122 THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. 



(as it is) maybe raised to points of ostentation prodigious ; but 

 in use (as 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 busi 

 ness and occasions. And, therefore, I make no more estimation 

 of repeating a great number of names or words upon once hear 

 ing or the pouring forth of a number of verses or rhymes 

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

 the turning of everything to a jest, or the falsifying or contra 

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

 faculties of the mind there is great copy, 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. 



(3) 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 reduceth con 

 ceits intellectual to images sensible, which strike the memory 

 more ; out of which axioms may be drawn much better prac 

 tice than that in use ; and besides which axioms, there are 

 divers more 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. 



XVI. (1) There remaineth the fourth kind of rational know 

 ledge which is transitive, concerning the expressing or trans 

 ferring 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 concerning 

 the illustration of tradition. 



(2) For the organ of tradition, it is either speech or writing ; 

 for Aristotle saith well, &quot;Words are the images of cogitations, 

 and letters are the images of words.&quot; But yet it is not of 

 necessity that cogitations be expressed by the medium of 

 words. For whatsoever is capable of sufficient differences, 

 and those perceptible by the sense, is in nature competent to 

 express cogitations. And, therefore, we see in the commerce 

 of barbarous people that understand not one another s lan 

 guage and in the practice of divers that are dumb and deaf, 

 that men s minds are expressed in gestures, though not exactly, 

 yet to serve the turn. And we understand further, that it is 

 the use of China and the kingdoms of the High Levant to 



