‘ 3 
1810. | 
has ever been the subject of a more 
tedious and obstinate controversy; or 
has been’ brought forward under more 
illustrious auspices} with greater solem- 
“nity, or a more bare-faced impudence, 
These will be sufficiently manifest'in the 
account Ishall now render of the Mne- 
monistic © Duumvirate. of 
Schenkel, and his * haud indignus’. ple- 
nipotentiary, Martin Sommer. 
Lambert or Lamprecht Schenkel, 
born at Bois-ie-Due, in 1547, was: the 
son of an apothecary and. philologist. 
Ele went through his academical course 
at Lyons and Cologne, and afterwards 
became a.teacher of rhetoric, ag 
and yymnastics, at Paris, Antwerp, Ma- 
lines, ahd’ Rouen ; not forgetting, as the 
custom of the age “required, to claim his 
title to scholarship, by writing Latm 
verses. From. thesé,! however, he ac- 
quired no celebrity proportionate to that 
which was reared on his. discoveries in 
oe Mnemonic Art. The’ more effec- 
tually to propagate these discoveries, he 
travelled through the Netherlands, Ger- 
many, and’ France; where his method 
was inspected by the great, and transmit- 
ted from one university to another. 
Applause followed every where at’ his 
heels: Princes and nobles, ecclesiastics 
and laymen, alike took soundings of Ins 
depth; and Schenkel brought 
through every ordeal, to the astonishment 
_ and admiration of his judges. The rec- 
tor of the Sorbonne, at Paris, having 
previously made trial ‘of his merits, per- 
mitted him to teach his science at that 
university; atid Marillon, Maitre des 
Requéts, having done the sane, gave 
him an exclusive privileze for practising 
Mnemonies throughout the French do- 
minions. His auditors were, however, 
prohibited from communicating this art 
to others, ‘under a severe penalty. As 
his time now ‘became too precious to 
admit of bis making circuits, he dele- 
gated this branch of- his patent to the 
licentiate Martin Sommer, and invested 
him with a regular diploma, as his -ple- 
nipotentiary for circulating his art, under 
certain stipulations, through Germanys 
France, Tialy, Spain, aud the neighbour- 
ing countries. Sommer now first pub- 
lished a Latin treatise on this suet 
wich. he dispersed in every place he 
visked, under the title of “ Brevis Deli- 
neatio “de uulitatibus et efectibus admi- 
rabilibus Artis Memoiiw.” (% 
12, 24 pp.) In this he celebrates thé rare 
feats. of his master, and announces him- 
Lambert> 
himself 
Fenet. 1619, 
student, 
The Origin and Progress of Bfinemonics. 3 
t 
self as commissioned by 
instruct the whole world. 
“ A lawyer, (says he,) who has a hun- 
dred causes aud more to conduct, by the 
assistance.of my Mnemonics, may stamp 
them so strongly on lis memory, that he 
will know in what wise to answer each 
client, in any order, and at any hour, 
with as much precision as if he had but 
just perused his brief. And in pleading, 
he will not only have the evidence and 
reasonings or his own party, at his Ba 
ends, but (mirabile dictu!ly all the 
grounds and refutations of his antagonist 
also! . Let aman go into a library, and 
read one bodk after another, yet shall be 
be able to write down every sentence 
of what he has read, many days after at 
home. The proficient in’ this science 
can dictate matters of the most opposite 
nature, to ten, or thirty. writers, alter 
nately. After four weels.’ exercise, he. 
will be able to class twenty-five thousand’ 
disatranged portraits within the saying 
of a paternoster:—-aye, and he will do, 
this ten times a day, without extraordi- 
nary exertion, and with move precision 
than another, who is ignorant of the art, 
can do it ina whole year! He will no 
longer stand in need of a library for re- 
ferring a ~ This course of study may be. 
completed in nine days "(perhaps i in the 
same way that foreign. languages are 
nom and ays taught in twelve lessons !\— 
and an houi’s s pracuice daily, will he suf. 
fone but, when the ruies are once 
acquired, they require but balf an hour’s 
exercise daily... Every pupil, who has 
afterwards well-grounded complamts to 
allege, shall not “only have the premium 
paid in the first instance, returped . 
him, but an addition will be made to “ 
The professor of this art, makes but a | 
short stay in every place. When. called 
upon, he will submit proofs, addace 
testimomals .froty. the. most eminent — 
characters, and surprise the ignorant, 
after four or $x lessons, - (observe !) with 
the most incredible displays.” Here | 
fellow testimonials from the most cele- 
brated universities... Nine alone are pro- 
duced from learned men at Leipzig, and 
precede. others from..Marburg, and 
Frankfort on the Oder.” 
At the same time -was, published, 
“« Gazypholham Artis Memorize, illustra. 
tum per Lambertum> Schenkelinm “de 
Strasb. 1619 :” bat thisis far outdone by 
the preceding treatise of Sommer. The 
destitute of oral’ instruction,” 
will vather about as muchi of Mieiianics: 
by 
esd to 
