108 ENGLISH MEN OF SCIENCE. [CHAP. 



to the advanced philosopher who has chiefly 

 to reflect, and who knows where to refer for 

 information. Memory is usually defective in 

 persons of small ability, but not invariably 

 so ; even among idiots it may be sharp. 

 There are two cases of this recorded in the 

 autobiography of the late Mrs. Somerville 

 (p. 92.) One cannot but suspect some ex- 

 aggeration in the statements, and feel regret 

 that the cases were not fully inquired into, 

 both as regards the precise power of memory, 

 and the degree of development of the other 

 faculties. She says of the first idiot, " He 

 never failed to go to kirk, and on return- 

 ing home could repeat the sermon word for 

 word, saying, " Here the minister coughed, here 

 he stopped to blow his nose." She then speaks 

 of " another idiot who knew the Bible so per- 

 fectly, that if you asked him where such a 

 verse was to be found, he could tell without 

 hesitation and repeat the chapter." 



I have sorted such of the replies as are of 

 interest, into the following groups. (1) Good 

 verbal memory, as for prose and poetry, 6 cases ; 



