MEMORY. 
jCease to be any thing when there is no per- 
ception of them ; this laying up of our 
ideas in the repository of the memory, sig- 
nifies no more than this ; that the mind has 
a power, in many cases, to revive percep- 
tions it has once had, with this additional 
perception annexed to them, that it has had 
them before. And it is by the assistance of 
this faculty, that we are said to have all 
those ideas in our understandings which we 
can bring in sight, and make the objects of 
our tlioughts, without the help of those sen- 
sible qualities which first imprinted them 
there. 
Attention and repetition help much to 
the fixing ideas in our memories : but those 
which make the deepest and most lasting 
impressions, are those which are accompa- 
nied with pleasure and pain. Ideas but once 
taken in and never again repeated, are soon 
lost ; as those of colours in such as lost their 
sight when very young. 
The memory of some men is tenacious al- 
most to a miracle ; but yet there seems to 
be a constant decay of all our ideas, even 
of those which are struck deepest ; and in 
minds the most retentive ; so that if they 
be not sometimes renewed, tlie print wears 
out, and at last there remains nothing to be 
seen. 
Those ideas that are often refreshed by a 
frequent return of the objects or actions that 
produce them, fix themselves best in the 
memory, and remain longest there ; such 
.are tlie original qualities of bodies, viz. so- 
lidity, extension, figure, motion, &c. and 
those that almost constantly affect us, as 
heat and cold. 
In memory, the mind is oftentimes more 
than barely passive ; for it often sets itself 
on work to search some hidden ideas ; some- 
times they start of their own accord ; and 
sometimes tempestuous passions tumble 
them out of their cells. This faculty other 
animals seem to have to a great degree, as 
well as men, as appears by birds learning 
of tunes, and their endeavour to hit the 
notes right. For it seems impossible that 
they should endeavour to conform their 
voices (as it is plain they do) to notes 
whereof they have no idea. 
Memory, local, among orators, is no- 
thing but the associating the different heads 
to be handled, with the objects before the 
speaker’s eyes ; so that by only looking 
around him, he is put in mind of what he is 
to say. 
Memory, artificial, Memoria Technica, 
a method of assisting the memory, by form- 
ing certain words, the letters of which shall 
signify the date or eera to be remembered^ 
In order to this, the following series of 
vowels, diphtliongs, and consonants, toge- 
ther with their corresponding numbers, must 
be exactly learned; so as to be able at 
pleasure to form a technical word, that 
shall stand for any number, or to resolve 
such a word already formed. 
a 
e 
1 
0 
u 
au 
oi 
ei 
0U 
y 
1 
2 
o 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
0 
b 
d 
t 
/ 
1 
s 
P 
k 
n 
S 
The first five vowels, in order, naturally 
represent 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ; the diphthong an = 
6, as being composed of a and u, or 1 -j- 5 
— 6; and for the like-reason, oi = 7, and 
ou =, 9. The diphthong ei will easily be 
remembered for 8, as being the initials of 
the word. In like manner, where the ini- 
tial consonants could conveniently be re- 
tained, they are made use of to signify the 
number, as f for 3, jf for 4, s for 6, and n 
for 9. The rest were assigned without any 
particular reason, unless that possibly p 
may be more easily remembered for 7, or 
septem ; k for 8, or oktw ; d for 2, or duo ; 
h for 1, as being the first consonant ; and 1 
for 5, being the Roman letter for 50 ; than 
any others that could have been put in 
their places. 
It is further to be observed, that z and y 
being made use of to represent the cypher, 
where many cyphers meet togetlier, as 
1,000, 1,000,000, &c. instead of a repitition 
of azyzyzy, &c. let g stand for 100, th 
for a thousand, and m for a million. Thus 
ug will be 100, ig 300, oiig 900, &c. ; ath 
1,000, am 1,000,000, loum 69,000,000, &c. 
Fractious may be set down in the follow- 
ing manner: let r signify the line sepa- 
rating the numerator and denominator, the 
first coming before, the other after it ; as 
iro I, urp |, pourag &c. When the nu- 
merator is 1, or unit, it need not be ex- 
pressed, but begin the fraction with r ; as 
re 1, ri 1, ro i, &c. So in decimals, rag 
liio* tath 
This is the principal part of the method, 
which consists in expressing numbers by ar- 
tificial words. The application to history 
and chronology is also performed by artifi- 
cial words. The art herein consists in mak- 
ing such a change in the ending of the name 
of a place, person, planet, coin, &c. with- 
out altering the beginning of it, as shall rea- 
dily suggest the thing sought, at the same 
time that the beginning of the word, being 
preserved, shall be a leading or prompting 
syllable to the ending of it so changed. 
