*$v CATENATION OF MOTIONS. SECT. XVlf 5. 



We frequently experience, when we are doubt- 

 ful about the fpelling of a word, that the greater 

 voluntary exertion we ufe, that is the more intenfely 

 xve think about it, the further are we from regain- 

 ing the loft affociation between the letters of it, 

 but which readily recurs when we have become 

 careiefs about it. In the fame manner, after hav- 

 ing for an hour laboured to recollect the- name 

 of fome abfent perfon, it (hall feem, particularly 

 after fleep, to come into the mind as it were fpon- 

 taneoufly ; that is, the word we are in fearch of, 

 was joined to the preceding one by affociation ; 

 this affociation being diffevered, we endeavour to 

 recover it by volition; this very action of the 

 mind (trikes our attention more, than the faint 

 link of adbciation, and we find it impoffible by this 

 means to retrieve the loft word. After fleep, when 

 volition is entirely fufpended, the mind becomes 

 capable of perceiving the fainter link of affociation, 

 and the word is regained. 



On this circumftance depends the impediment of 

 fpeech before mentioned ; the firft fyllable of a word 

 i& caufable by volition, but the remainder of it is in 

 common converfation introduced by its affociations 

 with this firft fyllable acquired by long habit. Hence 

 when the .mind of the ftammerer is vehemently em- 

 ployed en fome idea of ambition of fhining, or fear 

 of not fucceeding,- the aflbciations of the motions 

 of the muicies or articulation with each other be- 

 come diflevered by this greater exertion, and he en- 

 deavours in vain by voluntary efforts to rejoin the 

 - broken afibciation. For this purpofe he continues 

 to repeat the fiift fy liable, which is caufable by vo- 

 lition, and drives in vain, by various diftortions of 

 countenance, to produce the next links, which are 

 fubjedt to affociation. See Clafs IV. 3, I. i. 



1 1 . After our accomplilhed mufician has acquired 

 great variety of tunes and fongs, fo that fome of 



them 



