136 Bacon 



to me that there are better precepts than that art, and 

 better practices of that art than those received. It is 

 certain the art, as it is, may be raised to points of ostenta 

 tion prodigious: but in use, as it is now managed, it is 

 barren, (not burdensome, nor dangerous to natural memory, 

 as is imagined, but barren,) that is, not dexterous to be 

 applied to the serious use of business and occasions. And 

 therefore I make no more estimation of repeating a great 

 number of names or words upon once hearing, or the pour 

 ing forth of a number of verses or rhymes, ex tempore, or the 

 making of a satirical simile of everything, or the turning of 

 everything to a jest, or the falsifying or contradicting of 

 everything by cavil, or the like, (whereof in the faculties of 

 the mind there is great copie, and such as by device and 

 practice may be exalted to an extreme degree of wonder,) 

 than I do of the tricks of tumblers, funambuloes, baladines : * 

 the one being the same in the mind that the other is in the 

 body, matters of strangeness without worthiness. 



This art of memory is but built upon two intentions ; the 

 one prenotion, the other emblem. Prenotion dischargeth 

 the indefinite seeking of that we would remember, and 

 directeth us to seek in a narrow compass, that is, somewhat 

 that hath congruity with our place of memory. Emblem 

 reduce th conceits intellectual to images sensible, which 

 strike the memory more; out of which axioms may be 

 drawn much better practice than that in use; and besides 

 which axioms, there are divers moe touching help of 

 memory, not inferior to them. But I did in the beginning 

 distinguish, not to report those things deficient, which are 

 but only ill managed. 



There remaineth the fourth kind of rational knowledge, 

 which is transitive, concerning the expressing or transferring 

 our knowledge to others; which I will term by the general 

 name of tradition or delivery. Tradition hath three parts; 

 the first concerning the organ of tradition: the second 

 concerning the method of tradition; and the third con 

 cerning the illustration of tradition. 



For the organ of tradition, it is either speech or writing : 

 for Aristotle saith well, Words are the images of cogitations, 

 and letters are the images of words ; 2 but yet it is not of 



1 Ballerina is Italian for a dancer. 

 8 Aristot. De Interpret, i. 2. 



