The New Art of Memory/Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
Poetry and Prose.
The first materials of a poetic edifice are to be found in metaphors, allegories, and in various kinds of fiction; and, it is thus all images, comparisons, allusions, and figures, particularly those which personify moral subjects, concur in adorning such a structure. When these images are reduced into verse, the ear is delighted to a high degree, and the mind insensibly repeats them while the eye reads them. This is particularly the case with rhyme. Cadence, harmony, and especially rhyme, afford the greatest assistance to the memory that art can invent; and the images, or poetic fictions, that strike our senses, assist in engraving them deeply on our minds.
When a historal narrative is related in prose, the facts only are stated in a plain, regular order, without any minute description of the different objects which occur in the course of the history. The poet, however, proceeds differently. He describes, minutely, every object which presents itself; if it be a mountain, we have a lively description of its situation, the objects seen from it, and the trees or houses upon it. Should there be a castle on this mountain, its antient and present state is accurately described, together with the characters of its various possessors and their contests for the occupation of it: these descriptions we read with pleasure, and they are more firmly imprinted upon the memory by the variety and succession of images employed in them.
In order to commit to memory any particular piece of poetry which may be divided into stanzas, each consisting of four, six, eight, or ten lines, etc. it is necessary to take one stanza at a time, to read it over, and to select the principal objects or images, and combine them with the first symbol; attaching the next stanza to the second symbol, and so on with the remaining stanzas. By these means we are not only enabled to recite the whole poem in regular order, but to repeat any one or more stanzas in any order,—to determine the numerical situation of any line or word in the poem—and to say how often any particular word may occur. As we are able to repeat any stanza in the poem, it will only be needful to count the lines or words, if it be required to determine the numerical situation of any line or word.
It will not be difficult to apply these principles to the repetition of poetry. A single illustration, perhaps, will be sufficient; and, for this purpose we take the first stanza of Goldsmith's Edwin and Angelina.
We must here reflect, and imagine that we see a Hermit standing on the Tower of Babel, and turning round with inconceivable rapidity; a very large taper is placed upon his head. Angelina is walking by the tower and calling out loudly to the hermit 'to guide her lonely way;' the tuper cannot fail to suggest the remainder of the stanza.
In a poem that is not divided into stanzas, we must take 4, 6, 8, or 10 lines, preserving the connection, and fix them upon a symbol. Several small pieces of poetry may be readily imprinted upon the memory by placing them upon the pictures, or furniture, of the wail of a room with which we may be acquainted. Thongla the symbols are not here actually resorted 10, yet the principle that is pursued, is precisely the same, for what are the symbols, but pictures which line the walls of our imaginary rooms?
As a further illustration of the mode of committing poetry to memory, we shall give the following examples from Nolegar, as quoted by Feyjoo, in his Cartas Eruditas.[1]
"The Phænix in the first verse of this stanza, (says Nolegar) must be placed on the first predicament of the sphere,[2] on the right hand, and a papal crown, or tiara, or any other thing belonging to the Church, must be put on its head; because we cannot apply any other material object, to represent the Word Divine; we may then make a reflection or two on these images, and say, why has a Phœnix, the Papal Crown on its head? It is a Divine Phœnix, a Divine Phœnix. Then the second predicament of the left hand shall be taken for the second verse, and a drum with a stick to beat it, may be placed there; the stick may explain the word [de] with. * * *. I imagine that the drummer being ready to beat it, says [de] with and the drum [tan] such; in the same place, I would put two beautiful women sitting by the drummer, who should have two. wings lying at his feet; and speaking of the second predicament, I would say, De tan bellas alas (with such beautiful wings.)
"On the third predicament opposite the first on the right, I would put a woman kneeling and soliciting the pardon of a poor man condemned to banishment, who should be there with a chain, and by this image I would recal to mind the words of the third verse, Humilde y piadosa (humble and merciful.) On the fourth predicament, I would place a piece of carpet, (alfombra) or any thing whose name begins with al [to,] and I would only use this syllable, to which I would sew the tester of a bed, and would say (al cielo) to heaven; and for the word thou raisest I would put a Priest, raising the Host, to whom the Curate (ayudante) should hold some salt, saying (ten sal alzas) take some salt, (thou raisest.) In this last image the figure Apenthesis is formed, and reflecting, I should say (ensalzas) thou raisest.
Second Example.
"In order to commit these verses to memory, (says Nolegar,) on the right hand of the table upon which I am writing, and where my inkstand is, I would place a slave, or a black woman, with a basket and two hens in it; and close to the slave a Marquis or Duke, whro on entering my room should attempt to frighten the hens, at which the slave must say (Pongun, Senor,) Let them lay, Sir. On the right hand of the slave I would place a Medio Celemin (half a Peck measure,) and on the left hand a Chain, signifying the letter (y) (G) or some (hiel) Gall. For government, I would place one of the many governors of my acquaintance, who is astonished at what is going forward. I would reflect, and think that I heard him say, Pongan, Senor, el medio y el gobierno. To represent the other verse, I would put for (los altos) two or three pieces of timber with some tiles, taking these for the whole of a roof of a house, which consists of timber and tiles; and for (atributos) attributes, I would place two tributary Princes, with an image of the letter (A) on the head of one, who must be going to collect tributes or taxes, and if his name be Andrew, the better; because the (A) might be placed as an image of the name. Then supposing our food to be dependent on the collection of the taxes, it would be easy to remember, that Andrew was bringing some attributes by the letter (A); now, at the feet of this collector, I would place an alembic of Quintessences, or a Distiller, with a glass full of water, (Quintessence, already drawn,) who should mind not to break it with his feet; and close to the glass I would place a small stick, or the stick of a drummer made of iron, that we may remember it is not to be broken, because it might be used as we have already said, for an abecedario, meaning (de tu) of thy. In this manner, whenever I write, I shall remember that I have this verse at my right hand; Pongan, Senor, el Medio, y Gobierno; and on my left, the other; Los altos atributos, de tu Essencia."
When Prose is to be committed to memory, the particular passage, or chapter, should be read over carefully two or three times, and having selected the principal images or objects, it will be necessary to form a narrative by combining them with the different symbols. We should take a few lines only at a time, and proceed gradually in fixing the various objects presented to us.
To remember the principal points in a Sermon which is regularly divided into parts, it is only needful to take the different heads or titles as they are given, and arrange them on the cieling of the church or chapel, placing some on the cornice, and others in various parts, in regular order.[3] Or, a sort of imaginary tree may be supposed springing from the centre of the cieling, and the proofs and illustrations adduced by the preacher, may be suspended on its branches. This method will be rendered more effectual, if a symbol of the idea will be formed, as for Justice a pair of scales, etc. etc. This, however is not essential.[4]
Mr. Stewart, speaking of the assistance rendered to an orator, or public speaker, by the topical memory, in recollecting the plan and arrangement of his discourse, considers the accounts given of it by the antient rhetoricians, as abundantly satisfactory, and makes the following pertinent observations on the subject.
"Suppose (says this author) that I were to fix in my memory the different apartments in some very large building, and that I had accustomed myself to think of these apartments always in the same invariable order. Suppose farther, that in preparing myself for a public discourse, in which I had occasion to treat of a great variety of particulars, I was anxious to fix in my memory, the order I proposed to observe in the communication of my ideas. It is evident, that by a proper division of my subject into heads, and by connecting each head with a particular apartment, (which I could easily do, by conceiving myself to be sitting in the apartment while I was studying the part of my discourse, I meant to connect with it,) the habitual order in which these apartments occurred to my thoughts, would present to me, in their proper arrangement, and without any effort on my part, the ideas of which I was to treat. It is also obvious, that a very little practice would enable me to avail myself of this contrivance, without any embarrassment or distraction of my attention."[5]
A public speaker may arrange the arguments of his adversary on various parts of his person, and thus be enabled to review and answer a multiplicity of observations made by many different speakers. The first remark might be placed on his head, one in each eye, one in each ear, another on his nose, mouth, etc. etc. If it be required to remember a high number, we need only resort to the symbols: for instance, 27,819 will be fixed by remembering the names of Don Quixote, Midas, and Robinson Crusoe, the 27th, 8th, and 19th symbols, or, by changing the figures into letters, according to the scale in fig. 1, plate 2, and by inserting vowels, and forming words sufficient to construct a sentence, which cannot easily be forgotten. Any sum in pounds, shillings, and pence, may be readily committed to memory, by this last method; taking care to have (if possible) but one word for the pounds, and always separate words for the shillings and pence.
The advantages of this part of the system to the different professions are very great. The minister—the legal student, and the Member of Parliament, may all practise this method with success. The application of these principles will also render an essential service to the merchant and the man of business, in the various concerns of life.
- ↑ Tom. i.
- ↑ This will answer to the first place in the first wall of a roоm.
- ↑ A plan somewhat analogous to this, is mentioned by Mr. Dugald Stewart, who observes, "I have been told of a young woman, in a very low rank of life, who contrived a method of committing to memory the sermons which she was accustomed to hear, by fixing her attention, during the different heads of the discourse, on different compartments of the roof of the church; in such a manner, as that when she afterwards saw the roof, or recollected the order in which its compartments were disposed of, she recollected the method which the preacher had observed in treating his subject. Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind, p. 456.
- ↑ The chapter and verse of the text may be soon fixed, by changing the number of each into a hieroglyphic, and forming an association between the two.
- ↑ Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind, pp. 456, 457.