The New Art of Memory/Chapter 2

by Gregor von Feinaigle

Layout 2

CHAP. II.

 

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Chronology.

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The pupil is, by this time, supposed to have fixed all the symbols in the first room, and to be enabled to tell readily the first, seventh, thirtieth, forty-ninth, etc. and also to say what place is occupied by Midas, Sisyphus, etc. In making the application to chronology, we shall confine ourselves to the succession of the kings of England since the conquest.

1. William the Conqueror. A word must be now made from William; the first half wil is taken, and to this is added low, by which willow is obtained; this enables us to remember William. The willow is fixed upon the Tower of Babel, our first symbol; we have then William I. but another circumstance remains; he was the conqueror:—we hang some laurel, the reward of valour, and the crown of conquest, upon the willow tree. The date is yet wanting:

we say the laurel is dead; in the word dead, are d, d for 66; the 1000 being understood through the whole series.^[1]

2. William Rufus, or William II. There must be two willows, one on each side of the swan; the swan is put into a red (bag): by making the bag red, we preserve the meaning of the Latin word Rufus.

3. Henry I. There is one hen upon the mountain tossing up the ground; (toss.)

4. Stephen. The looking-glass is very much stiffened; there is a watch placed before the glass; this is (timely). The word stiffened will recal to the mind the name of Stephen.

5. Henry II. A (taylor) sitting upon the throne, with two hens, one under each arm.

6. Richard I. This was the first rich man,—the horn of plenty is before him. The first rich man, probably, pilfered from other people; he must have been a (thief).

7. John. The glass-blower's name was John (Taffy).

8. Henry III. Midas, or the man with the long ears, hast just received a present of three hens; he puts one in each ear, and one in his mouth, the hens are so near to each other, they are almost (united).

9. Edward I. To fix the name of Edward, we convert the verb to ward, that is, to watch, into a substantive, and say here is one ward, guard, or soldier, watering Narcissus, or the flower, with an (engine).

10. Edward II. There are two wards, or guards, behind Goliath, each in a (mask).

11. Edward III. Three soldiers as guards between the Pillars of Hercules, playing with a (monkey).

12. Richard II. This is the second rich man, who meets David putting his hand into the lion's mouth; David is mocking at the lion's strength. (mock).

13. Henry IV. We take a (muff), put four hens in it, and place it on the pyramid.

14. Henry V. Diogenes has five hens in his lantern; they are very noisy and troublesome,—(rout'em).

15. Henry VI. Æsculapius, or the doctor, is very much annoyed by six hens, which are (running) round the serpent.

16. Edward IV. Here are four soldiers taking away poor Ceres, and putting her in a (redoubt).^[2]

17. Edward V. Archimedes, or the carpenter.

18. Richard III. Apollo.
As these two kings are of the same date, one word will be sufficient to fix it. Here are five guards preparing to rob the third rich man; Apollo is looking on, and amusing them with a tune on his lyre; in the meanwhile, Archimedes, or the carpenter, vociferates (rob'em).

19. Henry VII. Robinson Crusoe is seen to shoot seven hens, in a (rebellion.)

20. Henry VIII. There is a Peacock, with eight hens in her nest; they are young and cannot speak,—they are (lisping.)

21. Edward VI. We have here the vaulter, or rider; one man is a sufficient weight for a horse; but our horse must carry seven. There are six guards, or wards, upon this horse, besides the vaulter, who are all scrambling for a piece of a (lark).

22. Mary. There must be some rejoicings where there is a cock-fight; it is very possible that the town may be (illuminated).

23. Elizabeth. This queen had so flourishing a reign, that she is (allowed) to ride upon Pegasus.

24. James I. The word chains sounds somewhat like James; we will, therefore, put the Elephant in chains: what (dismal) chains.

25. Charles I. Poor Sancho Panza upon his ass! Poor fellow, he met with many (denials).

26. Charles II. The charioteer is running a race; the (odds) are against him.

27. James II. Don Quixote must be put in chains; he must have two sets of chains; he shall have (double) chains.

28. William III. The patient packhorse travelling along the accustomed road, arrives at that part where three willows have been planted: how melancholy it is to see so many willows! (do weep.).

29. Anne. The Standard Bearer is just arrived on a visit to (cousin) Anne.

30. George I. Sisyphus is rolling up the hill "his huge round stone,"—but he stops and listens to some one who is playing on the (guitar).^[3]

George II. This sovereign is a (king) between two kings of the same name.

George III. has had some important concerns with (Cadiz.)

Numerical Order.

Name of the King.

Symbol.

Word giving the date.

Date.

1

William the Conqueror

Tower of Babel,

DeaD,

1066

2

William II. (Rufus.)

Swan,

BaG,

1087

3

Henry I.

Parnassus,

TOSS,

1100

4

Stephen.

Looking-Glass,

TiMeLy,

1135

5

Henry II.

Throne,

TayLoR,

1154

6

Richard I.

Horn of Plenty,

THier,

1189

7

John.

Glass-Blower,

TaFFy,

1199

8

Henry III.

Midas,

uNiTeD,

1216

9

Edward I.

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	Narcissus, or,	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$
	the Flower,

eNGINc,

1972

10

Edward II.

Goliath,

MaSK,

1307

11

Edward III.

Pillars of Hercules,

MoNKey,

1327

12

Richard II.

David and the Lion,

MoCK,

1377

13

Henry IV.

Pyramid,

MuFF,

1399

14

Henry V.

Diogenes,

RouTeM,

1413

15

Henry VI.

Aesculapius,

RuNNe,

1422

16

Edward IV.

Ceres,

ReDouBT,

1461

17

Edward V.

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	Archimedes,	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$
	Apollo,

RoBeM,

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	1483	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$
	1483

18

Richard III.

19

Henry VII.

Robinson Crusoe,

ReBeLLion,

1485

20

Henry VIII.

Peacock,

LiSPing,

1509

21

Edward VI.

The Vaulter,

LaRK,

1547

22

Mary.

Cock-fighting,

iLLuMinated,

1553

23

Elizabeth,

Pegasus,

aLLoWed,

1558

24

James I.

Elephant,

DiSMal,

1603

25

Charles I.

Sancho Panza,

DaNiel,

1625

26

Charles II.

Charioteer,

ODDS,

1660

27

James II.

Don Quixote,

DouBLe,

1685

28

William III.

Packhorse,

Do WeeP,

1689

29

Anne.

Standard Bearer,

CouSiN,

1702

30

George I.
George II.
George III.

Sysiphus,

		GuiTaR,
		KING,
		CaDiZ,

1714

1727

1760

In order to enable the pupil to make a further application of the mnemonical principles to chronology, we subjoin the following table:—he can, at his leisure, resort to more copious sources of information.

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Table of the Principal Historical Events
From the Creation to the Birth of Christ.

Before Christ.
4004	The creation of the world, and of Adam and Eve.
4003	The birth of Cain.
3017	Enoch for his piety, translated to heaven.
2348	The old world destroyed by a deluge.
2247	The tower of Babel built about this time, by Noah's posterity, upon which God causes the confusion of tongues.
2234	Celestial observations first made.
2181	The kingdom of Egypt founded.
2059	The kingdom of Assyria founded by Ninus.
1921	The covenant of God with Abram.
1897	Sodom and Gomorra destroyed for their wickedness.
1856	The kingdom of Argos and Greece begins under Inachus.
1822	Memnon, the Egyptian, invents letters.
1635	Joseph dies in Egypt; which concludes the book of Genesis.
1574	Aaron born in Egypt.
1571	Moses, brother to Aaron, born in Egypt, and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, who educates him in all the learning of the Egyptians.
1556	Cecrops begins the kingdom of Athens, in Greece.
1546	The kingdom of Troy begun by Scamander.
1493	Cadmus carried the Phenician letters into Greece, built the citadel of Thebes, and is the first king.
1491	The Israelites delivered from Egypt after 430 years of sojourning.
1485	The first ship appeared in Greece.
1453	The Olympic games first celebrated at Olympia, in Greece.
1452	The Pentateuch, or first five books of Moses, written in the land of Moab;—the death of Moses.
1451	The Israelites led, under Joshua, into the land of Canaan.
1356	Eleusinian mysteries introduced at Athens.
1326	The Isthmian games introduced at Corinth.
1267	The Argonautic expedition undertaken.
1198	The rape of Helen by Paris; which, in 1193, gave rise to the Trojan war, and the ten years siege of Troy, by the Greeks, who took and burnt that city.
1182	Æneas lands in Italy.
1048	David is sole king of Israel.
1004	The temple dedicated by Solomon.
894	Money first made of gold and silver.
884	Lycurgus reforms the constitution of Lacedemon.
869	Carthage founded, in Africa, by Dido.
814	The kingdom of Macedon begins.
776	The first olympiad begins in this year.
753	Æraof the building of Rome, by Romulus, first king of the Romans.
720	Samaria taken, after three years' siege; and the kingdom of Israel annihilated by Salmanazar, king of Assyria, who carries the ten tribes into captivity. The first lunar eclipse on record.
600	Thales, of Miletus, travelled into Egypt; where he acquired the knowledge of geometry, astronomy, and philosophy; returned into Greece, and established his philosophy.
600	Maps, globes, and the signs of the Zodiac invented by Anaximander, the disciple of Thales.
597	Jehoiakim, king of Judah, carried captive, by Nebuchadnezzar, to Babylon.
587	Jerusalem taken, after eighteen months' siege.
559	Cyrus, the great king of Persia.
538	The kingdom of Babylon finished, that city being taken by Cyrus; who, in 536, issued an edict for the return of the Jews.
534	The first tragedy performed at Athens, on awaggon, by Thespis.
526	Learning encouraged at Athens, and the first public library founded.
515	The second templeat Jerusalem finished under Darius.
509	Tarquin, the seventh, and last king of the Romans, expelled, and Rome became a republic.
504	Sardis taken and burnt by the Athenians; which caused the Persians to invade Greece.
490	The battle of Marathon, in which Miltiades defeated the Persians.
486	Æschylus, the Greek poet, first gains the prize of Tragedy.
481	Xerxes begun his expedition against Greece.
480	The Spartans, under Leonidas, cut to pieces at Thermopylæ. Great naval victory gained by the Greeks over the Persians, at Salamis.
458	Ezra sent from Babylon to Jerusalem with the captive Jews, and the vessels of gold and silver, &c.
454	The Romans send to Athens for the laws of Solon.
454	The Decemvirs created at Rome; the laws of the twelve tables compiled and ratified.
431	The Peloponnesian war begins, which lasted twentyseven years.
430	The history of the Old Testament finishes about this time, Malachi, the last of the prophets.
400	Socrates, the founder of moral philosophy among the Greeks, flourished.
371	The battle of Leuctra, the Lacedemonians defeated by the Thebans, under Epaminondas.
363	Epaminondas killed at the battle of Mantinea.
357	The Phocian or Sacred war begins in Greece.
343	Syracuse taken by Timoleon; and Dionysius the tyrant, banished.
351	Alexander the Great conquers Darius, king of Persia.
285	Dionysius, of Alexandria, begins his astronomical æra, on Monday, June 26, being the first who found the exact solar years to consist of 365 days, 5 hours, and 49 minutes.
284	The Septuagint version made by order of Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt.
264	The first Punic war begins; which continued twenty-three years.
260	The Romans defeated the Carthaginians at sea.
237	Hannibal, at nine years old, swears eternal enmity to the Romans.
218	The second Punic war begins; which continued seventeen years .
190	The first Roman army enters Asia, and from the spoils of Antiochus, brings the Asiatic luxury first to Rome.
170	Antiochus Epiphanes plunders Jerusalem.
168	Perseus, King of Macedon, defeated by the Romans.
167	The first library erected at Rome, of books brought from Macedonia.
163	The government of Judea, under the Maccabees, begins; which continued 126 years.
149	The third Punic war.
146	Carthage, the rival of Rome, razed to the ground.
135	The history of the Apocrypha ends.
72	Mithridates defeated, and Pontus reduced to a Roman province.
52	Julius Cæsar's first expedition into Britain.
47	Pompey defeated at the battle of Pharsalia, and afterwards slain in Egypt.
—	The Alexandrian library burnt.
—	The solar year introduced by Cæsar.
44	Cæsar killed in the senate-house by conspirators.
42	The battle of Philippi, in which Brutus and Cassius are defeated.
31	The battle of Actium; in which Mark Antony and Cleopatra were totally defeated by Octavius, nephew to Julius Cæsar.
30	Alexandria taken by Octavius: Antony and Cleopatra put themselves to death, and Egypt reduced to a Roman province.
27	Octavius obtains from the senate the title of Augustus Cæsar, and is made the first Roman emperor.
8	The temple of Janus shut by Augustus, as an emblem of universal peace.
John the Baptist and JESUS CHRIST born, four years before the commencement of the vulgar Æra.

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1. As the reader will find at p. 60. a tabular view of this application, we shall merely explain the manner of connecting the different images, inclosing the word which gives the date in a parenthesis.
2. As the b is not sounded in pronunciation, the r, d, t, are the letters which give the date.
3. No. 30, as it completes a wall, may include George I, II, III.