of a secret, which, while it enables him to express himself with facility and the appearance of method, puts it in his power, at the fame time, to difpofe his arguments and his facts, in whatever order he judg es to be the moft proper to mislead the judgment, and to perplex the memory, of thofe whom he addreffes. And fuch, it is manifeft, is the effect, not only of the topical memory of the ancients, but of all other contrivances which aid the recollection, upon any principle different from the natural and logical arrangement of our ideas.

To thofe on the other hand, who speak with a view to convince or to inform others, it is of confequence that the topics which they mean to illuftrate, should be arranged in an order equally favorable to their own recollection and to that of their hearers. For this purpose, nothing is effectual, but that method which is fuggefted by the order of their own inveftigations; a method which leads the mind from one idea to another, either by means of obvious and ftriking affociations, or by thofe relations which connect the different fteps of a clear and accurate procefs of reasoning. It is thus only that the attention of an audience can be completely and inceffantly engaged, and that the fubftance of a long dif courfe can be remembered without effort. And it is thus only that a speaker, after a mature confideration of his fubject, can poffefs a juft confidence in his own powers of recollection, in ftating all the different premises which lead to the conclufion he wishes to establish.

In modern times, fuch contrivances have been very little, if at all, made ufe of by public fpeakers; but various ingenious attempts have been made, to affift the memory, in acquiring and retaining those branches of knowledge which it has been fuppofed neceffary for a fcholar to carry always about with him; and which, at the fame time, from the numCcc

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ber of particular details which they involve, are not calculated, of themfelves, to make a very lafting impreffion on the mind. Of this fort is the Memoria Technica of Mr. Grey, in which a great deal of hiftorical, chronological and geographical kowledge is comprised in a set of verses, which the ftudent is fuppofed to make as familiar to himself as fchool-boys do the rules of grammar. These verses are, in general, a mere affemblage of proper names, difpofed in a rude fort of measure; fome flight alterations being occafionally made on the final fyllables of the words, fo as to be fignificant (according to certain principles laid down in the beginning of the work) of important dates, or of other particulars which it appeared to the author ufeful to affociate with the

names.

I have heard very opposite opinions with respect to the utility of this ingenious fyftem. The prevailing opinion is, I believe, against it; although it has been mentioned in terms of high approbation by fome writers of eminence. Dr. Priestley, whose judgment, in matters of this fort, is certainly entitled to refpect, has faid, that "it is a method fo eafily learned, and which may be of fo much ufe in "recollecting dates, when other methods are not at “ hand, that he thinks all persons of a liberal educa"tion inexcufable, who will not take the small degree of pains that is neceffary to make themfelves "mafters of it; or who think any thing mean, or "unworthy of their notice, which is fo ufeful and "convenient."*

In judging of the utility of this, or of any other contrivance of the fame kind, to a particular perfon, a great deal muft depend on the fpecies of memory which he has received from nature, or has acquired in the course of his early education. Some men, as I already remarked,) efpecially among thofe who * Lectures on History, p. 157.

have been habitually exercised in childhood in getting by heart grammar rules,) have an extraordinary facility in acquiring and retaining the moft barbarous and the most infignificant verfes; which another person would find as difficult to remember, as the geographical and chronological details of which it is the object of this art to relieve the memory. Allowing, therefore, the general utility of the art, no one method, perhaps, is entitled to an exclufive preference; as one contrivance may be beft fuited to the faculties of one perfon, and a very different one to those of another.

One important objection applies to all of them, that they accuftom the mind to affociate ideas by accidental and arbitrary connexions; and, therefore, how much foever they may contribute in the courfe of converfation, to an oftentatious display of acquired knowledge, they are, perhaps, of little real fervice to us, when we are feriously engaged in the pursuit of truth. I own, too, I am very doubtful with respect to the utility of a great part of that information which they are commonly employed to imprefs on the memory, and on which the generality of learned men are difpofed to value themselves. It certainly is of no use, but in fo far as it is fubfervient to the gratification of their vanity; and the acquifition of it confumes a great deal of time and attention, which might have been employed in extending the boundaries of human knowledge. To those, however, who are of a different opinion, fuch contrivances as Mr. Grey's may be extremely useful: and to all men they may be of fervice, in fixing in the memory thofe infulated and uninterefting particulars, which it is either neceffary for them to be acquainted with, from their fituation; or which cuftom has rendered, in the common opinion, effential branches of a liberal education. I would, in particular, recommend this author's method of recollecting

dates, by fubftituting letters for the numeral cyphers; and forming these letters into words, and the words into verfes. I have found it, at least in my own cafe, the most effectual of all fuch contrivan ces of which I have had experience.

SECTION VII.

Continuation of the fame Subject.Importance of making a proper Selection among the Objects of our Knowledge, in order to derive Advantage from the Acquifitions of Memory.

THE cultivation of Memory, with all the helps that we can derive to it from art, will be of little ufe to us unless we make a proper felection of the particulars to be remembered. Such a felection is neceffary to enable us to profit by reading; and ftill more fo, to enable us to profit by obfervation, to which every man is indebted for by far the most valuable part of his knowledge.

When we first enter on any new literary purfuit, we commonly find our efforts of attention painful and unfatisfactory. We have no difcrimination in our curiofity; and by grafping at every thing, we fail in making thofe moderate acquifitions which are fuited to our limited faculties. As our knowledge extends, we learn to know what particulars are likely to be of ufe to us; and acquire a habit of directing our examination to these, without diftracting the attention with others. It is partly owing to a fimilar circumftance, that most readers complain of a defect of memory, when they first enter on the ftudy of history. They cannot feparate important from trifling facts, and find themfelves unable to retain any thing, from their anxiety to fecure the whole. In order to give a proper direction to our atten

tion in the course of our studies, it is ufeful, before engaging in particular purfuits, to acquire as familiar an acquaintance as poffible with the great outlines of the different branches of science; with the most important conclufions which have hitherto been formed in them, and with the most important defiderata which remain to be fupplied. In the cafe too of those parts of knowledge, which are not yet ripe for the formation of philofophical fyftems, it may be of use to study the various hypothetical theories which have been propofed for connecting together and arranging the phenomena. By fuch general views alone we can prevent ourselves from being loft, -amidst a labyrinth of particulars, or can engage in a courfe of extenfive and various reading, with an enlightened and difcriminating attention. While they withdraw our notice from barren and infulated facts, they direct it to fuch as tend to illuftrate principles which have either been already established, or which, from having that degree of connection among them. felves, which is neceffary to give plausibility to a hypothetical theory, are likely to furnish, in time, the materials of a jufter fyftem.

Some of the followers of Lord Bacon have, I think, been led, in their zeal for the method of induction, to cenfure hypothetical theories with too great a degree of feverity. Such theories have certainly been frequently of ufe, in putting philofophers upon the road of difcovery. Indeed, it has probably been in this way, that most discoveries have been made; for although a knowledge of facts muft be prior to the formation of a juft theory, yet a hypothetical theory is generally our beft guide to the knowledge of useful facts. If a man, without forming to himself any conjecture concerning the unknown laws of nature, were to fet himself merely to accumulate facts at random, he might, perhaps, ftumble upon fome important difcovery; but by far the