History of Mnemonics.
23
Rule 6 is a repetition of the fourth rule, rule 7 running as follows:—
"If we have several things to record in our memory, note exactly the number of them, with the first letter of every such thing which may casually make up some name or word, which, being fixed in our mind, will quickly direct us to every particular thing that we design not to forget. For example. I desire to remember sugar, almonds, prunes, oil, and raisins. I will, therefore, take the first letter of each word, and I find they make sapor, which, being fixed in the mind, will direct me the sooner to the things which I design to remember."
D'Assigny also advocates careful repetition and frequent meditation. After alluding to the topical system of previous authors he describes the following adaptations of the topical plan:—
"Others have chosen such beasts as answer to all the alphabetical letters in the Latin tongue, and instead of rooms have assigned their several members for for our fancy to fix our ideas there, and place them for our better remembrance. These are the names. of the beasts—Asmus, Basiliseus, Canis, Draco, Elephas, Faunus, Gryfus, Hircus, Juvencus, Leo, Mulus, Noctua, Ocis, Panthera, Qualea, Rhineroceron, Simia, Taurus, Ursus, Xystus, Hyena, Zacheus. Every one of these they divide into five parts or places, into head, fore-feet, belly, hinder-feet, and tail, for this is the order that nature itself directs, neither can our imagination be disordered in reckoning or telling them over. So that by this means the fancy may have one hundred and fifteen places to imprint the images of memorable things. . . . . .But if this way of remembrance be beneficial, 'tis best when the places where we design to leave and commit our ideas be more known and familiar to us; as for example the town where we live, or the city that we are best acquainted with our mind must, as it were, enter by the gate and proceed to the several streets and quarters of the city, marking the publick places, churches, friends' houses, &c, by this means we may have an infinite number of places to commit our ideas."
The volume concludes with a series of rules for the symbolizing of ideas and things, and to facilitate their association with a series of consecutively arranged places, natural association and vivid mental picturing being advocated.
In 1719 a work on Artificial Memory applied to History was published in Paris, the author being Claude de Buffier.
