ii WATSON : BACON 325 



was one of Bruno's mouthpieces in an Italian dialogue. 

 Here at least is an avenue for influence from Bruno 

 upon English thought. Unfortunately Dicson's work 

 is not of great value, and, with the man himself, has 

 long been forgotten. But G. P.'s reliance upon 

 MofFat's support to repel " the attacks of Scepsius, 1 

 and the wrath and violence towards me of the whole 

 school of Dicson," shows that on the side, at any rate, 

 of his mnemonic doctrine Bruno's teaching had not 

 fallen on wholly barren soil. Again, he is spoken of Thomas 

 with respect, if not quite with admiration, in Thomas 

 Watson's dedication of his Compendium Memoriae 

 Localis (n. d., but probably 1585) to Henry Noel, 

 Queen Elizabeth's courtier. " I very much fear if my 

 little work (nugae meat} is compared with the mystical 

 and deeply learned Sigilli of the Nolan, or with the 

 Umbra artificiosa of Dicson, it may bring more infamy 

 to its author than utility to the reader." The scholarly 

 poet, terse and brilliant Latinist, could hardly have felt 

 in harmony with the passionate but confused thought, 

 the virile but unscholarly style of Bruno ; yet the art 

 of memory he professes in this compendium is no 

 other than that of Bruno and of Dicson, and the 

 " Memoriographs," whom " G. P." attacks. 



If we turn to Bacon, who was in London while Bacon. 

 Bruno was with Mauvissiere, already in high favour 

 with the Queen, and at home in the society of 

 Burghley, Leicester, Walsingham, and Sidney, we find 

 entire neglect of Bruno's philosophy. Only in one 

 passage, perhaps, does Bacon mention Bruno's name ; 

 it is in the introduction to the Historia Naturalis et 

 Experimentalist After a list of the philosophers of 



1 " Scepsius," behind whose authority Dicson shelters, is, according to G. P., 

 Dicson himself. 2 Ellis and Spedding, ii. 13. 



