which
our extracts have been made, is placed at the end
of the ' address,' and is Nov. 20, 1573.

An Epistle * dedicatorie' to Lord Dudley,
'^Maister of the Queenes Maiesties horse,' follows
the title. This epistle is in verse, very prolix
and dull. After a studied eulogy on his patron,
Mr. Fulwod enlarges upon the importance of
memory, particularly to the Judge, Preacher,
Captaine, Marchaunt, Lawyer, and Husband-
man, and shrewdly observes.

For what helps it good bookes to r«ade,

or noble stories large :
Excepte a pcrfecte Meraorie,

do take thereof the charge ?

What profits it most worthy thinj

to see, or else to heare :
If that the same come in at the one,

and out at the other eare?

Vol. vii, p. 209.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 191

An address from the translator to the reader,
concludes with this sage admonition, lege et per-
lege, ne quid temere. In the next place we
have,

THE BOOKES

Verd'ute. ]

A Castell stroug I doe present

well furnished and sure :
Munited eke with Arraoure bent

For euer to endure.

Which iiitherto long time hath ben

In (Limbo patrum) hidde,
But now at last may here bee scene,

From daungers men to ridde :

Procuring them a perfect state,*

And safe securitie,
Wherby they may fynde out the gate

Of wisedome's lore. For why ?

Hee that hath lost his Mcmorie,

By mee may it rcnewe :
And hee that wyll it amflifio.

Shall find instructions trewe.

And hee that will still keepe the same,

That it shall not decay :
By mee must learne the way to frame,

And my pr«ccptes obej-.

• Sapi. 6, 8. and 18. j

192 PRlNCirAL SYSTEMS OF

Lo here yee see my full effecte :
And that I doe entende

The secretes tlierof to detect.
That thereby wittes may mende.

Then ludge mee^
As I am worthie.

The Castel of Memorie is divided into seven
chapters. The first ' declareth what memorie
is, where it Jiorisheth, how profitable and ne-
cessa7'ie it is.' The second * conteineth the
chiefe causes wherby the memorie is hurt, with
their signes and cures :' and, in treating of moist
and cold brains, concerning the * nieates forbid-
den the pacient,' there are the following curious
directions :'

" Let them also forbeare Marow (which is in
bones) Cranes fleshe, fishe, especially if it be
clammy and nourished in diches or holes, colde
pot herbes, milke, cheese, especially much, or
naughtie : fruites moist and not ripe or often
but sometimes they maye eate sharper or tarter
nieates, chiefly in the winter, as Garlike, Peni-
royall, or Calamint, Capers being watered ;
mustard is praised of Pithagoras, they must eate
little and speciailye at supper : they must drink
no water, except it be sod with hony, or cinna-
mon, or some other pleasant spices. They must
abstein from ouer mutch sleepe, and not to

AKTlilClAL MEMORY. IQS

sleepe in the daye time, nor upon the noddle of
the head, nor upon to mutch fulnes of meate :
let them also take heede of ouer great watch-
inges, for it weakeneth the spirite, and resokieth
it, and stuffeth the head."

The third chapter ' sheweth the principall
tsndajnages of the memorie in what sorte, so
euer tliey bee.' The fourth * telleth likewise
the perticuiar helpes of the Memorie.' The
fifth * comprehendeth certain best approued and
chosen medicinable compounded remedies and
presertiatiues greatly encreasing the Memory ;*
and containeth a receipt to make ' Pilles that are
good for a languishing braine, especially in aged
and olde folkes,' "an odoriferous or sweet smell-
ing aple for the memorie' — ^ a comforting water
or lee, for the washing of a colde and moist
head, also it helpedi the Memorie, autl it must
be of the ashes of Twigges, or of an oake.'—
Another, and another follow. The sixth chap-
ter * expresseth Philosnphicall .Judgements,
Rules, and PreceplesofRememhraunce; these
are twenty iu number; the nineteenth is as fol-
lows :

. " For the recreation of your myude and there-
storing of your strengthes, you must not flye to
fylthie and dishonest things, but you shall bring it
to passe by changing of your studie ; for it is better
somewhat to refresh your niynde, then altogether

194 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

to lose it. Yea, also the plaies, pastimes or en-
terludes of Christians ought to be sage and ho-
nest. Therefore after earneste and graue studies
you muste repaire to lighter and easier, as to
Histories or Musicall exercises, for it restoreth
the strength and norisheth the conuenient reste,
and also vertue is of more power after leasure
and rest. There be some that had rather play,
the which indeede is graunted and permitted, so
that the playe bee a play and not an earnest or
said thinge, and let it be shorte, honest, without
deceite hurt or couetousnes. The Chestes playe
(a Treatise whereof I lately translated into Eng-
lishe) doth moue and stire up the wit, but in
the same is often bestowed to much tyme and
studye, the which ought to be better applied.
The baule or Tenyce play, doth also profite the
hole bodye (But above all the noble exercise of
Shooting in the long Bowe is most commenda-
ble) walking abroad is good chieflye for the
heade ; but it is better to dispute together walk-
ing up and downe and mouing the handes.
This recreacion of the minde ought not to be
daily nor often, and especially it must not be
used at the hours or tyme of study."

The seventh chapter * entreateth in fevve
zeoordes of locall or artificiall MemorieJ

" Artificiall Memorie is a disposyn or placing
of sensible thinges in the mynde by imagination,

AKTIFIcrAL MEMORY. 195

whereunto the naturall memorie hauing respect, is
by them admonished, that it may be hable to call
to mind more easely and distinctly suche thinges
as are to bee remembred : and (as Cicero sayth
in hys seconde to Herennius) it .consisteth of
places, as it were of waxe or tables, and of
images, as of figures and letters. For so it
commeth to passe that such thinges, as we haue
heard or learned, we reherse agayne, euen as
though we read them. Nor it skilleth not
muche whether we begynne at the first, or at the
mjfie. The places themselves rMiis!; be set in
order, for, yf there be a confusion in them, it
foloweth of necessitie, that al the reste must be
disordred. And it behoueth also that there be
many places, that manye thinges maye be placed
by the same exercise and practise. Cicero
judged that there should be an hundreth in num-
ber. Thomas A<juinus thought it good to have
mo. [more]. For these places many have
searched by diuers and sundry artes. Metro-
dorus found oute three hundred and sixtie places
of the XII signes in the whiche, the sunne goeth
his course : because the Astrologers do deuyde
the Zodiacke into so manye degrees.

" Cicero inuented a certayne familiar house, se-
uered or parted into manye places, and he thought
it good that we shoulde deuise after euerye fyft«
place, either a golden hande or some other dis-

196 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

tinction, wherby the one might be discerned
from the Oiher, and also in them to obserue a
stfdfaHt and unmonable order, th.-st wee miglit
a!vv;jys enter in and go out at the right syde.
A'l' idler A'jtiior, not unskillful, fayned places
bv certavife iyuing creatures, and deriued their
or<!«.r out of the Latyne alphabet, in suche sorte
thai euer) one of their names shouloe bcginne
with some one of euery- letter : euen as if these
vere the names : an Asse, a Beare, a Cat, a
Dogge, an Elephant, a Foxe, a Goate, a Horse,
tj Ja^e, a Kyte. a Lyou. a Mule, a Nyghtingafc,
an Oule, a Partridge, a Quaile, a Rabbet, a
Sheepe, a Throstle, a Unicorne, Xystus the Phi-
losopher (who wrote of these) Hyena, Zacheus,
He deuyded all these into fyue places : into the
heade, into the fore feete, into the bealye, into
the hynder feete and the tayle, for this order na-
ture herself niinistreth, neither can the wit be
confounded in counting or reckenning them.
Hauing thus gotten then an hundrcth and fyftene
places, he graued in them the Images of thinges
worlhye of memorie, and also he coraniaunded
that many thinges should bee written by the
mynde or wit in the face of him that speaketh,
in the heares, in the forehead, in the eyes, and
so to descend downewarde to the feete. But me
thynketh it a verye easye thinge to deinise and
Jmmagine not onlve an hundreth but also infinite:

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. IQ?

places, seeing no man is ignorant of the situation
of the citie where he was borne, or in the which
he hath long dwelled.

" Therefore when the mynde entreth in at the
gate, whiles it considereth the diuersitie of waves,
directing and leading to diners countreyes, and
whiles it remembreth frendes houses, pnblike
dwellinge places, palaces, or common places of
Judgment, it shall fynde out a maruelous number
of places. Hereto also it maye imagine great
courtes, or places of larger roume, wherein it
may deuise as great a number of places as it list-
eth, so that euery thing may be written therein
that he will haue.

*' And because the teaching by examples is
briefe and effectual], nowe will I put forth some
examples, to the end that thereby the matter
may be the better perceiued. I will put forth
a)i example of tenne, and consequently by the
proportion thereof shall be deuised the example
of a thousand.

" And therefore I take or choose a greate and
emptie house, to the which you muste not go
often but seldome, and appointe or sette the
fyrst place which is at the doore, three foot
distant from the doore. Let the seconde place
be twelve or fyftenne foote distant from that, as
for example let there be one corner or angle.
Let the thyrd place be distant from the seconde
s 3

l^S- PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

even as many or twelve foote, and there may be
perchance, another corner, or a middest betwene
die first and the second corner. The fourth shall
be a corner. The fyft shall be a corner, distant
by as miiche. The syxte llkewyse: and' the hall
beyng finished, you shall enter into one chamber,
and immediately within the doore you shall note
or appoynte the seuenthe, and afterwarde, in the
fyrst corner of the chamber the eyght, and in the
second corner the nynthe, and in the thyrd the
tenth with his distaunce. And yf you wyll haue
any more places, goe out of the chamber, and
so raarke or note the other chambers propor-
tionally.

" But yet remember that the dystaunce whych
is geuen is moderate and conuenyent, but yf
there be not found so great dystaunce, but a
lesser eucn unto eyghte, or to Ipsse euen unto
fiue foote, yet should it be tolerable. As con-
cernynge the teniple, it ought to be such a one
as must not be much frequented, especially of
yourself to the ende that you be not confounded
or troubled, with the multitude of the fygures or
Images. These places ought to be memorable
and remoueable with ones hand, for the corners
are not places, but fyxed images sette and placed
in the corners, uppon the which (euen as upon
paper) are painted other fygures, which may he
put out euen as letters upon paper. As for

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. Jf)^

example, the firste place is marked or known
by * * * in setting * * * in his place. The
second by asalue boxe, setting there also a salue
boxe. Tlie iii by a morter putting it there. The
fourth by a pestle. The fyfte by a pair of
writing Tables. The sixte by a hares foote»
The senenth by a Scarcer. The eight by a
bagge. The ninth by a lofe of waxe. The
tenth by the Canes of Cassia. And these names
must be kepte alwaies in niynd and the places
from fine to liue^that the quinaries or fyfte places
may alwaies by had in mcmorie. Of the dis-
tance there is enough spoken. Yet note tha?
you may passe to fine and thirtie, and not be-
yonde, leste t'nere should chaunce a negation in
the images.

" And bee it spoken euen likewise of the
quantitie as touching the height, that there be
not manye of a height, but from fyue eueii unto
eleven foote. And let euery fyftic place be
marked, as it is sayde of the order. The qualiti«
also must be noted, that they be not to light, nor
to darke, nor to much frequented. Let us come
to the Images which are the ihinges that must be
places : the Images whiche bee knowen unto
us, ought to be so set in these places with such
mouingcs, that by them we may call tliinges to
remembraunce. For example, I would remem-
ber twentye names^ I will do thus : In the fyrste

SOO PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

place, I will set the Images of Peter, one whom
I well knowe, with an * ^ * full of water iu hys
hande, the whyche he shall power upon James
one also well k no wen unto me : and so by this
notable act, I shall remember these twoo, and
so place in my remembraunce these twoo names.

" In the seconde place I wyll put Henrye
who is unto mee verye well knowen (for these
fygures must be exactly knowen that they maye
quickelye come into ones Memorye) who shall
put his hande into a Boxe and pull out the salue,
and therwilhal to besniyer Steuen, one also
whom I do very uell know.

" In the thyrde place I will set Wylliam, one
whome I knowe also, who shall take out of the
morter a playster, and shall put it upon Fraunces
face : or inuentinge some other mad iestes and
toyes, whereby the memorye maye bee confyrmed
to beare awaye suche lyke names.

" And so in lyke manner proceede with the
rest.*

* As the 'original passage has not, here, been literally
translated, we shall present our readers with a specimen of
Grataroli's Latin. — " Transeanius ad imagines, qua; sunt
res collocandic : dobent it;v imagines nobis notae in istis
locis collocari cum motibus talibus, ul per eas valeamus
memorari. Verbi gratia, volo memorari dc viginti nomi-
uibus, sic faciam : in priino loco iniaginem Petri mihi
aotissimi locabo, cum urinali in raanu pleno urina quam
fundet supcr^Iacobum mihi uotissimum : et ex isto acta

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 201

" Likewise if I would remember any man
and also his acte, I will imagin him and the
doyng of his acta; as, if I would remember one
eating of iigges, then I will imagine that with a
figge, he did some mery or strange thing.

Grataroli next treats of figures, and gives the
five following rules concerning them.

'*' Thefyrste is that the fygure do mone either
to laughter, compassion, or admiracion, for one
may soone fynde a figure that styre up and moue
the affection of the Soule.

" An example hereof is this, if I should settc
©r place in the mouthe of a mad Asse, the head
of Antonye to be almoste bytten in pieces, the
blood to gushe out of him, and that he asketb
helpe, and holdynge up his handes cryeth out :
for it cannot bee but that when I woulde, I
shoulde see him with the eyes of my mynde, and

Dotabili, honim duorHin memorabor: ctsic duorum nomi-
nuin raenioriaiu milii fcceio. In secundo l«co pouaiii Mai-
tiiiiim niilii iiotis^imuin (nam opoitet imagines istas esse
iiotissinias, at cito in nicnioriani rtcuiTant) qui ponet
tligitum sunm in pyxidc ct extrahct nnguentiini, qno - m
di'^ito ^oriliciiini un^et ani Ilcnrici niilii notissirai. In
/e;^(tf ponani Andieam niihi itidem uotuin, qui cum manu
ex mortaiio extrahet cmplastrum quod ponet super faciem
' Frnncisci, vcl alios ridiculos actus fabricando, ex quibus
memovia dc talibus nominihus confirmetur. Et ita pari-
fonnitcr pioredatnr in aliis." — Gratarolux de Manor ii ;
<)Pi St. pp. 66, 67. Kanil. 1554.

202 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

declare or express Antony to him that should ask
or enquire for him.

" Aiiother is, that we should represent eyther
the lyke by the like, or by the contrary, or else
by the proprietie therof. An example of tbe
fyrst is, as if I were about to place the name of
Galeae, I should write the name of some other
excellent physition, whose authoritie (as neere as
lusiy be) is eyther equall or lyttle inferiour.

" An example of the seconde is, if 1 writ the
name of an unlerned physition, if I describe
Thersites, by Achilles, and the good for the *
euill ; or the foule by the fayre.

*' An example of the thi/rde is, yf I represent
Ouidius Naso, by a great nose : Plato, by large
shoulders, Crispus by crysped or curled heares ;
and Cicero by Gelasinus.

" The tkyrde is, that wee accustome our-
selues to place thinges, euen from our very
youth, and that we encrease with dayly exercise :
although that the teaching therof may helpe and
profit euen them also that be elder.

" The habite, the perfectnes and dexteritye
(I meane to practyse these thynges) is muche the
more, if they doe so place all thynges, whiche
they shall either saye or do and also whatsoeuer
they heare in communication or talkinge. And
they must lykewise paynt and graue the maners,
gestures and tymes. For in so doynge they shall

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 205

ill a sliorte space be notably wel exercised. It
profvteth also to playe one with another, and to
goe about to excel! hym that shall recyte many
thynges, more clearlye, orderlye, and spedely
then other.

" The fourth is that (in euery quinary or
fyft number of those thynges that are to be
marked) we repeate agayne from the beginninge
all such th}niges as are alreadye noted for the
repeticion of things coramonlye bryngeth greate
utilitie and profyte.

" The fyfte is, that wee should represent
thinges compounde with the scimilitude of simple
thinges. As for example. Hee that will re-
member this sentence : Cicero contendeth with
Hortensius, shall immagine the pease called
C/c^7' whiche complayneth of the barenes of the
garden : for so doth Cicer resemble Cicero and
the Garden called Hart us doth represent Hor-
tensius, and the complaynte the contention,
etc. etc.

" Agayne you shall not forget that in placyng
or setting of the images or fygurts in their places
the thynge is alwayes to bee placed with a merye,
a merueylous or cruell acte, or some other unac-
customed mauer : for merye, cruel), iniurious,
merueylous, excellently fayre, or exceedinglye
foule thynges do chaufige and moue the sences,
and better styrre uppe the memorye, when

204 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OP

the myude is muche occupied about suche
thinges.

" Also the images are varyed by the transpo*
sition and transumption of the letters : as if I
vvoulde remember Nep,* I shall place a pen,
and for a tyran, [Tyrant] a rauening wolf. It
sufficeth therefore, that we have expressed a me-
thode or compendious waye, the whiche whoso-
euer foloweth shall easelye (so that exercise be
not lackynge) get and attayne the certeine and
sure remembrance, of manye and sundrye thinges,
as due occasion shall require : but as for the
sluggish and ydle, let them slugge and sleepe
still, to whome all thinges are displeasing."

At the conclusion of the seventh chapter ' is
put an Epilogue of the foresayde thinges'
This epilogue contains quotations from Erasmus,
PJato, and Aristotle, and concludes thus :

" It is verye good also to renewe and rehearse
verye often suche thinges as are commytted to
the memorye, with an elegant Oration or a sweete
songe, as it is heretofore declared, for pleasure
is the sauce of thynges, the foode of love, the
quickening of the wyt, the nouryshynge of the
affection and the strength of the Memorye.

" The Soule also must be purged from

* A Horbc so called.

ATtTlIlCIAL MEMORY. 205

euill thinges, that it may be filled with good
thinges.

" And we must humbly desire of God with a
faythfull prayer to grant us his spyryte of wyse-
dome and knowledge, for our Lord Jesus
Christes sake, to wliome wylh the father and the
holy ghost be all honor, laud, and glorye for
euer and euer. Amen."

On the back of the last l*"af, Memory taketh
leave of her disciples with the following admo-
nition.

Memorie sayeth.

To him that would me gladly gaine

These three precepts sliall not be vaine.

The first is well to vnderstand

The tiling that he doth take iu hand.

The second is the same to piace

In order good and formed race,

The thirdo, i^ often to repeat

The thing that he would not forgeat.

Adioyning to tliis castell strong,

Great vcrtue comes cr it be long.

A French translation of Grataroli's Treatises
on the Memory and on Physiognoujv, is extunt;
the following is the title as given by De Bure,
and it is remarkable that this is the 07t/i/ book
which he has admitted imder the head ol Natu-
ral and Artificial Memory.

206 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

16. Discours notables des moyens pour

conserver et augmeiiter la memoire^

avec wi Traite de la PJiysionomie

oil Jiigement de la nature des hom-

mes tire des traits dii visage, et

autres parties du corps; trad, dii

Latiti de Guill. Gratarol, par

Estienne Cope, 16'', Lyon, 1586.

Of this book De Bure says, * Fetit Traite

singulier, et assez recherche.' AndCAiLLEAU

in his Diet. Bibliog. ' Petit Traite singulier

et pen commun.' — * Onprefere cette Traduction

a Voriginal Latin.'

William Grataroli was born at Berga-
mo in Italy, in the year 1510. He was educated
at Padua, where he took the degree of Doctor
of Physic, and afterwards became Professor of
the same science, and gained considerable dis-
tinction. But, having embraced the Calvinistic
doctrines on the persuasion of Peter Vermilli, he
fled from Italy through fear of the inquisition,
and retired to Marpurg, where he taught medicine
for a year. He was, however, compelled.to leave
that place also, and repaired to Basle, in the
hope of a better fortune, and where, in fact, he
taught and practised his profession with success
until May, 1 5QQ>, when he died at the age of 52
He was author of a great number of works, som-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 20?

©f which are honorable to his talents, and
evince a large share of knowledge, but in otliers
he shows an attachment to the absurdities of
the alchemist, much superstition, and opinions
which do not imply a sound judgment. His
works, besides those which we have had occasion
to mention, were, I. A Treatise on the Preser-
vation of the Health of Magistrates, Travel-
lers, and Students, in Latin, published at Frank-
fort, in 1591, in 12°. — II. Da Vini Natura.
Cologne, 1(371, in B°. — III. He was the editor
of a collection of various works of Pomponatius :
Basle, 1565, in 8°. He had been the pupil of
this celebrated man, and adopted some of his
notions. — IV. Vera Alchijmice Artisque Me-
tallic^ Doctrine, etc.fol. Basil, 156l. — V. De
pradictione rerum naturarumque hominum
etc. — VI. De Temporum omnimoda mutatione,
etc.*

" It cannot be denied (says Baylc) tlvat Gra-
taroli was a public-spirited man, since he not
only sought remedies that he might be useful to
magistrates, but also those that are proper for all
sorts of travellers. He did not forget studious
men ; for he endeavoured to enable them to pre-
serve their health, and strengthen their memory.
A man, who would supply their necessities on

• Bavle— Diet. Hist. art. GralarolL

€08 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

this account^ would deserve divine honors tit
the republic of tetters, in which memory is
almost as necessary as life."

17. AriiJlcioscE MemoricB libellus, antore

Joann. Spaiigenherg, Herd. 8°»
Witeberg, 1570.

18. Artis 3Iemoria:, seupotius Reminis-

centicE pars secunda^ Autliore Joh,
Sp, Herd. Franco/. 1603.

This is a very useful mamiil, and is intended
principally for tyros in the -dii. It unfolds, by
question and answer, the principles of former
writers on the jsufcject, and is equally remarkable
for perspicuity and brevity, TJiis small tract is
included in the Gazophylacium Artis Memorice,
published in l6lO, under the title of Erotemata
de Arte Memories seu Reminiscent ice, etc,

J 9. Cosmi Rosselii Thesmirns Artifi-
ciosce Memoriae, 4°. Venet. 1574.

20. Jordano Sruno de nmhris Idearum,

Paris, 1582.

21. Artificiosce Memorise Libellus, Au-

thore Thoma Watsono Oxonictisi,

ARTIFICIAL MEMOItY. 20L)

Juris Utriusque studioso. MS.
lo83.

This manuscript is No. 5731 in the Shane
Collection, preserved in the Britisii Museum. It
is divided into fifteen chapters, the titles of
which are,

1. yJutoris Prologomenon el Methodus, 2. De
Memoria et Heminiscentia. 3. De Me-
moria Nnturali. 4. De ArtificiGsa Memo-
ria. 0. De Dup/ici locorum gene re. G. De
Legibas locorum. 7- De Imaginibus. 8.
De Imagine rei aimplici. 9- De Imagine
rei composita. 10. Qnales esse debeant
imagines. 11. De Cathena. 12. De Fer-
boruin memoria. \3. De praxi artis me-
jHorativae et ofijectornm tarietate. 14. De
U til it ate localis memorirt. 15. De Imjus
artis acqnisitione,

( If I wish to remember five objects, (says Mr.
Watson) as a stone, a tree, a fish, a bird, and a
horse, I take some spacious wall well-known to
me, and make five great divisions ; in the inst, I
see a door ; in the second, a window ; in the
third, a chest ; in the fourth, an iron book ; in
the fifth, a large crack, or fissure. The stone
, must be large enough to fill up the whole door-
viay ; the tree has taken root, and almost con-
t8

210 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

ceals the window by its branches ; the iish is ly-
ing hid in the chest ; the bird is seizing the iron-
hook with his beak, and is endeavouring to tear it
from the wall ; the horse has put his tail into the
fissure, and is fixed there. By these means, the
objects, and their numerical situation are perma-
nently remembered: other divisions of a wail
are given: one into 3C, and the other into 100
compartments; the first is reckoned by eights,
and the latter by tens.

The connection of the different images is con-
sidered of great importance, and the following
illustration is given. If 1 wish to remember
(continues the auihor) a man, a horse, a stone,
a fire, a hog, and a tree, 1 must say, that the
man finds a hoise and seizes it by the tail ; the
horse is biting a large stone, from which fire is
elicited by the teeth of the animal; this fire
burns a hog, which had approached too near the
horse ; the hog, mad with pain, runs against the
tree, and overthrows it.

Anthony Wood, in his Athencc OxonieU'
ses* affords some information respecting this
author.

" Thomas Watson, a Londoner born, did
spend some time in this University, not in Logic

Vol. I. col. 262, 263.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 211

and Philosophy, as he ought to have done; but
in the smooth and pleasant studies of poetry and
romance, whereby he obtained an honourable
name among the students in those faculties. Af-
terwards retiring to the metropolis [he] studied
the common law at riper years, and for a diver-
sion wrote, Echgn in obitum D. Francisci
Wals'mgham Esq. aur. Lond. loQO. yJminta,
Gaudiu, Loud. 159'2, written in Lat. Hexa-
meter, and dedicated to the incomparable Maty
Countess of Pembroke, who was a patroness of
his studies. He hath written other things of that
nature, or strain, ami something pertaniing to
pastoral, which I have not yet seen, and was
highly valued among ingemous men, in the latter
end of Q. Elizabeth."

22. Jordano Hfuno de Imaginum, et
Idearum compositioue ad omnia in-
venlmiem, et iMemorice genera tres
lihri, 8°. Franc. 1591.

55. Joan. Mich. Alherti de omnibus in-
sreniis ausrendce nwmoria libera 4".
13onon. 1591.

24. F. Philippi Gesvaldi Plutosojia,
Patau. 1600.

212 PIllINCIPAL SYSTEMS GF

25. Ars Remiuiscendi Joan. Bapiista;
Porta; Neapolitan i, i'^.Neap. 1602.

Porta, like the authors aheady noticed, treats
of pUices and images ; he also advises the pupil
to commit poetry to memory, by forming ideal
representations of the language, and placing them
in order. He exchanges iigines for symbols,
and represents a cipher for a globe ; 1 by a knife ;
2 by a sickle ; 3 by a bow ; 4 by a chopper ; 5
by a serpent ; 8 by a pair of spectacles ; 9 by a
crosier, etc. etc. Letters are also represented
by symbols, and two aljihubels are given ; in
the one, the letters are formed from vaiious ob-
jects; and in the other, from different positions
of the human body.

John Baptist Porta was a Neapolitan
gentleman, who acquired celebrity by his appli-
cation to polite literature and the sciences, espe-
cially those of mathematics, medicine, and natu-
ral history. He often held at liis house meet-
ings of literati, when they discussed the chi-
merical secrets of magic. The Court of Rome,
apprised of the object pursued by this little aca-
demy, prohibited him from holding its meetings.
Porta then cultivated the Muses, and composed
several tragedies and comedies, which were re-
ceived with some success. His house was al-
ways the retreat of men of letters, and of foreign-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 215

CIS, who admired the merit of Porta. He died
in 15\5, aged 70 years. We are indebted to
Porta for the invention of tlie Camera Obscura.
His works are, 1. A Treatise ou Natural M;gic.
2. A Treatise on Physiognomy. 3. De occultis
Litterarum notis ; a treatise on the art of con-
cealing our thoughts in writing, or of discover-
ing those of others. 4. P hi/tognomonica, seu
Methodus cognoscendi ex inspectione vires abdi-
tas cujmcumque rei. 5. De Distillationihus,*

26. F. Hieronymi MarafiotiPoUstinensis
Calabri Theolou'i J^e Arte JRemi-
niscenticBy per Inca^ et imagines^ ac
per 7iotas etjiguras in manibus posi-
tas, Q\^Franc. 1602.

Places and images are the basis of Marafioti's
system, but instead of putting tiie images upon
the walls of a house, they are placed in different
parts of the hands, both on the back and in the
palm of the hand. By this mode a high number
of places and images is obtained. This tract
was reprinted in KJIO, in the Gazuphylaciam
Artis Memorice.

* Diet. Hist. art. Pvrtn.

tI4 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

37. Specimma duo Art is 3femoria ex-
hibita Lutetice Parisiorum, 8°.

Paris, 1607.

This tract we have not seen, but suspect that
it contains an account of Schenckel's experiments
in Mnemonics at Paris ; of whose system some
accuunt will be found in the next article.

28. Sckcnckelii 3Ielkodus de Latina

Lingua intra 6 menses docenda,
&\ Arsrerd. 1609.

29. GazopJiylaciiim Artis Meynori^e ; in
quo duohus lihris omnia et singula
ea quae ad absolutam hujns cogni-
tioneM iuservimd, recondita haheii-
tm\ per Lambertum Sc/ienckelium
Dusilviiim. His accesserunt de
eadeni Arte MemoriiB adkuc 3
opnscuJa; quorum 1. Joannis Aus-
triaci. 2. Hleronymi 3IuraJioti. 3.
Joh. Sp. Herd. 8". Argent. 1610.

30. Sckeuckclins delectus : sen, Blemoria

Arfijicialis hactenus occultata ac
a multis quamdiu desiderata : nunc

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 215

primiim in gratiam optimarum ar ■
tmm, ac sapieuticB studiosorum luc'
douata, a J. P. G. \Joh. Paep
Galhaicus] S. P. D. Heme artem
principes et alii ?iobiles, cum Eccle-
siastici, turn seculares addidicerunty
exercuerunt et tnirijice probarunty
ut ex sequent ihus notum Jiet. 8".
Lugduni, 1617.

3 1 . Brevis Delineatio de utilitatihits et.
effectihus admirahilihns Artis Me-
moricBy 12°. Venet. \circ. 1610.]

32. 3Iemoria artificialis Lamherti
Schenckqly . Omnibus literarum et
sapientice amantibus luci donatay
vnacum clauicula Illam legendi,mo-
diim aperiente. Arnoldi Backhusy
Lubece?isiSy 12". Colon. — Agrip.
1643.

No. 28, ochenckel's method of learning the
Latin language in six mouths, we have not seen.
No. 29, contains Schenckel's Ait of Memory,
and very considerable prolegomena which are
not inserted in any subsequent reprint. No. SO,

tlQ PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

is Schenckel's system only, without any intro-
duction. The two last treatises are perfectly
ueless to the uninitiated, on account of the arbi-
trary signs and marks employed in them.* No.
31, is a reprint of No. 30, wish the addition of a
kej/ which explains the arbitrary signs used in the
work. It also contains a dedication to the learned
Meibomius, and an address to the reader. This,
consequently, is the most useful edition for prac-
tical purposes. No. 31, is a treatise by Mar-
tin Sommer, a contemporary and delegate of
SchenckeJ. It is reprinted in No. '29, the
Gazophylacium, and forms a part of the intro-
duction to that work.

Lambert, or Lcrmprecht Schenckel,
born at Bois-le-Duc, in 1547, was the son of
an apothecary and philologist. He went through
his academical course at Lyons and Cologne,
and afterwards became a teacher of rhetoric,
prosody, and gymnastics, at Paris, Antwerp,
Malines, and Rouen : not forgetting, as the
custom of the age required, to claim his title to
scholarship, by writing Latin verses. From

• The Gazophylacium, liowcver, is valuable on account
of the prefatory matter, and tlie thi ec tracts which it con-
tains ; more particularly, as the original editions of the
tracts are extremely rare. — See Monthly Slaguzine, fer
Feb. 1810, for some part of this accovnt.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 417

tliese, however, he acquired no celebrity propor-
tionate to that which was reared on his disco-
▼eries in the Mnemonic Art. The more efFec-
tually to propagate these discoveries, he travelled
through the Netherlands, Germany, and France ;
where his method was inspected by the great,
and transmitted from one university to another.
Applause followed every where at his heels.
Princes and nobles, ecclesiastics and layniCn,
alike took soundings of his depth ; and S, ' "i-
ckel brought himself through every ordeal, to the
astonishment and admiration of his *'idges. The
rector of the Sorbonne, at P;in , < g previ-
ously made trial of his merits, peuiiitted him to
teach his science at the university; and Marillon,
Maitre des Requetes, havitig done the same, gave
him an exclusive privilege" for practising Mne-
monics throughout the French dominions. His
auditors were, however, prohibited from com-
municating this art to others, under a severe
penalty. As his time now became too precious
to admit of his making circuits, he delegated this
branch of his patent to the licentiate Martin
Sommer, and invested him with a regailar diplo-
ma, as his plenipotentiary for circulating his art,
under certain stipulations, through Germany,
France, Italy, Spain, and the neighbouring coun-
tries. Sommer now first published a Latin trea-
tise on this subject, which he dispersed hi every
u

218 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

place he visited. [No. 31.] In this he announces^
himself as commissioned by Schenckel, to in-
struct the whole world.

'* A lawyer, (says he) who has a hundred
causes and more to conduct, by the assistance of
my Mnemonics, may stamp them so strongly on
his memory, that he will know in what wise to
answer each client, in any order, and at any
hour, with as much precision, as if he had but
just perused his brief. And in pleading, he will
not only have the evidence and reasonings of his
own party, at his fingers' ends, but all the grounds
and refutations of his antagonist also ! Let a man
go into a library, and read one book after ano-
ther, yet shall he be able to write down every
sentence of what he has read, many days after at
home. The proficient in this science can dictate
matters of the most opposite nature, to ten, or
thirty writers, alternately. After four weeks'
exercise, he will be able to class twenty-five
thousand disarranged portraits within the saying
of a paternoster : — aye, and he will do this ten
times a day, without extraordinary exertion, and
with more precision than another, who is igno-
rant of the art, can do it in a whole year ! He
will no longer stand in need of a library for re-
ferring to. This course of study may be com-
pleted in nine days, — and an hour's practice
daily, will be sufficient : but, when the rules are

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 219

once acquired, they require but half an liour's
exercise daily. Every pupil, who has afterwards
well-grounded complaints to allege, shall not
only have the premium paid in the first instance,
returned to him, but an addition will be made to
it. The professor of this art, makes but a short
stay in every place. When called upon, he will
submit proofs, adduce testimonials from the
most eminent characters, and surprise the igno-
rant, after four or six lessons, with tlie most in-
credible displays." Here follow testimonials from
the most celebrated universities. Nine alone are
produced from learned men at Leipzic, and pre-
cede others from Marpurg, and Frankfort on the
Oder.

On the 29th and 30th of Sept. and on the 1st
of Oct. [O. S.] 1602, Schenckel exhibited
some specimens of his art at Marpurg in Hesse.*
the first experiment took place on the 29th of
Sept. at eight o'clock in the morning, before a
large assemblage of Divines, Lawyers, Physi-
cians, and Philosophers. Schenckel having re-
quested some one to dictate 0.5 Latin sentences,
he wrote them down with a pen, and numbered
ihem. He next read them aloud tv\'ice, with
scarcely any pause, and having sat for a short

* This account of Scbenckel's experiments is taken from
his Memoria urtijiciality edited by Buckliusy. (See No. ,"2.)

€20 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS or

time in silence, he repealed the tvhole, from
beginning to end, backwards and forwards, and
in any order desired, without the slightest hesita-
tion. It happened, however, that once or twice,
Schenrkel substituted one word for another, as,
lithits for ends; but being reminded of this, he
immediately gave the word required. After-
wards, any particular number being given, he
repeated its appropriate sentence; and, on the
first word of a sentence being named, gave the
proper number. Schenckel being asked to re-
peat 25 doctrinal sentences, replied, that he
thought 15 would be sufficient; and, according-
ly, that number having been dictated, written
down, and read, he united them to the former 25
■entences, and answered to the whole 40 in any
order desired.

On the 30th of Sept. another meeting was
held at the house of a medicine-vender, when
Jifty words were given and numbered from 1 to
50. Schenckel having considered for a short
time, repeated the whole from beginning to end,
in regular order, — from the last to the first, and
in any order required. On any number being
given, he named the appropriate word, — and
vice-versa. Havnig asked the persons present to
double the number of words, some of the literati
replied, that he had given sufficient proof of his
abilities, and that they had no doubt he would

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 221

be able to repeat many more words by the same
method. A learned auditor expressed his regret
to Schenckel, that he was not allowed to repeat
Jifty sentences, and a It unci red words, being fully
persuaded that he was capable of greater things.

Schenckel having presented to his auditory
two hundred sentences, in which a pupil of his,
taken from the last meeting, had been exercised,
together with the 40 sentences then given, the
pupil, on any number being asked, repeated the
appropriate sentence, and vice-versa, to the asto-
nishment of all present : — more especially at the
unconnected manner in which the numbers were
proposed; as 235, 27, 9, 240, 128, 19, iB4, 3,
22.3, 2, 170, SQ, 7, etc. etc. This same pupil
offered to the assembly 250 written words, which
he had learned by some tuition from Schenckel,
and by his ow n application. To these 250 words
were added 50 others ; and, in a short time, the
pupil answered to the whole 300, in the same
manner as had been done before by the professor
himself. In repeating the sentences, the pupil,
once or twice, did not give the words regularly :
— when this was intimated to him, he immediate-
ly corrected himself, and repeated the words in
their appropriate order.

On the folio wing day, the 1st of October, similar
experiments were tried, greatly to the satisfaction
of all present i and, in consequence, Schenckel

222 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

received (without asking for it) a certificate of ap-
probation, under hand and seal, from a learned
physician, and some professors. This certificate
concludes by observing, that ' the deponents^
were present at the different examinations, — that
there was not a possibility of fraud or collusion —
that they thought it but justice, thus, unsolicited,
to express their approbation, — and to bear wit-
ness to the truth of the facts stated in the docu-
ment.

The student, destitute of oral instruction, can-
not expect to reap much benefit from a perusal
of Schenckel's system in the Gazophylacium, or
in Schenckdius delectus : he might as well seek
for a knowledge of Mnemonics, by gazing at
the hieroglyphics of an Egyptian obelisk. It is
pretty evident that this Gazophylacium was
designedly intended as a labyrinihal series : the
author indeed closes his labors by confessing,
that the work was to be entrusted only to his
■scholars, and referring for further elucidation to
oral precepts. The very basis of his art is con-
cealed beneath a jumble of signs and abbrevia-
tions : thus, sect. 9. d. a sect. 99 ; " videlicet,
locus, imago ordo locorum, memoria loci^ ima-
gines." And further, in setting forth the most
important points, he amuses himself by evinc-
ing a multitude of jingling, and unintelligible
words.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY.

2^3

In proof of this assertion it will be sufficient
to give the ki'y from Backhusy's edition of
Schenckel : it is a fair specimen of the obstacles
which are presented to the student.

Clauiculaseu cxplicatio libri.

FALVCO NIVALCA.

1. Lcf^endum serom a focis barbaeho.
t. Alplia & oincgd sunt lasos vitor.
.1. Idqae etiam in diet, osi^is oiiiui.

4. Si in doliibacoui q. itaro cniccos 1 reg. amucoli no«

habet, sed cygaus in ilia tantnna caballyso.

5. Hacbaei-etila singula sing. num. denotant. eaedem gemi.

pi.

6. Gen. ca. mod. temp. & alia datus obirttas, ex lusncsi

facile collignntur:

a amnlube niacoue

b osias

c codrot

d emuliica sibuco.

e daitnem etnesi.

f anuiit ecapso.

g boganiin

li aseirape:

i vanosrcpo

k emnsrodi

1 asumodi

in imnis ftice orexes

n asulugnas.

e lairomemi

p dannofc

q osedesi

r asiiarpe '

6 asucoli

t bogamiu

II rogamis

V usucolae!

X farreto.

y amnitios

I amulucato epecera

A efucis itcmhtiras.

C emurtsaca

D emiioite ocnita istdo

E parti esenefa

G. & Gr. facitamo emar-

go
I asuirano bigamie
K emuxi fennoca
« omutnemi badnufa

224

PRfNClPAL SYSTEMS OF

N. asuremuiii

P. Omuite galapo.

R. boitis otcpera.

T. asuruase hti

V. aniuiiato euuloni.

Adi. cimitac onuidas

ct. foitatica.

dct. roitato scidos

diu. poisis euido

cp. galoti osipcs

L G. afiicigoli

Mpli. asucisyiio epatem.

Or: roitaros

Ph. csHcisylipo

{amPHOs enerpo
vel
laidos esorpo
L asutali
Rh. Laciros ethere

<.Ru. satueinis eduro
Sy. esisato anysi
Ve eimibieui.
rbaeieco

1. < salednaca

L vanlns

2. asmigyco.

3. esuliige onaiite.

4. asnluga inaido

aqua?.

5. esunanii.

6. falktsc.

7. lamtor i vcl asiruceso.

8. txilacu
i*. diinroca

rasulunnas
0. < ext'inoia
V-cstiUKiito.

Reliqu* sludiosus Lector facile colliget.

CLAVICVLA.

1. Lcgcndum haebraico more.

2. Prima Sc vltima litcra sunt otiosae.

3. Idque etiani in dictionibiis diuersis.

4. Si in vocabulo Q occurat, prutia regula locum non ha-

bet, sed prinium in taiitnm illasyllaba: cxcmphim sit
in asnluga inardo aquas: hoc est Quadrangulus, quas
vox nimierum quatcrnarium significat. >

5. Litera; singulae singnlarcm numerum denotant, easdem

gcminatae, pluralem,
€. Genus, casus, modus, tempus & alia attvibttta ex semn,
facile colliguntur.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY.

'i'zo

Literx signijUanf.

a. Voca1)nIum

b. Ars
€. Ortlo

d. Cubiculuni

e. Sententia

f. Spacium

g. Imago „
b. Partes '
i. Persona
k. Dorsum
1. Domus

in. Exercitinm

B. Angulus

0. Meiuoria
p. Forma
([. Sedes
r.^^Praxis

s. Locas

t. Imago

u. Imago.

V. Locus

■X. Terra

y. Ostium

8. Reccptacnlum

A. Aritbmeticiu

C. Castrura

D. Distinctio

F. Fenestra

G. Gr. Graminatica

1. Iniagiiiarius
K. Couuexum

N. Numerus.
P. Palatium
K. Repetitio
S. Fundamentura
T. Thesaurus
V. Voluntarium
Adi. Adiunctum
(J). Citatio
Diet. Dictatio
Din. Diuisio
Ep. Epistola.
LG. Logicus
Mpb. Metaphysicns
Or. Oratio
Ph. Physicus
Pr. Pronomen
Prosodia.
La. Latus
Rh. Rhetorica
Ru. Rudimenta
Sy. Syntaxis
"Ve. Verbum.

1. Cadela, Cerea, Vina

2. Cygnus

3. Triaiiguhis

4. Quadrangului

5. IManns

6. Stella '

7. Norma vel SecurU

8. Calix j;

9. Coniu. 11

10. Anulus, Reroex, Circulus.

226 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

The work of Schenckel is a singular produce
tion. His development of the art does not con-
fine itself to mechanical ideas alone. It sets
the technical, symbolical, and logical faculties of
the memory, in equal activity ; and requires that
its powers should be at once ingenious and per-
ceptive. Its acquirement is founded on the asso-
ciation of ideas : nor does it fail to call wit and
imagination in aid of natural memory. Som-
mer's Compendium, consisting of eight sections,
was printed for the use of his auditors. After
his departure, permission is given to his scholars
to communicate their mnemonistic doubts, ob-
servations, and discoveries, to each other ; but
no one can be present without legalizing himself
previously, as one of the initiated, by prescribed
signs: and he who fails in this, is excluded as a
profaner.

As Schenckel's work, besides being a literary
curiosity, had, of late years, become extremely
rare, Dr. Kliiber, in 1804, published a Ger-
man translation of it, entitled, * Compendium
der Mnenionikf etc' or, * Compendium ofMne'
monies, or the Art of Memory, at the beginning
of the seventeenth century, by L. Schenchel,
and M. Sommer. Truyislatedfrom the Latin,
Tenth a preface and remarks, by D. Kluber, 8°.
Erlamien. 1804.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 2"27

33. De Memoria, ac Reminiscentia Dis-
cerptafio Sempronii Laucioni Ho-
mani ad went em Philosophorum.
jyrincipum Platonis et • Aristotelis
concinnata. Yerona, 1608.

In this tract, are exhibited passages of divers
authors, respecting the system of local memory as
practised among the Greeks.

34. Joh. Henr. Alstedii Theatrum Scho-

lasticum, 8°. Herborn. 1610.

In this work is contained the Gymnasium
Mnemonicum, or, treatise on the Art of Me-
mory.

3-5. Jo7i. Henr. Alstedii Si/ sterna Mne-
monicum^ 8". Franc. 1610.

36. Joh. Henr. Alstedii Triga; Cano-

niece, S°. Franc. 1611.

The first of these trigae is Artis Mnemonics
explicatio.

37. Simonides redivivns; site Ars Me-
moricE et ohlivionis (qnam hodie
complures penitus ignorari scripse-

228 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

runt) tahulis expressce^ Authore
AdamoBruxio Sproffasilesio Doct.
et 3Ied. cut accessit nomenclator
mnemonicus ejusdem aufhoris, 4°.
Lips. IGIO.

A gieat part ©f the Simonides Redimvus
was reprinted at Leyden, by H. Herdson, in the
year l65l, under the title of ^rs Mnemonicaf
sive Herdsonus Bruxiatiu ; vel Bruxus Herdso-
niatus. To this was appended a treatise in Eng-
lish by Herdson, on the same subject, the whole
of which may be seen at Nos. 51 and 53.

After the title of No. 37, there is a wood-cut
nearly the size of the page, very tolerably exe-
cuted. It represents a tree loaded with fruit, —
a man mounted on a ladder plucking the fruit,—
a boy in a go-cart, — and a venerable figure (we
suppose the magister) looking very attentively at
the boy. Underneath the cut, are the following
verses :

Scala riro, currvs puero, quod scipio Acestce ;
Hoc memorativa prasiat in arte Lociis.

Brux has treated the subject in a very compre-
hensive manner, and has subjoined a complete
nomenclator mnemonicus. He also directed his
attention to an art on which much less has been
written : — the an ohlivionis, or art oi forgetful-

ARTIFICIAL MEMOUY. 529

ness, for the acquisition of which very full and
minute directions are given. Were this art
' eliminated out of the thick fog in which it is
enveloped' many a candidate would be found for
the srceet oblivious antidote. In this (says the
great moralist) we all resemble one ai;other ; the
hero and the sage are, like vulgar mortals, over-
burdened by the weight of life ; all shrink from
recollection, and all wish for an art of forget~
fulnesS'

Before we take leave of this interesting art,
the ff'liowingy^M d'e'<prit will be given from one
of the daily papers,* as it deserves to be rescued
from the usual oblivion of such repositories. It
was written uu the occasion of some lectures
delivered mi Mutnionics in the ciiyof DubUn.

** Svi-LABts of ih«i Public Expernnents on
the new system of .'tnti-muemonics, to the per-
feciionation of whicii the Chevalier de sans Seu-
veiiir I'.as devoted the last fifty years of a long life,
fully verifying from the toila he has encountered
and surmounted iu the pursuit, the assertion of
Pope, — -

" Of all the lessons taught to mortals yet,
Tis sure the hardest scieTite—to forget."

• Morning Chronicle for Nov. 21, 1815,
X

230 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

EXPERIMENT I.

" The Chevalier will produce before the com-
pany one of the Members just returned to Par-
liament, and whom he shall have instructed not
one quarter of an hour ; he will present to him
fifty of those Constituents, with whom but a
week since he was on the most familiar terms,
when to the astonishment of all present it will be
found that he does not remember the face of one
of them, nor retains the slightest remembrance
of the pledges he gave or the promises he uttered,
notwithstanding the utmost efforts of the above-
iiaentioned fifty promisees to recal them to his re-
collection.

EXPERIMENT II.

*' The Chevalier will present to the company
an elderly Widow Lady, of demure aspect, and
sedate appearance ; she shall have a smelling-
bottle in one hand and a white handkerchief in
the other, which she shall respectively apply to
her nose and eyes, and exhibit every other accus-
tomed symptom of grief, when, by virtue of ten
minutes' influence of the anti-nmemonic system
she shall furl her flag of sorrow, pocket her bottle
of disconsolation, dance a favourite Irish jig, box
the ears of her seven children by her first hus-
band, and loudly declare the impossibility of

AllTIFICIAL MEMORY. €31

managing a large family wiUiout the aid of a
second.

EXPERIMENT III.

" A certain Viscount has graciously promised
to be present at the first exhibition, and to permit
the efilvacy of tlie art to be tried upon his recol-
lection. Twelve Members of Parliament have
likewise consented to attend, and severally to ask
him twelve questions upon various topics of
foreign and domestic l%licy — Unions — Swamps
— Catamarans — Cat-o'-mue-iaih — Beds of roses
— Triangles— Italian Music — The Penal Code
— The Orders in Council — and, the Emaficipa-
tion of the Catholics, — by all which interroga-
tories, amounting to 144, he shall evidently ap-
pear quite unmoved ; nay, during the whole time
he shall smile, and preserve the most inviolable
self-complacency.

EXPERIMENT IV.

" Many elderly persons having, since the Che-
valier's arrival, complained to him of the intole-
rable tenacity of the memories of their children
and dependants, who actually exhibit symptoms
of impatience at the fiftieth or sixtieth repetition
of the same story, and aiidaciously either yazon
or anticipate the denouement, to the great mor-
tification of the nairator. Now the Chevalier

S32 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

invites any one of the said respectable characters
to his exhibition, accompanied by seven or eight
of his most refractory family hearers, and he
engages, that after but ten minutes' instruction,'
they shall listen, not merely composedly, but
with something like curiosity, to the most thread-
bare tales, laugh in all the proper places, an^
exhibit every other symptom of being entertained
and gratified.

EXPERIMENT V.

" A venerable Pluralist shall be brought for-
ward for examination, and shall be asked. What
promises he made at his ordination ? — or whether
he made any ? — which of his three livings he last
visited ? — from what well-known author he tran-
scribed his last sermon ? — with how many persons
amongst his several flocks he was acquainted r
Not one of which interrogatories he shall be able
to answer.

EXPERIMENT VI.

" The Chevalier will next present to the pub-
lic a Lady of cold affections and morbid vanity,
inoculated with the love of the great, possessed
of a little smartness, which the superficial might
mistake for wit, and deeply versed in what is
termed knowledge of the world. She shall in
early life have given the most unequivocal pro-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 23S

mise of lier affections to an unpractised heart,
that trusted her with all the unlimited credulity
of confiding love — 'pledges shall have been niutu-
alized, and those solemn assurances reciprocated
which indissolubly bind the faithful, and can only
be violated by the unprincipled, — ^yet by the in-
fluence of this miraculous science, she shall for-
get her vows, deny her attachment, and finally
marry another person ; and when the parties after-
wards meet, no feeling shall arise in her mind
but a kind of aukward flutter, nor in his but the
most contemptuous indift'erence,

EXPERIMENT VIT.

" An eminent Luwycr shall also be produced
in testimony of this wonderful ait, who will be
found to be proof tven against a Refresher, and
this is supposed, with one illustrious exception,
to be the 7ie plus ultra of atiti-mnemouic in-
fluence, if circumstances did not imperiously
prevent, the Chevalier ccnild produce this Exalted
Individual, and triumphantly display him as one
of the singular prodigies of the anti-muenionic
system. It is asserted by a celebrated crauiosco-
pist. Dr. Gall, that earli/ friendships make the
deepest impression upon the human brain, and
are with the greatest difticu'ty effaced — that they
linger there, the last and most tenacious inmates,
when other recollections have been weakened by
x3

234 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

years, or absorbed in selfishness. To triumph
over a radicated feeling like this was reserved for
that science which can pervade the cottage as
well as the palace, and while it steeps the
peasants mind in balmy forgetfulness, can equally
relieve the Prince from the pangs of reminis-
cence.

" The Chevalier sans Souvenir having thus
far developed his plan, will not for the present
enter into further details. To the Irish Nation,
whose characteristic it is to forgive, he begs
leave particularly to recommend his system, which
will a!so enable them to forget their manifold
wrongs and injuries, and only to remenihtr, that
an united f are ever a happi/, and a prosperous,
people; that to Religious and Political opinions
perfect freedom should be given, if we wish to
be happy at home or formidable abroad ; that all
irritating retrospects should meige ?w the love of
country, and that our endeavours should zealous-
ly and exclusively be directed to the Reform of
internal abuses, and the extension of public liber-
ty, that so the glorious fabric of our Constitution
may be enabled to resist the aggression to which
it is exposed, and to survive the storm which has
made shipwreck of other Governments."

38. Fr. Alart. Ravellini Ars Memoriir,
8". Franc. 1(517.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 235

The principles of the art according to Ravel-
lin, are four ; — place, image, order, and practice
or use of the images. He takes houses, cham-
bers or rooms, and walls, in the following
order ; on entering the room, and standing with
the back to the door, the first wall is to be on
the left, the second before us, the third on the
right, the fourth behind us, and i\\e Ji .or is to be
reckoned as the fifth wall. The letter M is to be
supposed on each M'all, and to be divided thus :

3 4

1
2 5

In each of these divisions a hand is to be placed,
consequently 2a places will be gained, if we
count one for each of the fingers and the thumb.
By taking ten hands and disposing them in the
same nianner, fifty places are obtained, and if
each wrist be accounted as one place, 60 com-
partments will be found. In these compart-
ments the image of what is intended to be re-
membered is to be placed. Ravel) in afterwards
divides a wall by tens, precisely in the same way
as Mr. Watson has done in the Shane MS. be-
fore noticed. The tract of llaveUin was re-
printed in 1678, with five others, in an octavo
volume, entitled; Variorum de Arte Memoria
Tractatm Sex.

S;>5 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

39. ZHriusfpie Cosmi, innjoris scilicet, et
minoris Mefaphysica, Physica et
Teclmica Historia, anctore Iloberto
Fludd, It-om.fol. Openh. et Franc.
1617—1621.

A few pages of tins curious and expensive
work are devoted to an explanation of the author's
system of Jtlnenionics. This seems to be an
attempt to combine tlie ' Ars Magna' of Lully,
Avith the local memory of the antients, as improy-
ed by the modern memorists. Some curious
wood-cuts accompany the description ; and thers
are, on other subjects, many extremely singular
prints in this rare work, which are intelligible
only to an adept. The portrait alone of Fludd,
prefixed to the first volume, has been valued at
four guineas ! ! !

Robert Fludd, or as he styled himself in
Latin, de Jiuctibns, was the second son of Sir
Thomas Fludd, Treasurer of War to Queen Eli-
zabeth. He was born at Milgate in Kent, in the
year 1574, and was educated at St. John's Col-
lege, Oxford. He was a very voluminous author
in his sect, diving into the farthest profundities,
and most mysterious obscurities of the Rosycrucian
philosophy ; — and blending in a most extraordi-
nary manner, divinity, chemistry, natural philoso-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 237

pby, and metaphysics. He was made Doctor of
Physic in l605, and died 1637.

40. Apsinis Grccci RJietoris, de 3l€mo-
ria liber singularis latine nunc pri-
mum vertit. Fed. 3IoreU. Paris,
1618.

41. IncostimabilisArtisMemorandi The-

smirus, ex variis optimisque autho-
rihus dcpromptus, ab Adamo Nau-
lio, Rheto. Sacerd. et S. Theol.
Doct. 8". Paris. 1618.

Naulius has compiled a useful and well-
arranged digest of the different authors who have
written on this subject, and has devoted a chap-
ter, treating of the application of the art, to
each of the following persons : — divines, con-
fessors, lawyers, linguists, rhetoricians, astrolo-
gers, geometricians, kings, princes, aud noble
travellers.

42. 3Inemonica ; sive Ars Reminiscen-
di : e puris artis naturoequefontihus
hausta, ct in ires libros digesta, ac
non de Memoria vatiirali fovenda
libcUus : e variis doclissimorum ope-
ribus, sedulo collectus : jam primuni

238 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

in lucem edita author e Johan. Wil'
lisw, SacrcR Theolo. Bacch. 8°.
Loud. 1618.

Tlie treatise de Memoria vaturali fovenda,
was reprinted at Frankfort, in the year 1678,
wit!i five other tracts, in an octavo volume, en-
titied, Variorum de jirie Memoria Tractatus
Stx. 'i'he whole work was translated by Leonard
Sozvershyj a bookseller * at the Turn-stile, near
New-market in Lincoln's Inn Fields,' and printed
in (he year 166], with the following title :

43. Mnemonica; or, the Art of Memo-
/7/, dramed out of the pure fountains
of art and nattire, digested into
three books. Also a phi/sical trea^
tise of cherishing 7iatural Metnory ;
diligent/)/ collected out of divers
learned mens writings. JBy John
Willis, JBatchelour in Divinity. 8".
Lo?id. 1661.

As this book has become rare, and developea
many of the principles of the local memory in
an apt and ir.tcUigihle n)anner, our extracts will
be more copK)iis than usual.

The worthy translator seems to have been a
man of very unassuming manners. The dedica-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 239

tion, which we recommend all booksellers of the
present day to peruse and imitate, has not its
parallel for diffidence and humility.

" TO THE HONORABLE

" WILLIAM PIERREPOINT, ESQ.

" Honored Sir,

" If Lines were capable of Humane affec-
tions, these would blush, they are so mean a
present to so Illustrious a person ; at least con-
scious of their Masters presumption, they would
condole his unhappiuess, that had not greater
ability to accommodate some more worthy Fabrick
to so fair a Frontispiece. The Original compiled
by a learned hand, among some vulgar things
and trifles, coutainetti very excellent and profit-
able matter ; I hope it hath not lost its utility
(though Grace) in English.

" Honored Sir, I fear, good intentions are no
sufficient Plea for temerous Enterprises, espe-
cially the Undertaker being privie to his own
imperfections ; Therefore like a Criminal ac-
knowlediiing my vanity in ambitiously affecting
things ab(»ve my Sphere, I humbly re-implore
your Honors pardon and admittance to be what

I was before,

Your Honors most

humble Servant

Leonard Sowersby."

240 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

The author, in tht- preface, having compared
his Art of Memory to a new-born infant, be-
cause it was then first prestnted to the world,
proceeds to show the advantages attendant upon
it. Ths Jirst book treats o( remembering com-
mon affairs, words, phrases, sentences, and
speeches, by means of notes and writing

Having despatched these vulgar ways of me-
mory, our author proceeds to speak in the ^rst
chapter of the second book, * of remembring
without writir,:i;,' and says, " I descend to helps
conducing lo the same purpose without Hand-
writing, vhich is then most pleasant, when we
are destitute of the aid of Paper, Ink, or Table-
Books, or when by sume obstacle we are debar-
red the free use of them. This consisteth of two
operai)or.s, Reposition and Deposition.

" Reposition is the maimer of charging Me-
mory v\ito Note-vvo'thy things; herein it is not
to be expected th<>t each particular word of cvrry
senterice be rttai!'* d ; but onely, thut the general
sence be fasiened m mind. At -all times wijen a
man is about to commit any thing in custody to
his Memory, first let him study to drown all un-
necessary ihvjughts in oblivion, that he may per-
fectly Hitend the tlungs he is to learn. * * * *
A ready re>nembrance most commonly procced-
eth from right understanding the thing in hand;
therefore a man must prepare himself diligently,

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 241.

and so unite the force of his imagination, that ho
may as it were engrave and imprint occurrent
things in his niemory. Lead doth facily receive
impression, because it is tenacious, which Quick'
silver cannot admit, by reason of \isFluxibility :
In like manner fleeting inconstant minds continu-
ally hurried into new & strange cogitations, is far
from gathering fruit by any thing heard. The
method of a speech is chiefly to be observed, re-
garding seriously what is the general subject
thereof; Secondly, the greater parts, and with
what Logical Arguments each part is handled ;
the perfect Mtthod of a speech doth much con-
duce to remember the whole ; or if the Contex-
ture thereof be inartiflcial, imperfect, and unsa-
tisfactory, comprehending many things forcibly
applied, rejecting things of a like kind, yet a
strong Memory will retain the same by observa-
tion of the absurdities and rude Artifice of the
whole.

" Deposition is when we recollect things com-
mitted to memory; and having transcribed or
transacted them, discharge our memories of them,
which is alwayes to be practised at the first
opportunity : Things charged in Memory by
day, are to be deposited at least before sleep, if
not sooner ; things charged by night, are to be
deposited immediately after sleep, that the mind
be no longer burthened than is convenient, and

24^ PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

that things negligently laid up in mind, be not
forgotten, Writing being the faithfullest Guar-
dian of Memorandums. If in dis-burthening
your Memory, something charged happen to be
forgotten, shut your eyes, that no external obiect
may divert your mind, and try to recall it by im-
portunate scrutiny ; which operation may be
called Revocation, and is an Art that by help of
certain Rules teacheth the investigation of things
lapsed out of memory.

" To conclude, Deposition, or discharging
things committed to mind, is not unlike expung-
ing writing out of Table- Books : If therefore
there be any Art of Oblivion (as some affirm) it
may be properly referred hither. So much in
general ; now to explicate the particular species
thereof.'*

The second chapter treats of * remembring by
certain verses purposely born in mind,' the third
* of remembering by extempore verses,' and the
fourth ' of exonerating things charged on memo-
ry ex tempore.' The manner of remensbering
by verses already composed, says Mr. Willis, is
when a man doth excogitate or rt tain remarkable
things by repetition of verses provided to that
purpose. Suppose an attorney, be to wait upon
Judges riding the Circuits from one County to
another, it may be vvorth his labour to repeat
these verses at leaving his lodging, lest he forget

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. ^43

some necessary thing, which we may imagine
formerly framed by him to this end.

Scalpellum, calami, comttgraphiumq; libcUi,
Charta, pugillares, vapilalia, ceia, aigiUum,
Sic aepiJe, gla<liu.s, cultellus, pu^io, burssu,
Muccinium, indtniumq ; monilia, penula , pecten
Fascia cruralis, cruralia, dactylethece.

These useful hexameters are thus done into
English, by the worthy Mr. Sowersby.

Pen-knife, Quills, Ink-horn, Book, Paper, Table-Book

Caps ; Take
Wax, Seal and Slippers, Swoni, Knife and Dagger, safe

make
Purse, handkerchiefs, Shirts, Rings, Coat, and^ for your

own sake,
Combs, Gai-ters, Stockius, XJloves.

The following memorial verses for a traveller,
from FiTz Herbert's Husbandry, will
form a suitable companion to those of Mr.
Willis. They are hexameters, but were by -the
Printer jumbled into prose, and have been res-
tored by a correspondent in the Gentleman^s
Magazine foj- October 1767, vol. xxxvii.
p. 487.

Purse, dirk,* cloak, nightcap, kerchief, slioeing-hom,
bugetjt and shoes ;

• Dirk is a word of the same age. Diigger will not
scan quite so well,
t Bu"<it, budget.

24* PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS Ot

Spear, nails, hood, halter, sadle-cloth, spurs, hat, wi thv

horse comb :
Bow, arrow, sword, buckler, horn, 'brush, gloves, string,

and thy bracer ;
Pen, paper, ink, parchment, red wax, poms,* books, then

remember :
Pe-i-knife, comb, thimble, needle, thread, point, lest that

thy girUi break j
Bodkin, ki.ife, Iingel,t give tljy horse meat : see he be

stowed well.
Make merry, sing an thou cansty.take heed to thy geer, that

thou lose none.

Having recommended the carpenter to apply
himself to the Muses and register his tools in the
day-book of Parnassus, Mr. Willis introduces
the following verses composed by himself.

ilN? quisquid^ eujus? cut? qtio? qvibus? muxilijs? tur?
Quemodo? circa quid? quulis? quantum? ex, in eta 9U0?
Quamdiu'i ubi? quandol quotiesl quotufUxl quotetundtl

These quiddities are thus translated by Mr.
Sowersby for the benefit of the English reader,
and more particularly for the ladies, whose natu-
ral curiosity might well be excited by so formid-
able a list of quaeres.

* Poms, perfumed wash-balln, pf^waniii <«.

* Lingel, an awl.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. '245

If? who? what? whose? to what? whether? why? about

what ?
How? what fashion? how much? by, of, in, and from what ?
'How long? how often ? how manifold ? whence catne that?
Where, when, how many ?

*' These Verses (craving the Readers pardon
for the rugged iiess) contain twenty two Questions
of excellent use to invent, retain, as also to recall
to minde things of great concernnjent and worthy
memory in urgent affairs.

# * # *

The most curious and interesting part of these
" drainings out of the pure fountains of art and
nature," is to be found in the third book ; a large
proportion of which we have reprinted.

CHAP. I.

** Repositories,

" The Art of Memory, which we now treat
of consisteth of Ideas, and places, wherein we
will first handle the Repo!>ition of Ideals, and
afterward their Deposition.

" Reposition of Ideas is, when things to be

remembred, are charged upon Memory h\ Idea's,

disposed in certain places of a Repository ; but

before 1 discend to the manner of Reposition, it

Y 3

846 PRINCIPAL STSTKMS OF

is necessary for better explanation, to speak of JK«-
positories, Places, and Idea's in distinct chapters.
** A Reposiiori/ is an imaginary fabrick, fan-
cied Artificially, built of hewen stone, ia form of
a Theaf^er, the form whereof followeth ; suppose
the Edifice to be twelve yards in length within
the walls, in breadth six yards, and in height seven
yards, the ruof thereof flat, leaded above, and
pargetted underneath, lying wholly open to view,
without any wall on that side supposed next us :
Let there be imagined a Stage of smooth gray
Marble, even and variegated with a party colour-
ed border, which Stage is to be extended over
the whole length and breadth of the building,
and raised a yard high above the Level of the
ground on which the said Edifice is erected : Let
all the walls, that is, the opposite wall, & two
ends ba wainscotted with Cj/presse boards, so
artificially plained and glewed, that the Joynts be
indiscernahle ; suppose also a Groove or Gutter
cut in the middle of the Marble Stage, three
inches broad, extended from the opposite wall to
the hither side of the Stage, whereby it is exactly
divided into two equal parts, and that upon the
further end of the said Groove, therr is erreared
a Column, a foot and half thick, arising up to
the Roof of the building, almost touching the
opposite wall, and deviding it iuto two equal
parts, as the Groove divideth the Stage ; so that

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 247

by the Groove, and the Pillar, the ^hole RepO'
sHory is parted in twain, and consisteth of two
Rooms, siding each other, each of them being
six yards long, six yards broad, and six yards
high. For the better understan»ling this inven-
tion, I liave caused a J'j/pe of the Repository to
be here dehneated, the explanation whereof im-
mediately followeth."*

• That nothing might be wanting to ehicidate tliis cu-
rious description, we have given a fac-simile of the original
we^d'Cut. See p. 348.

248

PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

O ^

AKTIFICIAL MEMORY. 249

" The letters, a, b, c, d, shew the length of the
edifice, a, c, b, d, the height, a, e, b, f, the
height of the stage, g, i, k, k, are boundaries of
the opposite wall, e, c, i, g, the side wall upon
the left hand, h, k, d,f, the side wall of the right
hand, c, I, m, d, design the Roof, g, i, n, p, the
opposite wall of the first Room, e, g, o, p, the
stage of the first Room, r, q, k, k, the opposite
wall of the second room, s, r, h,f, the stage of
the second room, n, o, the pillar dividing the
opposite wall, o, p, the groove wrought into the
$tage.

" A Repositori/ according to this fashion, is to
be represented before the tyes of our minde,
wheresoever we are, as oft as we intend to prac-
tise this Art ; supposing ourselves to stand about
two yards distant, against the midst thereof.

CHAP. II.
" Of Places,

" A Place (as to our consideration) is an apt
space in a Repositori/, designed for reception of
idea$.

" There are onely two places in every reposi'
^ory uf equal fsrui and magnitude, that is the

250 PRINCIPAL SYSTEM^ OF

twe rooms of eacii repositaii/ determinated as
aforesaid by the pilar air(i groove.

** That place is .-^aui io b the former, which
is on the right luuid of the repository/, that
which IS on the left hand, the latter ; that part
of the repository/ is said to be on the right hand,
which is opposite to the left hand of a man
standing against the middle of itie repository,
that on the ieft hand which is opposite to the
right.

" Thus in the scheme exhibited in the former
chapter, tlie letters, g, i, n, o, demonstrate the
opposite wall of the right hand part, or first
place or room of the repository, and the letters,
e, g, 0, p, the stage thereof ; so r, q, k, h, are
indices of the opposite wall of the left hand part,
or second place or room of the repository, and
s, r, h,J\ the stage of the same.

CHAP. III.

" Of Idea's in general.

" An idea is a visible representation of
things to be rememhred, framed by a strong
imagination, by help whereof the minde by re-
flexion calleth to memory, together with the idea,
the thing represented. Idea's are to be vested

ARTIFICIAL MEMOKY. S51

with their proper circumstances, according as
their natures require, for like as tvritings, the
fairer they are, are more facilly read ; so ideas,
the more aptly they are conceived, according to
the exigency of their nature, are more speedily
recalled to minde ; and also consequently the
things by them signified. Motion is to be attri-
buted to ideas of moveable things; quiet to
ideas of quiet things, and good or evil savours,
to ideas representing things so qualified. Exam-
ples of moveable idea's, are artificers at work in
their shops, women dauncing, trees shaken by
the wind, water running from cocks, and such
like. Idea's of quiet things, are henns laying in
their ne^ts, thieves lurking under bushes, &c.
Idea's to which sound is ascribed, are a lion roar-
ing, a bell ringing, whistling, rnuruiure of trees,
a quirister singing, a huntsman hollowing, &c.
Moreover, if perfume, burning in a chafing-dish,
be used for an idea, a sweet and pleasant odour
must be attributed thereto, on the contrary to
vaults under ground, a filthy, unwholesome stink,
is to be assigned ; so idea's of merry men, require
cheerfulness of countenance, of sicknien, pale-
ness and sadnes:>e. After tbis manner idea's of
edifices, macliines, aud all artificial things whatso-
ever, oughi to be signalised ;^ proportion of form,
and splendour of colours, must be attributed to
pictures, grace and livelinesse of letters, to

252 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

writings, glory and excellency of workmanship,
to engravings; finally, every idea must have
such illustration as may render it most notable
and conspicuous, and seem principally coherent
to its nature.

" But before I proceed further, it is expedient
to take into consideration, the common affection
of ideas, their species shall succeed after, in a
more proper place.

The common affections of idea's are three :
quantity, position, and colour.

CHAP. IV,

" Of the Quantitie of Idea's.

"An idea in respect oi quantity, is either
equal, greater, or lesser then the thing repre-
sented.

" An equal idea is, when the thing repre-
sented, is bestowed in a place of the repository,
in its proper and due magnitude, as being neither
too great to be contained therein, nor so small it
cannot be discerned by one standing before the
repository; such are chairs, pictures, tables,
beds, heaps of stone, piles of wood, two comba-
tants in a single duel, and the like.

" An augmented, or greater idea, is when the
thing to be remembred, is increased to a multi-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 253

tude, that it may be better viewed at a distance,
which else being small, would not fall under
cognizance ; as if the tlwng to be deposited in
the repository, were a penny, a pearl, a grain of
mustard-seed, or a spider, which are so, small,
that disposed in a room of the repository, they
escape the sight of a man standing before the
repository : in such cases, instead of one penny,
imagine a heap of pence new coined ; instead of
one pearl, a multitude of pearls ; instead of one
grain of mustard-seed, fancy eertaiv bushels
scattered about the stage ; and ' for ' one spider,
suppose a multitude creeping about the opposite
wall.

" A contracted or lesser idea is, when the thin^
to be remembered is so great, that it cannot be
comprehended in its proper natural quantity,
within such narrow limits of a room of a reposi-
tory, and is therefore imagined to be pourtrayed
with elegant lively colours, in a picture fixed to
the opposite wall. Thus space of places how
far soever distant, and all great things, may be
facilely represented in a picture : as if the thing
to be remembred were a battel, a triumphant
spectacle, hunting or hawking through woods
and groves, a naval conflict, large territories,
castles, a mountain, or church, &c. whose idea's
cannot be contained in the memorial places, un-
less contracted, and aptly and artificially com-

254 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

prized in a picture, conceited by imagination
hanging against the opposite wall, that so it may
be fully comprehended.

CHAP. V.

^* Of the Position of Idea's.

'* Let the position of every idea be such as in
vulgar use doth most commonly appertain to the
thing signified ; let the ideas of things usually
hanged against a wall, be so disposed in the re-
pository, as musical instruments, arms, looking-
glasses, pictures, brushes, written tables, &c.
Such things as are customarily fastened to, or in
a wall, imagine them accommodated in the re-
pository in like manner, as title pages of books
pasted against the pillar, proclamations, or
printed pages nailed to the wall, funeral-stream-
ers, or pendants, in the higher part of the oppo-
site wall, as you see in churches : such things as
are commonly set upon shelves, fancy them so
placed in the repository ; as vessels of gold, sil-
ver, glasses, books, mercery wares, &c. Such
things as are usually placed on a table, conceive
them so marshalled in the repository, as victuals,
sums of money, table-boards, &c. such things
as Jye, or are any ways situate on grounc^ must

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 255

be so placed in the repositoi-y, as heaps of wheat,
a cradle, chest, table, living creatures, whether
standing, sitting, or l^ing, &c. Such things as
are frequently under ground, are to be supposed
under the marble-stage ; for though they escape
the eye of a man standing before the repository,
yet they cannot be concealed from the eyes of his
mind, which are only exercised in this matter ;
of this sort are graves, wells, wine-cellars, met-
taline-mines, subterranean passages, through
which streams have their course, as blood in the
veins, &c. Like method is to be observed in
site and position of all other things

CHAP. VI.

** Of the Colours of Repositories and Idea's.

" Here you are to be admonished, that
though every repository is supposed to be uni-
form in building ; yet they are distinguished from
one another by tiie pillar in the middle of every
repository, which nmst be imagined of several
colours ; as if you use ten, that which you design
for the first, must be conceived to have a golden
pillar; the second a pillar of silver; the third
of black stone ; the fourth of blew stone ; the
lift of red stone ; the si\th of yellow stone ; the

Q56 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

seyenth of green stone ; the eighth of purple
stone, the ninth of white stone, the tenth of ci-
namon colour. New for distinction sake, gold
is called the colour of the first repository ; silver
the colour of the second repository ; black of
the third repository ; and so successively as be-
fore. If you use more than ten repositories, you
must repeat the same coloirs over again, as be-
fore; so that the eleventh is imagined to have a
golden pillar, the twelfth a silver pillar, the thir-
teenth a black pillar, th^^ fourteenth a blew pil-
lar, and so the rest in ocder. After the same
manner every idea must be conceived cloathed,
adorned, or some way illustrated with the pro-
per colour of the repository, wherein it is ima-
gined to be placed. Take an example or two
for better explanation : suppose a saylor in a
canvase suit be retained for an idea in the first
repository, { represent him standing there with
a golden chain over his shoulder like a belt ; if
n tlie second , imagine he weareth a silver chain
iabout his neck, with a whistle fastened thereto :
*f in the third, that he hath black boots on his
legs : if in the fourth, that he hath a blew skarf
on his arm, tyed in a rose-not : if in the fifth,
that he wears a Red Monmouth Cap on his
head : if in the sixth, that he swaggerelh with a
yellow feather in his cap : if in the seventh, that
he hath a green silk garter on his right leg : if in

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 257

the eighth, that his canvase coat is imbellished
"with a border of purple velvet : if in the ninth,
tliat his neck is beautified with a very white
orient pear! ; if in the tenth, that he hath a pair
of cinnamon coloured breeches.

" Howbeit, if the idea of its own nature be any
ways rehited to tlie colour of its repository,
wliereby it may be presently understood to have
the colour thereof, it will need no other attribu-
tion : for example, if a mayor of a city, (who in
regard of his office is dignified with a purple
gown, and gold chain) be placed as an idea in the
first or fift repo<>itori/, there will be no need of
attribution of colour, because the golden chain
doth manifestly represent the colour of the first
repository, the purple gown of the colour of the
fift. In Uke sort, if a black bull be placed as an
idea in either room of the first repository , his
horns must be conceived gilded with gold ; if in
the second, with silver ; if in the third, black,
being the proper colour of that repository, ex-
cludeth any other addition : if in the fourth, let
him be decked with a chaplet of the blew flowers;
if in the fift, with a garland of red roses. See.
So a picture imagined to be painted on the op-
posite wall of the first repository y must be illus-
trated w'iih gold in some convenient place; if in
the opposite wall of the second repositorijj with
silver ; of the third, with black, &,c.
z3

258 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

" This attribution of a repositories colour, is of
marvellous use, bolh to keep in mind the idea's
themselves, as also their order ; hereby the mind
re-perusing ideas formerly bestowed, hath al-
wayes some certainty to guide itself, and recol-
lect any idea at present latent ; because it's un-
questionable, that the missing idea is either
wholly, or at least in part, illustrated with the
proper colour of its repository.

" Moreover, in attributing a repositories colour
to an idea, (of it self not partaking thereof) you
musi; be careful that the colour of the repository
be accommodated to the most eminent part of
the idea, or as near as may be : if the history of
the prophet Jonah thrown into the sea by mari-
ners, be used as an idea, it mu-)t be represented
in -a picture according to the third chapter pre-
ceding ; in which, though the whale, sea, ship,
and land are to be poui trayed, yet the effigies of
J^owaA himself is the most remarkable part of the
picture, because Jonah is of the history there
painted: if therefore this story be to be dej osited
in the first repository, let the border of his gown
be supposed of gold ; if in the second, of silver ;
if in the thud, let the gown be fancied black ; if
in the fourth, blew, t^c. so the top of a heap of
wheat is the most ct)nspicu()us part ; therefore
if a heap of wheat be placer! in the first reposi'
tory, imagine a golden streamer two foot long,

AETIFICIAL MEMORY. 259

fixed In the top of the heap ; if in the second

repository^ let the streamer he silv. r ; if in the
third, black ; if in the fourth, blew, Sd'.

" Thus much may suffice for common affec-
tions of ideas, in quantity, position, and colour ;
their species follow.

CHAP. VII.

" Of Direct Idea's.

" An idea is simple or compound : a simple
idea is uniform, and is fourfold, direct, relative,
fictitious^ and written.

" A direct idea is when a visible thing, or con-
ceived under a visible form, is bestowed in the
repository, according to the same form, under
which it is naturally apprehended : so a goat is
the direct idea of a goat ; a rhinocerot of a
rhinocerot ; a peacock, of a peacock ; a dove of
a dove. Tims a majc stical man adorned with a
scepter, iipperial diadem and robe, is the idea
of a king : a person arrayed in academical habit,
of a schoUar ; an ancient woman in mourning
weeds, weeping and wiping her face with an
handkerchief, of a widow : a virgin apparelled
like a nun, of a nun : a satyr, as the poets de-
»cribe ihem, of a satyr : so a temple is the direct
idea of a temple, a book of a booke, a bed of a

260 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

bed, a shealh of a sheath, an image of an image,
a picture of a picture, an epistle of an epistle, a
bond sealed, of a bond : so good angels and spi-
rits, though they be incorporeal and invisible,
(seeing they are commonly conceived under visi-
ble forms) may be reposited as the otlier. To
conclude, the minde of man doth naturally and
immediately present direct idea's of all visible
thiug3, or such as are conceived under a visible
form, that it is in vain to excogitate any, but ra-
ther use those diat offer themselves. If a man
he^rs the relation of a naval battel, doth not he
presently seem to behold the sea, ships, smoke
of great ordnance, and other things obvious in
such matters. If speech be made of mustering
an ar?ny, doth not the hearer form in his minde
the effigies of the field, replenished with soalders
marching in military postures No precept in
this kind is delivered, which nature it self hath:
not dictated ; but onely to imprint these idea'^
more dei^ply in meniory, we bestow them me-
thodically ni some place, lest otherwise they be
forgotten through light apprehension. To ex-
plain this more evidently, I will use an ex-
ample.

" Jin Example of remembring a History.

" Diogenes the Cynick entering Plato's hall^
when he saw the table covered with a rich car-

ARTIFICIAL MEMaHY. 2(>1

pet, the shelves glittering with silver, gilt cups,
vessels, and other sumptuous furniture, laid hold
of the carpet with all his might, threw it to the
ground, and trod thereon with his feet, saying,
/ tread upon Plato's pride : to whom Plato re-
plied, But with greater pride.

" The idea of this story is not so great, but that
it may admit reposition in its equal quantity :
therefore I suppose in the place of the repository
where it is to be bestowed, that there is a table
covered with a rich carpet, which a sordid fellow
in beggarly raiment, throws on the ground, a grave
man clothed in honest sober apparel looking on.
The attribution of the colour of the repository is
not to be forgotten : if therefore it be the first
repository in which this idea is to be placed, I
imagine the carpet to be imbellished with a fringe
or border of gold : if in the second, of silver : if
in the third, of black : if in the fourth, of blew,
and so forth in the rest.

" An example of a Sentence to be remembredy
the Subject being visible.

" An ant is a small insect, the coldestand dryest
of all creatures, and therefore the wisest ; for
cold and dry do chiefly contribute to wisdom.
The idea of this sentence ought to be augment-
ed ; for the magnitude of an ant is so inconsi-

263 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

derable, that being bestowed in a memorial
place, it escapeth sight : therefore I suppose an
tfnMieap in the middle stage of the memorial-
place, seeming almost black with antSj swarm-
ing hither and thither ; as for assignation of co-
lour if this idea be placed in the third Repository ,
the colour of the Repository j is sufficient!}' noted
by the blackness of the ants; if in the seventh,
by the greenness of the a«^-hill ; so that there
needeth no addition of colour, if placed in the
third or seventh Repository : But if it be designed
to the first Repository, 'et a triangular golden
streamer be supposed fixed in the an?-hill, a foot
high; if in the second, a silver streamer ; if in
the fourth, a streamer of blew silk ; if in the
fifth, of red ; if in the sixt, of yellow ; if in the
eighth, of purple ; if in the ninth, of white ; if
in the tenth, of cinnamon colour.

" All Histories, Actions, F.ibles, common
Affairs ; all visible things, or conceived under a
visible form ; finally, All sentences whose subject
is visible, may be disposed in Repositories by Di-
rect Ideas, in equal, augmented or contracted
quantity." •

Chap. vlii. and ix. treat of relative and ficti-
tious ideas. Chap. x. of written Ideas, and chap,
xi. of c()n)j)ound Ideas.

[n chap. xii. Mr. Willis gives the following
rules for the * choice of ideas.'

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 9.63

" Rule 1. All Histories, Actions, Fables,
Apologies, common businesses, visible things, or
conceived under a visible form, all sentences
whose subject or matter is visible, and without
any dependent written illustration, ought to be
laid up in the Repositories by a Direct Idea, in
quantity equal, augmented or contracted. Cap. I.

" Rule 2. All Histories, Actions, Fables,
Apologies, Morals and Similyes, remarkable for
some coherent Verses or Writings, as all Epi-
grams, Epitaphs, Anagrams and Impresses are
generally to be expressed by a compound Idea,
consisting of a Direct and Scriptile, Cap. 2.

" Rule 3. All Emblems and Sentences illus-
trated by some notable Example, or expressed
Hyeroglyphically, are to be bestowed in Repo-
sitories by a compound Idea, consisting of a
Relative and Scriptile, Cap. 2.

" Rule 4. All Characters, single Letters*
naked Numbers, Calculations of Nativities, Cos-
mographical descriptions and citations, are to be
always disposed in Repositories by a Scriptile
Idea.

" Rule 5. All single words signifying no vi-
sible thing, whose Idea either relative, fictitious,
or compound of fictitious and scriptile, doth pre-
sently occur, is to be so placed in the Repository,
either relatively, fictitiously, or compoundly : If

PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF '

no such Idea occur, then it is to be represented
by a Scriptile Idea.

" Rule 6. All Phrases and Sentences inex-
pressible by a Direct Idea, may be conserved by
a Relative Idea, or compounded of a Relative
and Scriptile, if any present it self commodious-
ly, or if no such offer itself quickly, by a Scrip-
tile Idea."

In chap xiii. the following rules are given for
' reposing ideas,'

" Rule 1. Every Idea is to be placed in its
order, tiz. that which first occurreth in the first
place ; the second in the second place of the first
Repository; the third in the first, the fourth in
the second place of the second Repository ; fift
in the first, the sixt in the second place of the
third Repository ; the like method is to be used
in all the Repositories, till all the Idea's be
placed.

" Rule 2. Due quantity, convenient site, co-
lour of the Repository, and peculiar attributes,
are to be imposed on each Idea, and very care-
fully minded.

" Rule 3. After you have rightly disposed the
first Idea of any Repository, note it very diligent-
ly with the eye of your mind, as if it really stood
there, observing its kind, subject, <iiiantity, site,
attribution of the Repositories colour, and other

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 265

such like peculiar attributes, if it have any. For
example, whether the Idea deposited in the first
place of any Repository (as to the kind) be di-
rect; as to the subject, concerning a man; in
respect of quantity, equal ; in regard of sight,
placed on the ground ; and as to peculiar attri-
butes, whether moving or yeilding a sound ; go
over all these things in your mind, saying, The
Idea which I have here bestowed, is Direct, of a
man, equal, placed on the grouad, moving smd
yeilding a sound : For by such considerations an
Idea is more firmly graven in mfemory.

" Huh 4. After you have fitly disposed the
second Idea of any Repository, you must: exco-
gitate some apt relation thereof to the former, in
respect of likeness or unlikeness of site, likeness
or unlikeness of subject ; or else in n;gard of the
action of the latter Idea referred to the fonper ;
you can pitch upon no Idea which may not be
related to the former by on* of these five vv»yes,
which shall plainly appear by example : if both
Idea's of one Repository, precedent and subse-
qi'.ent, be fixed to the wall, placed on a table,
the ground, or under ground, 4'c. they agree in
site : But if one be fastened to the Wall, the
other placed on a Table, on the ground or under
ground, they are unlike in site : When the sub-
ject of both Idea's is Justice, Sin, a Man, War,
or Sleep, S^c. they agree in subject ; but when

A A

266 PR1^'CIPAL SYSTEMS OF

the subject of one Idea is Justice, of the other
Drunkenness, the one of a man, the other of a
stone, or any other opposite thing, they disagree
in subject. Take an example of transferring the
action of a latter Idea to a former : Suppose that
a man in a Gown, sitting at a Table, and over-
looking some Books of Accounts, with Counters
lying ready to compute the total sum, be an Idea
disposed in the first place of a Repository ; and
the Idea to be placed in the second room of the
Repository, be a Farryer giving a Horse a Drench
with a Horn : In this case, that the action of the
latter may have some dependance on the former,
imagine that the Horse (as soon as the drench is
poured into his mouth) leaps back and disturbeth
the man in his reckoning, who sits at the Table
in the first place of the Repository. This mutual
Relation of Idea's placed in the same Repository,
is as it were a linking of them together, and doth
admirably conduce to the remembrance of both.
" Rule 5. If two or more distinct idea's con-
cur, whose relation to one another is found so
near, as if they were combined together ; bestow
them in one same Memorial Place : As if the
Idea immediately preceding be a Silver Bason
full of fragrant Water, set upon a joyned Stool,
and the subsequent Idea be an idle man doing
nothing ; you may conjoin these two Idea's in
one, imagining that this man washeth his hands

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 26?

in that odiferous water ; so if the former Idea
be two Virgins talking together, the latter a Skein
of Green Silk, to join these two Ideas by a pro-
per connexion, you may fancy that one of the
Virgins holdeth the Skein upon her wrists, whilest
the other windeth it off her hands into a bottom.
In like manner if the Antecedent Idea be Scrip-
tile, and the Consequent likewise Scriptile, if so
be you ailow space enough in the Table, tiie lat-
ter may be subscribed under the former in a
convenient distance from one another. Thus
three Scriptile Ideas concurring together, if they
be not too large for one Table, may be supposed
written therein ; the first in the highest place, the
second in the middle, the third in the lowest, al-
lowing nevertheless a fit distance. But alwayes
when you comprize two or three Ideas in one
place, you must remember carefully, that so
many Ideas were constituted in such a place.

" Rule 6. W hen you have laid up any Idea in
its Place (whether it be in the first or second
Room of the Reposiforj/) peruse all the foregoing
Idea's in their order, if you have time, that they
may reside more deeply in Memory, and make
the stronger impression in minde. For as a
School-boy by often reading over his lesson,
learneth it by heart, so the more frequentlv you
peruse Idea's, the more firmly you will retain
thorn.

PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

'* Rule 7' Lastly, have a care not to load
jour Memory wiih a more numerous multitude
of Ideals t\r<\n is fit, for as it is unwholesome to
burthen the stomach above its strength, so also to
overwhelm the Memory with multiplicity of
Idea's, doth lead into great confusion. Tem-
perate men admit only so much meat as they
think they can well concoct ; so do you only
commit such things to Memory, as you trust
faithfully to remember ; for it is better firmly to
retain a few remarkable things, than many of
mean base nature.

In chap. xiv. which treats " of the practice of
the Art of Memory," we have the following

" Examples of ordinary business.

** I. Suppose (as taking it for granted) you
were to go to some great Market Town, it con-
cerns not our purpose whether the place be known,
or unknown, and intend in the first place to en-
quire the price of Seed Barlie : imagine then in
the first Place of the first Repositorie (that is the
part on the right hand) you see a man measuring
Barlie out of a Sack into a Bushel, with a com-
pany of men standing about liim, as is the usual
manger in Maikets, not forgetting to fancy the
Bushefl handles to be Gold, that so the Idea in
some .part may be related to the Repository is
colour, as is required in the sixdi Chapter :

ARTIFICIAL MEMOKY. 269

" 11. Moreover, That in tlie same Town liv-
elli a Labourer wliom yon know, and must en-
quire out to work in your Ilay-harveit ; fancy
him to stand in the second place (on the left hand)
of the first Repositori/, sharpening his Gulden
, Sytlie on a zchetsfoiie, as it were preparing for
such Rustical imploynient: I say Go/den St/the,
that it may participate of the colour of the Repo-
sitory ; this Idea agreeth with the former in sight
and subject, for both Idea's of this llcpository
are of men, and placed on the ground.

" III. A while after you cail.to niinde some
jdromutical Spices you are to buy : To remem-
ber which, fancy the second place of the second
Repositorie converted into a Grocers Shop, the
opposite wall garnished with Nests of Boxes full
of several Spices, with Tiiles writ upon the
Boxes, after the usual mode ; two foot on this
side the wail, let iheje stand a Counter, the VV^ares
exposed thereon you are to buy : as if the first
thing you nominate to buy be Pepper, let a 5'//-
ver box full of Pepper stand upon the further
end of the Counter; if die second thing design-
ed be Nutmegs, place a loose bagge of Sliver
gilt Nutmegs in the oiiiddle of the Counter; if
the third be Sugar, set a Sugar loafe on the hi-
ther end of the Counter, with a Sf/rcr string
tyed about the top, that it may in some part bear

the colour of the Repositorie. In this case you
A A 3

270 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

must remember that three Idea's were bestowed
ill one Place, whose coherence with the Idea in
the other EeposUoiy, is taken from their unlike-
nesse of site ; for that Idea was heaped on the
ground, these three are placed upon a Counter.
" IV. Your next incident businesse is to re-
member to speak with a Counsellour of the same
town (a man of a very great repute and credit for
knowledge in the Law) about a friends sute de-
pending in CImmery : Imagine that Counsellour
in a Lawyers Gown, sitting in a Chair, overlook-
ing some writings, in the first Place of the third
Repository/ : seeing his Gown is black, you need
no other attribution of colour of the Repositoyy.
" V. If another new occasion present it self
to minde, as that you are to buy "a piece of
Blarh Vehit of a Mercer in that town ; the se-
cond Place of the third Repository must be
transformed into a Mercers shop, a piece of
Black Velvet neatly laid in folds of equal length,
lying on the Counter, which doth in like manner
As well denote the Repositories colour, as the
Gown of the Counsellor sitting in the former
Place; whence also is deduced a manifest rela-
tion to the precedent Idea, the Lawyers Govvn
supposed to be lined with Velvet,

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. €71

CHAP. XV.

" Of Dictation and Reposition,

" Moreover, the practical part of this Art
is perspicuously seen in the Exercises of Dictat-
ing and Repetition,

" The use of Dictating is, when a person is
to dictate to several Scribes or Secretaries, what
every one must write, so as to direct aid exercise
them all at once, which is frequently incumbent
upon Princes and Generals of Armies in peril-
lous times : In such cases there must be assigned
a peculiar Repository to every Scribe, wherein
the affairs and sentences by him to be dispatched,
must be reposited in order; that is, the first Re-
pository to the first Scribe, the second Repository
to the second, the tiiird to the third, the fourth
to the fourth,.and so forth if there be more : All
Idea's of things to be dispatched by the first
Secretary, must have some attribution of Gold
appertaining to them ; all Idea's of the secoiid
Repository, something of silver ; of the third,
something of l>lack, of the fourth, blew, S)C. In
this case also it is permitted to place two, thre«,
or more Idea's if it be necessary, in one place of
a Repository : All businesses and sentences being
thus reposited in order, & faithfully digested be-
fore in mind, it is no difficult matter by the .first

272 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

Idea of the first Repository, to dictate to the first
Scribe what he siiust write first ; l)y thu first Idea
of the second Repository, t.i tell the second
Scribe what he sliall write; by the first Idea of
the third Repository, to inform the third ; nnd in
like manner all the rest in their order. Again,
by the second Idea of each Repository, the se-
cond sentence is facilely delivered to each Scribe :
By the tiiird, every Scribes third bnsiness ; by
the fonrih Idea their fourth, and so forward in
the residue. This is the Exercise, which by
some is called the Art of Dictating.

*' Repetition is when a man repeateth sen-
tences spoken by several persons, so as to return
each persons sentence in order as it was deliver-
ed ; as if six, seven, or more friends sitting toge-
ther (to experience your happy memory) do every
one in order speak some sentence, to have them
repeated again, after the same or a retrogade
manner, which way they please; dispose the
Liea's of your first friends sentences in the first
Repository ; of your second friend in the second
Repository ; of your third friend in the third, and
so forward in the rest. All which being rightly
disposed, you may with little trouble restore to
every friend his saying, either in the same order
as they were spoken, or in a retrogade or invert-
ed order.

" I have not thought expedient to illustrate

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. «73

these with Examples, because I think them suffi-
ciently explained by what hath been already said;
as also, that this Exercise of Dictating and Re-
peating have little or no use, but vain ostentation;
though I have inserted them here, it was not
done as necessary, but because the knowledge of
them did not seem superfluous for such as are
learned of this Art.

CHAP. XVI.

" Of irregular Reposition.

" I HAVE thought godd to annex a few words
of irregular Reposition, which is onely one Rule,
that is, a real Repository may be sometimes sub-
stituted instead of a feigned, which irregiUarity is
admitted upon a double occasion.

" First, A thing itself being at hand, may be
fitly used instead of its proper Idea : As if a man
sitting in his Study, light on some Book whose
sheets are transplaced, which he intendeth when
he goes forth of l)is Study, to send to a Book-
binder to be amended : That Book is to be cast
at the threshold of the Study, that the sight there-
of may admonish him departing, to get it bound :
So also if Ink be wanting, an Ink-Glass or Bottle
may be set by the Book.

" Secondly, When a man must exonerate one

274 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

or more Idea's, as soon as he hath reposited
them ; as when something offers it self to a mans
mind, talking to a powerful or rich man, which
he judgeth convenient to be comuiunicated to
him with the first opportunity, let him speedily
reposite the Idea of that thing in the same house,
field, plain, or wheresoever he then is, in some
certain place conversant before his eyes, that he
may be always put in mind to propound the
same when occasion serves : As if he think to do
some friendly office for a person absent, by pre-
ferring some business of his to the rich man ; let
him imagine that Friend always obvious in some
determinate place in sight, not suffering the ob-
ject to slip out of view, till he have curteously
performed his officious enterprise. Or if there
intervene some thought of buying fewel, whereof
the rich man hath great plenty, let him suppose
a great quantity of Wood piled up in some place
not distant out of sight : This is all I have to say
of ii regular Reposition,

CHAP. XVII.

'' Of depositing Ideals.

" Haying spoken copiously of repositing
Idea's, now I will conclude with Depositing them.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 275

" Deposition of Idea's is, when tilings charged
upon Memory by Idea's, are recalled, and the
mind exonerated of them, the Memorial Place?
after such Deposition, being left empty, and
prepared to receive new Idea's. Now in this
case, if it happen at any time that an Idea negli-.
gently reposited, is lost or forgotten, when it
should be deposited, the recovery thereof must
be endeavoured by these ensuing considerations.
" First, This is always assuredly known, every
lost Idea did bear the colour of his Kepository,
either in wliole or part; therefore the first thing
to be inquired is, in what respect the colour of
the Repository did agree with the Idea sought ;
by this sole consideration, forgotten Idea's are oft
discovered.

" The Idea being not discovered thus, make
diligent indagation for its relation to the Idea
placed in the same Repository, in regard of site,
subject or action. Cap. 14. Rule 4. One Idea
of a Repository being known, doth easily call the
other to mind, by mutual dependance whereby
they were connexed together, unless there did
precede very negligent Reposition.

" If still you are disappointed, happily you
may find it out by repetition of such things as are
especially remarkable in laying up Idea's, of
which I have spoken in the 13. Chapter. That
is by enquiring whether the latent Idea's was

276 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OP

Direct,

Relative,
. ^ i" L- J J Fictitious,

In r«pect of kind, <Scriptile, ^

Compound,
Double, treble, S^c.

Of God,
Of Christ,
^ c t • * J Of the Holy Gh»$t,
In Mspect of subject, <^o/^«g-e/*,

^ Of Men,
Of Animals,

C Equal,
In respect of quantity, < Augmented^
i. Contracted,

r Under ground^
\ Upon ground.
In respect of site, < Upon a Table ^
j Upon a Shelf,
{^Against a wall.

r Moving,
In respect of attribu- J Quiet,

tioD, i Giving a sound.

V. Yielding 4 smel.

, d
" An Idea is oft recovered by discussing these

ie\N questions in a mans thoughts. ,

" If it be certain the forgot Idea was Scriptile,

but the inscription is in oblivion, the first' inquiry

must be, whether it were a angle 'wordj proof,

phrase, or sentence of one or more clauses ; a

single word, proof, or principal word pf a sen-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 277

tence, may be regained by applying each Letter
of the Alphabet in the same manner as is pre-
scribed in the second Rule of Poetical Revoca-
tion, in the second Book, Cap. 3. till you have
obtained the first Letter ; the other Letters may
be found by transcendencies and gilded Vowels ;
the chief Word being obtained, the rest come
easily to mind.

'* If you cannot yet discover the Idea, have re-
course to the third and fourth Rules of Poetical
Revocation, '2. Book. S Chap, an Idea being
revocable in the same manner.

" Finally, if it continue irreparable by all
these ways, let it pass, and be no longer sollici-
tous irf search thereof: For as a Book carelesly
laid up in a Study, is not many times to be found
when it is sought, though you remove several
Volumes ; yet afterward comes to hand beyond
expectation, when another Book is reached that
stands by it : So it doth oft happen in this busi-
ness, though ijn Idea negligently reposited, can-
not be, found when it is sought, yet at another
time when a Notion reposited in the cell of Me-
mory near it, is excited, that also of its own ac-
cord dlscovereth it self.

" If a man do prudently follow these Rules of
recovering latent Ideas, as with Ariadnes thred,
he will doubtless wind himself out of the Laby-
rinth of blind Oblivion, and with admirable

B B

278 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

facility recall to mind forgotten sentences, and.
vanished Idea's"

A Treatise ' of cherishing Natural Memori//
concludes the volume ; in which are considered,
"J.. Of such [things] as debilitate Memory.
2. Of things corroborating Memory. 3. Of a
prescript order of life. 4. Of restoring a debi'
litated Memory. 5. How to discern the tem-
perame/ht of the Brain. 6. Of Dyet properly
convenient to every temperament. 7. Of
Diseases of the Brain."

Among those things which debilitate memory,
are enumerated bad air, particular drinks and
decoctions, bad water, particular sorts of food,
repletion, too much sleep, etc. etc. In the list of
corroboratives are, wholesome air, sweet scents,
and particular meats, among which are, the
brains of sparrows, hares, conies, etc.; — herbs,
bathing the feet in warm decoctions of camomile,
etc. and * exercise in delightful places not sub-
ject to wind.' The chapter concludes with this
important admonition : " Finally, your apjyarel
close fitted, walk leisurely abroad, if the winde
breath a gentle gale, otherxi^ise within doors."

In treating of the " prescript order of life"
Mr. Willis, after very properly recommending
frequent prayer for Divine assistance, in all our
undertakings, which he enforces by a reference to
the Epistle of James, chap. v. ver. 1 6, 17, di-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 279

rects the reader to " comb his head every day,
backward, fasting" " to abstain from all evacua-
tion by virtue of Physick except upon necessity"
" to eat twelve Raisotis of the Sun7ie stoned,
evert/ morning without drink, instead of break-
fast" " to let his supper be larger than his din-
ner"* " to observe accustomed hours of eating"
*' to refrain from labour after meats" " to shut
all the windows at bed-time^" " not to sleep under
the moon-beams," and " not to lie out all night
in the open air." The remaining rules are some-
what more rational : they recommend the morn-
ing as the best time for study, — the reading of

* Mr. Willis seems to have entirely forgotten the aiitient
distich.

Ex }}ut^na cccna stomuchofit maxima fcena ;
Ut SIS node levis, si tibi ccena brevis,

A correspondent in the Gentleman's Magazine tbv
the year 1787, in answer to Immemor, who had been com-
plaining of the weakness of his memory, advises him to
follow this rule ; " Instead of eating suppers, leani by
heart some passages of poetiy which please yoii, tJie last
thing before yoii go to bed, and repeat them the first thing
in the morning, at six in the spring and antumn, five in
snmmor, and seven in winter. Study Watts' Logick,
and his Improvement of the MiTid, Locke, and Ei'cltd.
Let me knowtiie effects of this regimen, accompanied with
plain food and constant exercise, and I will then prescribe
fariiicr if it should be necessary." Gent. Mag. vol. Ivii.
part i. p. 22.

280 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

select authois, — a devotedness to the studies which
we are pursuing, — a choice of fit companions, —
and occasional relaxation.

The symptoms of cold and hot brains are
explained at large for the benefit of all those who
are disposed to read such " phantasies." Under
the article of " Dyet" we have the following
singular paasage. " Strong sweet wine, as
Muskadine, Ipocras, drunk temperately, is most
restorative for old folivs, and co:d and sickly per-
sons, more efficaciuusly gold (made red hot in
the Jire) quenched therein, doth marvellously
restore and exhiieiate the heart. Concerning
this matter, Roger Bacon, a famous philosopher
in his Treatise of old age, hath this story ; ^n
ancient husbandman (saith he) wearyed with
plowing f and thirsty with his hot labour y- drank
water of a Cytron colour, and after he had
greedily swallowed the same, was changed both
in complection and strength like one of thirty
years of age, possessing more excellent discre-
tion, MEMORY and understanding, than ever he
enjoyed before, jfrom which time, he lived eighty
years in the Kings Court. Bacon, who recit-
eth this, thought, that water or liquor received
its yellow Tincture from Gold, as he there tes-
tifieth."

After a long and fruitless search, the only par-
ticulars which we have been enabled to glean.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 281

respecting John Willis are, — that he \vas
author of the ' Art of Stenography/ an edition
of whicli was published in 1628, and that he was
a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. Of
this latter circumstance, a communication in an
early volume of the Geiifleinans Magazine, is
the only evidence,. The writer of this article
mentions a system of short-hand, said to be in-
vented by a Fellow of Magdalen College; and
this system is the identical one published by

ivmis.

44. Ars Memories localis, plenius ct lu-
culejitius expositct, quani ante hac
nunrjuam, una cum appUcatione ejus-
dem ad singulas disciplhms ctfacul-
tales, 8". Lips. l()-20.

This book (says Morhof, in his Polyhistor) is
to be preferred to all the treatises on Mnemo-
nics, for perspicuity and arrangement. The
anonymous author, as appears by the preface,
was a Professor of Mnemonics in the University
of Leipsic.

45. D. Joannis Velasquez de Azevedo

Feuix de Minerva y Arte de Memo-
ria queenseuna sin maestro aprender
y relenir, 4". Madrid, 1620.

B B 3

£82 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

46. Artis Lullian^, seu Memorice Ar-

tificialis Secretum explicitnm, Ora-
torihiis et PrcBdicatorihiis uiilissi-
mum per JR. P. F. Hugonem Car-
honellwn: 8". Paris. 16*20.

For an account of ' LuUy's Art' see No. .51.

47. Lettera a Andrea Valieri ove si
tratta della Memoria locale e del
modo facile per acquistarla. MS.

This manuscript is No. 2259 in the Slonne
Collection pre-erved in the British Museum. It
treats of the arrangement of different places on
the walls of the rooms in a house or monastery, to
the number of 173 ; and gives directions respect-
ing the formation and combination of images. It
is in folio, and is dated October 30, ]623.

48. 3Iagazin des Sciences, on way VArt
de 3Iemoire, par Adrian le Cuirot,
12^ Paris, 1623.

In this extremely rare volume, which abounds
with curious plates, the system of Lambert
Schenckel is given in detail ; but, with many im-
portant additions and improvements.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 283

49. Tractatus de Memoria J oh. Conra-
di Dannhaiveri D. Sf Pr. of Puhl.
8". Arsrent. 1635.

Of this work we have not been able to procure
a copy ; the reader, tlierefore, must be contented
with a memoir of the author. John Conraue
Dannhawer, a Lutheran divine, was born at
Brisgau in 1 603 : and he was raised to the chair
of eloquence at Strasburgh, in 1 629- He died
in this city, aged ,57. Befoie his death he was
made preacher at the Cathedral church, and Dean
of the Chapter; he was very zealous for the sen-
timents he embraced, and entered into a severe
controversy with those who contended for the
union of the Lutherans and Calvinists. He has
left behind him many theological works of con-
siderable reputation.* *

50. Meyssonerus in Perilagono Philoso-
phico-3Iedico, sive Arte novcs Re^
miniscentim, 4°. Lugd. 1639.

51. Ars Memorativa inventiva et appli-

cativa Raimundi LuUii^ 12". Ca-
dom. 1640.

The system of Artificial Memory of that lu-
* Diet. Hist. art. Dannhawer.

284 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

miliary of science, Raymund Lully, was formed
at a very ea'rly period ; and he was, perhaps, the
first modern who practised this art ; but as the
books on this subject have been noticed accord-
in" to their dates, and we have not seen an earlier
edition of Luily, he is placed among the writers
of the seventeenth century.

" By this system, any one was enabled
mechanically to invent arguments and illustra-
tions upon any subject, and thus to reach the
summit of science, at a small expence of
time and labour. This Great Art professes
to furnish a general mstrument for assisting
invention in the study of every kind of science.
For this purpose, certain general terms, which
are common to all the sciences, but prin-
cipally those of logic, metaphysics, ethics and
theology, are collected and arranged, not how-
ever according to any natural division, but merely
according to the caprice of the inventor. An
alphabetical table of such terms was provided;
and subjects and predicates taken from these,
were respectively inscribed in angular spaces,
upon circular papers. The essences, qualities,
and relations of things being thus mechanically
brought together, the circular papers of subjects
were fixed in a frame, and those of predicates
were so placed upon them as to move freely, and
in their revolutions, to produce various combina-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 285

lions of subjects and predicates ; whence would
arise definitions, axionis, and propositions, vary-
ing infinitely, according to the dilierent applica-
tion of general terms to particular subjects.;"*
This is the general idea of Lully's mechanical
logic, wliich would enable a person to hold a
disputation for a who/e day upon any siihj^xt
tohatever, zoithout knowing any thing of' the
matter.

Morhofm his dissertation de Arte Lidliana ,-);■
has preserved an elaborate account of the system,
and has given a tremendous list * ordine longo'
of commentators on the art. The two principal
expositors are Athanasius Kircher, in his Ars
Magna Sciendi, [see No. 56] and Jean Helot,
in his L'Oeuvre des Oeuvres, [see No. 54.]

Raymunf) Lully was born at Majorca,
in the year 1236, and on account of his great
abilities, obtained the name of the Il/uminated
Doctor. After excelling as a divine, he applied
himself to physic and chemistry, that he might
be enabled to cure the cancer of a young woman
of whom he was enamoured. He was stoned to
death in Mauritania, where he went as a mis-
sionary in the year 1315, at the age of 80. His

• Sec Enfield's History of Philosophy, vol. II. pp.
399—401.

t Polyhistor, Tom. I. Lib. II. cap. 5.

286 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

works which ale in general very obscure, are
written in a* style worthy of the barbarous age in
which he lived. Tliey were collected and pub-
lished at Mentz, and treated of theology, history,
medicine, law, and philosophy.

52. Ars 3Inemcmica, sice Herdsonus
Uruxiatus ; vel JBruxus Herdsoni-
atus, f^''. JLotid. 1651.

o3. Ai^s 3Iemori(E: The Art of Memo-
ry jnade plaine hy Henry Herdson,
late Professor l^y PuMich Autho-
rity, in the Ujiiversity of Cam-
bridge, 8". Lond. 1651.

No. 52 and No. 53 are printed and bound to-
gether, consisting in the whole of ninety-two
pages. The^Vs^ is in Latin, and is a republica-
tion of a part of Adam Brux's Simonides Redi-
vivus, before noticed, [See No. 37] A Latin
dedication to ' his dearest mother, the University
of Cambridge' follows the title, after which we
have this singular address to the reader.

'6^

" Covrteovs Reader, If any thing in this
BOOK seemeth obscure unto thee, and thou de-
sirest Instruction in the same, and clearly to
game the full benefit of the Art, thou mayest

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 287

repniie unto me at the Green Dragon, over
against Saint A.ithohns Church in London,
where I shall bee ready to give thee sufficient
Testimonially and Satisfaction of the Art, that
the plaj/nest and meanest Capacitt/ may appre-
hend it. And so I rest thij Wel-zHsher in
Christ lesus,

Octob. 21, Henry Herdson.

1661. .

No. 53, the second article, being in English, in
a small coMipass, and very scarce, we shall reprint
the whole of it, verbatim.

" To my dearest Mother, the Vniversity of
" Cambridge, all the good of this life,
" and eternall Life.

" My dearest Mother, let the lovingest,
though least deserving of your true sonnes, pre-
sent you Zi'ith one sparkle of living fire, raked
7ip in your ashes, O your own ashes ! The Phoe-
nix of Christendome, that never shall be put to
death : The Angels of Heaven may sooner be
extinct, than this Phanix : Be not discomfort-
ed ihut the Sunne is beclouded, the Clouds are
but for a time. Bee not forgetfull, norfaith-
lesse; but rather accept this my little Booke, the
Prospective Glasse, 1 send you to view the Art
of Memory by. If yon look on it at the zvrotig

288 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

etid, unto the ignorant it will appear in a smal-
ler volume, then in itspoore Octavo : But if you
looke on it at the right end with the right eye, it
will grow bigger than your Expectation. He
that hath but one eye I know will almost love
it : Hee that hath but halfe an eye cannot des-
pise it : But hee teho by zoilfulnesse S^ malice,
will put both his eyes out, may stare in his con-
ceits; and the next messe of his own crooked
Broaih, his hollozv throat sinkes downe: he can
as well crum his porrage with his ei/es, as con-
demne my Art of Memory: And let it bee
enough to choak him, that Lumen ex ipso bono
est, & bonitatis Imago. But you who are inge-
nuous Academicks: The God of Heaven and
Earth send you eyes, Ears, and all your Senses,
with all sutable objects, that piously may delight
you in them all.

So pra^eth your true Lover 8c Servant,

Henry Herdson.

" CLAVICVLA, SIVE

Explicalio Llbri:
The Key or Explication of the Booke.

(C C. Chambers.)

(H. H. Houses.)

(D. Door. (W. Wall:) (S. Sided.)

(R. Repository.)

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. , 289

(Angiile, Corner.)

(Center, tlie Middle in the Qvadrangule.)

(Quadrangnle, 4 Corners.

(Coelum versus, ubove, towards Heaven.)

(Juxta terrani, below tlie ground, or earth.

(Paries, Wall or Side.)

(P. P. Places.

" THE ART OF MEMORY.
LECTIO PRIMA.

Partis Theorica.

" Hee that desireth this art or any other, must
bring along with him two things.

" 1. Love of the Art.

" 2. Desire of the Art, without which no man
can learn or protit in any Art or Science.

" And he must also resolve of a third thing,
not to undervalue any Art or Science by the ex-
ility and meanness of the grounds of the Art. For
Divinity, Law, Physick, and the seven Liberall
Arts, and all other Sciences are preserved in six
and twenty Letters, and so traiwmitted to Poste-
rity, from one Generation to another. Now how
plain and mean the six and twenty Letters of the
Alphabet be, every one knovveth ; so let us also
consider, that most rich stones, and precious
Gems are digged out of the earth, and the most
c c

290 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OP

stately trees doe grow out of the earth : but if art
be not added, wee make no use of these. By
Art the stones are separated from the chalk, and
fitted by the Artificer for the most sumptuous
buildings : the Diamond, Saphire, Rubie, by the
hand and skill of the Artificer are inthroned in
the purest Gold ; also the most harmonious and
Ear-pleasing Musick that quicknelh up, and en-
liveneth the drowsie vitals, consisteth but in three
Keyes, and six Notes. We might instance the
like exility in the Fundaments and grounds of the
other Sciences and rarest Arts : Therefore if it
be thus in these, he must needs be malicious and
unworthy, that will contemne this Ait of Me-
mory for the meanness of the Fundaments there-
of, which be

" 1. Repositories. 2. Ideas. 'J. Method,
" 4. The Vse or Exercise of them.
« I. The Repositories be C. C. in H. H.
which be of two sorts : either,

*' 1. Naturall, which we know : or,
" 2. Artificial, which we imagine and make
in our Fancie. And in both of them the Me-
thod is according to this Figure.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 9.QI

i 2

" Enter in at D under tlie Center of the North
W. or S. Then move as the Sun moveth, be-
ginning on the left hand, which is the East side
of this C. and imagine this II or C (call it which
you will) in every of the 4 W W ; or S S. to be
every way 10. yards square from Angule to An-
gule, then make the R. as followeth, ivz. the first
VV which is East C. and ten yards four square
from angule to angule) hang'd or clothed with
cloth of gold, dividing it into its parts, according
to the Metliod of its figure ; in the first 10. yards
square. Paries, which is l-'i-S 4 5. 2 W. also
10. yards 4 square, which is South, and adorned

292 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

with the purest white Linnen or Taffaty, and di-
vided into its five parts also, viz. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
The third S or W, which is West, of the same
Latitude also, and clothed with rich Tapestry,
and divided into its five parts, which be 11, 12,
13, 14, 15. The fourth Paries which is North
10 yards, foure square, also hanged with an hang-
ing, beset full of Diamonds, Rubies, Saphires,
and all manner of precious Gems, and divided
also into its five parts, viz. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.

" LECTIO II.

Partis Theories.

" When you are perfect in tliis, place in eve)7
Angule of every of these Paries, and in their se-
veral Centers so many large 4 square Tables,
viz. In the first Paries of this Repository (which
is East, and hanged with cloth of Gold) in the
first Angule, Juxta terram, you have a large
foiire square Table of Gold : In the North- East
Angule which is Caelum versus) and the second
place) you have a large foure square Table, Jet
or Ebony (for alwayes let the Colour of the one
Table contrary the Colour of the other:) In the
fourth Angule, Juxta terrain, (which is also East
by South) you iiave a large foure square Table

ARTIFICIAL MEMOKY. 295

of the purest white Alabaster polished : In the
Center of this East Paries, you have a large
square Table also made of Saphire, Marble,
Cristals, Diamonds, or what you will : And thus
distinguish the other three Paries, or S. S. of this
R. in their severall Tables, three wayes.

" 1 . By the matter they are made of, as Gold,
Wood, Stone, 8cc.

" 2. By the colour without a Carpet, as red,
green, yellow, &,c.

" 3. By Carpets and Coverings with their
colour, as black Velvet, Scarlet, &c. and so they
be distinguished, it mattereth not how they be dis-
tinguished, so long as they be all large and four
square Tables in every of their Angules and Cen-
ters.

LECTIO III.

Partis Theories,

" After you have this perfect, divide all
these Tables in their several Places (as they stand
in order) both in their Angules and Centers, into
five parts in the lid or top &c. into five parts by
the four feet, and Center below ; the top or lid
aloft is like to the Scheam of the first Paries, and
so are the four foot and Center below : Now the
best method, is to leave out use of four feet and
c c 8

294 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OP

Center below, and to spare tliein on^ly for mat-
ter of the same nature, that njay be added after-
M'ard, upon furihtr study and serious deHbera-
tioi^ : As no man can say so much at one time
for his own or others satisfaction, but that he may
say for his own content and others satisfaction,
more and better at another time ; because every
sence of man h regulated according to the sence
of tasting. The pallat deliglueth hereafter some
things both of dry and moist nourishmeiit, above
some things it liketh for present : So always in.
every thing what man can attain unto in all Arts,
Sciences, and Languages It jnust be confessed
that in these, alwayes Nos non sumus ti'js, what
we heretofore approved, upon serious consult,
we see (though that then did passe with us and
others) yet now a better way is opened unto us.
Exempli gratia, he that is in a tolerable bon-
dage, and therewith contenttd, yet when his eyes
are opened, will rntlitr throw himself in the
armcs of his own Moilicr, than the unkindly nurs-
ings of a fawning step Motlier. So then having
divided all these Tables into ten parts, you have
in the whole Repository twenty Tables, and in
every Table ten places (diougli at fi-st opportu-
nity vou make use but ui live ni the leafe of the
Table, leaving the lower live parts for use as
abovesait'.) so all ihe divisions of the twenty Ta-
bles are one hundred places in the top, and as

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 2^5

many in the bottome, and then you must place a
Table in the (. enlt-r of the flue of this Reposi-
tory, dividing tliat as y<>n did the other in which
you have ten places more, but in the Center of
this Table, tis your cheil care to place tl)e figure
of 1 . and look upon it when you first come into
this Repository. Now this figure of 1. is a
burning Taper, placed in the Center of the top of
this Table, and that you may the better remem-
ber it, imagine it as it burnetii casting a sweet
perfume all the room over ; for the five Sences
of Hearing, Seeing, Smelling, Tasting, Touch-
ing, are the five excellent Rules for imprinting
things in the memory. \

" LECTIO IV.

" After you have thus done, in the fourth
place, put so many of your acquaintance (I doubt
I cannot say friends) in the severall Angnles and
Centers of every of the tops, or lids, or leaves of
the Table (call them what you will) and be sure
you know what five friends are at the first Table,
what five at the second, what five friends or ac-
quaintance at the third, &c. in all four of the Pa-
ries twenty Tables, are in this Repository, and
five friends or acquaintance at every Table, for

295 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

all the bottomes (viz.) four feet and Centers
you leave empty and unused ; so you have 105
friends or acquaintance in this Repository.

« LECTIO V.

" Then that you may proceed to the practick
part of this Art of Memory without losse of time,
take tlie severall characters of the figures, and
place them in their order, in the right and left
hand of every of your friends, as they are placed
five by five, at every of the large four square Ta-
bles, in every of the Angules and Centers of the
abovesaid Paries of the Repository-

" The Ideas of these you have in this Table of
figures (adding according to your own fancy more
Ideas of every figure, as your fancy and invention
please.)

" As for the figure of 1. a Candle, a Fish, a
Staf, a Dart, &,c. For 2. a Swan, a Duck, a
Goose, a Serpent : For 3. a Triangle, a Trident,
or any thing with three legs : For 4. a Quadran-
gle, a die, any four square thing: For 5. a foot
of a man, an Hand, a Glove, a Sickle, a Peircer,
a Shoemakers Knife, &c. For 6. a Tobacco
pipe : For 7. a Carpenters Iron square, a Rai-
ser bent thus 7 ; For 8. a pair of Spectacles, a

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 297

Sea Crab, Twin Apples, &c. For 9. a burning
Glasse, a riding Stick made of a Reed, twisted
at the upper end thus 9 long Peares, 8cc. 10,20,
30, Sec. to a thousand, may be formed from these
figures, taking any round for the ciphers 000. as
an Orenge, a Ball, &c. for a Candle run through
an Orenge is ten, a Swan with an Orenge in her
mouth is twenty : But they may more profitably
be made by single Ideas, as a Crosse of Gold,
Silver, Wood, &c. for ten ; for twenty a Jug, a
Dagger, or any thing you will fancy ; for thirty
a Belclapper, or what you will fancy, so for ali
the rest of the cardinall numbers what your fancy
will put, because it will be better to have single
Ideas for the cardinall numbers.

This is the Theorick.
Now for the Practick Part.

*' LECTIO I.

The first Lecture of the Practick Part.

" Now before we can come to the Practick
Part, or exercise it selfe, 'tis necessary that we
make some little Preface concerning Ideas.

" An Idea is the figure of anything represented.

498 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

now the Ideas of things visible are very facile and
ready, but the Ideas of those things that be invi-
sible, are to be found out by rule, whereby the
Ideas of all things may be had in a readinesse ;
and for this there is need onely of but one gene-
rall rule (which in perfecting this Art I have
found out.)

** An Idea is twofold ;

*' First, Proper.

" Secondly, Improper.

*' First Pioper, which is the Image of that
thing it representeth, as if I put the Idea of Christ
to represent Christ himselfe.

** 2. Improper, as if I put the Image of Christ
to represent a man; Logicians expresse this in
few words ; when the Image (say they) of the
Individual! is put for the Individuall it selfe 'tis
proper ; but if it be put for the Species or Ge-
nus, 'tis improper. This Division is brought to
shew that oftentimes improper Ideas are as use-
full to stirre up the Memory as proper. A se-
cond Division of Ideas, is 1. Perfect. 2. Im-
perfect.

" 1. Ideas are perfect, and such be of rare and
excellent things, as of Daniel in the Lyons Den,
of Jo?tah in the mouth of the Whale, the fact of
InditJi, Esther, loseph, &^c.

*' 2. Ideas are imj»erfect, as of obvious and
vulgar things, as the rising and setting of the Sun

. ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 299

no man adiniretli, because it is daily, it raineth,
it raineth not, &.c. The Idfaa of the»e be first
imperfect, but they may presently be made such
by some notable attribute, that they may become
perfect; as for examp'e, the wind bloweth, the
Idea is imperfect, but the wind bloweth with
such a force, and so tearingly, that Trees are rent
up from the ground, and Houses blowne downe,
now the Ideas are perfect, it raineth, so imper-
fect; but it raineth so thick that all the streets
and wayes are of a swim : and filled with water :
Now the Ideas be perfect; so the Sun aiiseth
with a huge great body and red colour, so the
Idea is perfect. And so wee come uow to give
the Rules of the Practick part : Aud first de vo-
cabulis intdlectis of words which we uader-
stand, (for we shall appoint the lection for
Words we understand not afterwards :) Words
which we understand are remembred by Ideas,
put in the places of the R. with some famous ac-
tion attributed, received from Writers sacred, or,
prophane, er invented, and feigned by our selves ;
(for no intellect word can be spoken but of our
selves) we may presently be able to fancy the per-
fect Idea of it, aud apply unto it some notable
action.

500 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

" LECTIO II.

Of the Practicke Part of Sentences.

** Sentences, or continued Texts are com-
mitterl to Memory, and retained : The principall
Ideas of their Words being put in the Methodi-
cal! places of the R. And these being made sure
of, they bring the 'esse principal! Words of the
sentence, or text by the lieipe of the natural!
memory into our Rcmenibrance immediately.
Now that we may be able to perform this, we
must observe foure things.

" 1. Talve special! notice of the principall
Idea of the whole sentence. And it matters not
whether it be the principall or no, so we take it
for the principall. 2. Marke diligently the first
Word of every sentence ; for if returning to the
P. P. by the eye of our fancy, we see the first
Word and principal! Idea in every sentence, the
naturall Memory will suggest the rest very safely :
for as in Sclibols, Children, that have got a taske
of Verses by heart, if they misse the repeating of
them, and the leafe being doubted, may be but
pern)ilted to see the first Letters that overy Verse
beginneth withall, they will be able to repeat
every one of the Verses both forward and back-
ward, casting their eye upon the Letter that every

A»TiriClAL MEMORY. 301

Verse beglnneth wlthall, the same is done here by
the eye of Fancy. 3. We must have a great care
lest we take one Synonyma for another, as to say
muUer for f&mina, or silver for money, or a
Sword for a Rapier. 4. We must have a care
that every W ord be repeated in the same order it
is read, or spoken ; now tliis is done by the strong
application of the mind unto every Word, and it's
Collocation : as also by often exercise, by which
alone all this is so exactly obtained^ that in a
short time exercising our selves herein, we can-
not but admire our progresse and successe.

" LECTIO III.

Of unknown Words.

"Unknown Words are remembred four
wayes.

" 1 . By the Harmonic of Words, which va-
rious Languages have one with another, as the
English word Riche, brings into my mind the
Hebrew word Riach, S^c.

" 2. From the sound or eccho, as England,
Isleland, Presbyterie, Presbyter, &c.

" 3. From the beginning of the words, as for
Back, Backwards.

D D

302 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

" 4. By way of Division, as for Parrat, a pare,
and a Rat.

" LECTIO nil.

De rebus Communibus, of businesses, and
ordinary imployments.

" As in the sun-shine the shaddowes follow
their bodies, so common businesses, and ordinary
imployments are easily figured out by their pro-
per Ideas, soone placed and certainly retained ;
as if a Shop-keeper would bare iu mind how many
yards of this or that stuflfe silke. Velvet, 8cc. he
hath, it is but fancying in the R. one of his ac-
quaintance clothed with a suit or cloake of the
same, and to hold the number of the yards in his
right hand, the figure of 40. for 40. yards and if
the price of it be 16. per yard, the figure of 16.
in his left hand.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 303

" LECTIO V.

De Memoria Concionum, To remember Ser-
mons heard.

" When wee heare a Sermon, foure Rules
are to be observed. 1. Diligent attention. 2.
Carefull observing the Division of the Parts.
3. Methodicail Collocation of the Parts in the
Places, of the R 4. serious Meditation on the
Ideas, If there be but two parts of the Text,
place the first in the Center of the South, and
the second in the Center of the North ; if three
parts, place them in the three Center Tables of
the East, South, and North ; if 4 in the fourth
Center Tables of the fourth Paries. If five
Parts, place the fift Part of the Text in the Cen-
ter of the Flore ; if yours be six Parts, Place the
sixth Part in the Center Table of the East W.
of the second R. if seven Parts, place the se-
venth in the Center T. of the South Paries, in
the second R. and so on ; after this manner, if
there should bee more Parts, leaving the matter
of every part to be expressed, first with its part,
so far as the places will reach in the Center
Table, which being filled, proceed unto the four
Tables of the four Angules, according to their
place and number.

304 PRINCIPAX, S¥SfTBMS OI'

" LECTIO VI.

De raemoria Historiarum; to remember IKS'
tories.

" Histories be very eaaie to be remem-
bered : three rule* are to be observed.

" First, Propound unto your self the History,
and Authour of the History, and read some of
it in the morning, some of it in the afternoon,
and leisurely, and seriously imprint into yo«r
mind, the substance and chief passages of the
History by Ideas put in some apt Repository, and
you shall have it in readinesse by once or twice
thinking of it.

" Secondly, When you are to remember di-
rers Histories, tliey are all to be expressed by
their singular and proper Ideas, in places by
themselves ; After tiais manner you may remem-
ber Scripture Histories in six, seven, eight con-
claves;, for example, you may divide the book of
Genesis, into the History of Adam, Noah,
Jhraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph.

" Thirdly, If you desire leisurely, and with
exactness to learn a History, divide it into prin-
cipall parts, Avhich you may represent by certain
persons, giving of them convenient motion ; for
example, you may remember the History of

ARTIFICIAL MEMOttY. 305

Joseph if you place the known men of the His-
tory, as Joseph, Jacob, Josephs Brethren, and
Pharaeh.

" LECTFO VII.

De meraorin Citationum ; to remember Scrip-
ture-Quotations.

" Ta k e for every book of the Bible some
freind or acquaintance of the name, near the
name, or for the name, as one John for the
Gospel of Saint John; one Genne for Genesis ;
some patient pious man for the book of Job, if
you place not one Job you know 8cc. Then
alwayes take the right hand for the Chapter, and
left hand for the Verse.

" LECTIO VIII.

For sure imprinting the Ideas of all things in
tlie memori).

" There be two sure directions:
" The first is called Paradise, which is the ap-
plying the most delightful! things and objects
to every of the five Sences, viz, what most afFect-
D d3

306 PHINCIPAL SVSTEMS.OP

eth Hearing, Seeing, Smelling, Touching, Tast-
ing.

" The other is temed by the name of Hell,
which is the applying of the most odious and
loathfull objects to every of the five Senses.

" LECTIO IX.

Of Shorthand-writing.

" There is a kind of a Short-hand writing
in this Art, by the Ideas of letters objected to
the eye of the fancy, as the Alphabet is objected
to the sight of the bodily eye. Now for brevity
sake, using colours instead of vowels, the eye of
a nimble fancy will read any thing by Ideas thus
figured, as readily as if it were written in a book,
and will retain what thus is written. Now the
Ideas of this Alphabet be these, and such like as
yonr fancy best pieaseth to make choise of ; A.
a pair of Compasses so made, b. a Lute, B, a
Bow bent with an Arrow in it, C. an Horn, &c.
and so in like manner, take Instruments or any
kind of Ideas for the rest of the letters, which be
like the letters ; and instead of vowels use these
colours, A. for white, for E. blew, or green,
for /. red, for O black, for U. yellow."

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 307

^4. UOenvre des Oeuvres, ou le plus
parfalct des Scimces Steganogra-
p/iiques, Paulmes, Armedelles, et
Lidlistes, par Jean Selot, 8". Lifg^
du?ii, 1654.

This work is an enlargement of Lully' Art of
Memory, and is much superior to the original
system .*

o5. Faj£ Nova Arti Memorise localis
accensa, S'*. Lips. 1654.

This new torch does not shed a ' flood of light'
upon the subject of local memory, but its rays if
collected and concentrated, will serve to direct
the steps of the mnemonic student.

56. Atha?iasii Kircheri, Ars Magna
Sciendi in xii Lihros digesta, qna
nova et universali meihodo [l.ul-
lianci\ per arti/iciositm Comhi/ta-
tionum contextmn de omni re pro-
posita plurimis el prope iufiuitis
rationibus dispulariy omniumqMe

* Morliof, inToljliist,

308 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

summaria qucedam cognitio compa'
rari potest) fol. Amstelod. 1669.

This curious work contains nearly five hiin^
died closely-printed pages, and exhibits a com-
plete exposition of Lully's Art, as applied to the
various branches of human learning. [See No.
51.]

Athanasius Kircher, was born at Ful-
da, in the year IdOl, and was much celebrated
as a mathematician and philosopher. He com-
menced his noviciate in the Society of the Je-
suits, in his seventeenth year, among whom he
distinguished himself by a surprising proficiency
in literature and science. His works amount to
tzcenty-two volumes, /i>//o, eleven in quarlOy
and three in octavo!!! He died in the year
1680.

57. Variorum de Arte Mcmorice Trac-
talus Sex, 8°. Fraric. et Lips. 1678.

The authors of these six tracts are, 1. Lam>
bert Schenckel. 2. Johannes Austriacus. 3.
Hieronymus Marafiotus. 4. J. Spangenberg
Herd. 5. Fr. Mart. Ravellin. 6. De Memo-
ria natural! fovenda a Johan. Willisso. The
whole of which have been already noticed, ex-
cept the tract of Johannes Austriacus, and in

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 300

this riitre is nothing of a novel desGription, or
\vortby of a particular remark.

57* Tlie Tyivine Art of Memory : oVy
The Sum of the Holy Scriptures^
delivered in Acrostic Verses, so
that the Contents of the ivhole Si-
Me, may readily be remembred ; and
in what Chapter, each particular
passage is recorded. Written ori-
ginally in Ltttine, hy the Reverend
and Learned John Shaw, and made
English hy Simon JVastel, 12°.
Lo?id. 1683.

* This rare and curious little volume, containing
more than 200 pages, is a translation from Shaw's
' Bihliorum Sumrmda, seu argumenta singulo-
mm capitum Scripiurce CanoniccB utriusque
Testamenfi, ulphahetice distichis comprehenm,
8°. Lond. 1G21-23.' a work which we have not
been able to meet with. The present * Divine
Art' seems to have been first published in the
year 1623, under the title of * The true Chris-
tian's daily delight ; being a sum of every Chap-
ter of the Old and New Testament set down
alphabetically in English Verse, that the Scrip-
tures we read, may more happily be remembred,
etc. 13°. Lond. 1623/ This work was again

310 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

published under the Title of ' Microbiblion ; or
the Bible's Epitome, etc. 1-2°. Lond. 1629/

The Piolegomena to this metrical version and
abridgment of the Old and New Testament, are
two Epistles Dedicatpry ; one from T. B. and the
other from S. W. [Simon VVastell], and the
Translator's Preface to the reader from the same
person. All these are curious, and worthy pre-
servation, as they explain the plan and objects of
tlic work.

1. Epistle Dedicatory from T. B.

" To the Honoured
PAUL WENTWORTH, Esq.

Worthy Sir,

THIS laborious and useful Enchiridion was
first taught to speak Enghsh in the Free School
o/" Northampton, 5ei/?g translated by the painful
hand of Mr. Waste), quondam School-master
there, (whose Memory, like a Box of precious
Oyntment, still retains a szceet fragrancy iu those
Parts;) And was there by him humbly recom-
mended to the Patronage of a Noble Lord,
Baron Spencer of VVormleighton, especially
upon the account of his indulgent Favours to-
wards that eminent Seed-Piot -and Nursery of
Leaniins^ ; being now therefore again to salute
the Light in a new Edition, to whom more pro-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 311

perly should it address it self than to your
honour'd Name, zoho have been a Liberal Bene-
factor to the same School wherein it was so hap-
pily edurated, as to be rendred serviceable to
our Countrey men in general ; whereas before,
like some rare Jewel, whose value is knozvn to
none but the skilful Lapidary, it was justly ad-
mired, and made use of only by the Masters of
the Latin Tongue.

'Tis one of the greatest Uses, and most lauda-
ble Designs of Epistles Dedicatory, to pay the
Tribute of a Publick acknozdedgment to gener-
ous Vertue, and the noble Encouragers of Learns
ing. But since 'tis well known you as little
desire Commendations as you do greatly study
to merit them, and delight rather to be Good,
than told so ; jill J shall say, is, Thai by en-
dowing the Muses, you have made Learning
your Debtor, which never fails to be a grateful
Pay-master ; a7id that your example zeill confute
our Roman Upbraiders, and let them know,
That 'tis no Discouragement to Good Works,
to believe, they are not Meritorious, and that
Charity is not grown Cold, since she left off to
be Blmd.

" The Piece that here presents it self to our
view is indeed small, but may prove great in
use ; as it will help both to understand and re-
member what is contained in Sacred Scripture,

312 PRIJfCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

and make Persons bettei^ acquainted with that
Blessed Book which alone can biing ics ac-
quainted with the Abniglit).

** Tliat it may conduce to these ends; arid par-
ticularly, that your worlliy Selfe may, hy a
Belief, Adherence, and P ractise of those Divine
Dictates, enjoy an everlasting Memoiual iii tJie
Book of 'Lifi^, as the Prayer of

" Your Servant

" T. B."

'jl. Bpistle Dedicatory from Simon Wastell,

" TO THE

" Right Honourable
" His singular Good Lord,

« SIR ROBERT SPENCER, Knt.
Baron Spencer of Wormleighton :

" S. W. wisheth all Happiness Temporal and
Eternal.

" Hi^ht Honourable,

*' THE manifold Favours received from your
Lordship ever since my first placing in the Free-
School of Northampton, as also Your Honour's
late promised Assistance to help the said School
to tliat Right whereof it hath been these many
Years unconscionably defrauded, hath caused me

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. S13

many tinles to wish lliat some good occasion
might be offered unto me, whereby I might wit-
ness not only unto your Honour, but also to
Posterity, how much I confess my stlf obliged
unto you for the same. And therefore, having
taken some Pains to turn the Contents of the
Bible briefly into English Meeter, for the help
of weak Memories, (being hicouraged thereunto
by the Persw'asion of divers of my godly learned
Friends, when they saw some Entrance made
thereinto.) Your Honour being in the very
Frontispiece of my dearest and worthily most ho-
noured Friends, I determined to dedicate the
same, together with my humble and best Ser-
vice, unto your Honour ; beseeching you, that
both my self and it, as also our poor wronged
School, may still be patronized and shrowded
under the shadow of your Honourable Pi otec-
tion : so will I not fear what my back Friends
can say to my Book, nor what they can devise or
do against my self ; so also shall yonr Honour
(in respect of the School) have tlse praise of the
Prophet, to be called, A Builder of that waste
place, and a Raiser tip of the Foundation
thereof ; a Repairer of that Breach, and a
Restorer of those Paths to dxvell in : And so be
honoured and esteeinedof me and all my Succes-
sors, as the second Founder thereof, and be pa-

E E

314 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

rallel'd and equalized with Thomas Chipsetf^
who was the first : For,

" Non minor est virtus quam quarere parfa
tueri.

'Tis no less pious, things lost to regain.
Than for first Fouaders to give to maintain,

" Vouchsafe I beseech you (my most honoured
Lord) as cheerfully to accept of this my poor
Present and Widows Mite (being a Pawn and
Pledge of my ever dutiful and thankful Mind, as
Artaxerxes is said to have received an handful of
Water froom the poor Country-man, whose
Ability, would afford no better a Gift. So will
I ever pour forth my Prayers unto the Almi^jhty
Preserver of Mankind, the Giver of every good
Gift, that he would be pleased to vouchsafe unto
your Honour, and to all your Honourable Pro-
geny, health of Body, length of Days, with In-
crease of Grace and Honour in this Life, and
the Fruition of eternal Blessedness in tlie World
to Gome.

" Your Honours

" ever to command,

" SIMON WASTELL.^

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 315

The Translators Preface to the Header.

"the
^* Translator's Preface

" TO THE

"READER.

^'NOT long ago (Christian Reader) there was
published a little Book in Latin Verse, called
Bibliorum Summula, set forth hy Mr. John
Shaw, (a man whom both for his Learning and
Gravity, as also for our old and antient ac-
quaintance (being School-fellows in Westmer-
lendffti/ years ago, and both o/* Queens Col-
ledge in Oxford) / did, and do much esteem and
respect.) This Book 1 perceived to be much
applauded of the godly learned Ministers, and
of many other Scholars that had seen and react
the same. And therefore, after tit nua aeui me
one, as a token of his love, I began to study
how I might teach it to speak English, being as
desirous to benefit the unlearned, as he teas the
learned; and having translated the Books of

316 PRINCIPAL SYSTF.M^ O'^F

Moses, atid offered them to his and to otMf
learned and grave Ministers view and censures,
they did by their -persuanms so prick and
spurr me forward, that I could not give
over, untill (through God's Assistance) I
had gene through both the Old and Ne^
Testaments. I confess I have not precisely
tyed my self to his Method and Manner, be-
cause the English tongue is far more copious
than the Latin ; but have taken liberty (ac*
cording as the contents of each chapter were
longer or briefer) to conclude them sometimes in
two, sometimes in four, sonfctimes in moie I)is-
ticks, with as much brevity (observing perspi-
cuity) as I could. I have purposely laboureci
to speak plainly to the capacity and understQudr
mo of the simple and ignorant, rather than b^
Poetical strains to please the Ear, and the Eye
of the curious learned Headers. Thou hast alsQ
not only the contents of every Chapter set dowt^
in order Alphabetically with figures to direct
thee unto them, but also Jigur^s in every line to
direct thee to the Verse where thou shfilt fnd
that presently which thou desire^t to knoWy
without reading over the whole Chapter,
Thou hast also a Chronolocfical observation
of times from Adam to CUrist, and from
Christ to Antichrist. T/\oii Imt also the name$.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 317

of all the Books of the Bible, as they follow
in order,

" Lastlt/, thou hast comforts and encourage-
ments against thefeare of death, called the old
mans A. B, C. If it shall -please thee (gentle
Header) when thou hast read or heard a Chap-
ter, to read over the contents in meeter once or
tzvice, thou mat/est be able to rehearse and sai/
the said contents bi/ heart, and so in short time
be acquainted zvith the Historic of the ithole
Bible. If any be so zealously affected with the
knowledge of the Scriptures, as the Lord Crom-
well was, who (as Master Fox recordefh in the
Book of Martyrs, of the ffth Edition, page
1015, got by heart all the new Testament of
Erasmus his Translation in his jour net/ to Home,
he might in short time get by heart these brief
contents of the whole Bible. If therefore
the LkIW of God be tliy delight, (as it
was Davids) this little Book will be a com-
fortable companion, whether thou zmlksst
abroad, or staycst at home. And finally if
thou reappst any increase of saving know-
ledge, justifying faith, or holiness of lij'e. by
these my poor labours to the Edijicafion and
Salvation of thy Soul, have all that I de-
sire, saving that J would entreat thee to
Mscribe the Braise and Glori/ of all to God,
£ £ 3

ai^ PIIINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

an4 to aford me thy charitable Cemurt^
Well-wishingSj and Prayers.

** Thine in any Christian service

'* that he can perform,

'< s. wr

A chronological table follows this preface,
from the Creation of Adam to the departure out
of Egypt, and the names of all the Bocks of the
Bible, with the number of the Chapters. The
specimens selected from the Divine Art, are
the whole boQk of Genesis, and the old manV
A. 3. C.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY,

319

1 . Old Testament.

Cx E N E S I S,

1 ALL things in i Heaven, iii Earth and ^ Seas,

our great ^ Jehovah makes :
ile bade them "^ grow and multiply :
and Man Gotls "^ Image takes.

2 BY him iu ^ six days all were ^ made ;

the 3 Sabbath, * Man af Dust :

Paradise", =* Wedlock ; Nain^s -" impos'd :

The Fruit forbear ^' Ma.i must.

3 CLosely the subtil ^ Serpent tempts;

thoy '^ eat ; are ^^ bare ; arraign'd :
The promli'd '^seed; their strife, earth ^"^ curst,

Man *^ punish'd, ^*^ cloath'd, •* disdain'd.
4. £)ViEj 3 Sacrifice the "* Brotiicrs bring:

fierce Cain good Abd " slays :
Cain *2 vagrant ujade, Lantech's ^■* great wrath :

Scth liv'd in holy days.

5 ]^Noch\, blest Enoch, is by God, 1987.

2* from Earth to Heaven translated :
The Patriarchs * lives : lines : ^ years, & death,
to ^ Noah's time related.

6 pAir forms make - matches : monstrous men

iu monstrous ^ Sin abound ;
■This ^ brings the Flood but Noe and his,
(i'th Ark) ^ God's favour found.

320 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

7 GOD 1 sends all pairs, and Noe repairs
*l656 unto the ^ Ark, wherein

They ' being shut, the ^ flood o'reiiows,
and drowns ^^ all flesh for sin.

8 HE^v'"s 1 wrath aswag'd, the flood is swa<'';l

the 1; Raven and the Dove :
Noah '^ goes forth, "^ doth sacrifice :

God 21 makes two leagues -^ of love,
p JiiTb vah 1 gives laws, of Increase,

2 Fear, * Murther, ' Meat, the Bo\y
Blood is * forbidden, N')e made '^^ drunk,

mock'd, *^ Cham accurs'd also.
lOKNov/ 1 here of Noe, • and of his ^i Sons

theinighty * Generations.
Ninirod first ^ Moarth : here begins,

dividing of the ^2 Nations.
1 1 LEarn here ^ one language, at the first :
*17S7 confusion ^ jBaif/* rent :

Mark ^'^ S'hem's and Tej-ah's ""^ Progeny,

to Harun ^^ Tf^yj^ went.
ISMAke hast, O ^ ^ira»j,* leave thy land ;
*2023 I will - preserve thy life :

A '° Famine ; Fear ^^ doth make him fain :

the King ^^ restores his Wife.
ISjXOW Lot -and he ^ richly - return;

but discord "^ parts them both ;
Lot's lot is ^° sinful Sodvm's Soil ;
to Hthron ^ Abram go'th.
140Ppos'd by four, i five Kings are slain,
*2033 Abraham ^* rescues * Lot :

Mdchizedek "^ receiveth Tythes ;
spoils, Abraham ^^ takes not.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. SO.}.

15PRomise ' of Seed chears ' Abraham,

which he believes ^^ most true ;
But first his Seed '^ must Servants be,

And ^^' then their Foes subdue.
16'QUarrelIiiig Hagar now wilh * Child,

Her Mistress doth disdain :
The Angel bids "' she should submit.

And turn to her again.
17l^Enewed is the * Covenant sure :

their names are ^^ chang'd, tliey blest ;
Abraham liere is f i* circuuicis'd, +2440

hhmael^^j and the rest.
ISS^ra 12 for laughing is ^^ reprov'd ;

Sodoms *i Destruction shewn :
Abraham prays, for ^^'^ ten just men,

it may not be o "rethrown.
Ji)TWO Angels 3 Lot doth entertain,

Sodomites fiery ^-^ Slaughters :
Lot's Wife a s" Pillar of Salt is made :

he drunk, ^^ defiles his Daughters.
SOIJNwares the King takes - Abranis Wife ;

God him, he Abra^am ^ rates,
Restores, i' reproves^'', makes ^^ rich : he " prays.

Then heal'd are all Estates.
2 1 With Joy Sarah her « Son || embraced : 1| 2050

the 5 scotfing Lad and's Mother
Cast 1* out, distress'd, " refresh'd, Peace sworn

between the ^- King and th' other,
22UP Abraham rose to ^ slay his || Son : \\ 20()1

the Angel '^ holds his hand :
The Ram is ^^ offered up for hina: .^

His Seed shall be ^'' as Sand.

322 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

SSW^i'i Tears did 2 Abraham hew^iil
^ 2085 the death of || Sara old :

Macijpelah bought to ^^ bury in,

V/liich Ephron to him sold.
QA>/^Braham • sends : the ^2 Servant prays .
11 208 8 asks " Water of the |i Maid :

Gives 22 gifts, brings ^^ home to Isaac her,

on ^vliom '''' his love is staid.
25BY ^ Kettir Abram had « moe Sons:

he ^ dies, and "* Isaac prays :
Two *2 Twins do strive : Birth right is sold,
il 21 13 and Jacob || Pottage ^ pays.

26QAnaan ^ promis'd, Famliie sent :

his Wife he '' Sister calls :
The ^ King reproves, he " rich, digs ^ Wells ;

Sons Wives him ^^ grieves and galls.
27r)Ini-sighted ^ haac Venson craves :
II 2140 II Son -^0 hunts, and comes too ^^ late :

Jacob "■' is blest : Esati ^^ doth weep :

And's Brother *^ deadly hate.
HSj^Sau's ungodly ^ Marriages :

Jacob is ^° sent away :
A Ladder ^^ sees, and ^^ consecrates

a stone -- whereon to pray.
SPpOr Rahel Jacob '^ seven years serves :
11 2185 bat '" Laban Lea \\ gives.

He *^ serves seven moe : Lea *' conceives,

but Rahtl 31 barren lives.
30G^'^'^'^ Rahel * gives Jacob her Maid :

so ^ Lea : Jacob '^ hir'd.
Joseph is 2* born : by Jacobs ^'' art,

his Sheep and Wealth admir'd.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 313

3lHEre Gods bids * Jacob ' home return, *2'205

the Idols 15 Rahd takes :
Lahan -'"' conii)laiiJs : cliarg d -* not to chide ;

at Gilead ** peace he makes. \^
S2jAcob is by an ^ Angel clieer'd:

"^ fears ; ^ prays : confest ^° his faults :
Sends ^' g^fts, doth with an -* Angel strive,

and -5 ever after hanlts.
33K^eeIing faint Jacob * Esau meets :

they * weep, they kiss : he ^* takes
The gifts : i6 departs : a i' field is bought :

Jacob an ^o Altar makes.
34.LEwd Sliechem. - Dinah \\ doth deflour^ |1 2213

and craves her ^ for his Wife.
The People - circumcis'd are ^5 siain:

good Jacob ^^ fears his life.
35MAking an i Altar JacoVs, blest:

he - purgeth Idols all :
Reubens 22 foul Lust : a 20 Pillar pitcht :

a 8 threefold is Funeral*^. v' ^*ealth :
3o]\Ow ^ £A'aM*s Wives : ^Sons: ^^ Dukes and

^ departure : ^ habitation :
Are here set down : •* mules are found out :

the ^^ Kings of Edom's Nation.
370F's Brethren ^ Joseph makes Complaint :

dreams ^ twice : Jacob ^^ deceiv'd :
Joseph is put -* into a pit :

is 2s sold : his Father ** griev'd.
38pLedge ^ sending : ^ Judu'i Wife and "* Sons :

he in to '" Thamar wentt: t2222

Would ** have her burnt : then "' clears her more:
two -" Twins to him are sent.

324 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

39QUickly good Joseph is "* i>refcr'd :

of's Master much ^ approv'd :
+2227He flat 8 denies : his Mistriss ^* liesf:

he is °* in Bonds -^ belov'd
40REiiearse your ^^ Dreams : O Butler ! thou

a h appy ^^ Man shalt be :
Have me **in mind. O Baker ! mark,

the ^5 Gallows groans for thee.
4lSAd Pharaoh's ^eDrearas expounded are :
•12236 and Joseph '^^ grac'd as Kingt:

■}2238Against the *« Dearth hoards up, ^^ sells Corn+:

His Wife two ^° Sons doth bring.
42TEN sent for ^ Com: -^ imprison'd are :

releast -^ and sent away :
For Bmjamm ^* a Pledge is pawn'd :

but him ^'^ doth Jacob stay.
43XJNwilling Jacob " sends his Son,

Ihey 1^ Presents bring to C(.urt :
Joseph ""^ confers : his -^ Brother calls :

and ^"^ feasts in ^^ wondrous sort.
44WIthin the Sack of ^- Benjamin,

is Cup and Coin (Ihey paid)
They fear, ^ confess : the Fathers Pledge,

for '*' Be7i. woidd now be staid.
45U^1^^" '"* Brethren ^ Joseph's known .

he • weeps, i s ^ sent before.
For Ffilher^ sends, the King" consents,
t2240 he goes, and "^ grieves t no more.

46W'Ith Jflfofr (after ^ Sacrifice)

God will ^ g» on the way.
Him Josqjh "^ meets and greets, they -^^vccp;

he tells them ^'^ what to say.

AllTIFlCTAL MEMORY. 325

*7'^\Gc«l Jacob, with all his ^ Sons,

before ■" King Pharaoh stand ;
Goshen^^ : ail's bought save the -- Priests Land ;

bury * me '"^ in my Laud. *2255

48BLcst./cco5 sick ^ is visited;
"' Gives ii/^Ariwt '^ Praewiiuence : +22 SO

Blesseth-9: relates ^i the Pronuse made:

foietells -' their going thence ;
49CAl!inghis * Sons heblesseth ' them:'

dotli future things || declare : |j230O

Gives charge about his*^ Burial :

of Soul the Lord takes care.
50D01eful ^ lamenting msde '"^ for him :

Troops bring him to his Grave:
The Brotliers ^^ fear : he makes them "^ swear 2r>10

his Burial there to have.

2. THE OLD MANS A. B, C.

Ye Saints on Earth be of good cheer ^
The Darts vj Death ye need not fear.

^Ccount'st thou death a dreadful thing, 1 Cor,

Which hath by Christ now lost its siing ? 15. 55,

^E sure, a;i Spring doth Winter blasts ; l Tlies.

So follows death, a life that lasts. 4. IJ.

(^Olfrn this corjxs and lay't in grave, 1 Cor,

A glorious rising it shall have. 15. 53.

DEbt due to God I hereby pay, o 77^,

By dying at th' appointed day. 4. Q^

J r

S26 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

Heb. p.^Xceeding welcome Death's to me,
27. All men must dye, no man is free.

Rev. full happy man that dyes in Faith :

14. 13. His good works follow him, Christ saith.
P/«7.1.GLad are the Saints dissolv'd to be,

23. To live with Christ, his face to see.
Rev. 6. HE well may quake and fear to dye,
16'. That in his filthy sins doth lye.

1 Thes.yS Death is gain, it's gate of Life :

4. 14. Last night; asleep; and end of Strife.

2 Pet. K.Nown God's Ambassador to be,

1. 14. Death will I meet; I will not flee.
Ileb. 2.L0rd paramount of death hath kill'd

24. Death by Jiis death, and law fultill'd.
Psal. MUse oft upon thy latter end, (mend.
90. 12. The thoughts of Death will make thee
Rom. ]VOught but Christ's death doth sin remove

5. 8. Admire the greatness of his love,
2 Cor. QF earthly Pilgrims, death from God
5. 6'. Makes us possest of Heavens above.
1 Cor. PAss not for death, I daily die,

15. 31. Why then doth death me terrific ?
Eccles.QVict thy self, thy day of death,

7. 1. Excells that hour thou first took breath.

1 Pet. J^Eceivhig but our due deserts,

2. 20. Why then should death afflict our hears
Heb. P-S^th God from all eternity,

27. Hath so decreed that all must dye.

1 Cor. THat deadly foe (last foe of all)
15. 2G. At last shall have a deadly fall.
Rom. yAnquiahed death I wish were nye,
7.24. It ends a Christians misery.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 527

John Shaw, according to A. Wood,* was
a Westmoreland man born, and became a student
of Queen's College, Oxford, in 1579, at the
age of U); he took one degree in Arts, left the
College, and at length became Vicar of Oking,
or Woking, in Surrey, where he was had in
esteem, by many for his preaching, and by some
for his Poetry. His works, in addition to that
already mentioned, were: (1.) The blessedness
of Mary, Mother of Jesus : a Sermon on Luke
i. ver. 28, and 45, 8°. Lond. I6I8. (2.) Th«
comfort of a Christian, by Assurance of God's
Love to him, written in verse. (3.) The Com-
plaints of a Sinner : the comfort of our Saviour —
in verse also. These two last are printed with
the Seimon.

Simon Wast ELL, was, according to Wood,-}-
a Westmoreland man born, and descended from
those of his name, living at W^astellhead in the
same county. He entered as a student of
Queen's College, Oxford, in 1580, or there,
abouts, and took one degree in Arts five years
after; at which time being accounted a great pro-
ficient in Classical Learning and Poetry, he was
made Master of the Free-School at Northamn-

Athenaj Oxon. vol. i. col. 487. t Ibid.

528 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS or

ton, whence by his sedulous endeavours, many
were sent to tlie Universities. He seems to have
been a feilow-sludent of Shaw, and on terms of
strict intimacy with him.

58. Ars Magna et admirahilis Specimi-
nibns variis coiifirmala, qua Pan-
dectarum Titnli eorumque prcicipua
materia ope Figiirarmn emhlemati-
canim, brevissinie, jiicunde et tena^
citer, memoria imprimi, Jirmiter
contineri, et opportune in usum
transferri possunt : In maximum
comrnodum legis tStudiosi, 8**. Lvgd.
Bat. 1695.

This anonymous work contains an ingeniou*
and very full application of the local memory, to
the fifty books of the Roman Pandects, and to
the various titles and subdivisions of each book.
To the Preface is appended the signature of
R. C. The title is a coniplete bill of fare, and
is a good model for all those who render this
' annonce' a table of contents, instead of a title-
page.

59. Copia Speciminvm Ariis Memorio'^

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 5G&

BnLvellcc, Leodii, Tornaci, et alibi
editorum, 8". Leodii, 1697.

This small pamphlet contains an account of
the different exhibitions of L. Schenckel, at the
various cities enumerated in the title.

60. Ars 3Iemorice vindicata, auctore D-
Jo. Srancaccio, accessit Artijicium
Poeticum ad Scripiuras Divinas
in jjvomptii habendas memoriterque
ediscendas accommodatum, 8". Pn-
normi, 1702.

This is an excellent and useful little work j
for, in addition to an explicit detail of the prin-
ciples of the art, it includes instances of wonder-
ful memory, in particular individuals, from the
time of Adam, to A. U. J 690, and a list of
writers on the subject. To neitlier of these
sources, however, are we indebted for any of the
materials in the present work, not having been
able to procure more than a transient inspection
of this rare and curious volume,

0 1 . The Art of Memory. A Treatise
uscjulfor all, especially such as are

F p 3

330 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS Ot

to speak in Publick. Hy 3Iarms
D'Assigmy, B. D. 8°. Lond.
1706.

This is the third edition of D'Assigny,* and
is ornamenled with an * elegant engraving on
copper,' representing Jupiter with his fulinen
reclining on a cloud ; — the winged Hermes i»
seen flving with a caduceus, and a scroll in
his hands, on which is inscribed jlrs Me/no-
ria. Three pedestals, the centre one circular,
and the others square, occupy the fore ground of
this beautiful picture. On one pedestal stands
Minerva; in the centre llcrcules AngUcus; 7\nd
the remaining pedestal is adorned by the Graticc
Decentes, in their usual costume. At the
foot of these illustrious personages are seen eleven
* human forms divine,' from whose ears issue
eleven threads or lines, all meeting in one point,
■ — the mouth of Hercules Anglicits!!!

We have been thus particular in describing
this frontispiece, in the hope that some one who
is ' pretty far gone' with tiie mania o^ illustration j
may be induced to seek for it ; for, here, he might
certainly indulge his favourite pursuit without a
chance of injuring the book ; a rare occurrence
in the an'nais of the print-ferret. It is not, per-

TUe first edition -vvas published ih 1697.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 331

haps, known to all our readers, that a passion for
books illustrated or adorned with numerous
prints, exists to a very great extent ; and, that
tlie most valuable books are deprived of their
engravings merely to illustrate some favourite
production, by the portraits of the person*
named in it. Mr. Dibdin, in his Bibliomaniay
p. 665, notices some curious examples. Seven
hundred [>rints were collected by a lady to illus*
trate six cviAPTEUsm Genesis: and 650 por-
traits by anotlier person to ornament Scott's edi-
tion of Drydcn. The sum of ^GOOO, u'as
expended by the late Mr. Crowhs in illustrating
Pennant's London^ which book he bequeathed,
in the true spiiit of virtu, to the British Mu-
seum.

The address ' To the Young Students of both
Universilifs,' which precedes this i\rt df Me-
mory, we recommend earnestly to the present
race of Oxouiaiis and Cantabs, as it is peculiarly
applicable to their present state.

The following are the contents of this vo-
lume.

" Chap. 1. Of the Soul or Spirit of Man.
" Cliap. 2. Of Memory, its Seat, and Excel-
lency.

" Chap. 3. The Temper or Disposition of ihs

S32 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

Body best and worst for Memory, with the na-
tural Causes and Reasons of both.

" Chap. 4. Some General and Physical Ob-
servations and Prescriptions for the remedying,
strengthning, and restoring a Memory injur'd by
the ill Temper of the Body, or the Predominancy
of one of the four Qualities in the Brain.

*' Chap. o. What is very much prejudicial to
the Faculty, Habit, and Practice of Memory.

" Chap. 6. Of such Natmal Things as may be
assisting to, and may comfort Memory, from the
Procurement of Nature, and the Contrivance of
Art.

" Chap. 7' Rules to be observ'd for the Acts
or Practice of Memory.

" Chap. 8. Rules to be observ'd to help our
Remembrance of things that we desire to pre-
serve in Mind.

<' Chap. 9. Of Artificial or Fantastical Me-
mory or Remembrancje."

This book upon the whole (the dedication ex-
cepted) is rather dull, and not very profitable.
In the fifth chapter, at the fifteenth section, we
are told that " all such ^lotions of the body as
cause giddiness or swimming in tliehead, are de-
structive to the memory. Therefore zee should
have a sped. I care to avoid falls froiti high
PLACES, turning round [as the Dervishes we

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 333

suppose] or Blows tipon the hinder part of the
Head a r

The tilth chapter abounds with receipts for
' comforting the memory' takeu principally from
the early writers on this subject. A few of these
we shall extract for the benefit of such as are in-
clined to use them.

" I. Sneezing Ponders.

" Sneezing Pouders well prepared are of great
use, but may prove pernicious if any thing be
offensive to the Brain in the Composition. Dried
Leaves of Marjoram, Sage, Rosemary, the Roots
of the Herb Vyrethrnm, of Lingwert perfumed
with Musk, are a choice sneezing Pouder, to
comfort the Brain and Memory. And the Herb
Galangal well dried, and reduced to Pouder,
is very useful to strengthen Memory. Another
-good sneezing Pouder may be made of Pepper,
with the Herb Condisi, white Ling wort, and
Lillies, with some perfumed Gums. But we
must have a care not to offend Nature by a too
frequent use of these or other Snuffs, zehich mar/
prejudice the Brain.

" J. Plaisters to prevent a decay of Memory.
" Divers Plaisters, \\hen we find a decay in
Memory, may be useful for helping the Brain :
As a I^laister made of Mustard-seed, and clapt

354 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

to the hinder part of the Head, or the Oil of
Mustard-seed when apply 'd to that part. Or if
you please to be at greater Expence, take Flo-
rentine Lillies, the Herbs Hernwdaciyle and
Pyrethrum, leaves of tiie wild Vine, Pigeon-
dung, Mustard-seed, of each an Ounce; mix
them with Moschata Nuts, Spice, Cloves, Cina-
mon, and Pepper, and make a Plaister ; which
you may likewise apply to the hinder part of the
Head, and you will find it increase and help Me-
mory. And a certain famous Author assures us,
that the Gall of a Partridge anointed about the
Temples does wonderfully strengthen the Seat of
Memory ; as also the Brains of Birds and Fowls
roasted, and chiefly of Hens are not useless for
the same purpose.

*' 3. A Pouder for the Memory.

" Take the Seed or Leaves of Ormitium, and
reduce them to Pouder, and every Morning take
a small quantity of a Glass of Wine. And they
say that the Shavings or Pouder of Ivory pro-
duce the same effect, namely, the corroborating
of the Brain and Memory ; as likewise a Grain
«f white Frankincense taken in a Draught of Li-
quor when we go to Bed, dries up the offensive
Humors of the Brain. And it has been observ'd,
that the Application of Gold to that Sutura,
which divides the Seat of Memory from tlie other

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 335

Closets of the Brain, strengthens the weakness
of the Heady drives await/ all Puin, and has
a wonderful Effect on the FacuUy of Me-
mory.

" 4. Jn Ointment.

" A famous Author tells us, That a firm and
constant Memory, and quick Apprehension,
many great Men have used this Medicine. Take
Roots of wild Bugloss, Roots of Valerian, or
Setwall, of each four Ounces ; Roots oi Rue
two Ounces; reduce them to very fine Powders:
then take Juice of Ey-bright, Clary mid Verven,
ofearh four Ounces: strain iheJuices well throi:gh
a Clolh; then mix the Juices togei!:er, and the
Ponders apart : aftowards take the Essence of
Anacardi, or Cassia-nuts once Ounce, and make
a Ponder as before. Also take Bird's Tongue,
i. e. Ash^keys^ and make a very fine Pouder :
Then mix all the foresaid things together, viz.
the Ponders and the Juices><nid take an Earthen
Pot glaz'd, and set it on the Fire, putting into it
some Bears Fat, and suffering it to melt by de-
grees ; then throw in the said Ponders, mixing
tlieni with the Juices, always adding some of the
foresaid Fat, till a very thiii Ointment be made ;
xcithwhiih anoint the lentpfes, Fore/wad, and
top of the Head touards the Nape, And this

336 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

do three or four times a year, and continue anoiut-
ing more or less as there is occasion.

" 5. A Lye, or Wash for the Head.

" Again, another Experiment may be try'd for
the same purpose. Take eight Glasses of com-
mon Water, leaves of Ivy and Sticas, of each a
Pound and a half; put them together in the
Water to boil till the Water be almost consum'd;
afterwards let it be well strain'd and squeezed,
and put into it a small quantity of Turpentine
washM with Rose-water : Then wash the Head
with a good l.ye, and after drying it, anoint with
the aforesaid Liquor the Temples and hinder part
of the Head.

" (i. A perfumed Apple for comforting the
JBruin and Memory.

" Take Laudanum, Lignum Aloes, Storax, of
each a Dram ; Cloves, Nutmegs, sweet Basil-
seed, of each half a Dram ; with Rosewater, in
which a small quantity of Mosch and Aniber-
grisehas been dissolv'd, make an Aj)ple.

"7' Jo strengthen (he Memorj/ or resiore it
when lost.

*' To strengthen the Memory, <ir restore it
when lost; or against Giddiness: Take Fiose-
niary, Borage, Chamotnile, Violets, Roses, of
each an Ounce; the Leaves of Laurel, Maijo-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 337

ram, Sage of each two Ounces; chop them all
togetlier, and put tlieni in the best Wine, and after
a day's time distil thro a glass Alembic, and
keep the distilled Liquor; in which put of sweet-
scented Turpentine a Pound, white Frankin-
cense eight Ounces, Mastic, Myrrh, Bdellium,
Anacardi, or Cassia nuts, of each four Ounces :
beat them altogether, and so let them stand for
five days, mix'd with the Distillation in a cover'd
Vessel. Afterwards distil with a quick Fire till
you get an Oyl out of them, which keep close
shut up in a glass Bottle well stnpp'd with Wax
and Parchment. For use, take as much of it as
would ly in a large nutshell down the Mouth, and
anoint also ihe Memorial parts, viz. the hinder
part of the Head, and all tlie Parts before-men-
tion'd. You wiUJind it to be veri/ good.

" 8. Pills for the use of Memory.

" Take Chubebs, Calamint, Nutmegs, Cloves,
of each a Dram and a half ; the best Frankin-
cense, choice !Myrrh, oriental Ambergrise, of
each a Scruple and a half; Mosch, five Grains :
with Moijoram-water make Pills. Take one in
going to Bed, and two at Sun-rising, five hours
before Meat ; in the Winter every Month, in the
Spring and Fall more seldom."

The chapter which treats * of Artificial or

G O

358 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

Fantastical Memory or Remembrance' is almost
a literal translation from Grataroli.

Marios D'Assigny was the Author of Rheto-
rica Anglorum, vel Exercitationes Oratoritc in
Rhetoricam Sacram et Communem. Quibus
adjiciuntur quaduni Regula ad imhecilles Me-
morias corrohoraudas, 1*2°. Lond. l6y9- In
this work, a chapter is devoted to the subject of
memory, in which, as might be expected, a great
part of his Art of Memory is * done into Latin.*

62. Ars Memoriop, sive clara et perspi-

cua 3Iethodiis excerpendi Nuclewn
rerum ex omnium Scientiartnn mo-
numenlis a R. P. Thoma Eriiardt,
8". August. Vindel. 1715. [Part. iv.
in 3 T'om.

63. Pratique de la 3Iemoire Artijicielle
pour apprendre et pour retenir
VHistoire Saiute, Vllistoire Eccle-
siastique et VHistoire de FraucePar
le Pere Bnffier, 8". Paris, 3 torn.
1719-1723.

This work is intended to facilitate the acqui-
sition of Ciironology and universal History, and
the system is at once ingenious and simple. It

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY, 339

is composeil in the form of a dialogue, and the
BUlhor has compressed, into verse, the principal
events and names of the different Sovereigns.
The following are specimens of his verses.

The first age commencing from the Deluge.

Le iwtit fils de Cam et qui ftit fils de ctius
Est prince a Babilone et Neinbrod dii Belus,
Qiiaad se toiiue sous lui I'otat de I'Assivie,
Vienent ceux des Cliiaois d'Egipte et de Scithie.
Ninive avant deux niille est en Assur funded,
Et ponr roi Sicion choisit Egialee.

First part cf the history of France.

Ses Loix en qiiatre rens Pharaniond introduit
Glodiou Chevelu q«' Aetius vaiiiquil,
Merov^e avec lui combatit Attila.
Cliikleric fuit chasse, puis on le rapela.
Clovis vain a SoJBsens, fait v«hi detre Oir^tien:
Defait Gombaut et tue Alaiic Aricu.

Vol. 1. contains Sacred History and Chrono-
logy, Profane History and the His^tory of France.
Vol. II. A system of Universal Geography, for
which verses are employed, as in the first volume.
Vol. HI. includes Clironology and History, from
the birth of Christ to the time of IJiiffier's
publicatii>n ; Ecclesiastical liistory, and Uie his-
tory of llie princip;tl Slak-s of Europe.

Claude de Buffi ik was Lorn cf French
parents, in Poland, in the year I66I ; he became

340 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

a Jesuit in 1 679- After having travelled to Rome,
he fixed his residence in the capital of France, and
died in the year 1737, at Paris, in the College
of the Society, aged 76 years. He has left be-
hind him jnauy works, besides that already no-
ticed, the principal of v\hich have been collected
and published in his Cours des Sciences pa)' des
priucipes nonveaiix et sirr-pfe, pour former le
language, respnt et le caur, fol. 1732. The
style of Buffier, in his verse and prose writings,
is tnore plain than elegant. He was a virtuous
man, and very laborious in his studies.*

64. Memoria Technica: or, a New
JMetiiod of Artificial Memory^ ap-
plied to and exemplified in Chrono-
logy, History, Geography, Astro-
nomy ; also Jewish, Grecian and
Roman Coins, Weights and Plea-
sures, etc. HyHichardGrey, D. D.
8°. Lond. 1730.

The ninth edition of this book has been just
published, to which, and to the eighth edition
are appended Lowe's Mnemonics, [see No. 65.]
In 1802, a thin pamphlet was published, enti-
tled, Technica Memoria, by M. W. Johnes ; it

* Diet. Hist. Art. Buffitr.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. S41

consists merely of extracts from Grey. Tn the
Mont hi If Magazine for June 1S0.5, Dr. Lettice
insertec] some proposals for publishing his * Aeay
Memoria Techuica,' but we cannot learn tliat
diis work was ever put to press. It was intended
to embrace a number of tables, in chronology,
geo^craphy, &c. on the plan of Dr. Grey, b\it
with considerable improvements.*

In order to enable those who feel so inclined to
practise Dr. Grey's System, we shall extract from
the fourth edition of the Memoria Technica
published in his life time, so much as is neces-
sary foi" the purpose.

" The principal Part of this Method is briefly
this; To remember any thing in History, Oiro-
nology. Geography, S^c. a Word is form'd, the
13eginni«!g whereof being the first Syllable or
Syllables of the Thing sought, does, by frequent
Repetition, of course (haw after it the latter
Part, which is so contriv'd as to give the Answer.
Thus, in History, the Deluge happened in the
Year before Christ two Thousand three Hun-
dred forty eight ; this is signified by the Word

* To this list may be added a work auiiounced some
time since, entitled Keminiscenlia ; or, the Memory's
Assistant, by Samuel Needham, to be conipietcd in throe
parts, ou tlie plan of Di; Grey.

G g3

342 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS Of

Deletok: Del standing for Deluge, and etok
for 2348. In Astronomy, the Diameter of the
Sun (So LIS Diameter) is eight Hundred twenty
two Thousand one Hundred and forty eight
English Miles; this is signified by Soldi-/cc(^-a/H,
Soldi standing for the Diameterof the Sun, ked-
afei, for 822,148 ; and so of the rest, as will be
shewn more fully in the proper Place. How
these Words come to signifie these Things, or
contribute to the Reraenibring of them is now to
be shewn.

" The first Thing to be done is to learn exactly
the following Series of Vowels and Consonants,
which are to represent the numerical Figures, so
as to be able, at Pleasure, to form a Technical
Word, which shall stand for any Number, or to
resolve a Word already formVl into the Number
which it stands for.

" Here a and b stand for 1, e and d for 2, i
and t for 3, and so on.

" These Letters are assign 'd Arbitrarily to the
respective Figures, and may very easily he re-
meniber'd. The first five Vowels in order natu-
rally represent 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The Diphthong
au, being composed of a 1 and u 5 stands for 6 ;

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 343

oi for 7, being composed of o 4 and i 3 ; ou for
9, being composed of o 4 and u 5. The Diph-
thong ei will easily be remember'd for c/ght,
being the Initials of the Word. In like Manner
for the Consonants, where the Initials could
conveniently be retain'd, they are made use of to
signifie the Number, as t for three, /'for four, s
for six, and w for nine. The rest were assigned
without any particular Reason, unless that pos-
sibly p may be more easily remembred for 7 or
Septem, k for 8 or oKtcj, d for 2 or duo, h for
1 , as being the first Consonant, and / for 5, being
the Roman Letter for 50, than any others that
could have been put in their Places.

*• The Reasons here given, as trifling as they
are, may contribute to make the Series more
readily remembred ; and if there was no Reason
at all assign'd, I believe it will be granted that the
Representation of nine or ten numerical Figures
by so many Letters of the Alphabet, can be no
great Burthen to the Memory.

" The Series therefore being perfectly Icarn'd,
let the Reader proceed to exercise himself in the
Formation and Resolution of Words in this
Manner.

Id 325 381 1921 1491 1012 536 7967
*z tel feib aneb afna lybe uts pousoi

431 553 680 &c.
Jib lut seiz &c.

341 PHINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

*' And as in Numeration of larger Sums, 'tis
usual to point the Figures -at their proper Pe-
riods of Thousands, Millions, Billions, &c. for
the jnore easy Keading of them, as 172,102.795
one Hundred seventy two Miiiions, one Hun-
dred two 'riiousar.d, seven Hundred nitiety five ;
so, in forming a V^-^ord for a Number consisting
of many Figurts, the Syllables may be so conve-
niently divided, as exactly to answer the End of
Pomting. Thus in the Instance before us,,
which is the Diameter of the Oi bit of the Earth
in Eiig/ish Miles: The Technical Wojd is
Dorbter6o/c/ cize-poul ; the Beginning of the
Word Dorbter, «tauding f(ir tl»e Diameter of the
Orbit of the Earth, (Diameter ORBUag TERiae)
and the remaining Part of it boid-aze-poul for
the Number 172,^02,79,5.

*'jY. B. Always remember that the Diphthongs
are to be consider'd but as one I etter, oi rather,
as representing only one Figure. Note also,
that 1/ is to be pronounced as w, for the more
easily distinguishing it from /, as sijcl=i502, pro-
nounce swid, tiip= 307 pronounce ?av/j.

** The Reader will observe that the same Date
or Number may be signified by different Words,
according as Vowels or Consonants are made
Choice of, to represent the Figures, or to begin
the Words with, as

325 tcl, or idu, l5t h'lf, or A/o, or «(/", or al: 93,451
ni-ola, or oul-/ub, or ni-Jiaf or ciU-olb, &c.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 345

" This Variety gives great Room for Choice, in
the Formation ot Words, of such Terminations
as by iheir Uncommoriness are most likely to be
remembred, or by any accidental Relation or
Allusion they may have to the Thin^ sought.
Thus the Year of the World in which .Eneas is
supposed to have settled in Italt/ is 2H'24 ; but
as this may be expressed either by ekej or deido,
I chuse rather to join deido to Mneas, and make
the Technical Word J^n^tdeido than JEnckef,
for a Reason which I think is obvious. Thus
King John began his Reign A. D 199- ("ne
Thousand being understood to be added, as I
shall shew hereafter ;) but as this may be ex-
press'd by anoit, or boun, or ami, I make
Choice of the last, for then 'tis but calling him
Jann instead of John, and you have the Time
almost in his Name. Thus Inachus King of
Argos began his Reign in the Year before
Christ 18,3(); wiih u very small Variation in the
Spelling, 'tis his Name li\akiis. But this by the
Way.

" To go on with our Art ; 'tis further to be ob-
serv'd, that z and y being made Use of to repre-
sent the Cypher, where many Cyphers meet to-
gether, as in 1000, 1000000, &c. instead of a
Repetition of azyzyuj, which could neither be
easily pronounced nor remember'd, g stands for
Hundred, th for Thousand, and m for Million.

346 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

Thus ag will be 100, ig 300, oug 900, &c.
ath 1000, olh 4000, otfio or othf 4004, peg
7200, <//'g 2300, lath 51000, am 1000000,
azmoth 10.004,000, sumus 65.000,056, /om»i
59000,000, &c. The solid Content of the
Earth (TERiae M AON rruHo) is two Hundred
sixty four 'J'housand, eight Hundred titty six
Millions of Cuhick Miles; this is expresfj'd by
the Word Ter-magnit-eso-/r/««W2 ; Termagnit
standing for TVrras Magnitudo ; tso-klauin for
264,856,000,000 the Number of Cuhick Mi!es»
" It w ill be .sumctnues also of Use to be able to
set down a Fraction, winch may be done in the
following Manner : Let r be the Separatrix
between the Numerator and the Denominator,
the first coining hejore, the othf r after it ; as
iro I urp -. puurag t4 or ,79 north ^^^ o*" >094
&c. Where the Numerator is I, or Lhiit, it
need not be expressed, but begin the Fraction
with r, as \ re, ^ ri, | ro, &.c. So m Deci-
mals, ,01 or ,5b> rag ,00 i or ,-oVo f(ith-

1 . Chrohology and History.

" Th e Ages of the World before our Saviour's
Time are by Chronologers generally divided into
Six : The Fir^i from the Creation to the Deluge ;
the Second from the Deluge to the Call of J bra-
ham, &c. according to the following Periods :

ARTIFICIAL MEMOllY. 347

Before Christ.

1. Tlie CReation of the World 4004

2. The universal DfiLuge 2348

3. The Call of ABiaham 1921

4. EXodus, or the Departnre of the Is-

raelites from Egypt 1491

5. The Foundation of Solomon's TEMple 1012

6. Cyrus, or the End of the Captivity 536
The Bnth of Christ.

" All this is express'd in one Line, as fol-
lows :

Cro<A/"Dele/ofc AbanfJ Exo/no Temhtjle Cyruts,

Cr denotes die Creation, othf 4004, Del the
Deluge, Ab the Calling of Abraham, Ex Exo-
dus, Tem the Temple, and Cjr Cyrus. The
Technical Endings of each represent the respec-
tive Year according to the Rules already laid
down.

" I shall explain two Lines more.

Nicsilcoii kr'xtel, Codathe mdiieih, Ephcethe-nes/i.
Challemar-eudio/a, Covijtist-O/wt, C-^^copo-nionscir.

" These two Lines are a short History of the
first Six General Councils ; and every Syllable
has its distinct Signification. The first represents
the Place where it was held ; the second shews
who was Pope at that Time ; the third under

S48 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

what Emperor ; the fourth against what Here-
tick ; ihejjf'ih, in what Year of our Lord. Thus
the first Word is Nicsilcon antel. Nic denotes
the Council of Nice, sil Pope SiLvester, con
the Emperor CoNstantine, ari the Heretick
Arius, tel the Year 325. The second Word is
Codathe msiteib ; Co denotes the Council of
Constantinople, da Pope DAmasus, the the
Emperor THEodosius, ma the MAcedonians,
teib 38 1 . The third is Ephcethe-nes^T* ; Epli
the Council of EpHesus, ce Pope Cfilestine, the
the Emperor *rHEodosius, nes the NEStorians,
fb the Year 431. The fourth is Challemar-
euSio la ; Chal the Council of CLALcedon, le
Pope Leo, mar the Emperor MAiician, eudi the
Errors of Eutyches and Dioscorus, ola the Year
451. The fifth is Covijust-O/?/? ; Co stands for
Constantinople, vi Pope Vigilius, just the Em-
peror J usTinian, O the Errors of Origen, lut
the Year 553. The sixth C-i^copo-monseiz ;
C stands again for Constantinople, ag for Pope
Aoaiho, copo the Emperor COnstantine PO-
gonatus, mon the IVloNothelites, seiz the Year
680.

• TlieodosiMs Junior.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 540

** The Regal Table of England since the Con-
quest, and some of the most remarkable
Princes before it.

Bef. Christ.

CASiBELanus chosen chief Commander by 1
the Britains ai^aiiist the Invasion of Julius > 52
Ccesar [CasibelMrf] }

Aft. Christ.

Queen Boa Bicea, the British Heroine, be-")
ing abused by the Romims, raises an > 67
Army and kills 7000 [BOddaup] 3

VoRTiGeni who invited the Saxons to the ")
Assistance of the Britains against the V 446
Scots and Picts [Vortij!;/os] j

HENcist the Saxon, who erected the King-")
dom of Kent, the first of the Heptarchy > 455
[He.ig/>//J 3

Kin? ARTHur famous for his powerful Re- ^
sistance and Victories over tlie Saxons > 514
[Arth/«/-] 3

EcBKrt who reduced the Heptarchy, and ^
was first crown'd sole Monarch of £ng- > 828
land [Egbe/ifA:] J

ALFRF.d, who founded the University of)

Oxford [Mfrekpe] | ^'^

Can ute the Dane [CanJaw] lOlS

Edward the Con FKSsor [Confes/I'] 1042

WiLliam the CoNq. [Wil-consoMJ Oct. 14. 1066

William Rufus [Ruf Aws] Sept. 9. 1087

HKNRy I. [Henra^] Aug. 2. 1100

SxEPHen [StephW/] Dec. 2. 3135

HENry the SECond [Hens^cbuf] Oct. 25. 1154

H H

$$0 PRINOIPAIi SYSTEMS OF

Richard I. [Ricbei7i] July 6. 118*>

John [Jann] April 6. 11 99

HEiiry the THird [Heth«?a«] Of?. 19. 1216

EDward I. [Edrfojrf] Noik \6. 1272

Envardus SEcundus [Edsef^yja] July 7, 1307

EDvardus TERtius [Edterfe*] Jan. 25. 1326

Richardus SEcundus [Ris^t6ip] June 31. 1377

HEnry the Fourth [Hefofown] Sept. 20. 1399

HEnry the Fifth [Hefi/^rf] March 20. 1412

HEnry the sixth [Hensi/frf] Aug. 31. 1422

Eovardus ouARtus [Edquar/(7M.r] March 4. 1460

Edward the Fifth 1 pp . n ,-, r April g. 14&3
Richard III. / L*^^» «<"^f J | J„ae 32. 1483

HENricus SEPtinius [Henseji/e//] yi?<^. 22. 1485

HENricus octav. [Henoc/y«J April 22. 1509

EDvardus SEXtHs [Edsex/o*} Jan. 28. 1546

Mary [Mary/w^J Jj^^y 6. 1553

ELisabeth [EIs/mA:] iVoi;. 17. 1558

jAMes I. [Jams3/rf] March 24. l602

CaroIus PRIMUS [Ctiropn:n«e/] Mairch21. l625

CaroIus SEcundus [CarsecsoA:] ^Aisw. 30. l64S

jAMes II. [Jamsf?/] Fe&. 6. l684

WiLliam and Mary [Wilse/Ar] Ffi. 13. ltf88

ANne {h\\pyh\ March 8. 1701

GEOrgel. [Geofeo] Aug^ 1. 1714

CrEorgell. [G6osec<?oi} Jwne 11. 1727

" The Memorial Lines.

Casibelwrf BSddaiip \ovt\gfos Uengfid & Arthlqf,
Egbe/tefc AlfreA:pe Odiibau Confes/f.

AHTIPICIAL MUMOhlf. 551

Wil-constvii ilufAoi Henrflg-. — — •— ^

Stepb6/7 & Uemecbuf Ricbein Jantt Hethrfff* &

Eddoid.
Edse(y/> Edter/es Risetoip Ht(otoun Hefi/flrfque.
H^nsi/ed Edquar/cMJ Ein-llokf licme\)JeillienQclyn.
Edsex/o« Marylut FAsluk Jmnsj/d Cdioprimsel.
Carsec/b/c Jamseif Wilwt'A: Aupyb Geofto— — (/oi.

*' N. B. After Canute inclusive, One Thou-
sand is to be added to each : It was thought un-
ucwessary to express it, it being a Thing in which
it is impossible that any one should mistake.

" If it be desired to remember in what Month,
and Day of the Month each King began his
Reign, it may be done by the following Lines :

Wil-tbosou-fat Steph-de Jsim-chef-fau Wi-ls-jeb-ed

lA-nap.
Hen-ge-tel-an sez-chez gib-ged-ped Geor-ga-iab

An chei.
Caf-chf^-rix Ma-b Jo-ps Ed-n<f«-lo» tel-cho-pou rek-

c|ue«

" EXPLANATION.

" The Italick I^etters represent the Day of
the Month ; the Letter immediately preceding
represents the Month itself, r standing for Janu-
ary, f for JPebruary, ch for March, p for April ,
■1 for Msij, j for June, 1 for Ju/y, g for August,

35% PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

s for 5eptember^ t for October, n for iVovernber,
and d for jDecember.

" Thus Steph-de, Stepli King Stephen, de
Dec. 2. El-nap El Elizabeth, nap Nov. 17.
In Words of three or more Syllables, the first
Syllable stands for all the Kings of the same
Name, and the following Syllables in Order an-
swer to the first, second, third, 8cc. of that Name.
So Jam-chef-fau ; Jam denotes James I & II.
chef (viz. March 24.) belongs to James I. and
fau (viz. Feb. 6.) to James II. So lR.i-\s-jeb-ed ;
Hi denotes all the Richards, Is (viz. July 6.) be-
longs to Richard 1. jeb (viz. June 21.) to Rich-
ard II. and ed (viz. 22. of the same Month) to
Richard III.

" If this be thought either too difficult, or ^oo
minute, the Reader may pass it over."

In the Rev. J. Robinson's * Grammar of

History,* will be found a list of remarkable

events from the Creation to the Battle of Tra-

J a /gar, with all the technical terminations of

Dr. Grey. This is a useful supplement.

"2. Geography.

** In the first Place are laid down the general
Divisions of Europe, Asia, Jfnck and America;
then the particular Divisions of the several King-
doms of Europe, into their respective Govern-
ments or Provinces. For every Division there

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 355

is one Technical Line, composed of the first
syllables (or sometimes only of the first letters)
of the Parts or Places into which it is subdivi-
ded ; which Syllables or Letters are distinguished
from the rest, in the Tables, by Small Capitals,
or an Hyphen following.

" ' Tis further to be observ'd, that the Begin-
ning, Middle, and Ending of the Line answer,
in order, to the Northern, Middle and Southern
Divisions of the Kingdoms or Countries; so that
not only the Places themselves, but in some
Measure their Situation with Respect to each
other may be remember'd at the same Time.
Thus in the Memorial Line for France,

Fra— P \oi-I-cham ; Eiet-O-BuL; GuULa-DaP.

" P Nor-T-cham denotes the four Northern
Governments, ij/s. P-icardy, NpRmandy, I-sle
of France, and CuAMpagne.

" Bret-O-BuL denotes the four Middle Go-
vernments, viz. BRETagnc, O-rleanois, Bour-
gogne, and L-ionnois.

" Gui-La-Da-P denotes the four Southern
Governments, viz. Guienne with Gascony, Lah-
guedock, DAuphiny and P-rovence.

" It will be yet some further Help to remem-
ber the Situation of Places, to observe, that in
the several Divisions I begin at the PVesv, and go
•n Eastward, as far as the Limits of the Cotm-
H H 3

354 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

try will allow, in a strait Line, unless where the
Irregularity of the Position makes this Method
inconvenient or impracticable : Where that is the
Case, the Reader will supply the Defect by his
own Observation, and by comparing with proper
Maps.

" Observe further, that where the Syllables
are connected with an Hyphen, the Countries
denoted by them are contiguous from West to
East ; thus,

" Nor-I-cham shews that the IsU of France
joyns to l^^ormandy on the East, and Champagne
to the Isle of France on the East. Where the
Syllables or Letters denoting two or more Coun-
tries are joyn'd together without an Hyphen,
there the Countries are contiguous from North
to South. Thus Gui-La-DaP shews that Lan-
guedock joyns to Guienne on the East, Danphiny^
and Provence to Lcmguedock on the East ; and
also that Provence is contiguous to, and South
of Dauphini/. Such Syllables as have an Hi/-
phen preceding, but are not by it immediately
joyn'd to the foregoing Syllable, signifying that the
Countries denoted by them lie Eastward, but are
not contiguous. Thus Sp-It-Turk shews that
Italy is East of Spain, and Turky East oi Italy,
but not contiguous.

" When the Reader is become well acquainted
with the General Divisions^ he may then go on

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 35*

to charge his Memory with his chief Cities, and
most remarkable Places of every Country ; their
Longitude and Latitude ; the Correspondence of
ancient and present Geography ; the Geography
of the Old and New Testament ; the Propor-
*tions of the Kingdoms of Europe to Great Bri~
tain ; the Situations of the most noted Islands ;
with other instructive and entertainhig Particulars
in Geography : All which he will find himself
able to remember with greater Ease than he can
possibly imagine, till he is acquainted with the
Memorial Li)ies, contriv'd for that Purpose.

" The General Divisions of Europe, Asia,
Africk and America.

" L EUROPE is divided into, "

1 . Northern ; Containing NOrway, S-wederr,
MOscovy ; D-onmark :

2. iSUddh; Contaiuing NEtherlands, GEmiany,
Poland, Little T-artary; Francc, SwiTzerland,
HuNgary, TRANsilvmiia, MOidavia, VAlachia.

3. Southern; Containing Spain with Portjigal,
iTaly, TiRKv.

Eur =: No-S-Mo D ; Ne-Ge-Po-IT Fran-Swita Him-Traii'
Mo-Va Sp-It-Turk.

3j6 principal systems of

" 11. ASIA is divided into,

1. Nortlierfi ; Containing Great TAitary, GEor-
gia.

2. Middle; containing TuRky in ^«/a ; PErsia,
Empire of the MOguI, CniNa.

3. Soniheryi; Containing Ar Asia, East iNDies.

. As = Ta-Geo j Tiu-P6-Mo-Cliin ; Arab-Ind

<' III. AFRICK is divided into,

1. Northern; Containing BArbary, BiLdulgerid,
E-gypt.

2. Middle; Containing ZAara, Nsgroland, Gui-
nea, N-ubia.

3. Southern; Containing CoNgo, ABlssinia,
Coast oI'Abex, Coast oi"CAFreria, MoNOmotopa,
ZANGUebar, Coast of Ajan.

AF — BaBil-E.; ZiiNeGui-N ; Con-Abiss-Abe Caf-Mono-
Zangu-Aj.

" IV. AMERICA is divided into,

1. N-orthern; Containing New WALes, New
BRiTain, Lovisiana, CANada or New France, New
GRANada, MExico, Fi.ORida, New England con-
taining these seven Provinces, (CARolina, Virginia,
MAryland, P-ensilvania, New YoRk, New J-arsey
New ENoland properly so call'd,) lying from Soutli-
West to North-East.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 35^

2. S-ottthein : Containing Terra FiR Ma, Peru,
Country of the Amazohs, BrasH, CaiH, Para-
guay, MAGellaiiica.

N-AM = Wal-Brit L6vi-Can GranMex-F'lor (C^r-Vi-M«

P-YorJ Eng.
S-AAtFinn Per-Ain^z-Bra Chi-ParMag.

'' 3. Astronomy.

" The Technical Endings affixed to the Be-
]gimiings of the Names of the Planets represent
the Number of Miles of their Diameters, Dis-
tances, Magnitudes, 6jc. according to the general
Key. Where the Beginning of the Word is
Technical, it is composed of the Syllables or
Letters distinguish'd in the Tables by Small
Capitals.

" The D'iameters, S^c. of the Planets in Eng'

lish Miles, according to Dr. Derham's Astro-

theology.

Engl. Miles..
Lu na [LuDdapu] 2175 ,

MERCUry IMcrcuDepokl 2748

Mars [MarDoAr/zw] 48/5

VEnus [VeDoneip^ 4987

TERree DiAni. [TerDinpousX,k'] 79^7,8]

SAturn [SaDHz-o/a] 93,451

Jupiter [JuDrt^-*//] 130,653

SoLis Diam. ISolDlked-nfa] 82'?,148

358 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

" The D'iameters of their OkbUs.

Engl. Miles.
SATum ITy-oTh-Siitasob-les-teis] l64>l. 526,386

Jupiter IJuRBkoul-atoth] 895.134,000

MArs [MuRBese-deid-naz] 262.282,910

TERra ID-orh-Terboid-aze-poul] 172.102,795

MErcury IMeRBsau-sebthl 66.621,000

Vedus lYeKBbef-okoi-baf] 124.487,114

LuNa IDorhhrnopoU'tiyl] 479,905

SATurni AniiuH Diam. or the Dia-'j

meterof .SV7/?/ni's Ring [Sat- ami- > 210,265

thddz-datd'} J

— Ejnsdem LATitudo, or the^

Breadth of Saturn's Riug [ > 29,200

iUtJ«WH-tgJ J

TERrie SuPERficies, or the super-^

ficial Content of the Earth [Ter- J- 199.444,205
super a un-f of -ezau'] J

Ejusdem DiAmeter [Dia^0M-"i 70^7 &

saijkl i '

Ejusdem Orbita pERiMeter ■) ^^^ ^gg ^^5

[Permnfy-skau-del'} J

*' The Magnitudes or Solid Contents in Cubick
Miles of the larger Planets.

" MagnitiuIo.

Cubick Miles.
TERrze \Tej-ma»niteso-klatim] 264,856.000,000

SOLls [Mag-so! iseo«2- -» 090,971 .000,000.000,009
«o;a-iau-niil] J

ARTIFICIAL MEMOttT. S59

Cubick Miles.

JOYis [Mag-jovKea- ^ 920.011,200.000,000

SATurni [Sat-nragnit- "i 497.218,300.000,000

oep-aak & tzym] J

" 27ie A Mbit or Circumference.

English Miles.
Jovis [Am-jovisijW)M-rof] 379j043

T-en-je [Am-Tt;/-^*7>] 25,031

SoLis [Ani-sole-/«rf-A<wY3 2.582,873

" The Memorial Lines.

"LioDdapv, MerfiiD<?jjo/c MarDofc/jw TerDia;)owsoi,fc.
SviDatij-sli VcDojifj/j SaD«j-o?a, 'io\Y)'\ked-afei.
D-orb-Situiofr-ics-kw JuRB^o«<-a^o<ft.MaKjSt.ve-deirf-n«z. '
D-or'o-Tertoid-^jse-poui MeRB,vaM-se6Wi VeKB6«/-(.feoj-6u^.
Sat-anu-dif/as-daui — latirfoM-c^ D-orb-lunj»(>u-ni//.
Ter-buperan«-yo/-f3a« — dia^«usoi,fc^PcrmM/j/-«A;a«c(af,
Ter-inagiiitt%o-A:/ai<m Mag-s61is-i;ofir-noia-niil-inil.
Mag-Jov?i<?>2(U-e:(/w Sat-niagnitoq)-rfrtA;& ist/m.
Am-jovisfpoM-2o« Am-Tt/-!/i6 Xm-^o\e-teid-koit,

" 4. Coins, Weights, and Measures.

'* The Beginning of the Words is composed
of Uie Initial Letters ; thus At-ta stands for
ATtick TAlent, Het far Habrew T-aleut ; Ad
for A ttick D-rachm; AId for ALexandrian
P-rachm; HetO for Hebrew Talent of Gold;
(Het standing for HE-brew T-alent as before,
and O for Or, or Gold) RoL for ROman

,860 PRlNCIPAf. SYSTEMS OF

L-ibra, Den for DENarius, Shek for ShekcI,
GreF for GREcian F-oot, HeC for HEbrew
C-ubit, HoFq for ROman F-oot S^^uare, ^c.

*' The Italick Endings of the Words represent
the Number of Pounds, ShilHngs and Pence,
which are separated from each other by Hyphens^
or else signified by the Roman Letters I. s. d.
The double Lines denote Equality. Thus
Am— dr«^— ?-e2-w, signifies that an A-ttick
M-ina, which is equal to 100 Drachms, was 3
Pounds 8 Shillings and 9 Pence. The Letters,
though separated, are to be pronounced together;
as t-ei-n tein. The Reader is to be reminded
here that re signifies ^,ro J, &c. But Note, that
instead of the Fraction re, the Letter h is some-
times used for Half, as oikbe-h— 7 Sl^l sc. 7812
Pounds 10 Shillings."

This system of Dr. Grey reflects great credit
on the ingenuity of the author. Of the Me-
moria Technica, Dr. Priestley observes, " it
is so easily learned, and may be of so much
use in recollecting dates, when other methods
are not at hand, that he thinks all persons of
a liberal education inexcusable, who will not
take die small degree of pains that is necessary
to make themselves masters of it ; or who think
any thing mean, or unworthy of their notice,
which IS so useful and convenient.*"

* Lectures on History, p. 157.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. S6l

Richard Grey was born in the year 1693,
and was a learned divine of the Church of Eng-
land. He took his degree of M. A. at Lincoln
College, Oxford, in the year I? IS- 1 9. The
6rst preferment which he obtained, was the
Rectory of Kilncote, in Leicestershire, to which
he appears to have been instituted at an early
period of life ; and afterwards he was appointed
to the Rectory of Hinton, in Northamptonshire,
and to a Prebend iu the Cathedral Church of St.
Paul.

In the year 1730, he published his Me-
moria Technica. In the same year also he
published, " A System of English Ecclesiastical
Law, extracted from the Codex Juris Eccle-
iiastici Anglicani, of the Right Rev. the Lord
Bishop of London, for the use of young stu-
dents in the Universities, who are designed for
Holy Orders." 8*^. For this work the University
presented him with the degree of Doctor of Di-
vinity, by diploma, during the following year.
It was afterwards reprinted, at different periods,
with the addition of marginal references to the
pages in the Codex.

In the year 17S6, he published a large
anonymous pamphlet, entitled, " The miserable
and distracted state of Religion in England,
upon the downfall of the Church establish-
ed :" and iu the year 1738, " A new and
1 I

S62 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

easy method of learning Hebrew without
Points. To which is annexed, by way of praxis,
the Book of Proverbs, divided according to the
Metre; with the massoretical Readings in Ro-
man Letters, &c. a grammatical analysis, and
short notes, critical and explanatory, etc. 8*^."
In the following year, he published, on a large
single sheet, " Tabula exhibens paradigmata
Verborum Hebraicorum regularium et irregula-
rium, per omnes ConjngRtiones, Modos, Tem-
pora, et Personas, pleuius et accuratins excusa ;''
and also, " Historia Josephi Palriarchae, Literis
tam Roraanis, quam Hebraicis excusa, cum
Versioue Interlineari S. Pagnini, 8c vocum In-
dico Analytico ; praemittitur nova Methodus He-
braice Discendi, diligcntius recognita, etc. 8°."
These pieces were again reprinted in 1751.

In the year 1742, Dr. Grey published, " Liber
Jobi in versiculos Metiice divisus, cum Versione
Latina Alberti Schultens, notisque ex ejus Com-
raentariis excerptis, etc. Edidit, atqiie annota-
tiones • suas ad Metrum przecipue spectantes,
adjecit R. G. etc. Accedit Canticum Moysis,
Deut. xxxii. cum Notis variorum, 8°." In the
preface to this work some strictures were intro-
duced on particular passages in Warburton's
" Divjne Lesj^tion ;" to which that gentleman
replied ui !iis " Rcmurks on several occasional
eftjctioiH," etc. Tlus reply called forth from

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. SGS

Dr. Grey, in the year 1744, an " Answer to
Mr. Warburton's * Remarks on several occa-
sional Reflections,' so far as they concern the
preface to a late edition of the Book of Job ; in
which the subject and design of that divine poem,
are set in a full and clear light, and some particu-
lar passages in it occasionally explained," etc. 8".
In the year 1746, Dr. Grey occupied the
post of official and commissary of the Arch-
deaconry of Leicester. In 1749, he published,
" The last words of David, divided according to
the metre, with notes critical and explanatory,"
4°. This last publication, except new editions
of his former pieces, was an English translation
of Mr. Hawkins Browne's poem, " De Animse
Immortalitate," which appeared in 1753. Be-
sides the articles enumerated above. Dr. Grey
printed some single " Sermons," preached on
public occasions. He died in 1771, in the
seventy-eighth year of his age.*

05. Mnemonics delineated in a small
compass and easy Method, for the
better enabling to remember what is
most frequently ivanted, and most
dijficultly retained or recollected,
8". Lond. 1737.

* Nichols' Anecdotes of Bowyer.

8C4 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OP

This extremely rare tract, compiled by Soto*'
man Lowe, contains 14 pages in a very small type,
besides the title and the advertisement which i»
printed on the back of the title, making a single
sheet of demy, 8°. As Dr. Watts has consi-
dered this tract as a material improvement of
Grey, and as some of the purchasers of the pre-
sent volume may choose to practise the scheme
of Grey and Lowe, we have thought pro*
per, in this edition, to reprint the whole of
the original tract, as it has become extremely
rare ; — and although lately reprinted, it can-
not be purchased without the incumbrance
of the Memoria Technica of Grey ; a suf^
ficient specimen of which has already been
given.

ADVIKTISEMENT.

" Th e key to this art (so far as relates to.
the expressing of numbers by Letters) we
owe to the ingenious Dr. Grey. What fol-.
lows may be considered as a supplement to,
and improvement of his Memoria Technica ;
for most of the articles are what, perhaps, did
not occur to him : aud the rest I think are re-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. . 365

formd * to great purpose ; particularly those of
Weights, Coins, and Measures; ofNvhich I have
given a full account in less than three pages,
whereas the Doctor's (though very defective)
amounts to 31. Those who are curious will add
such particulars, as they have most occasion for;
in order to lay up a treasure of useful principles
in their heads ; for the greatest part of which
they must, otherwise, from time to time, have
recourse to books ; or, where those are not at
hand be disappouited ; how much soever it may
be to their discredit or prejudice. 1 need not
inform those who have the education of youth,
whether in schot)ls, or universities, how much
something of this nature would expedite the pro-
gress of their pupils, and show them to advan-
tage ; furnish bt times with a satisfactory cer-
tainty, reachness, and e.\actness, in things, of
which Masters themselves, and men of reading,
have generally but an imperfect and confused
remembrance. I shall only add (to obviate an
objection, diat may naturally otFer itself to such
as are unacquainted with things of this nature)
that how diificult and forbidding soever the jar-
gon of this art may appear; nothing will stick

* We have preserveil Mr. Lowe's ortliography throiyjli-

Mlt.

I I 3

366 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

more effectually in the memory, when once
familiarisd by frequent repetition so as to flow

into the mind without reflexion. N. B. The

accents denote the first syllable of a tiactyl.

" SOLOMON LOWE."

Directions for the better learning to remember
figures or numbers exprest by Letters.

a e i o u au oi ei ou y
1234567 8 9 0
bdtflspkn z

g 100. th 1,000. m 1.000,000.

r denotes fractions, as follows : yVo \: ,iro | :
d^eriS \: ,rag,01.

Arithm et ical Characters.
-f and: — less: X multiplied-j'nfo: -— divided-

by : zz is, gives.

The Division of the' old Roman AS, viz. any Integer)
or Whole.

Uuica, Sext. QuS Triens. Quinc. Sena. Sept. Bes,
Dodra Dext. Deu.

AS, parts

Seniissis

Deunx

Quuicunx

Dextans

Triens

Dodrans

Quadrans

Bessis

Sextans

Septunx

Uncia

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. SC?

COINS.
Coins reducd to Farthings.

1 E.]' Sh-o/i. Cr-e/j/.] N-/</3. Ange-oAri-. M-dufy.

Gui-bzi/k. Cdr-bdzo. ivic-beg.

2 H. Ger-/] Be-//. Sh-fl&r. *IMan-A7/;)*. f TdUdeith

fril] Sh-aplt'.. Tal-?//H dusth.

3 G. LejVjf ^/^fflu. Dtchal-a,j3rt/. 6b-w,j'fl«]*Dr-»6.

4- Stat6r-«</o.

4 R. T,oipuruth. § As-f,rflr] Ses-p,i7f. \.al,r&.
Den-ii. Sp-o)/.] Auroipu.

^ Drachm] H?b-is. Att M. Alex-oid —
I Min] Att-?/^. Itnl-ekeiz.
I Tal.] Atl-barikth. Biihtifafh.] Att-7bauth
^^ \\ fig- Bab-?/H (iinisth. R-aki/tk.
. !_/ 1 Stater (sold) Att-;?o«7 Cys-Phll-Alex-

^ ■ C As\veiuhdOuiKes-r,'</,U-C-5oM3 :e;fouzi

\ a ; lip : -tire ; leis.

MONEY.

Sums of Money, or Money of Aceownt.

y(E) Pemi/. (6r-as. Vonnd-onsy. (G) Tal.

^ Min. X.gi-gz=:ubss. ^Ant-syzzg.
,. \ Y^Mih-oizTninns. Pt-az— czii. Syr-alzzpoil. Ty-

^ riaii-fiz^/i?/^.

C(R) Sesterce ib-ath, duo, biui numnii

^ ^ • t6-a»J, tluo, bina,

( — stertia ; or inillia sestertiuni, above by

^ > the adverbs, as foUows :

C Bis sestertiuni, or bis ; understanding millia
^ > centum (or centena).

6 Abbreviatures explaind.

jT.ginea raina, talentum (lin.) 5. Alexanilrina
^nichma, *; stater, 4. Angel, 1. Aniiocbicama.

368 PRIXCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

tal. 5. yVs, 4. §. Attica drachma, *, raina, *, sta-
ter, 4 ; taieiituni, |. Aiu-eus denarius, 4. Buhy-
/owitfl mill. tal. I . Bckalj, 2. Carolus, 1. Croesius
stater, |. Crown,!, Cyzicenus stat«^r, 4. Darcius
stater, I . Denarius, 4. Dichakos, 3. Drachma 3.
Gerali C. Groat '^, 5. Guinea, 1. Hebraica drach-
ma,'*. JacoLu-.y 1. Italica mina,*. Lepton, 3. Ma-
neh, 2 Maik, 1. Mhur,''\5. Noble, 1. Obolus, 3.
Pennu", 5. Piiilippicus stater, 4.. . Pound, 5. Pto-
lemaica min. tal. 6. Piomanum talentum, 4.. Ses-
teriinm, 7, Sestertius, 4. Shekel, 2. Shilling, 1.
Sportuia, 4. Stater, 3. Si/ria min. tal. 6. Talen-
tum'', 2, 5. Teruncius, 4. Ti/ria min. tal. 6. Vic-
toriatus, 4.

6 Synonifms and Equivalents.
.?ils, as. Assarium, as. Attica minormina — antlo-
chica. Attica m(!JGrmirio=:tyr'rd. Bi<;,atus, denarius.
Centussis, 100 asses. Chalcos, | dichalchos. De-
ctissis", 10 asses. Didrachmon, 2 drachmie. Dio-
bolon, 2 oboli. Dupondius , 2 asses. Euhoca mi-
»« — antiochia. Hemiobolon, h obolus. Laureat,
carolus. Libella, as. Libra (or libra pondo) =z mina
attica. Mna, mina, Nomissis, 9 asses. Nununus,
sestertius. Obolus, \ noble. Octussis, 8 asses. Pen-
tad rachmcu, 5 drae!iiiia\ Pondo, v. libra. Qua-
drans, \ as, \ noble. Quadrigiitus, denarius. Qua-
drussis^, 4 asses. Quinarius, victoriatus. Quin-
quessis'^, 5 asses. 7?Aorf/crza>ginea. Send>ella, se-
milibella. Semiiibella, h libella. Semunicu, h uncia.
Sescuiicia, 1 h uncia. Sextans ^, -5 as. Sextula'^, ~
luicia. Solidus, aureus. Tctradrachnion, 4 drach-
ma;. Tetrobolon, 4 oboii. Tressis, 3 asses. Tri-
cessis, 30 ?isses. Tridrachmon, 3 drachma\ Tri-
ei}s '■, ^ as. Triobolon, 3 oboli. Vigessis, 20 asses,
Uncia % tt as.

1 N. B. The several coins, measures, and wiighls, being
reducd to'the lowest denominations, tlie memorial versei
answer all the purposes of the largest tables : (1) The dif-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. S69

t'erence of any Wo terms beinj? known by subtraction • :
and (2) How many of any make one of another, by divi-
sion *. e.j?. (a) What is the difference between a Shilling

and a Shekel? Answ. (Sh-ahz) 110 — (Sh-ofcJ 48=: 62 q.
i. e. S 2 : 3 : '2 — S 1 ; — S 1 : 3 : 2, the shekel more than
the shilling. ( b) How many Spans make a Fathom / Answ.
Fath'OJd) 72 -f- (Span) 9 zi 8. Accordingly, if it be
(askd. What is n fathom '/ (and Jo of any other) the answer
may be made, the same way, in ajiy of the prior denomina-
tions : e. g. 24 palms, or 6 feet, or 4 cubits, or 2 yards, or
1 I- pace, &c.

^ Any whole was called AS, and 1 twelfth of it Uncia
[whence our terms of ounces for weight, and inches for
leHgth]. The several numbers of those unciae (i.s tween 1

and 12) were denoraiuated, in order, as follows iu

text: viz. Se^Ltans (i.e. i) 3 Quadran<4 (i) 3, &c. and

express their manner of reckoning Interest of nior.ey : tlais
usiircB asses [centesimae] iwas 1 per mon'h [12 per year]
per cent, (suppose aurei, or pounds : deunces, ll twelfths
per month, and so on to unciaria, 1 twelfth per mouth [1
per year] e. g. 20d. per month, 30s. per year.

3 Of the three apartments distinKuisht by brackets, ia
the 1st are Brass- or Copper- ; 2d, SilTcr-; 3d, Gold-coins'.

NB. (1) Sh-ofe (as appears by the Abbreviatures ex-

plaind underneath, a)id by the key above) sis;nifies Shilling
48: i. e. a shilling is 48 farthings 5 and so of the rest, (2)
y {the memorial letter) may be pronouncd wee or ici, to
distinguish it from i: e. g. Cr-e/y, as if it were Cr-efwi.

4 i. e. in the year (LVi'W Conditte) from the building of

tlie city of Rome, 190. e,foitz ; i. e. U. C. 490, when the

Punic war had exhausted the treasury, it weighd but 2. and
«o of the rest.

.5 i. e. the iEginean mina was (ubss) 5656 q : (g) 100
of which made the j^gincan talent, and so of the rest.

6 N. B. In these lists — those in Italic are moneys of ac-
count, the rest, coins.- The Figures and Marks refer to the
corresponding memorial verses.

(c) N.B. There are also Coind Half-guineas, Seven-shil-
ling pieces, Half-crowns, Three-pences, Two-pences,Half-
pennies ; and such as are distinguisht by a superior <:.

MEASURES.

Cubic Measures reduced to Pints.

f Quar-d. *GzU\ R-af6. Ear-eld. Ti-(wiNE)
I its. li-uzf. P-fluj»6. E-athei. T-ethbau.

rl'

570 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

^ Firk-hoid, dsf.^ Kil aM*, b<7^(BEER & ALE)
^ Bat'hdeik, Mus. Hog-alad, hups,
Ve-bsr Bii-^o. Str-aek. Cooia-dus (dry) Se-
ube. Ch-etzo. V^e-ithpi^. \^d-lady.
( (liq.) C-,nrei. L-iro. Cab-?. Haz (h) Seah-rfy.

4 1 Bath *Y- H6m-«MrM {-uid.

\ Cnh-,durm!. G6m-,vraz. Se-boi (dry) Ba-/tf.

5 ^ Le-dlat/. Hbmer-laf.
Coch-jj-^tfy- Ch-i'miz. Myst,}-ok (g) Conch-,rqf.

Oxyba-,rri- Wetr-m.
Cocb-,rady. Choen &re. Mtdim-^S (DRY) Cy-
Ox-Coty-Xest as the Roman.
rQnait ,r6. Se-ff,r/. C6-p. Ur-e^-»v/ (r) QuS-
^ ) dr-w/y, Cul^-bafp. D. Cy. Ace. Hem.
q^\Lig~,rok. Cy-ra*/. Acet-jr^^i' H^ra(DRY)in,rg..
I. Sti-a,ru. t Mod-«s,r€.
V *GalloN contains inches (dry) doid,r6'^i
^^^ ^ (beer) -<>Ar6 : (wiiie) eta^.

S tPoTTLE Quarts (dr-) / (liquid)-e — f MoDI-
l Pints (liquid)-</n (dry) bau,ro.

Abbreviatures explaind.
A(ctabulum(lin.)9, 8. Barrel,!. Bath, 4. Bush-
el, 3. Butt, 1. Cab, 4, Caph, 4. Ciicme, 6. Chau-
drcn, 3. Choenix, 7. Cochlearion, 6. Concha, 6.
Congius, 8. Coomb, 3. Culcus, 8. Cyathus, 9.
Firkin, 2. Gallon,], Gonier, 5. Hemina,9. Hin, 4.
Homer, 4, 5. Hosjshead, 1, 2. Kilderkin, 2. Last, 3.
Letech, 5. Lii^ula, 9, 8. Log, 4. Medimnus, 7.
IMetietes, 6. Modius, 9, 1 1 . Mystron, 6. Oxyba-
phon, 7. Peck, 3. Pottle, 11. Puncheon,!. Qua-
drantal, 8. Quart, !. RundUt, 1. Seah, 4, 5.
Seam, 3. Sextarius, 8, 9. Strike, 3. Tierce, 1.
Tun, 1. Urn J, 8. Wey, 3.

Si/noni/?.ns and Equivalents.

Amphora, (piadrantal- Amphoreus,metretes. Ca-
<lus, uietietes. Cutnock, coomb. Chos, congius.
Coron, homer. CotUe, hcmina. E|)hah, bath. Lin-
jjula, ligiila. Omer, homer. Oxybaphcn, acetabu-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 371

luiti. Pipe, butt. Quarter, seam. Qu^rtarius, J sex-
tarius. Semiraoiius, h mrWu^. Xiv.tei, sextarius.

1 i. e. A Firkin (1) of Boer 72 pints. (2) of Ale=i64
. pints, and so of the rest.

2 By aet of parliament, in 1697, the gallon contains only
268 -^ inches.

3 By experiment, made in 1688, it was found to contain
only 224 inches.

Long Measures reducd to Inches. '

/-Nail-rf,ro. Pal-f. Han-5. Spa-n. ¥oot-ad.
J Ciihi-bei. E(fl)e/>(eng)o/.
^ S Y-is. Pa-*y. ¥atb-pe. Ko-bouk. Furl-oindy.
^ V Mt-sitsi/. Le-miles3.

fH. Pal-/. Sp-flrf. C-ef. Y-ous. EzMf. Ar-and.

L Schoen-flniiy. Stci nai^g-. M-o?/sf/t.

fG. Dor/. LYch-//z. Orthab. Sp ad.Vygm-ak.

L Pv-rfz. 0-nfl«. St-«aM^. M-oiskj/z.

fR. Unc-ry,W. Pal-/". Pe-6^-. Palm-dy, Cuo-e/.

I Gra-A:y. Pass-Ary. Stti-byth.
Proportions.

f. f Line-be. Bar-i, Digit, Inch (Heb. Gk. Rom.)

I nad: ,pul6 : peldu^. [M- -eizt/t.

f Foot — Eng-«^A. — G rek visy/?. — ' Rom (coss)
' \ naup {^t) oupti(y^s)oukau.

Abbreviatures explaind.
Arabian pole, 3. Barley-corn 6. Cubit::i:pygem,
pygon, pechus 1, 3, 5. Digit, 6. Doronzirpalm, 4.
Ell (flemish, english) 1. Ezekiel's reed, 3. Fathom,
2,3. Foot— pousnpes 1,5, 7. Furlongrr stadium
2, 3, 4, 5. Gradus, 5. Haml, 1. League, 3.
Liehas, 4. Line, G. Mile — \nilion — miliare 2, <fcc.
Nail 1. Orguia, 4. Ortli:)d6n)ii, 4. Pacenpassus
2,5. Palm — dor(m I, 3, J. Palmipes, 5. Passusr:
pace, 5. Pes = foot, 5. Pygme, 4. Pygon, 4. Rod,
2. Sehajnus, 3. Span — spithame 1,3, 4. Spithame
:z:spau, 4. Stadium— furlong 4, 5. Uncia, 5. Yard, 2.

372 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

Synonyms and Equivalents.

Aramah, cubit. Aulos, furlong. Chebal, schoe-
nus. Cubit (lesser) pygme (greater)pechys. Dactylo-
dochme, doron. Diaulos, 2 stadia. Dochme, doron.
Gomed, span. Kaneli, Ezekiel's reed. Measuring-
rod, schcen us. Miliare,-on: mile. Palaeste, doron.
Pathil, schoenus. Pechys, cubit. Perch, rod. Pole,
rod. Pollex, uncia. Pous, pes. Tophach, palm.
Ulna, cubitus, Zereth, span.

1 N. B. The Digit is sometimes divided into 4 grains ;
the Line into 6 points.

2 N. B. J[ Sabbath day's journey is reckoned to be 730
paces : 6 ot which made the Parasang,, 48 a Day's journef,

3 i. e. The proportion of the Roman foot to the English

(divided into 1000 parts) is here exprest, as found ou

tiie monument of Cossutius on that of Statilius on a

congius of Vespasian.

Square Measures reducd to Square Feet.

^ E. Yar-M. Pace-rfw. Pble-6j9e",r5. Robd uzkouz.
^ Acrii-otusy.

^ G. Plethron azasf. Aroura, the half: but

1^ ^Egyptian *itdaun.

f R. Juger-fS'OM^y. CW-tisaii. \6-nilf. (mtn)
■^ A-fbkel (qu) at fau2.

Abbreviatures expiaind.

Actus minimus, quadratus, 3. Clima, 3. Jugerum*
3, Versus, 3. Yard, 1.

MULTIPLICATION TABLE.

P-oi,07t. V-e'\,us. P-ou,«i. K-ei,w

Jrom^
by \2 ^ rF-ad

o\,on. v-€i,us. r-ou,«i. Jv-ei,w\
K-<)u,pe. N-ou,ei«. \7 ^-T

Ai\,fei. L-ad,sy. S-ad,oirf. P. f =49
2ii\,ko, K-adjOM^yt/, N-ad,aze'i.-'

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. S73

NUMERICAL LETTERS.

'In Nuniprals] A less number, afirre, Abates^ ;
Tj J «/fcr, Eucreases

\-b. V-M. X-az. l^vz. C-azy. .D ui/z,
M (ciD ^) ath ; b«*nce (cciod) byth,
f\^-h. "^-az p eg-'— 113 Lu''' — from-M^by V^l^*^

3„ J to OUZy^ [CCCI303

4- ' I Mth by the Units^ : but oftiier by ^7i^, pre-

^ fixing the numbers ^ \azyth.

r»-b, t-az. p-ag*. r-au. (y) koppft-ny (t«'<)
5p J sanpi-ojiy;: ^. « (« a a) ^r]/~
6 ' I 1-6, n-/?. k-iiz. Hag', x-ath. U-azth. n-mul-

^ tiplies others iuscrib'd m't ^°.

1 e. g. IV 4, IX 9, XL 40, XC 90.

2 e. f?. VI 6, XIV 14, XIX 19, XXIX 29

«♦ 11, :a> 12 : «p 101, 2^ 102 ,« ll, f« lOl, &c.

3 Fomid, in current writing, from M : pait whereof,
united, (viz, la) became D 500. heiioe i3j 3000, looo 50000.

4 i, e.U nits, tens, hundreds, begin from the Ip,tter.s here
specified ; and are to be reckoned on, in order, from them,
e.g. « I, ^ 2, y 3, &c. 1 10, K 20, X 30, &c. f 100, <t 200 &c '

5 Instead of n\ being the ineffable name of Jehovah.

6 e. g. n 500, O 600, t 700, &c.

7 Before tiie letters expressive of hundreds ; as, ")7"7J^
1534 ; very seldom otherwise ; yj^ 1070.

8 e. g. JD'^^^i^ 2000, D''3bN.T 3000, Xy^Vh 30000.
&c.

9 The various figures and names of these r.imierical cha-
racters, sec in my Table of Greek characters.

10 e. g. A (10) inscribed in n (5) is l^^l (50 j

PRACTICE.

1. IfowM the sought /«/o Price', or its factors' ;
or by Alicjuot parts^. and by the Aliquots of
Fractions of Sought (if any) divide Price^.

?. What'H One '^? the Price 'j?y Commodity 7^; but,
if too large, by its factors o,

K »

374

PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

1 i. e. In qiiesfcioHS, where the comlitional term is l : as,
when we say, " If one cost so omcb, what will so much
cost?

2 i. e. Multiply the question-^term, or thing sought, into

the price &c. e. g. Jf one costs 10s. Wliat will 20 cost?

&c. Answ. 20 (the thing sought) X 10 (the price):£200s.
i. e. 101.

3 viz. when more commodious. e. g. J[f one cost

12 I 6, what will 14 ? Answ. The factors of 14 being 2x7;
say 2 x 12 I 6=r25s : then 7 X 25s.— 175s. i. e. 8l. 15s.

N.B. If thcmultipljcator be not resolvable into factors,
take those that tome nearest it, and add the price for the
odd one, or multiply it by what the factors want of the
multiplicator.

4 Divide it by the JSi'cti pa*** of the llenonunation, in
which you would have the answer. — e. g. ^one cost 12 | 6,
what will 14? Answ. 10s. being the | of ll. and 2 | 6 (which
makes up the 12 | 6) the 1 of 10s : say 2 in 14rz7l. then,
4 in 7 (the quotient of 14 by 2)— 1 ; and there remains 31.
which, in the next inferior dcnomiiiation (viz. Shillings)
is 60, then 4 in 60::^15s-

14 pds. pks. i&c.
10 2 « 7 -

1 15

2 5 > 1
6 4 M .

S 12:6 L8:15
5 As in the following example
C qr. lb
84 3 11
ll. sl.n2ls

Sl2:6 L8:l,^

d6k

84
168

42
2S

at 1
qr %\

lb 7i
4,

s d

1 10

- 10 11

- 5 5

- 1 4

- - 9

q3. Ibll.sl8:6

3q. lllb. 18 6 -
aliq. of fract. pr. of fract.

In all.. 1852:6 The answer ; which, being
halv'd f 92 : 12 : 6 ; the price of C 84 :
gives- I qrS : lb 11.
6. i.e. In sums, "wherein the Question-term is 1 ; as when
we say, " If so much cost so mucli, WhuVll one cost?"

7 e.g. If 12 cost 10 I 6, \\hat will 1? Answer, 12 in
10 I 6 I cannot have: bnt 12 in 10 X 12 (to reduce it to

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 375

per»cc)£=: 1204-6=126: then 12 ijH26r=10d. and 6 remains ;
whick multipli«d into 4 (to reduce it to farthings) is 24 :
then 1'2 in 'i4zi2 q.

rt« f in s 10 : 6 : - I or, by the fiictoni of

*'*"^ \12 - 10 ii , 1^, yi2,
2x6,
5 examp
Tin s

I t

2 X 6, or 3 >^ 4 ; as k) th« following :
a The for«goiog example wiU stand
10 : 6 : -
Tims ■( 2 5 3-
10 2
So tke answer is found more easily than by dividing by 12 :
much more so it will be, when that number is higher.

slO :6

3 6

- 10

RULE OF THRE£.

All Questions in if answerd (I) by one stating (2)
the same way.

(1) Conditional in one line: and, opposite, the
terras Corresponding :

(2) -DfiND i» the -Ducing of one into -DucM of the
other; the Rest-So R *.

N.B. No-Duc'd: the faeit of one liue divide by
that of the other =.

1 i. e. The prnducing a terms of one line multiplied into
the prodwc'd '' o/ the other, give the diviDENO ; and the rest
of the terms multiplied together, give the diviSoR: the

Quotient falls to the blank*^ . (a) Producing terms are

such as jointly produce any effect, e. g. whatever is consi-
derd as a cause, with rhe adjuncts of time, distance, mea-

ture, Sfc, (b) Frodntring terms are such as arc connected

with the ethers under the character of |). ice, pwchase, pro-
duce, gain, loss, interest, advantage, value or quantity of

work, Ifc. (c) e. g. At the rate of 6 per cent; per ann.

what is the interest of 9001. for 16 months? Answ. The
terms being stated, as they offer (without any other regard
than Which are conditional, and Which imply the question)
ThtB:

Interest Principal time
61. lOul. 12 m.

SOO 18

•r in any other order agreeable to the directions in the rule,
say " 6 (the produced term of one line) H 1 8 H 200 (th«

376 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

producing terms of the other)7Z2l6oo (for the dividend) :
And (the rest) loo X I2rz:)200 (for the divisor). Then
2l60o-;-l-2OOr::,iy, the answer ; viz. isl.

2 i. e. It there be no pioduc'd term (as generally happens
in the single rule of three inverse) divide thejacit, &c.— — -
e. g. How much stuff, yard-broad, will line 10 yards of
cloth, yard-and-quarter broad ? The terms being stated
thus :

broad
4 qrs
5

long
10 yard.

say 5 X 10~50

and 50 -7- 4cn2 2-4th

i.e. 12 yards and 2-4 or i.

SUBTRACTION

May be more comniodiously performed by Addition;
as in the next article.

TABULATING.

To nmltiply and divide by Addition only,

1. Twice-double-MuItipIicand facits t every multi>

plicator. i gives the f. of .

2. Tabulate Divisor: Quote next digit-under: Sub-

tract by Addition.

I.Tn theMuLTiPLiCATiON sum(j)
the facits of the multiplicand twice
doubled, are, as they stand agamst
the digits 2 and 4. T hen, To mul-
tiply the mult'plicand into 8

(the last figure of the multiplicator)
double the facit of the digit 4— —
into 6 (the 2d figure, &c.) add
the facit of 4 to that of 2 (n:6)

into 7 (the next figure, &c.)

add together the facits of i, 2, 4
(—7) placing each of them, as in
the common method of multipli-
cation.

2. In thcDivisiov-sum (II) (I)
Tabulate the divisor, as in the ex-
ample, viz. against the digit 2,
by adding the divisor to itself;
against 3, by adding together the

Multipli-caTid cator
98765 >0 768
197530 (1)
395060

790120
592590
691355

(II)

b 75851520-r-768
S- 673794 1536
1^ 5898 2304
1 43. 3072
Quotient (III) 38 iO
98765-=-968 4608
1929 1936 5376
Quotient: 102 6144
—6912

Q
1

3
4

5
6

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. S77

tomls of i and l ; against 4, by adding the total of S to
itself, or that of 3 to that of 1 ; and, in like manner, in the
rest, by adding together the totals of any two or more
digits, equal to the digit whose total is sou§ht. Then, (2)
Quote (or, for the quotient, take) the digit against the total
next less, or under the first corresponding figures of the di-
vidend, viz. 7565. Then, instead of subtracting, according
to the common method, the facit of the divisor by 9 (viz.
6912) from (7585) the corresponding figures of the divi-
dend (3) Subtract by addition, and say [not, 2 from 5, and
there remains 3 j but 2, and (so much as will make 5, viz.)
3 is 5: then 1, and (as much as will make 8, viz.) 7 is 8 ;
then 9, and [what will make 15 (since 9 cannot be taken
from ,5) viz.] 6 is 15 *, then 1, that I borrow, and 6 is 7 ;

and so on. In tlie DivisiON-sum (III) it appears

that All the tabulating necessary to find the quotient,

is only to double the divisor : for, the total next less than
(the 1st dividend) 987, is 968; therefore quote 1 : then
(the 2d dividend) 195 has no total less; therefore quote O:
then the next total less than (the 3d dividend) 1965, is (the

Qd total, viz.) J936; therefore quote 2 And, in like

manner, may be tabulated any sum, by steps, as there shall
be occasion.

(a) N. B. 15, being the last sound m the mouth of the
operator, does more readily and certainly lemind him of
what he borrowd, than in the common way of subtraction j
which is no small advantage to this method.

WEIGHTS.

Troy Weight, for Gold, Silver, Jewels, Grains,
and Liquors.

Monyers redttcd to Blanks.

1 MON. Perit.</-Droit-oA:y. Mtte-a&f^wdy. Grain-

dizozy.

Goldsmiths and Apothecaries Weight reducd to
Grains.

2 (Gold,) CSr-i) 1. Pen-d6(P6.) Scrup-rfy. DriiiB-

auz. Onuce-oky. Vb-loisy.

K K 3

378 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OP

Averdupois Weight, for Baser-metals, Bread,
Mercery, Grocery, S^c,

Wool, reducd to Pounds.

5 Clove-oi. Stone-fto. Ti)d-ek. Weigh&etU Sack-
tauf. hast-Jisei.

Other Things. >

4 Pound-ounce-fl*. Hun-p6unds-fl6e, hun-Fother«

dn-are: Tun-ex.

Hebrew Weights, reducd to Grains.

5 Zur2i-lf. Bek-azeii Sh^k-Uei 2. Man-^beizy. TSl-

amnyth.

Greek and Roman Weights.

„ C Lens, kurcihe. Lept-awreA:. Chalch-<y,7'g. Sil, "1 ^j

\ t,r'6k. Ob ou-trek. J

{Script-akftraf. Dr2L-lf,ouraf. — Sext-oid,aurp. "I
S\ci\'azn,erp. i

{Duell-bol,uroi. — — \]nc-Jip,roi. — -— Libra- 1

Proportions.

9 Grains English-fti/jre make French-a/«,Dutch-
apou,

10 Ounce has grains Avgr-o/ei, Troy^/oMZ^; as

eiy to oil *.

11 Pound Aver-heavier than Troy by 2 ounces, 4

drams, and 2 scruples.

Abbreviatures explaind.

Bokali, 5. Carat, 2;ChaIchos, 6. Drachma, 7.
Duella, 8. Hundred-weight. 4. Lepton, 6. Maneh,
5. Obolus, 6". Penny-weight, 2. Pound, 2. Scrip-
tulum, 7. Scruple, 2. Sextula, 7. Shekel, 5. Sr-
cilicus, 7. Siliqua, 6. Talent, 5. Uncia, S. Zu-
zaii, 5.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. ^79

Sy7ionyms.

Gramma, scruple. Keration, siliqua. Lens, grain.
Litra, libra. Quintal, hundred-weight. Sitarion,
grain.

1 N. B. The Grains, us'd in weighing Diamonds, are some-
what lighter than those us'd in gold, &c

2 i. e. 218, according to Bp. Cumberland : i6s, according
to father Mersenne.

3 So that the averdupois-ounce is less by -iS grains than
the troy ounce; which amounts to near a I2th part of the
whole,

4 i. e. 73 ounces-troy make 80 ounces-averdupois.

MARCH,

TTie 1st Day, to find on what Day of the Week
it happens.

1 The year, more 2 and even-4th, divide by 7 •

[given

2 By what remains (fdrO sat. 1 sund. and-so-on) it is

E. G. Ann. Dom. 26 + 2 -f- 6 (its even 4th) rr 34 -f- 7,
remains 6 : i.e. friday; accounting Saturday 0, Sunday 1,

monday i, &c. Before Christ, reckon Backward ; viz,

Sunday I, Saturdays, and so on to monday 0, e.g. Bef.
Ch. 7 + 2-1-1 (its even 4th) rr 1 o -r- 7, remains 3; i.e.
friday.— —Of the other months to find the 1st day, and con-
sequently what day of the week any day is ; V, Signs,

MONTHS,

The Number of Days in each, with the Days oj
the Nones and Ides.

Ap Sg NO .Tune-tc ^ : Mar Ma Jiil Oc, NO-/>, ij)-al "
in the Rest, l..at ^.

380 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

1 February, it is well known, has 28 (iii the leap-years
29) the rest 3i.

a i. e. The Nones are on the 7th day, the Ides on the 15 •
in these 4 months.

3 i. e. The Nones are on the 5th, the Ides on the l3th : in
the rest.

MOON.

€i/ele and Epact.
Golden'% remainder of year-more- 1, divided by 19 ^
Epact's the cycle iirto ab : above iz by iz, the re-
mainder 2.

Change and Age.

New's the remainder of month-from-march and

epact, less iz, auz^ .
Ap. Se. No. Jun, less en For Jan. Mar. 0.

Feb. Apr. 1 add.
Full's 1 5 days from the diaaige — Waining, east ;

Growing, west is enlightend ^.

Rising and Setting.

At Sun-set, sets New, rises Full ; and, each day,

minutes nb more.
Shining (in Waining) Subtract (in Enereasing) Add

to Sun-rise,-set.

Southing and Tides,
Southing's the age into ok, by 60 : from al, the

excess talve ^.
High-water at London-bridge : two hours and a half

after Southing ^.

1 e.g. 1737 -f 1 = 17"8 -f- 19t= 19: remainder 0, for
the cycle, or Golden number,

1 c. g. 9 (the cycle) X l l=:99-f-30 (as being above 30)
n 9 : remainder 9 for the epact.

3 e.g. May 20 (1737) What is the moon's age? .\nsw.
3 (the number of the month from march, inclusively) + 9
(the epact) zz 12 — 10— 18 : the day of the new mocn.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 381

when it is said to change. So the moon, on the 20th of may,
is 2 days old.

4 i. e. The Horns are tumd, in Decreasing (from the
Full) West-ward ; in Encreasing (from the New) East-
ward.

5 e.g. April 15 (l737) When comes the moon to the
meridian ? Answ. The moon's age is 26 : the excess above
(al) 15, is U. Then 11 »< 48 =z 528 -r- 60 zz 8 h. 48 m.

for the Southing. For the readier working, the rule

may be thus exprest : " Age into 4, hy 5 ; into 12 the re-
mainder gives minutes." e.g. II X 4 rz: 44 -7-5 rz 8 h :
remainder 4X1 2zz48 m.

6 e.g. Apr. 15 (i7'57) the moon Souths at 8 h. 48 m.
Then 9 h 48 m.+2 h.30 m,=:il h. 18 m. (N. B.) If the
amounts to more than 12; the excess shows the hour.

THE 12 SIGNS

or Portions of the Zodiac, nam'd from Constella-
tions once in them : their Names, Characters,
and corresponding Months ; with a Key to\flnd
the Sun's Place on any Dayi ; and on what day
of the Week the \st Day of any Month hap-
pens '.

1 Ar

ni iP'

<y Aries

2 Taur

apr

ouf

^ Taurus

3 G6ml

may

k s

n Gemini

4 Cance

jun

p e

So Cancer

5 L6

J61

P t'

SI Leo

6 V

P P]

W|i Virgo

7 Lib

p \

tct Libra

8 So

s ll

iTi Scorpio

9 S(?

p a

f Sagittarius

10 Cit]

k t

Ttf" Capricornus

11 Aqut?

n s

^ Aquarius

12 Pi3c6

feb

bad

K Pisces

1 The method is this: To the day of the month (-f- 1 1
for the old style) add the number signified by the numerals
n, ou, &c. the Sun ( — 30, if above 30) is in the degree
«f the sign corresponding to the day of the month. E. G.

38^ PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

Feb. 10 +11 (for the old style) + 11 (for the numeral la)
—32—30=zi°o{ H.

2 Thus : Froia the day on which March 1st happens (V.
March)- for any other month, count forward so many days
as are signified by the numerals a, f, &c. E. G. Mar. 1st,
1737, was tuesday : therefore Apr. 1st [counting (f) 4 on-
wards, tuesday being one] is friday : and, consequently, the
8th, 15th, aad, 29th, are fridays; whence may be known
the rest. [N. B. Jan. and Feb. arc reckond from Mar. of
the preceding year.

SUN,

f TKe Time of its rising each Day.
1 Jan-o \ 7 Febr-ei. 6 Mar-by. 5 Apr-oM. M-asi.
4 Jfil-p. 5 Aug-«f . 6 Sept-flrf. 7 O .. be. 8 N-tt/f.
t JuN-d«, the Longest, t j^ ^.-^-.^the Shortest ei boi.

For the intermediate Days.
Sought, into 60, by All, gives Min. fewer 1st Vme,
more 2d ^.

The Time of its Setting, each Month, &c.
Setting's the complemeut of rising to 12 ; aiMl, dou-
bled, the day gives *.

Cycle and Dominical Letter.
Cycles the remainder of year-more-9 by ek ^ : if 0,

ek^.
ek cycle's A ; fy, B ; and so on ^ ; e'ery 4th lus 2 ^

(next
after these ads : dE, au G, a-y B, bo I>, <^i F,

de A, dau C> and
Former is us'd till Yeh-do, in Leap-years; and,
after, the Letter.

Tojind tlie Sun's Place m the Zodiac, V. Signi.
1. i. e. On Jan. 4, the Sun rises at 8.
«. i. e. On Jan. 41, New style (which i$ the LongtU day)
the Sun rises at 3 h. 43'*

▲ KTIflClAL MEMORY. 383

9. L e. The day sought (reckond from the day of the Sun's
rising) multiplied into 60, and divided by the number of
All the days between the day of the Sun's rising (specified) in
any month, and ibe day of its lising in the next ; gives the
Minutes /eu^er (or, to be subtracted from the hour speci-
fied) in the 1st line ; more (or, to be added) in the <id line,

e.g. Apr. 13, 1 would know when the Sunrises. By

5 Apr-ou I find that the day sought (reckond from the day
of the Sun's rising, viz. the 9th) is 4 [for 9+4:^ 13].
Then 4 x 60 3: 240 : and 240 -f- 36 (the number of All the
days from 5 in Apr. ou to 4 M-as : i. e. from 9, the day the Sun
rises at 5 in April ; to 16, the day the Sun rises at 4 in May)
~6' [and 24-36th i. e. by reduction] 40" : — 5 h, (the day it
rises on the 9th of April) rr 4 h. 53', 20", then, therefore
the sun rises on that day, viz. Apr. 13.

4 Thus, Dec. 21, New stile, the sun rises at sh. 17 m.
tfie complement q/its rising to 12 is 3 h. 43' [far 8 h. 17 m.
— 1 2 h. z: 3 h. 43 m.]. The sun therefore sets at 3 h. 43 m.
and this, doubled, gives the length of the day, viz. 7 h. 26 m.
shorter by 9 h. 8'. than the longest ; which (by the same
calculation) will be found to be 16 h. 34'.

5 e. g. 1737 + 9= 1746 -f- 28 iz: 62 the number of
revolutions since Christ) remainder )o, for the number of
the cycle,

6 i. e. If there be no remainder, it will be (e/fc) the 26th,
or last year of the cycle.

7 i. e. The dominical letter answering to the year of the
cycle 28 is.,^; to 27, Bi and so on (backwards) to G, the
7th and last : after which returns A, B, &c.

8 e. g. Every 4th (or Leap year ») has 2 dominical let-
ters: the latter of which is us'd after Keb. 24, the interca-
lary day ; which is therefore denoted by the same letter as

the 23d. N. B. For the readier finding the dominical

letter answering to any number of the cycle, I have given
(in parenthesis) those of every third : thus Caei F) F an-
swering to 18 (one of the 3ds there specified), 17 (the
next 4th, reckoning backwards) will be G A ; 16, B; 15,
C; &c.

(a) For the readier finding Leap-year, the rule is this :
" Year-sought divide by 4 ; what's left will he, for leap-year,
0; for past, I. i, or 3." e.g. 1737 -i- 4 :;=: 434= remain-
der 1 , for 1 St after leap-year.

384 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

Roman Manner of Dating,

(1) Kal Non. Id. (2) Pridie. (3) Tert. quart: (nb)

The day sought subtiact from
One more than Ide-None-days ; Two more than lh6

month's, for th6 Kalends.

I. i. e,) For the days on ^vhich the Kalends, Nones, Ides
of any month happen (V. Months; write (e. g.) Kal. Dec.
on the lialends of decen?,ber, viz. the Jst day of December.
(2) On the day preceding each of them, write (e. g,) Pridie
Kal, Dec. i. e. pridie kalendas decembris, on the day before
the kalends of derember, viz, the 30th of november. (3)
For the days backward, write Tertio, Quarto, ^-c. i, e. on the
3, 4th, &c.

II. To find any of the days, e. g, (i) lOth of decem-

ber. What, in the Roman style ? Answ. JO — 14 (One more
than the days the ides hufpen cnj ~ 4. i. e. 4to id. dec.
Again (2) 4to id. dec. What, in the English style? Answ.

4 — 14 IT 10. i. e. the ipth of december (l) 20th of

november: Say 20 — 32 {Two more than the numhcr of th*
days in the month) — 12. i.e. i2mo. kal. dec, (2) 12mo<
kal. dec. say 12 — 32 — 20.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 385

EPOCHAS.
Their Commencement in the Julian period.

• S 2" ? ;2 2* £:>■ 2* 2- ? 8 8 S- "^ vS * 55.^ ?^ o "^

_ . g ^ ^ ^ g_ -.-.., I

L L

386 PRINCIPAL SYSTEM OF

To find
I The year of the Julian period corresponding to

\ any year in any Mra.

Any year of any Mm by the corresponding
year of the Julian period.

Jul for Jfter ad d Comm-les s- 1 -for

Afore take from Comm.

^. ( ^R^ After, Comm-less-1 take far Corr —

"'''. I but Afore, Corr. from Comim.

1. IVhat year of the Julian Period is the year 1737 (1)

before Christ? (2) after Christ? Answ. (i) 1737

(before Christ)— 4714 (the year of the cowTnencement of
he Christian aera in the Julian period) rr: 2977. (2) 1737
tafter Christ) -{■ 4713 (the commencement iess-i) rr 6450,
Che year of the Julian period.
*■ 2. JVhat year of the Christian ^ra is the year of the

Julian period (1) 2977 ? (2) 6450? Answ. (1) 2977

(the year of the Julian period corresponding to the year of
the aera sought) — 4714 the commencement of the Christian
sera) iz 1737. (2) 6450 the corresponding year) — 4713
(the co>n»»enceraent-less-l) ^: 1737.

* For the Number of Years from the Creation to the
Birth of Christ.

The Christian vulgar xra commences in

the year of the world 4004, jan 1. [according to

Helvicus, Isaacson, &c. 3.94S] The Jews

place the creation of the world, Later by 242 years,

viz. in 37()2, oct. 7. The Greek historians,

on the authority of the septuagint, Sooner by about
1490, or 1500 years, viz. the ecclesiastical, in
5494 ; the civil, in 5509.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. SS7

FESTIVALS,

* Holy-daps, Feasts^ ff«.

IMMOVEABLE.

Christ.
Nat-de,rfM \ Circ-]a,&. Epiph-ja,s. Ldmm-au,ft.
HoRood-se,6o. Transf-au,*.

Maty.
Ann-m^r,e!. Pur-feb,€. Nat-se,^. Vis-jul,e. Conc-
de,A:. Ass-au,a/.

Saints.
AJl-ntiv,a. And-nov,J2. Bap-jun-f/". Bamaby-jun,c&.
Barth-aug,^. George-apr,ef. Jame9-jul,rfM. Inn6-

c^nt-dee,rfet.
John-dec,c?o/. Luke-o,ak. Mtak-^pn,du. Marti-

sio\emb.,ad.
Mdtt-se,da. Faul-jan-du. Pet-jun,</oM. Phil

Jaco-raay,fl.
Sim Jud-o,eA-. Ste-de,<7fl«. Tho-dec,«?a. Valentine-
feb,«/.

Royal Family, 1737.
CoR-o.Ja. PFoCLAJun.rtft. BoRN,King-o,f^ ; seit.

Quecn-mar,fl • seid.
W^les-)a,fy ; pyp. -cess-n,oA:. AiAOr-o,de : p^n.

Ame-nia,?2 : pab.
C!ar-ma,/z: pat. Will-apr,a/ : peb. Mar-fe,efe :
pnt. Loui-d,/* : pef.

Terms, as in 1737-

Terms hold weeks al : days Hilar-eJ. East ep.
Tr'm-dy, Mich-tau.

BiL from jaii-rf/ to feh-6e MiCH from 6c-do to

nov-^i-.

East, w^d-e after,begins : ends, 6fter ascension,
mond-fl.

Trin, frtday ^fter, begins ; and ends 3d Wednes-
day after.

Vac. holds weeks tot : days Hilar-oi*. East-op. Tr-
ab$. ' Mich-t^;.

388

PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

Quarterly.

Lady-raar,e/, Midsura-jun-^. Mich-sep,«?OM. Chri-
dec,<2/.

State Holidays.

Fire-sep,e. Poud-no,^, Mi.xt-yA,ty. Restor-may,rfoM.
Revo-feb,flf.

MOVEABLE.

1 Before and after Easter, 2

f Sept-sf ^. Sex-Ms. Shrove-on. Qua;/)?. Lent-o*.
I Vk\-p. Maund-i. Good-Fri-rf.
Easter's the first Sunday after first Full-moon
after March-rfia.
C Low-oi -. R6ga-^M. Asc-in. Whits-on. Trin-
\ lau. KA-eta.

EMBER-rf«i/«. We Fri Sat, after Qua Whit Ho
Rood \AiiCi-dee,at.

EASTER TABLE 3.

Paschal full-moons for the Golden-numbers, with
the Hebdomadal Letters.

A
M
A
A
M
A
M

el
bi

e
ed
by

8 A

9 A
10 M

11
12
13
14

A
A
M
A

bei

eoi

eo
be

15 A

16 M

17 A w a

18 M -eou d

19 A -boi h

a g
ea c

Use of the Table.
Sum from Hebdom to Domin (of the year sought)
add to the Month's day. ^

Synonyms, S(C.
Ash Wednesday, 1st day of lent. Candlemas, pu-
rification of the virgin M. Crucifixion, good-fiiday.
Holy-thursday, mauuday. Holy-week, last of lent.
John the Baptist, midsummer. Parasceue, good-

ARTIFICIAL MEMOnV. 38^1

friday. Passion-week, last of lent. Pentecost,
•Whitsuntide, wliitsontide. Processioning-day, as-
cension day. Quinquagesima, shrove-sunday.
Slior-(Sliur-)thurs-day, maunday-tliursday. Twelfth-
day, epiphany.

1 i. e^ The nativity of Christ is on dec, 25. and so of the
rest.

2 i. e. ^p'ejBtuasresima-sunday is (st) 63 days before

Easter [70 before the octave of easter] £,o2i; sunday is

(oi) 7 days after Easter, and so of the rest.

3 The Easter-lahle consists of 5 verses, each ending at a
period mark ; and may be read thus : " One-aid, two-melg,
^hTte-iH^'i e, (four Ac*, hve medd." dtrc. — Its Lse is to find
Easter-sunday for ever. V. n. 4.

4 e. g. A. D. 1/37, the golden number is 9, the dominical
letter B. then, against 9 (in the table) the hebdomadal letter
is F. from thence to the dominical B. are (gab) 3 : which
added to apr. 7 (the day of the month, in the table) gives

ap. 10, for easter-sunday. So A. D. 1736, golden-number

8, 1st dominical-letter C : then from C Qn the table) to C
(dominie.) 7 -\- apr. 18 n apr. 2^.

In the following verses (which contain as raucli,
1 think, as is necessary to charge the memory with
by way of foundation) I have given the most general
divisions of the several parts of the terraqueous
globe ; beginning, in each, with the most northerly
parts, and, in descending southwanls, proceed (to
the right) from west to east : so that children, with
a few hints and occasional helps, may be able to
find them, by themselves ; and thereby tix them
better in their memory ; after which they will easily
get the verses by heart, and be well prepared to
considt the gazetteer, or to go through any system,
with pleasure, to good advantage.

L L 3

S90. PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

LAND.

Continents, Isles, Peninsulas, Isthmus, Capes,
Mountains.

CONTINENTS.

Europe, Africa, Asia, and America.
AF (8) Bar (fez mor a tun tripo biiic) Bi (dar)

Egy (alex cair)
Zaar (zu) Ne (tomb) Nubi (dang) Gui (ma why be

lo cang) Ethi (mon eaf )
AM (23) Green Brit Wa La Can Acad Eng Jers

Pen Mary Virg Car
Geor Kent. Flor (ang pens) Mex (uad mi ta ju

chi gaut hon ver) 4

Firm (pa ca mar venez and gra po com dari) Per

(quite liira chare)
Am : Rrast (sal seba vin) Chil ( j^) Para (guai tucu

plat) Mag 7_

AS (5) Tar (S sib che' thi) Tdrk (tn na curd sy di

ar) Pe (der isp gomb)
Ind (mog ag beng : vis go bi ni^l : pe to si co) Chi

pek nank
EUR (IS) ^ox-htrg. Swede-s^ocA:. (Scot-e<f'w. Ire-

dublin. Yj'london)
Den-C(5p. Hoi amst. Fland-Jrii**. Gt-vien. Vo-tvu.

Russ-petre : France-par.
^witz-basil. Hung-presb. Port-lisb. Spa.\n-mad. Ital-

ro. Tu-constant.

AFRICA.
Barbary comprehends the kingdoms of Fez, Mo-
rocco, Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, Barca. Bildulgerid:
Daara. Egypt: (ch. cit.) Alexandria, Cairo. Zaa-
ra: (ch. prov.) Zuenziga. Negroland: Tombute.
Nubia: Dangola. Guinea: Malaguette, Whydaw,
Benin, Loango, Congo, Angola. Ethiopia : Mone-
mugi, Monomotapa, CafFraria.

AMERICA.

Greenland, New-Britain, Neiv-Wales, Labrador,

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. SQl

Canada, Acadia or Nova Scotia, Ntw-Englandf
New Jersey, Pensylmnia, Maryland, Virginia, Ca-
rolina, Georgia, Kentucky. Florida (ch. towns)
St. Augustine, Pensacola. Mexico: (ch. prov.)
Guadaiajarra, Mechuacan, Tabasco, Jucatau,
Chiapa, Guatim^la, Honduras, Ver^gua. Terra-
Firma: Panama, Carthagena, St. Martha, Vene-
zuela, Andalusia, Granada, Popayan, Comana,
Darien. Peru : Quito, Lima, Los-Charcos. Atna-
zonia. Brazil: (ch. cit.) St. Salvador, St. Sebas-
tian, St. Vincent. Chili : St. Jago. Paraguay :
(ch. prov.) Guaira, Tucuman, Rio-de-la-PIata. Terra-
Magellanica.

ASIA.

Tartary : (ch. prov.) Astracban, Siberia, Chen-
yang, Thibet. Turkey: THrcomania, Natolia,
Curdistan, Syria including Palestine, Diarbec, Ey-
raco-Arabic. Persia: (ch. cit.) Derbent, Ispahan,
Gombroon. India: (ch. prov.) empire of the Great
Mogul (Agra, Bengal) Visiapour, Golconda, Bisna-
gur, Malabar, Pegu, Tonquin, Siam, ;^Cochinchina.
China: (ch. cit.) Pekin, Nankin.

EUROPE.

Norway : (ch. cit.) Bergen. Sweden : Stock-
holm. Scotland: Edinburgh. Ireland: Dublin.
England: London. Denmark : Copenhagen. Hol-
land: Amsterdam. Flanders: Brussels. Ger-
many: Vienna. Poland: Warsaw. Russia: Pe-
tersburgh. France: Paris. Switzerland: Basil.
Hungary : Presburg. Portugal : Lisbon. Spain :
Madrid. Italy : Rome. Turkey: Constantinople.

Capes, lsla7ids, Penitisulas, and Mountains.
CAPES : La Li St-e/j^. Fi W-spain. Bla Ve Good-ajn.
C6m-malal'. Hoin-fueg.

.392 PEINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

ISLES: 1^-den. Kz-pb. SaSicCuCy-med. Ma Ca-

b(/rb. He-gui. Madefk.
Maid Ceyl Sum Bo Su Jav Phi Mo Ladr-m</. Newf-

la. So-soufh-seas.
Bei-Jlo. BaCii Jam Hi Ric, Carib(antne mo barb)

mex. Fue^-mao;.
PEN : Jii-de. Mo-gre. Vie-tart, Afri. C^mb. Malac-

ind. Me\-amer-mrrth.
MOUNT: CheVi-scof. Vyr-spain. Alps-^f. Cauca-

tdrt, Ap-dlavh- n-mn.

CAPES.

Land's-eml, Lizard, Start-point (of) England.
Finisterre, St. Vincent's, Spain. Blanco, Verd,
Good-Hope, Africa, Comorin, Malabar. Horn,
Fuego.

ISLES.

Zealand (in) Denmark. Azores (west of) Por-
tugal. Sardinia, Sicily, Candia, Cyprus (in tbe)
Mediterranean. Madeiras, Canaries (against) Bar-
bary. St. Helena, Gvinea. Madagascar, Ethio-
pia. Maldives, Ceylon, Sumatra, Borneo, Sunda,
Java, Phillippines, Moluccas, Ladrones, East-
Indies. Newfoundland, Labrador. Society-Isles
(in the) South-Seas. Bermudas (against)"^ Florida.
Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Porto-Rico :
Caribbces (Antigua, Nevis, Montserrat, Barbadoes,
Mexico. Fuego, Terra-Magellanica.

PENINSULAS.

Jutland (in) Denmark. Morea, Greece. Precop.
Tartar}/. Africa. Canibaya, Malacca, East-
Indies. Mexico, Korth^America.

MOUNTAINS.

Cheviot (between) Scotland and England. Py-
renees, Spain and France. Alps, Italy and France.
Caucasus (in) Tartan/. "Apalachian, Norlh-Ame-

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 393

WATER.
Oceans, Seas, Gulphs, Straits, Rivers, and Lakes.

OCEANS : Hyp. Ethi. East. Alt-West. Paci-South-

del Zur. Ice.
SEAS: hdde-Suiede. Chan-eng.Medeu,afr. Black

eu,as. Casp-tartar.
GULFS: ho Fistvtde. Ven-itdl. Red-arab. Pers.

Ben^. Baff Hu-north-am.
STRAITS: Sound-bait. Gi-med. Ilel-6/a. Ba-rerf.

Sun-in. Hiid-bu. Da-baff. Mag.
LAKES : Lad O-russ. Ne Lo scot. Ge Lu-switz,

haha-pers. Bo-ne. Var-Jirm.
RIV. \tS-ca. Dan-bla. Rhiger. Rh Eb Nil-wie T.

'Eu-pers. Ga-6e. 'Mis-mex.

OCEANS.

Hyperborean or northern. Ethiopian. Eastern,
Atlantic or western. Pacific or south, or mare del
Zur. Icy near the South Pole.

SEAS.

Baltic, east of Denmark and Sweden. Channel,
south east of England. Mediterranean, between
Europe and Africa and part of Asia. Black sea,
between part of Europe and Asia. Caspian, in Great
Tartar^.

GULFS.

Of Bothnia and of Finland, in Sweden. Of Ve-
nice, east of . talj/. Red-sea, between Arabia and
Africa. Persian Gulf. Bay of Bengal in Asia.
Batfin's and Hudson's Bays in North America.

STRAITS.

Sound (of the) Baltic. Gibraltar, Mediterra-
nean, Hellespont, Black-sea. Babehnandel, Red-
sea. Sunda, Indian-ocean. Hudson's, Button's-
hay. Davis's, Bajffin'a-baj/. Magellan, South
Amei'ica,

394 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

LAKES.

Ladoga and Onega, western part of Russia.
Loch-Ness and Lomond (in) Scotland. Lakes of
Geneva and Lucern, Switzerland. Babacombar,
Persia. Bornou, Negroland. Parime, Terra
Firma.

RIVERS.

Volga (falls into the) Caspian-sea. Danube*
Black-sea. Rhine, German-ocean. Rhone, Ebro»
Nile, Mediterranean. Tigris, Euphrates, Persian-
gulf. Ganges, bay of Bengal. Missisippi, bay of
Mexico.

A more particular Account

of the several coimtries of Europe may be exhibi-
ted, so as to give a precise idea of the situation of
each sub-division, after the manner of the following
specimen : in which (beside what was proposed in
general, note 1.) such as are contiguous South-
ward, are joind ; as in weLa- : such as are conti-
guous Westward, are hyphend ; as in Che-De- &c.

ENGLAND.

Its Forty Counties.
Nor cum-dur : weLa-york ; che-de-not-linc : shrop"

sta-le-rut norf :
Her-wo-wa-northa : Bed-hunt-camb-suff : niourgl-

6xfo-buck-hert-ess.
Som-wilt-berk-middlesex : com~dev-dors-hdmp-

surrey-kentSuss.

FIRST MERIDIANS.

On either Side cf Teneriffe.
(East) London-Gs (West) Fer-rf. Jag-s. Nicol-o^.
Coxyo-boi. Bras-6oM.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 3^5

Abbreviatures.
Ferro. St. Jago. St. Nicholas, coast of Brasil.

The Dutch placed the first Meridian at Teneriffe ; th«
French, since 1634, at Ferro, two degrees w«t of Teneriffe:
others variously, as in the memorial verse. In most of the
French maps and those copied from them two degrees must
be allow d on such as ate calculated on the Dutch plan to
make them correspond ; as for example — Hamburgh is there
said to be lone. 29 deg. 90 m. E. consequently in the French
maps it will be found in 31 deg. 20 ra. and in similar manner
are all the rest. Many modern geographers usually now
calculate the first Meridian from the capital city of the state
in which each resides : the English reckon from the Royal
Observatory at Greenwich near London ; the North Ameri-
cans from Philadelphia, situated 75 deg. 8 m. W. from Lon-
don ; and several of the French from Paris 2 deg. 20 m. E.
of London.

BIBLE.

The several Books of if, with the Time of their
writing.

OLD TESTAMENT.

Its 39 Books.

Elih-jSb ; a/>/_y ^ Mo-pent : bog. Josh: boli/.Sdiu-

ju-ki : baz)/.
Dav: bi/li/. Sal-pro-can-ecc : ath. M6rd-e : toz.

E'z-chr: ety. Neh: eg.

Prophets.

Jon: kse. Jo: eig. Am: peip. Hose; oieil. Is:

p&uy. Nail : puk.
Mic ; put. Jer: sta. Zeph : dutz. Haba : syn.'EjZi',

loul. Oh-AAx-lkoi.
Daniel: uU. Hag: Uz, Zechari: udx. Malachi ;

touoi.

396 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

NEW TESTAMENT.

Its 27 Books.

Matt/fl.2 MdLX-ot. Thes-let. ?e-!o. Gal Cor

R6ma-/oi. Luke-sa.
Phil Col Eph^s Phile Janie-*e. Heb Act-si. Timothy

Tit-SM.
Tim Peter-aup. Jude-pa. Revel-ow*. John-rnA.- —

' dot in iau.

1 i. e. Elih\i is most probably supposed to be the author
of the book of job, about 17 30 years before the birth of
Christ. So, Moses, the author of the p«itateuch, flourished

in the year before Christ 1400. And so of the rest

N. B Ezra, is thought by the Jewish doctors to have writ the
chronicles [the 36th chapter of Genesis, the last of Joshua
and Jeremiah ; and to have revised and settled the cannon of
the old testament.]

2 i. e. Mntlhew writ his gospel about the year of our Lord
41. And so of the rest.

3 i. c. 27 books (from the year 41 to 97) in 36 years.

ENGLAND

Its Kings, since the Conquest, with the Commence-
ment of their Reigns.

Will Conq-sau,^ Ruf-koi. Hen ist-ag. Steph-6i7.

He sec-bt(f.
Rich ist-Je/n. JoHN-fln«. HfiNSd-rfcs. Edward

1 st-doid.
Ed 2<i-t> p, 3dtep. Ri sec-ipp. Hen Uh-toun,

5th Jut.
6th fed. Fd ^thfaub, 5th, RY 3d feU. He 7th-/«7,

Sthlyn.
Ed 6t\\-l6p. M AB.Y -lat. Els luk, Jame Ist-sj/t, Cii

ist Sf^.

Car 2d 6wi. jAMEse-«e^/. Will MA-wm. Ann-
pyd. Geopaf, pep.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 397

I i. e. WiHiam the coTt^ueror began his reign (accounting

the year to begin January i) A. D. 1066 N. B. 1000 is

omitted throughout this list.

MONARCHIES.

The grand or universal ones, their Rise, Fall,
and Continuance.

ASS : Nrn(A.M><5'/>dA-. Sar-frf^ (BAB-j/an, Pers-

t/ruboi, Grec iV/-T-
Cass-ma-gre. Lys thrac-he-bos. Ptolem a6-lib-a-

pal-sy. Seleue as.)
BOM : iu\-ini/'d, }ov-otat -f- East, West : taken

C6n-loze, Rom-otun :
A'Iar(A.D)-o62, Atti-/.?. Gkns/ul. Od-ops. Tlieod-

oni. Tot-lop.

i. e. The Assyrian monarchy begun in Ninus (A. M.)

1748, and ended with As^araddinu^ in 3^35; being swallowd
up by the BABylonian, which ended i,with Nabonadius) in
3419, (when Cyrus reignd over all Asia) so the kins^dom
was translated to the PEBsians: from whom (by the con-
quest of Darius Codomannus) in 3617, Alexander translated
it to the GnEcians : after whose death, in 3(i-25, it was (-j-)
divided (alter the confusion of a few years) among four of
his followers. Cassdinder had wacedon and ^rfce : Lysi-
machus had thrace, with those parts of Asia that border on
the /lellespont and the /'Oiphorus : Ptolemy had irgypt, libya,
arabia, palciUne, and ctrloiyf'a: ■Se/ei/nis, all the rest of
as\a. The ►RoMan monarchy begun %vith Ju.l'i\js Cae-
sar, in 3902; and ended in Jovian in 4313: after whose
death it was (-f-) divided into the Eastern, and IVestcxn em-
pires : the former of which ended by the taking of C'an-
stantinoplc (under Constantine I'alseologus) in 5402 ; the
latter by the taking of Romt (under Honorius) in 43f>9;
A. D. 410; hy Alanc, king of the Goths: after whom it
was overrun and ravagd by Alli\d, king of the Huns, in 4jl ;
by Gen^eric, the Vandal, in 455; by Of/oacer, king of the
Heruli, in 476; by Theudouc, king ot the Ostrogoths, ia
493; by Talilas, the Ostrogoth, in 547.

M M

398 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

WAR.
Bodies of Soldiers,

R] Decbi/. Cen-az7/. Man-eg. Turm-ig". Cohor-dug,

hegi-auth. Ph-eith.
E] Comp uz,ag. Si[\idid-ag,eg. B-dlgfCig. Brigad-

ath,hag. V\t^-ig,auth.

1. The Roman L,eg-iow consisted of (at a medium) 6000
men : though the nuniber was different, at different times,
from 3o 0 to 6666. And, in proportion, the other bodies,
viz. Deairia, 10. Centuria, lOO. Manipulus, 200. Turma^
300. Cohors, 600. Phalanx, 8000.

2. An English Regiment is. from 300 to 1000 men.
And, in propor ion, the other bodies, viz. Company, 5o-
100. Squadron, 100-200. Battalion, 500-800. Brigade^
1000-1100.

Natural ^fjtlo^ojifjp*

PHYSICS.

ANNUITIES.

TTie Value, for several Ages of Life.

K-hz,dei ^ Az-b',fo. '£.z-hf,pei. lzb^,pe. Oz-uz,iip.

0\-n,oub.
\]z-ou,€b. \]\-k,nb. Auz oi,^y. 'Aul-du,lo. Oizl,id.

1. i. e- for (A) 1 year of age, the value of an annuity is
^a,det) lo,'28 years purcliase. And so of the rest. V. Hal-
iey, ap. Lowthorp, vol 3. p. 669.

ARKS.

Of Noah, and of the Covenant Testimony, their
Dimensions in Cubits.

(Gov) L-e,re. V>v-A,re. Da, re. (Noah) L-ig. Br-wx.
D-Jz ; for Biids-f«-, Qn-ag.

ARTII^ICIAL MEMORY. 399

i. e. The Ark of the Covenant was a sort of Chest in

length, fireadth. Depth, 2|: 1^: l^. of Noah was a

sort of Ship, 300 : 50 : 30 : sufficient to hold (with food,
&c.) all kinds of Birds (viz.) JOo . Quadrupeds, lOO. V. Gen.
6. 15. Exod. 25. 10.

ATMOSPHERE.

Its He'f^ht, Weight, Elasticity, SfC.

Atmosphere (HiGU rai(es-o2 ') on a foot-square

presses emuz pounds ;
On 13 feet (for a man) tuns-a/: when least, tun fl,re

less 2 ;
Weighing as l to (water) eig to mercury)

azth eig ^.
C6mprest, on Earth, to atpaun * ; by Art, (JO times

more, to kesboz.

1 As appears by a calculation, made by M. de la Hire, from
the crepuscula.

2 As appears by calculations made from the Torricellian
experiments. V. Jurin, ap Varen. 1. 6. ly. 7.

3 i. e. The weight of air compard to that of water, is as 1
to 800, &c. V. Hauksbee's exper.

4 i. e. The common air we breathe, near the surface of the
earth, is comprest, by the bare weight of the incumbent at-
mosphere, into a 13769th part of the space it would take-up,
were it at liberty. V. Boyle, ap. Wallis. hydrost. 13 Philos.
trans, n. 181.

DIVISIBILITY.

Of Matter, actually great.

By great Effluvia, in along time, bodies I6se but

a small weight ^
Cnndle, an inch, convdxted to Light gives

parts a nonillion. ♦

400 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS O?

1 As is evident in perfumes, &c.

2 At which rate there must fly out of it, as it burns, in
the second of a minute, 418,660,0OO,000,0OO,000,0OO,OOO,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000 particles : vastly more than a
looo times a looo millions the number of sands the whele
earth can contain; reckoning lo inches to 1 foot, and that
100 sands are equal to i inch. V. Nieuwent. rel. phil. vol. S.
p. 858.

DUCTILITY.

Of Bodies, veHy great*

Microscopical Spiders ^ spin at-a-time, at least,

threads-aw^A.
Glass may be drawn ^ as a web, and knit to the 4th

6f a line space \
Gold, on Silver-wire, is drawn * to the p^rt of an

iiK'h-bom,

, 1 i. e. Such are not visible but b7 a microscope.

2 ** As fine as a spider's web :" but not long enough to he
woven.

3 i. e. So, that the space in the middle of the knot shall net
exceed one 4th of a line, or one 48th of an inch.

4 " To the 14-niillionth part of an inch, in thinness :" and
yet is so perfect a cover to the silver, that there is not an.
aperture to admit alcohol of wine (the subtilest fluid in n**
ture) nor even light itself. Reaumur.

EVAPORATION

Fram Water, its Quantity. ^

FooT-squSre, by h6at, in a day, evaporates h^lf of a

wine pint ^.
So, Medi tuns-udky'm ^ ; near a third more than's

brought by tlie rivers ^.

\ According to experiments made by Dr. Halley, ap.
Miscell. curios, vol. 1. To which it may be added, that the
winds do sometimes carry-ofFmore than rises by heat.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 401

2 Estimating the il/editerranean at 40 degrees long, and 4
broad.

3 V. Rivers, and, consequently, from the whole watery
surface abundantly enough to furnish all the dews, rains,
springs, rivers. Sec. that are convey'd into the ocean.

MAN.

JLife, Marriage, Parts, Perspiration.

LirE, out of dg, but — at Aii, so * — at Asji/ — at

Es, bit — at /*, bau
He at Os, dz at Us,au & at Aus, i —

at Ois, a.
Mark, a in uzf-: bir-/^ (to bur as a,au to a *)

males-6o to fern at ^.
BoNEs-e«/. MuscLEs-/f7i. TEETU-/rf Blood

as ag to aauy ^.
Beats, iu an hour, times-o^/t ; and an ounce, at a

time, is discharged "^ :
.52 feet in a minute; as sept-og- to 1 \n th6 ex-
tremes ^.
Perspire through pores ( belth-\\\\txtoi by one

grain of sand may be coverd)
5 parts of 8 (a day's food) from hours 5, after meals,

to the 12th, 3'^

1 i. e. Of the children born, out of loo, there are living,
at 6 years of age, but 64. And so of the rest. V. Halley,
ap. Lowthorp. vol. 3. p. 699. N. B. On observa-
tions of this nature, drawn from the bills of mortality, is
computed the value of annuities for different ages of life. V.
Annuities.

2 1. e. 1 in 104 Marry. King.

3. i. e. Marriages, one with another, do each produce 4
births. Derham.

4 i.e. Births to Burials arc as 1, 6 to 1. Derham.

5 i. e. Males, born, to Females, are as 14 to 13. Graunt.

6 i.e. In a body, weighing 1 69 pound, loo thereof are
Blood; understanding thereby not only the fluid containd in
the veins and arteries ; but also that in the lymphae-ducts,
nerves, and the other vessels, secreted from it, and returnd
into it, Keil.

M M 3

408 PRINCIPAL SYSTIWS OP

7 i. c. 250 pounds in an hour , at the rate of the whole
mass, in 24 minutes.

s i. e. The blood is driven out of the heart into the great
artery with a velocity, which would carry it 52 feet in a
minute : a velocity to that of its motion in the remotest
branches, as loo septillions [7th period] to 1.

9 Within 5 hours after eating, there is perspird about 1
pound; from the I2th to the 1 6th scarce half-a-oound. Sane-
tori us.

RIVERS.
The Quantity of their Waters.

At Kirngston-bridge, Thames (yards Broad-ae-,

Dee}W) 2 mile an hour Runs ^ :
tuns-em igih in a day ; rh e ti po ni do niest nieper

akdoim 2.

1. In a day, 48 miles, 84,480 yards; which multiplied by
(3 times 100, the profile of water at the bridge, viz.)
906 yards, gives 25,344,000 cubic yards of water, i. e.
20,300,090 tuns.

2 The most considerable rivers that fall into the Meditbr-
FANEAH sea, are the Rhone, Ebro, Tiler, Po, Danube, Nile,
Don,Niester, Nieper, Each of these is supposed to carry-down
10 times as much water as the Thames (not that any of
Owto is so great ; but so to allow for the other lesser rivers
that fell into that sea). Now the water of the Thames
tciftg computed, as above, at about 20,300,000 tuns ; the 3
rivers aforesaid will amount, each, to 209,000,000 ; in »B,
i,827,«oo,ooot«'ns. V. Evapofation.

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 405

Solomon Lowe was a schoolmaster at
Hammersmith, and author of the following
works. — I. The Protestant Family Piece, or, a
pictme of Popery, 8°. 17 16. — II. KOINA
KAINHS : an appendix to Grammar, contain-
ing Rhetoric and Prosody, with directions for
Composing, Construing, Parsing, Writing ele*
gantly, and gaining a Copia of Thoughts and
Words. To which are added, very short, plain,
and comprehensive rudiments of the French and
Greek Tongues, 8^ 1719.-111. A Specimen
of a Latin Grammar, 8". 1722. — IV. A Gram-
mar of the Latin Tongue, with appendix and
notes, 8°. 1724. — V. Italian Rudiments, 8".
1728.— VI. Latin Rudiments, 8°. 1729.— VII.
The Occasional Critique; containing, (1.) On
the Dean of Rochester's Latin Grammar. (2.)
On Dr. Busby's Latin Grammar, as improved
by his successors. (3.) On Education, etc. (4.)
A Proposal of a new scheme of Grammar,
8°. 1736* — VIII. English Grammar reformed,
8". 1737.— IX. Rhetoric delineated, 8°. 1737.
Of the following publications we have not
been enabled to ascertain the dates. — I. An easy
method of initiating Children in the Latin

• These tracts were published separately under dif-
ferent titles and afterwards reprinted with the title of
the Occasional Critique. No. 4, the last, was entitled
^\}Z Mi^tsmt, etc. and publislied in 1732.

404 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS OF

Tongue, 8°. — II. A New System of English
Examples to Latin Syntax, 8°. — III. A Voca-
bulary Latin and English. — IV. Sententia pue-
riles, Latin and English. — V. English Exam-
ples to Latin Syntax. — VI. A Construing Book
and Supplement, — VII. Greek Characters and
Abbreviations, in a Table.

QQ. Dan. Geo. 3IorhoJii Polyhistor
Literarius Philosophicus et Prac'
ticus, cum accessionihus virorum
clarissimorum J oh. Frickii et J oh.
Molleri Flenshurg. [Edit. Quart.]
2 t07n. 4°. Luhecce, 1747.

In this work there are two ingenious disserta-
tions, 1. De Arte Liil/iana similibusque inven-
tis. '2. D^ Memoria subsidiis. To these w€
confess some obligations ; although Morhof,
from unavoidable circumstances, was not con-
sulted till most of the collections were made for
this account of the systems of Artificial Me-
mory.

Daniel George Morhof, was born at
Wismar, in the Dutchy of Mecklenburgh, in the
year 1639. He studied at Stettin and Rostock,
and visited Holland and Oxford ; and in lG65,
was invited by the Duke of Holstein to become
Professor of Poetry, Eloquence, and History,
and Librarian in the University of Kiel, H«

ARTIFICIAL MEMORY. 405

died in I69I. His principal work is the Poly-
histor, a complete storehouse of miscellaDeous
literature.

67. Cartas Eruditas y CuriosaSy por D.
Fr, B. J. Feyjdo, 4°. 5 torn. Ma-
drid, 1781.

In this work* there is a dissertation on reme-
dies for the memory, and one on the Art of Me-
mory, in which several books on the subject are
named. In another essay, the principles of the
art are stated to consist in particular places and
images, and a sphere or globe is divided into va*"
rious compartments. In the tenth section of this
essay, Feyjoo speaks of remembering certain
words by the means of images, and, in the eleventh
section, illustrates the application of the art to
poetry, by two examples taken from a treatise
on Artificial Memory, by Count de Nolegar,
which may be seen in another part of this work.-l*

Benedict Jerom Feyjoo was a Spanish
Benedictine, and attempted by his writings and
example to correct and reform the vitiated no-
tions of his countrymen. His Theatro CriticOj
in 9 vols, and the Cartas Eruditas, in 5 vols.
4**. are works of considerable merit. Feyjoo
censures, with great freedom and spirit, the igno-

• Tom. I. pp. 200—228. t See p. 165.

4C6 PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS, ETC.

ranee aud licentiousness of the clergy, and ex-
poses the futility of pilgrimages, pretended mi-
racles, and superistitious exorcisms. Tbis con-
duct rendered him obnoxious to the pains and
penalties of the church, and Feyjoo was, with
difficulty, saved from the horrors of the Inqui-
sition. He died in 1765.

We have not been enabled to procure the date
of the following books ; the titles, therefore,
could not be inserted in regular order.

1. Anacardina a la Arte de Memoria.

2. Joh. Aguilera de Arte Memories.

3. Epiphaniide Muirans, Ars Memoria ad-
mirabilis, omnium nescientium excedens captum.

4. Franc. Conti de Arte Memoria,

5. Hieronj/mus Megiserus de Arte Memoria.

6. Aharo Ferreija de Vera, Trattaio de JVJc-
moria artijiciosa.

INSTANCES

OF THE

EXTRAORDINARY POWERS

Statural iMemorp*

CHROKOLOGICALLV ARRANGED.

B.C.

115 TIoRTENSius, the celebrated Roman
Orator, and contemporary of Cicero, was aided
by uncomujon powers of memory. He was able
to repeat a whole oration in the words he had
previously conceived it, without committing it to
writing ; and to go through all the arguments of
an opponent in their proper order. As a proof
of the degree in which he possessed this faculty,
it is said that he once attended a whole day at a
public sale, and at the end of it, recited, iu
regular order, the names of all the buyers, the
articles sold, and their prices, with perfect ex-
actness.

408 INSTANCES OF

65. A. D. — Seneca. "Age (says Seneca)
has done me many injuries, and deprived me of
many things I once had : it hath dulled the sight
of my eyes, blunted the sense of my hearing, and
slackened my nerves. Amongst the rest 1 have
mentioned before is the memory, a thing that is
the most tender and frail of all parts of the soul,
and which is first sensible to the assaults of age :
that heretofore this did so flourish in me, as not
only served me for use, but might even pass for
a miracle I cannot deny ; for I could repeat two
thousand names in the same order as they were
spoken, and when as many as were scholars
to my master, brought each of them several
verses to him, so that the number of them
amounted to more than two hundred, beginning
at the last, I could recite them orderly unto the
first : nor was my memory only apt to receive
such things as I would commit to it, but was
also a faithful preserver of all that I had entrusted
it with."

980. A. D.— AvicENNA, or Ebn-Sina, an
Arabian philosopher and physician, was born at
Arsena, near Bocchara, and possessed a ready
genius, and a wonderful memory. At the age
of ten he made great progress in the languages,
and could repeat the Koran by heart. He read
over the books of Aristotle's Metaphysics forty
times ; and by this means so fixed them in his

NATURAL MEMORY. 409

memory, that he could repeat them with fa-
cihty.

1484. A. D. — Joseph Scaliger. The works
of Homer, (says Waiiley) are his Iliads and Odys-
8eys, the former consist of twenty- four books, and
so also the latter. His Iliads have in it thirty-one
thousand six hundred and seventy verses, and I
suppose his Odysseys have no less ; and yet it is
said of Joseph Scaliger, that in one-and-twenty
days he committed alt Homer to his memory.

1522. A. D. — Bishop Jewel had naturally
a very strong meiwory, which he greatly improved
by art ; so that he could readily repeat any thing
that he had written after once reading it. His
own sermons w ere chiefly extempore from heads
which he had penned down, and on which he
used to meditate while the bell was ringing to
summon the congregation to church. He is said
to have taught his method of artificial memory
to his old tutor, Dr. Parkhnrst, while they
were at Zurich ; who in the space of 28 days,
with only one hour's application on each day,
learned all the 28 chapters of St. Matthew's
Gospel so perfectly, that he could readily repeat
the whole, or any particular verse, knowing at
the same time what went before, or what fol-
lowed after, any verse that was mentioned to
him.

So firm was the memory of Bishop Jewel

N N

410 INSTANCES OF

that he used to say, if he were to deliver a pre-
meditated speech before a thousand auditors,
shouting or fighting all the while, they would not
put him out. John Hooper, Bishop of Glou-
cester, who was burnt in the reign of Queen
Mary, once, to try him, wrote about forty
Welsh and Irish words. Mr. Jewel going a
little while aside and recollecting them in his
memory, and reading them twice or thrice over,
said them by heart, backward and forward, ex-
actly in the same order in which they were set
down. And, at another time, he did the same
by ten lines of Erasmus* paraphrase in English;
the words of which being read sometimes con-
fusedly without order, and sometimes in order
by the Lord Keeper Bacon, Mr. Jewel thinking
' awhile on them, presently repeated them again.

1547- A. D. — Lipsius, an eminent philoso-
pher and critic, born at Isch, near Brussels, was
remarkable for the extent of his memory. He
remembered th« whole history of Tacitus, and
pledged himself to recite word for wordy any
passage that might be required. So confident
was he of having this book fixed in his memory,
that he allowed a person to stand by him with a
dagger, and to pUmge it into his body if he did
not repeat, faitlifully, the words of the author.

1585. A. D. — MuRET ill his Varite Lectiones
has the following anecdote. In Padua, near

NATURAL MEMORY. 411

unto me, dwelt a young man of Corsica, of good
birth, and sent thither to study the civil law ; in
the study of which he had spent some years with
that diligence and attention, that there was now
raised amongst us a great opinion of his learning.
He came almost every day to my house, and there
went a report, that he attained to an art of me-
mory, by assistance of which he was able to
perform that which another could not believe
unless he beheld it ; when I heard this, I had a
desire to behold these wonderful things, as one
not very credulous of such matters as come by
hearsay. I therefore desired him to give me
some such kind of instance of his art as he should
think fit. He told me he would do it when I
pleased. " Immediately, then," said I ; and
when he refused not, all we who were present
went into the next room; there did I dictate
Latin, Greek, and barbarous names, some signi-
ficant, others not ; so many, and so different,
having not the least dependance one upon the
other, that I was weary with dictating, and the
boy with writing what I dictated, and all the rest
with hearing, and expectation of the issue.
When we were thus diversely wearied, he alone
called for more. But I myself said it was fit to
observe some measure : and that I should be
abundantly satisfied if he could but recite me the
one half of those 1 had caused already to be set

412 INSTANCES OF

down. He fixing his e^es upon the ground
(with great expectation on our part,) after a short
pause oegaii to speak. In brief, to our amaze-
ment, he repeated ali we had written in the very
same order they were set down, without scarce
a stop or any hesitation : and then beginning at
the last, recited them all backwards to the first ;
then so as that he would name only the first,
third, fifth, and in that order repeat all ; and in-
deed in what order we pleased, without the least
error. Afterwards, when I was more familiar
with him (having often tried him, and yet never
found him speaking otherwise than the truth,) he
told me once, and certainly he was no boaster,^
that he could repeat in that manner thirty-six
thousand names, and which was yet the most
strange, things stuck in his memory, that he
would say, with little trouble, he could repeat
any thing he had entrusted within a y«ar after.
For my own part, I made trial of him after
many days, and found he said true. He taught
Franciscus Molinus, a young patrician of Venice^
and who had but a weak memory, in the com-
pass of but seven days, wherein he had learned
of him to repeat five hundred names with ease,
and in what order he pleased.

1649. A. D. — Famianus Stbada, in his
first book of academical prolttsions, speaking of
Frauciscus Suarez, says, J* he hath so strong

NATURAL MEMORY. 413

a memory, that he hath St. Augustine (the most
copious and various of the fathers) ready by
heart, allegin<; every where, as occasion presents
itself, fully and failhfully his sentences, and,
which is very strange, his words ; nay, if he be
demanded any thing touching any passage in
any of his volumes (which of themselves are al-
most enough to till a library,) I myself have seen
him instantly showing and pointing with his finger
to the place and page in which he disputed of
that matter.

1661. A. D. — Dr. Thomas Fuller, the
author of the Worthies of England, had so great
a memory, (says Wanley) that he could name in
order all the signs on both sides the way from the
beginning of Pater-noster-Row at Ave-Maria-
Lane, to the bottom of Cheapside to Stocks-
Market* And that he could dictate to five
several writers at the same time, un as many
different subjects. This gentleman making a
visit to a committee of sequestrators sitting at
Waltham in Essex, they soon fell into a dis-
course and commendation of his great memory ;

* The site of Stock-Market is now occiipiod by the
Mansion-House, and many other adjacent buiUiings. The
celebrated Heidegger it is said, could name all the signs
from the Exchange to St. James's, on one side the street,
after walking once to obsei-\'e them.
N N .S

414 INSTANCES OF

to which Mr. Fuller replied, " 'Tis true, gen-
tlemen, that fame has given me the report of a
memorist, and if you please I will give you an
experiment of it." They all accepted the mo-
tion, and told him they sh uuld look upon it as an
obligation, laid aside the business before them,
and prayed him to begin. " Gentlemen, (says
he) I will give you an instance of my good me-
mory in that particular. Your worships have
thought fit to sequester an honest poor but cava-
lier parson, my neighbour, from his living, and
committed him to prison ; he has a great charge
of children, and his circumstances are but indif-
ferent, if you please to release him out of prison,
and restore him to his living, I will never forget
the kindness while I live." 'Tis said the jest
had such an influence upon the committee, that
they immediately released and restored the poor
clergyman.

1676. A. D. — ^HuMPHRY Burton, of Co-
ventry, at the age of eighty-three, could (says
Wanley) by the strength and firmness of his me-
mory, give the sum of any chapter in the New
Testament, and of the chapters in divers books
of the Old Testament, in a Latin distich, with
as much readiness, and as little hesitation, as if
he had directly read them out of a book. I my-
self have frequently put him to the trial ; wherein,
though I have observed no order, but named

NATURAL MEMORY. 416

here a chapter at the beginning, then one to-
wards the end, then again returned to the mid-
dle, and so on purpose prevented any assistance
lie might have from an orderly succession and
dependance ; yet could I no sooner name the
chapter and book whereof I desired the account,
but he was ready with liis distich.

1684. A. D.— Dr. Wallis. In the Phi-
losophical Transactions for the years 1686-7,*
Dr. Wallis gives an account of his j>erforming
arithmetical operations in great numbers, by
night in the dark ; and conceives that we can
use our memory with greater advantage at this
time, that we can by day, when our thoughts
are diverted by sights and noises. " Having had
the curiosity (says Dr. Wallis) heretofore to try,
how the strength of memory would suffice me,
to perform some arithmetical operations (as Mul-
tiplication, Division, Extraction of Roots, etc.)
without the assistance of pen and ink, or ought
equivalent thereunto ; and finding it to succeed
well, (for instance) in extracting the square Root
from numbers of 8, 10, 12, or more places : I
proceeded to try it (with success) in numbers of
20, 30, 40 places. But was not curious to keep
memorials of the particular numbers which I had
$0 considered, (as being but a curiosity, and not of

• Vol. xr. p. U69.

4l6 INSTANCES OF

farther use,) till there happened an occasional
discourse of it with a forraigner ( J ohaimes
Georgius Pehhover, Regio-Montanus Borus-
sus) who coming to see the University was
pleased, as divers other forraigners often do) to
give me a visit: Feb. 18, I6f" at a time when I
was afflicted with a tedious and severe quartan
ague, (which held me for a whole year from
about Michaelmas then last past, till about the
same time in the year following;) which caused
me to pass my nights with little or no sleep.

" He was desirous I would tell him some of
those numbers which I had so considered. Which
at the present, for the reason but now mentioned)
1 could not do ; save only that, on Dec. 22, l669,
I had (by night in the dark) extracted the square
root of 3 (with ciphers adjoined) contained to the
twentieth place of decimal fractions : finding it
to be :

1. 73205,08075,68877,y9353,/cre.

Which is the square root of o, with forty ciphers
adjoined ;

3,00000. 00000. 00000. OOOOO. 00000. 00000. 00000. 00000-

(which I had chanced to write down, because
7 3 is a surd which I might after have occasion
to make use of) but added, that I could at plea-
sure perform the like at any time."

1714. A. D — Antonio MAor.iABECHi
was born at Florence, Oct. 2<), 1633. Such

NATURAL MEMORY. 417

wsa the poverty of his parents, that they thought
themselves happy in getting him into the service
of a man who sold herbs and fruit. Here he
took every opportunity, though he could not tell
one letter from another, to pore on the leaves of
some old books that served for waste paper, de-
claring that he loved it of all things. A neigh-
bouring bookseller, who observed this, took him
into his service. Young Magliabechi soon
learned to read ; and his inclination for reading
became his ruling passion ; and a prodigious
memory his distinguished talent. He read every
book that came into his hands, and retained not
only the sense of what he read, but often all the
words, and the very manner of spelling, if sin-
gular. To make trial of the force of his me-
mory, a gentleman lent him a manuscript he was
going to print. Some time after it was returned,
the gentleman came to him, with a melancholy
face, and pretended it was lost. Magliabechi
being requested to recollect what he remembered
of it, wrote the whole without missing a word,
or varying the spelling. He was consulted by
all the learned who proposed to write on any
subject. If a priest, for instance, was going to
compose a panegyric on a saint, Magliabechi
would tell him every author, to the number of
an hundred sometimes, who had said any thing
of that saint, naming the book and the page, and

418 INSTANCES Of

the very words. He did this so often, and so
readily, that he came at last to be looked upon
as an oracle; and Cosmo III. Grand Duke of
Florence, made him his librarian, the most suit-
able office to Magliabechi's genius. In the latter
part of his life, when a book came into his
hands, he would read the title-page all over, dip
here and there in the preface, dedication, and
prefatory advertisements, if there were any ; and
then cast his eyes on each of the divisions, sec-
tions, or chapters. After this, he could tell at
any time what the book contained.

" Though Magliabechi must have lived a very
sedentary life, yet he attained to the age of 81.
He died July 14, 1714, in the midst of the pub-
lic applause, after enjoying, during all the latter
part of his life, such an affluence as very few
persons have ever procured by their knowledge or
learning. By his will he left a very line library
collected by himself, for the use of the public,
with a fund to maintain it ; and the overplus of
the fund to the poor. It had been usual for
every author and printer to make him a present
of a copy of every thing they published.

" Though he was not an ecclesiastic, he would
never marry. He was quite slovenly in his
dress. He received his friends, and those who
came to consult him on any point of literature,
in a civil and obliging manner; though in gene-
ral he had almost the air of a savage, and even

NATURAL MEMORY. 419

affected it ; together with a cynical or contemp-
tuous smile. In his maimer of living, he affect-
ed the character of Diogenes : three hard eggs,
and a draught or two of water, were his u»ual
repast. When any one went to see him, they
most usually found him lolling in a sort of fixt
wooden cradle in the middle of his study, with a
multitude of books, some thrown in heaps, and
others scattered about the floor, all around him ;
and this his cradle or bed, was attached to the
nearest pile of books by a number of cobwebs.
At their entrance he commonly used to call out
to them, ' Not to hurt his spiders.'*"

1748. A. D. — William Lyon. In the
Getitleman's Magazine for the year 1752,t there
is the following singular anecdote. " William
Jjyon, a strolling player, who performed at the
theatre at Edinburgh, and who was excellent in
the part of Gibby, the Highlander, gave a sur-
prising instance of memory. One evening, over
his bottle, he wagtr'd a crown bowl of punch,
(a liquor of which he was very fond,) that next
morning at the rehearsal, he would repeat a
Daily yJdvertiser from beginning to end. At
the rehearsal, his opponent n minded him of the
wager, imaginmg as he was drunk the night
before, that he must certainly have forgot it, and

. * Spence's Paralkl of Hill and Magliabechi.
t Vol. xxii. p. 411.

420 INSTANCES or

rallied him on his ridiculous bragging of his me-
mory. Jjifon pulled out the paper, desired him
to look at it, and be judge himself whether he
did or did not win his wager. Notwithstanding
the unconnected matter of the paragraphs — the
variety of atJvertisements — and the general chaos
which goes to the composition of a newspaper,
he repeated it from beginning to end, without the
least hesitation or mistake. Lyon died about
four years ago at Edinburgh, where he had
played with great success."*

1751. A. D. — Jedediah Buxton. A
con espondent in the Gentleman's Magazine for
February 1751,-i- gives the following account of
this extraordinary man. *' It is necessary to
premise first that he is no scholar, not being able
to scrawl his own name ; and secondly that his
attainments are of his own pure industry, for that
he never had further help towards them, than his
learning the multiplication table in his youth ;
yet without the assistance of pen, ink, or chalk,
or any other mark, he will nmltiply 5 or 6 figures
by as many, or divide as large sums off hand, in a
very short time, sooner than the most concise of
your arithmeticians pretend to.

* '< We have heard of this performance (says the editor)
many years since, when th ■ Daily Advertiser, thongh larger
than other papers, was not so large and crowded as it has
been of late." t Vol. xxi. p. 61.

NATURAL MEMORY. 421

" I met with him by accident last summer,
and after hearing of his performances, I first
proposed to him the following random question :
In a body whose 3 sides are 23 1457S9 yards,
5641733 yards, and 54965 yards, how many cu-
bical glhs of an inch ? After once naming the
several figures distinctly one after another, in or-
der to assure himself of the several dimensions
and fix them in his mind, without more ado he
fell to work amidst more than a 100 of his fellow
labourers, and after leaving him about 5 hours,
on some necessary concerns (in which time I
calculated it with the pen) at my return, he told
me he was ready : Upon which taking out my
pocket-book and pencil, to note down his answer,
he asked me which end 1 would begin at, for he
would direct me either way. I chose the regular
method, and to my great suprize, found that in
a line of 28 figures, he made no hesitation nor
the least mistake. Many such questions did
several other people give him, which he never
failed to answer truly ; yea he often corrected
those who wrought with the pen. What is more
astonishing than this, he would suflTer two people
to propose different questions, one immediately
after the other, and give each their respective
answers, without the least confusion. So reten-
tive is his memory, that he will repeat his an-
swers a month or two afterwards if you ask him.
o o

422. INSTANCES O ^

" He will stride over a piece of land or a field,
and tell you the contents of it almost as exact as
if you measured it by the chain. Some years
ago he measured in this manner the whole lord-
ship of Elmion, of some thousand acres, be-
longing to Sir John Rhodes, and brought him
the contents, not only in acres, roods, and
perches, but even in square inches ; after this,
for his own amusement, he reduced them into
square hairs-breadths, computing (I think) 48 to
each side of the inch, which produced such an
incomprehensible number, that instead of enter-
taining the mind w ith any sort of pleasure, serves
more to amaze and distract it.

" Millions, millions upon millions, tribes,
cramps, and so on, (for in this manner he enu-
merates his long series of numbers) are as plain
and familiar to him, as pounds, shillings, and
pence ; I may say more familiar, for he has sel-
dom more than a week's wages before hand. Jt
was but the other day, he set himself a voluntary
question, to calculate how much one farthing
doubled 140 times would amount to. This he
desired me to set down in 39 places of pounds,
and an odd 2s. Sd. When I asked him if he
could multiply this immense sum into itself, he
said he would undertake it, and the odd fraction
likewise if I pleased; but I dismissed him with
the whole numbers, and shall not be more amaz-

NATURAL MEMORY. 425

ed at his bringing a true answer, than I have
been already at lii^ surprising performances,
some of which have cost him many days study ;
but be the work long or short it is all one to him,
because he reassumes the operation in the morn-
ing at the same place he left it over night, and
so continues till he has finished it. If at any
time you find an error in his answer, he will
overhaul, as he terms it, and find out his mistake
himself, rather than be convicted by your pen."

Another correspondent in the same Magazine
for August 1751,* affords some farther informa-
tion concerning Buxton. He says, " I perceive
he has a good notion of the square, oblong,
triangle, and circle. The first question I pro-
posed was as follows : admit a field 423 yards
long, and 383 wide, what was the area ? After I
had read the figures to him distinctly, he gave
me the true product, viz, 1 62009 yards, in t\vo
minutes, for I observed by my watch how long
every operation took him. 1 then asked him
how many acres the aforesaid field measured ? In
1 1 minutes he told me 33 acres, I rood, 35
perches, 20 yards, and a quarter just. I then
proposed to him, how many barley corns would
reach 8 miles P In a minute and half he answered
1520640 barley corns. He is the slowest in

• Vol. xxi. p. 347.

424 INSTANCES OF

finding the area of a circle, but yet he finds it
very near the truth, though he don't use the ma-
thematical rules. Allowing the distance between
York and London to be 204 miles, J asked him
how many times a coach-wheel turned round in
that distance, allowing the wheel's circumference
to be six yards? In 13 minutes he answered
59840 times. The next proposition was, a tub
or bin 346 inches long, 256 inches wide, 94
inches deep, how many gallons liquid measure
and what corn will it hold ? Answer, 3,454,464
solid inches, or 1,768,685,568 half quarters of
solid inches, making 12,249,872 gallons liquid
measure, or 12249 gallons, 3 quarts, and 34f
inches; or it will hold 191 quarters, 3 bushels,
3 quarterns, a half quartern, and 34^ inches re-
mainder.

" Again, suppose a canal was to be dug 426
feet long, 203 wide, and 2 feet deep, how many
cubical yards of earth to be removed ? After
pausing a quarter of an hour he answered, 10373
yards 24 feet. He will talk with you freely
whilst he is doing his questions, it being na
molestation or hindrance to him, but enough to
confound a penn)an. His memory is so great,
that he can leave off and reassume the operation
again, at a week, month, or at several months
end; he calls his figures all by their proper
names, and is very ready at naming them either

NATURAL UEMORY. 4S5

backwards or forwards. From May, 17, 10 h.
A. D. 1725, he told me he was drunk (to make
use of his expression) with reckoning by his me-
naory till June \Q, following, and then slept
somidly seven hours, but will never attem' t so
much reckoning again, for fear of falling into the
same dilemma. I suppose what he means by
his being drunk, was his being so much stupified
with thought, a5 rendered him incapable ol busi-
ness; when it may well be said neque pes, 7iegue
mens satis suum officiumfacit,

" But, to proceed further with this uncommon
man, 1 was led by curiosity to know what ques-
tion it was that caused his drunkenness ; to which
he replied, in answering the following question.
In 202,680,000,360 miles, and each mile reck-
oned to be cubical, how many barley-corns,
vetches, peas, wheat, oats, rye, beans, lintels, and
how many hairs, each an inch long, would fill
that space, reckoning 48 hairs in breadth to an
inch on the flat, as he found ihem to be so. I
shall here subjoin his table of measures, which
he founded on experiment.

200 Bailfy corns

300 Wlieat corns

51'^ Rye corns

180 Oats
40 Peas )>are contained io one

25 Beans [ solid inch.

80 Vetclies

iOO Lintels
2304 Hairs 1 inch long

o o3

•426 INSTANCES OF

From which he calculated the following result :

14 thousand, 9'3 mill. 420 thous. 936 quarters,

1 bushel, 1 peck, 1 quartern, 3 pints, and 5 and

a quarter solid inches of one sort of grain, are

contained in one solid mile; or 5 thousand, 431

mill. 776 thousand yards in a cubical mile, being

254 millions of millions, 358 thousand, 6I mill.

and 56 thousand inches in a cubical mile ; and if

every hair be an inch long, and 2304 hairs a

cubical inch, then 586 thousand, 40 millions of

millions, 972 thousand, 673 millions, and 24

thousand, will fill the space of a cubical mile :

but if a hair be no longer than it is broad, he

then found that there would be 28 tribes, 129-

thousand, 966 millions of millions, 688 thousand,

305 millions, and 152 thousand hairs, to fill the

space of a cubical mile.

" As we are come to that notation where he

introduces the word tribe, it will be proper to

set down that prolix number, arising from 140

nails, doubled at a farthing a nail, viz.

725.958,238,096,074,907,868,531,656,993,638,851,106;.2s.8d*

which he reads thus :

725 Tribes of tribes,

958 Thous. of mill, of mill, of tribe

238 Millions of millions of tribes,

096 Thousand millions of tribes,

074 Millions of tribes,

907 Thousand tribes,

868 Tribes,,

NATURAL MEMORY. 427

531 Thousand millions of millions,

656 Millions of millions,

993 Thousand millions,

638 Millions,

851 Thousands,

106 Pounds, 2 shillings, and 8 pence.

For the truth of which I leave those gentlemen
that have leisure and curiosity to try it.

" I shall only mention one thing more with
respect to this man's memory, and it shall be in
squaring the above number. Now you see he is
to nuiltiply 39^ figures by 39 figures, and all by
the strength of his memory, without having re-
course to human assistance, or pen, ink, and
paper. What a prodigious task must this be to
be operated by the head only, which he certainly
did and after two months and a half, he brings the
following answer, omitting the odd 2s. 8d, which
he reads thus :

527 Tribes of tribes of cramps,

015 Thous. mill, of mill. trib. of cramps,

363 Mill, of mill, tribes of cramps,

459 Thous. mill, tribes of cramps,

557 Mill, of tribes of cramps,

385 Thousand tribes of cramps,

673 Tribes of cramps,

733 Thous, mill, of mill, of cramps,

542 Million of miiiions of cramps,

638 Tliousand millions of cramps ,

591 Millions of cramps,

721 Thousand cramps,

213 Cramps.

428 INSTANCES OF

298 Tribes of tribes,

966 Thous. mi. of mill, of tribes,

079 Millions of mill, of tribes,

307 Thousand millions of tribes,

524 Millions of tribes,

904 Thousand tribes,

381 Trities,

389 Thousand millions of millions,

499 Million of millions

251 Thousands of millions,

637 Millions,

423 Thousands,

£36 Pounds.

Further particulars res{>ecting Jedediah, of an
interesting nature, are found in the Gentleman's
Magazine for December, 1753.* This corres-
pondent observes, " I accidentally met him one
afternoon last week, and was not much above
two hours in his company. Tn the first half
hour, several persons being present, some tri-
fling things were started and talked of; but as
he was very desirous that I should propose some
higher questions to him, I complied, and the
company were all witnesses of his prodigious
readmess in answering the following questions.

♦' QUESTION I.

" In a field 351 yards long, and 261 yards wide, how
many acres ?

" After 11 minutes, he answered — 18 acres,
3 roods, IS perches, and 14 remained.

• Vol. xxiii. p. 557.

NATURAL MEMORY. 429

" QUESTION II.

" Suppose sound moves ll-iS feet in one second of time,
how long then, after the firing of one of the cannons at
Retford, may the same be heard at Haughton Park, taking
the distance at five miles ?

" After about a quarter of an hour he told
me — in 23 seconds, 7 thirds, and 6 remained.

" QUESTION III.
" Admit I set 3584 brocoli plants in rows, 4 feet asun-
der, and the plants 7 feet apart, in a rectangular plot of
ground, how much land will these plants take up ?

" [n near half an hour he said— 2 acres, I
rood, 8 perches and half.

" QUESTION IV.
" What dimensions must I give my joiner to make me
a cubical corn bin, that shall hold me just a quarter of
malt, Winchester measure ?

" This question exercised all his faculties, and
he declared it was the hardest he ever proposed ;
by this I perceived he had never engaged himself
about the cube root : however, though so diffi-
cult it appeared to him, he was very desirous to
answer it, before it was too late in the evening,
and after some time, he said to himself there
were nooks in it, hut he would sift them out:
he never regarded our talking, but sat as one
heedless of every thing about him, except his
pot of beer, which he took notice of. I gave
him no hints, help, or assistance, but left it en-
tirely to him, as I did the others, nor had he any
thing in his hand to make any marks (which I

430

INSTANCES OF

must repeat, because he makes all his computa-
tions by his memory) after about an hour he
told me, it would be a little more than £5|
inches on a side, and 26 inches would be too
much, all which is very true and very exact.

" 1 shall here subjoin an account he gave me
of the quantity of ale or strong beer that he has
drank on free cost, since he was 12 years of age,
and the gentlemen's names where ; and, as the
account was a little particular, I asked him hue
and illuc after 1 had committed it to paper, and
he answered each demand as set down, at the
houses of the following noblemen and gentle-

men :

Duke of Kingston
Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Leeds
Duke of Devonshire
Xady Oxford
G. Heathcote, Esq.
Sir G. Savile, Bart.
J. Tho/uliagh, Esq.
Sir L. Filkington, Bart.
John Bnstowe, Esq.
"W. ViUareal, Esq.
Sir 11. Hnnlock, Bart,
— — Burton, Esq.

White, Esq.

Dr. Burne

Mr. Hocks

Mr. West

Mr. Vesey

Rev. Mr. Hartshorn

Mr. Flint

Clarke, Esq.

Hallows, Esq.

Sir J. Jenkinson, Bart.

Mr. Huncock

Mr. Hall

Mr. E. Sharpe of Elkesly

Mr. Jh. Sharpe

Rev. Mr. Boawre

Mr. Willets

Mr. Maj-or of Chesterfield

Pints.

rinU.

S130

Rev. Mr. Pegge

£66

Mr. Richardson

232

Mr. Raynes

Mr. Stevens

280

Mr. Far

160

Mr. Greenwood

Mr. Shaw

Mr. Barker

Mr. Sisson

1«

Mr. Bfajor

Mr. Brigs

Mr. Pilkington

Mr. J. Brigs

1 ,

Mr. Beestings

Gathering for his dead

cow 72

S251

Rev. Mr. Hewet

SOI

Col.Chndwick

Mr. HaUhead

Mr. Wright

317

At Elniton Manor

300

Mr. Sherwin

Mr. Carteret

Mr. Lane

Mr. Whitehouse

Mr. R. Parkin

Mr.R. Greenwood

Mr. Ih. Clarke

Mr. Bulliv<int

Mr. Fadley

d 2

At my own housr

NATURAL MEMORY. 431

" The whole amounts to 5116 pints, or winds,
38 he terras them, because he never uses above
one wind to a pint, or two to a quart."

In the Gentleman's Magazine for June,
1754,* there is a portrait of Jedediah, in the
forty-ninth year of his age, with this motto from
Virgil, * Numeros Memini.'-f The editor of
this Magazine having received many communi-
cations questioning the authenticity of the cir-
cumstances already related of Buxton, gave re-
peated assurances of the certainty of the facts,
and appealed to the known integrity of the gen-
tlemen by whom they were communicated; and,
as an additional testimony inserted a sketch of

• Vol. xiv. p. 251.

t In addition to this portrait there have been various
others engraven at different times. (1.) A small etching,
(at. 57, 1764,) by Miss Hartley, 1764. (2.) A whole
length — an etching in large 4°. by Holme. (3.) A ditto,
in mezzot. J. Spilsbnry. (4.) A ditto, an etching, 4°. by
Topham, 1770. {Bromley.)

432 INSTANCES OF

the life of this extraordinary man. " With this
print* (says the editor) it was greatly to be wished

that some account of his life could be given :
but the life of laborious poverty is necessarily
uniform and obscure : the history of one day
would almost include the events of all. Time,

• The portrait of Jedcdiah from which the above wood-
cut is taken.

NATURAL MKMOIIY. 433

ith respect to Buxton, changed nothing but his
age, nor did the seasons vary his employment,
except that in winter he used a ^/iai/, and in
•ummer a li/ig hook.

" The grandfather of Jedediah, John Buxton,
was vicar of Elmeton, in Derbyshire, and his
father, William Buxton, was school-master of
the same parish ; but Jedediah, notwithstanding
the profession of his father, is extremely illite«>
rate, having by whatever accident, been so
much neglected in his youth as never to have
been taught to write : how he came first to
know the relative proportions of numbers, and
their progressive denominations, he docs not re-
member ; but to this he has applied the whole
force of his mind, and upon this his attention is
constantly fixed, so that he frequently takes no
cognizance of external objects, and when he
does it is only with respect to their numbers :
the same attention of his mind appears as well
by what he hears as by what he sees. If any
space of time is mentioned, he will soon after
say, that it is so many minutes, and if any dis-
tance of way, he will assign the number of
hair's breadths, without any cjuestiou having;
been usked, or any calculatioji expected by the
conapany.

" By this method he has greatly increased the
power of his nienjory, with respect to figures,
P V

434 INSTANCES OF

and stored up several common products in his
mind, to whicli he can have immediate recourse,
as the number of minutes in a year, of hs^ir's
breadths in a nnle, and many others. When he
once comprehends a question, which is not
without difficulty and time, he begins to work
with amazing facility, and will leave a long
question half wrought, and, at the end of se-
veral months, resume it, beginnhig where he
< left off, and proceeding regularly till it is com-
pleted.

" His memory would certainly, have been
equally retentive, with respect to other objects,
if he had attended to odier objects with equal
diligence ; but his perpetual application to fi-
gures has prevented the smallest acquisition of
any other knowledge, and his mind seems to
have retained fewer ideas than that of a boy of
ten years old, in the same class of life. He
has been sometimes asked, on his return from
church, whether he remembered the ^ text, or
any pari of the sermon, but it never appeared
that he brought away one sentence : his mind,
upon a closer examination, being found to have
been busied, even during divine service in its
favourite operation, either dividing some time or
some sjjace into the smallest known parts, or
resolving some question that had been given him
as a test of his abilities. His power of abstrac-

NARTUAL MEMORY. 435

tion is so great that no noise interrupts hinni ;
and, if he is asked any question, he immediately
replies, and returns again to his calculation,
without any confusion, or the loss of more time
than his answer required. His method of work-
ing is peculiar to himself, and by no means the
shortest or the clearest, as will appear by the
following example :

" He was required to mutiply 456 by 378,
which he had completed as soon as a person in
company had produced the product in the com-
mon way ; and upon being requested to work it
audibly, that his method might be known, he
multiplied 456 first by 5, which produced 2280,
which he again multiplied by 20, and found the
product 45600, which was the multiplicand mul-
tiplied by 100; this product he again multiplied
by S, which produced 136800, which was the
sum of the multiplicand multiplied by 300 ; it
remained therefore to multiply it by 78, which
he eflfected, by multiplying 2280 (the product
of the multiplicand multiplied by 5) by 15 ; 5
times 15 being 75 ; this product being 34200,
he added to the 136800, which was the multi-
plicand multiplied by 300, and this produced
171000, which was 375 times 456 ; to complete
this operation therefore, he multiplied 456 by 3,
which produced 1368, and having added this

436 NATURAL MEMORY.

number to 171000, he found the product of 45t6
multiplied by 378 to be 172368.

" Thus it appears that his arithmetic is per-
fectly his own, and that he is so little acquainted
with the common rules as to multiply 456 first
by 5, and the product by 20, to find what sum .
it would produce multiplied by 100, whereas if
he had added two noughts to the figures, he
would have obtained it at once.

" The only objects of Jedediah's curiosity, ex-
cept figures, were the king and royal family, and
his desire to see them was so strong, that, in the
beginning of the spring, he walked to London
on purpose, but at last returned disappointed,
the king having just removed to Kensington as
Jedediah came into London. He was however
introduced to the Royal Society, whom he called
the volk of the Siety Court : the gentlemen
who were present asked him several questions in
arithmetic, to prove his abilities, and dismissed
him with a handsome gratuity.

" During his residence in London he was car-
ried to see King Richard IIL performed at
Drury-laue playhouse, and it was expected ei-
ther that the novelty and the splendour of the
show would have fixed him in astonishment, or
kept Tiis imagination in a continual hurry ; or
that his passions would, in some degree have
been touched by the power of action, if he had

NATURAL MEMOKY. 437

not perfectly understood the dialogue ; but Jede-
diah's mind was employed in the playhouse just
as it was employed at church. During the
dance he fixed his attention upon the numb'-r of
steps ; he declared after a fine piece of music,
that the innumerable sounds produced by the in-
struments had perplexed him beyond measure,
and he attended even to Mr. Garrick only to
coinU the zoords that he uttered; in which, he
says, he perfectly succeeded.

" Jedediah is now safely returned to the place
of his birth, where, if his enjoyments are few,
his wishes do not seem to be more : he applies
to his labour, by which he subsists with cheer-
fulness ; he regrets nothing that he left behind
him in London, and it is still his opinion, that
a slice of rusty bacon atfords the most delicious
repast."*

1312. A. D. — Zerah CoLBURN. Theap-
pearance of this young American, and rival of
Jedediah Buxton, having excited considerable at-
tention, we shall present our readers with the fol-
lowing interesting narrative, as drawn up by the
ingenious and well known calculator, Mr. Fi< an-
cis Baily.

• Jedediah died about the your 1774, aged 70, aqd left
several children, none of whom have inherited the rare ta-
lents of their father.

438 INSTANCES OF

" London, Jug. 20, 1812.

*' The attention of the philosophical world has
been lately attracted by the most singular phaeno-
menon in the history of the human mind that
perhaps ever existed. It is the case of a child,
under eight ^eats of age, who, without any pre-
vious knowledge of the common rules of arith-
metic, or even of the use and power of the Ara-
bic numerals, and without having given any par-
ticular attention to the subject, possesses (as if
by intuition) the singular faculty of solving a
great variety of arithmetical questions by the mere
operation of the mind, and without the usual
assistance of any visible symbol or contrivance.

''Thenanieof this child is Zera Colburn, who
was born at Cabut (a town lying at the head of
Onion river, in Vermont, in the United States
of America,) on the 1st of September 1804.
About two years ago (August ISIO) although
at that time not six ifenrs of age, \\e first began to
show those wonderful powers of calculation
which.have since so much attracted the attention
and excited tiie astonishment of every person
who has witnessed his extraordinary abilities.
The discovery was made by accident. His fa-
ther, who had not given him any other instruc-
tion than such as was to be obtained at a small
school established in that unfrequented and re-
mote part of tlie country, (and which did not

NATURAL MEMORY. 439

include either writing or ciphering,) was much
surprised one day to hear him repeating the
products of several numbers. Struck with
amazement at the circumstance, he proposed a
variety of arithmetical questions to him, all of
which the child solved with remarkable facility
and correctness. The news of this infant pro-
digy soon circulated through the neighbourhood;
and many persons came from distant parts to
witness so singular a circumstance. The father,
encouraged by the unanimous opinion of all
w!io came to see him, was induced to undertake,
with this child, the tour of the United States.
They were every where received with the most
flattering expressions ; and in the several towns
which they visited, various plans were suggested
to educate and bring up the child, free from all
expense to his family. Yielding, however, to
the pressing solicitations of his friends, and
nrged by the most respectable and powerful re-
commendations, as well as by a view to his son's
more complete education, the father has brought
the child to this coiftitry, where they arrived on
the ICth of May last : and the inhabitants of this
metropolis have for the last three months had an
opportunity of seeing and examining this wonder-
ful phiCnomcnon,* and of verifying the reports
that have been circulated respecting him.

• At the Exhibition Rooms, Spring Gardens.

440 INSTANCES OF

" Many persons of the first eminence for their
knowledge in mathematics, and well known for
their philosophical inquiries, have made a point
of seeing and conversing with his extraordinary
powers. It is correctly true, as stated of him, that
— * He will not only determine, with the greatest
facility and dispatch, the exact number oi minutes
or seconds in any given period of time; but will
also solve any other question of a similar kind.
He will tell the exact product arising from the
multiplication of any number, consisting of two,
three, or fOur figures, by any other number consist-
ing of the like number of figures. Or, any number,
consisting of six, or seven places of figures, being '
proposed, he will determine, with equal expedi-
tion and ease, all x\\e factors of which it is com-
posed. Tiiis .singular faculty consequently ex-
tends not only to the raising of powers, but also
to the extraction of the square and cube roots of
the number proposed ; and likewise to the means
of determining whether it be aprime number (or
a number incapable of division by any other num-
ber) ; for which case there does not exist, at pre-
sent, any general rule among mathematicians.'
All these, and a variety of other questions con-
nected therewith, are answered by this child with
such promptness and accuracy (and in the midst
of his Juvenile pursuits) as to astonish every per-
son who has visited him.

NATURAL MEMORY. 441

" At a meeting of his friends which was held
for the purpose of concerting the best method of
promoting the views of the father, tiiis child un-
dertook, and completely succeeded in, raising
the number 8 progressively up to the sixteenth
power ! ! ! and in naming the last result, viz.
28 1,474,976,7 10,65(5 he was right in every figure.
He was then tried as to other numbers, consist-
ing of one figure ; all of which he raised (by ac-
tual multiplication and not by memory) as high
as the tenth power, with so much facility and
dispatch that the person appointed to take down
the results, was obliged to enjoin him not to be
so rapid i With respect to numbers consisting of
two figures, he would raise some of them to the
sixth, seventh, 2^^d eighth power; but not always
with equal facility: for the larger the products
became, the more difHculthe found it to proceed.
He was asked the square root of 106929, and
before the number could be written down, he
immediately answered 327. He was then re-
quired to name the cube root of 268,336,125,
and with equal facility and promptness he re-
plied 645. Various other questions of a similar
nature, respecting the roots and powers of very
high numbers, were proposed by several of the
gentlemen present, to all of which he answer-
ed in a similar manner. One of the party re-
quested him to name the yac^o/\s which produced

442 INSTANCES OF

the number 247483, which he immediately did
by mentioning the two numbers 941 and 263;
which indeed are the only two numbers that will
produce it. Another of them proposed 171395,
and he named the following factors as the only
ones that would produce it ; viz 5 < 34279,
7 X 24485, 59 X 2905, 83 X 2065, 35 X 4897,
295 X 58 ] , and 413x415. He yvhs then asked
to give the factors of 36083 ; but he immediately
replied that it had none, which in fact was the
case, as 36083 is a prime number. Other num-
bers were indiscriminately proposed to him, and
he always succeeded in giving the correct factors,
except in the case of prime nun)bers, which he
discovered almost ais soon as proposed. One of
the gentlemen asked him how miiny minutes
there were in forty eight years ; and before the
question could be written down he replied
25,228,800 ; and instantly added, that the number
of seconds in the same pt riod was 1,5 1 3,7'28,000.
Various questions of the like kind were put to
him ; and to all of them he answered with nearly
equal facility and promptitude ; so as to asto-
nish every one present, and to excite a desire
that so extraordinary a faculty siiould (if possible)
be rendered more extensive and useful.

** It was the wish of the gentlemc nt present
to oblani a knowledge of the method by which
the child was enabled to answer, with so much

NATURAL MEMORY. 44

facility and correctness, the questions thus put to
him : but to all their inquiries upon this subject
(and he was closely e^iamincd upon this point) he
was unable to give them any information. He
positively declared (and every observation that
was made seemed to justify the assertion) that he
did not know Aorc; the answers came into his
mind. In the act of multiplying two numbers
together, and in the raising of powers, it was evi-
dent (not only from the motion of his lips, but
also from some singular facts which will be here-
after mentioned,) that some operation was going
forward in his mind; yet that operation could
not (from the rcadujess with which the answers
were furnished) be at all allied to the usual mode
of proceeding with such subjects Tand moreover,
he is entirely ignorant of the common rules of
arithmetic, atid cannot perform, upon paper, a
simple sum in multiplication or division. But,
in ihe extraction of roots and in mentioning the
factors of high numbers it does not appear that
any operation can take place ; since he \\ill give
the answer immedi at ehj, or in u very few seconds,
where it would require, according to the ordi-
nary method of solution, a very difficult and la-
borious calculation: and nvoreover, tlie know-
ledge of a prime number cannot be obtained by
any known rule.

4i4 •' INSTANCliS OX-

*i It has been already observed, that it was
evident, from some singular facts, that the child
operated by certain rules known only to him-
self. This discovery was made in one or two
instances, when he had been closely pressed
upon that point. In one case he was asked
to tell the square of 4395; he at first hesi-
tated, fearful that lie should not be able
. to answer it correctly ; but when he applied
himself to it he said it was ]9?3lG,025. On
being questioned as to the cause of his hesitation,
he replied that he did not like to iiiultiply four
figures by four figures ; but, said he, * 1 found

* out another way; I multiplied 293 by 293, and

* llien multiplied this product twice by the num-
' ber 15; which produced the sanie result.' On
another occasion, his highness the Duke of
Gloucester asked him the product of 21,734
multiplied by o43 ; he immediately replied
11,801,502: but, upon son»e remark being
made on the subject, the child said that he had,
in his own mind, multiplied ()5302 by 181.
Now, although in the first instance it must be
evident to every mathematician that 4395 is
equal to 393 X 15,(aod consequently that (4395)
®=(«93)"x (15)^ ^nd further that in the se-
cond case 543 is equal to 181x3, and conse-
quently that 21734x(l3l xS)=(21734X3x

NATURAL MEMORY. 445

181 ; yet, it is not the less remarkable that this
combination should be immediately perceived by
the child, and we cannot the less adu)ire his in-
genuity in thus seizing histantly the easiest me-
thod of solving the question proposed to him.

" It must be evident, from whaihas here been
stated, that the singular faculty which this child
possesses is nit altogether dependent upon his
memory. In the multiplication of numbers and
in the raising of powers, he is doubtless consi-
derably assisted by that remarkable quality of the
mind : and in this respect he might be considered
as bearing some resemblance (if the difference of
age did not prevent the justness of the compa-
rison) to the celebrated Jedediah Buxton, and
other persons of similar note. But, in the ex-
traction of the roots of numbers, and in deter-
mining their factors (if any), it is clear, to all
those who have witnessed the astonishing quick-
ness and accuracy of this child, that the memory
has little or nothing to do with the process.
And in this particular pohit consists the remark-
able difference between the present and all for-
mer instances of an apparently similar kind.

'* It has been recorded as an astonishing effort
of memory that the celebrated Euler (who, in
the science of analysis, might vie even with New-
ton himself,) could remember the first six pow-
ers of every number under 100. This, probably,
9 9

446 INSTANCES OF

must be taken with some restrictious : but, if true
to the fullest extent, it is not move astonishing
than the efforts of this child; with this additional
circumstance in favour t)f the latter, that he is
capable of veryfying, in a very few seconds,
every figure which he may have occasion for. It
has been further remarked by the biographer of
that eminent mathematician, that * he perceived,

* almost at a simple glance, the factors of which
*■ his formulae were composed ; the particular

* system of factors belonging to the question un-

* der consideration : the various artifices by

* which that system may be simplified and redu-

* ced ; and the relation of the several factors to

* ihe conditions of the hypothesis. His expert-
^ ness in this particular probably resulted, in a
f great measure, from the ease with which he

* performed mathematical investigations hy head.

* He had always accustomed himself to that ex-

* ercise ; and, having practised it with assiduity,

* (even before the loss of sight, which afterwards

* rendered it a matter of necessity,) he is an in-

* stance to what an astonishing degree it may be
' acquired, and how much it improves the intel-

* lectual powers. No other discipline is so ef-

* ft ctual in strengthening the faculty of attention :

* it gives a facility of apprehension, an accuracy

* and steadiness to the conceptions ; and (what is
' a still more valuable acquisition) it habituates

NATURAL MEMORY. 447

* the mind to arrangement in its reasonings and

* reflections.'

" It is not iijtended to draw a comparison be-
tween the humble, though astonishing, efforts of
this infant-prodigy and the gigantic powers of that
illustrious character to whom a reference has
just been made : yet we may be permitted to
hope and expect that those wonderful talents,
which are so conspicuous at this early age, may
by a suitable education be considerably improved
and extended: and that some netv light will even-
tually be thrown upon those subjects, for the elu-
cidation of which his mind appears to be pecu-
liarly formed by nature, since he enters into the
world with all those powers and faculties which
are not even attainable by the most eminent at a
more advanced period of life. Every mathemati-
cian must be aware of the important advantages
which have sometimes been derived from the
most simple and trifling circumstances ; the full
effect of which has not always been evident at
first sight. To mention one singular instance of
this kind. The very simple improvement of ex-
pressing the powers and roots of quantities by
means of indices, introduced a new and general
arithmetic of exponents : and this algorithm of
powers led the way to the invention of I ga-
rithms, by means of which, all arithmetical com-
jiutatioas are so much facilitated and abridged.

448 INSTANCES OF

Perhaps this child possesses a knowledge of some
more important properties connected with this
subject; and although he is incapable at present
of giving any satisfactory account of the state of
his mind, or of comnumicating to others the
knowledge which it is so evident he doe& possess,
yet there is every reason to believe that, wher)
his mind is more cultivated and his ideas more
expanded, he will be able not only to divulge the
mode by which he at present operates, but also
point out some new sources of information on
this interesting subject,

" The case is certainly one of great novelty
and importance : and every literary character and
every friend to science must be anxious to see
the experiment fairly tried, as to the effect which
a suitable education may produce on a mind
constituted as his appears to be. With this view
a number of gentlemen have taken the child un-
der their patronage, and have formed themselves
into a committee foi the purpose of superintend-
ing his education. Application has been made
to a gentleman of science, well known for his
mathematical abilities, who has consented to
take the child under his immediate tuition : the
committee therefore propose to withdraw him,
for the present, from public exhibition, in order
that he may fully devote himself to his studies.
But whether they shall be able wholly to accom

NATURAL MEMORY. 449

plish the object they have in view, will depend
upon the assistance which they may receive from
the public."*

Since this statement was printed, we have been
favoured with some further account of this ex-
traordinary child, which details an examination
by Mr. Hase, the chief cashier of the Bank
of England. The authenticity of this narrative
may be relied on.

Zerah Colhurn was introduced to Mr. Hase
at the Bank accompanied by his father. The
first question required the cube root of
949,862,087 ; he answered in about one minute,
983, which is correct ; the next question was
the cube of 478 ; in less than two minutes
he said it was, 109,215,352. The third ques-
tion was to give the product of the two factors
4973 and 3587 ; in about four minutes he stated
a product wrong in two figures, namely 17,836,45 1
then 17,828,481 : on being told that he was not
correct, after a lapse of two minutes more he sta-
ted the right product, 1 7,838, 151. He was then
asked what two factors of four figures each
would give 42,173,703 ; he hesitated for some
time, and appeared unable to answer it ; his fa-
ther then requested Mr. H. to mention one of the
factors, which he did, namely, 8937, in about

• Mr. BoNNYCASTLE, we understand, is the gentleman
to whom the tuition ofZeraii Col burn is to be entrusted.

450 INSTANCES OF

three minutes he named the other correctly,
4719. The last question was to name two fac-
tors, one of four, the other of three figures, which
would produce 1 ,734,433 ; he appeared unable
to do this, saying, they were prime numbers, but
his father persisted that he would solve the ques-
tion; he, however, found the difficulty insur-
mountable. His father then asked Mr. H. the
first number of the jfac^or of three figures, which
was named, viz. 7 ; still he could not accomplish
it, then the second figure, 3, was told him ; still
he failed, but when he was made acquainted with
the last figure, 9> to the great astonishment of
Mr. H. he immediately called out that the other
factor was "2347, which is correct.

Since the above accounthas been collected, we
regret to find that this interesting youth is again
exhibited to the public ; the money collected for his
education, we suppose, not being found sufficient
for the purpose. If his parents intend to appro-
priate the sum gained by exhibiting him, in aid
of the above fund, we heartily wish them success,
and cannot, perhaps, do them a more essential
service than by inserting the following notice,
which appeared in the Chronicle of the 17th
Dec. 18 12

NATURAL MEMORY. 451

" SliNGULAR PHENOMENON.

" To be seen at Wigle}''s Exhibition Rooms,
Spring Gardens, a child only eight years of age,
who, without any previous knowledge of the
common rules of arithmetic, possesses the power
of solving arithmetical questions by the intuition
of his mind alone. He will instantly tell the
number of minutes and seconds in any given time
— multiply any two, three, or four figures by any
others — find all the fractions in any number of
six or seven places of figures — extract square
and cube roots in the midst of his juvenile pur-
suits. Many eminent mathematicians, and other
learned persons have witnessed his extraordinary
powers with astonishment. — Admission daily
from 12 till 4 o'clock, and from 8 to 9. One
shilling each person."

THE END.

J. Fawcett, Printer,
Mtwcastle Street, Loudon.

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Full text of "The new art of memory, founded upon the principles taught by M. Gregor von Feinaigle: and applied to chronology, history, geography, languages, systematic tables, poetry, prose, and arithmetic"

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