Memoria Technica

It may be proper to acquaint the reader with what improvements have been made in this work since its first publication. In the tables of the patriarchs and ancient kings, care has been taken to signify, with the utmost brevity, the relation which every person bore to his immediate predecessor. In the geographical part, besides the adding of many remarkable places both in ancient and present geography, the memorial lines for the general and particular divisions have many of them been formed anew, with particular regard to the situation of the respective kingdoms, provinces, or countries into which those divisions have been made; so that every line is in some measure the epitome of a map. The tables of ancient coins, weights, and measures have been carefully reviewed, and very much augmented; and decimal tables subjoined, of great use for the more speedy and exact reduction of them. There is likewise added an Index of the historical, chronological, and geographical words; of the usefulness of which is given an account in the proper place. Besides these, there are several alterations and additions of less moment, interspersed throughout the whole; such as either my own experience or the judgment of my friends had suggested to me, in order to render the design more useful. I shall not trouble the render with the reasons of them, which, if he compares the editions, he will very probably find out him. self: nor do I think it necessary to apologize for having made them, since it could not be expected that an inventior ​of this kind should be so perfect at first, as not to be capable of being considerably improved. And I was the more willing to bestow some care and pains upon it, and to give it what improvement I was able, in return for the favourable reception it has met with from the public, beyond what was expected by myself or others. An Art of Memory has by many been looked upon as a thing either in itself impracticable, or, at least, in the common methods of it, useless and trifling. And I was sensible that the following method would lie under the additional disadvantage of a whimsical and out of the way appearance; besides that, the seeming difficulty of it at first sight would, I foresaw, deter many from so much as attempting to make themselves masters of it. Notwithstanding these discouragements, it has had the good fortune to give some satisfaction, and to meet with some success; and will, I hope, continue to be looked upon as an useful help to those who delight in reading, and would retain what they had read with faithfulness and accuracy, particularly in such points wherein their memories are most likely to fail them.

The objections which have been made to it from the difficulty of remembering the memorial lines would most effectually be removed by habituating young minds to then betimes, by the frequent transcribing and repetition d them. The technical words would by this means become natural and familiar, and of no small advantage to them in the course of their future studies; they would be easily received and long retained. But I shall say no more upon this point, having already touched upon it in the Introduction; to which also I refer the reader for what might further be expected by way of Preface.

It is a general complaint amongst men of reading, and to many a discouragement from it, that they find themselves not able to retain what they read with any certainty or exactness. And in no part of literature is there greater room for this complaint than in History: to the studying of which with pleasure and improvement, as nothing contributes more, so nothing has been thought more difficult to be retained, than a distinct and accurate knowledge of Chronology and Geography. Upon this account several attempts have been made to remedy, in some measure, the defects of the memory, by chronological and geographical tables, cuts, and maps, and by reducing the principal parts of history to certain epochas or æras, so disposed and contrived, as may be most likely to affect the imagination, and make the deeper impression upon the mind. Thus Mr. Hearne, in his Ductor Historicus, has reduced the whole tompass of chronology to thirteen grand epochas, all beginning with the letter C. Dean Prideaux, in his Introduction to History, has made use of the number seven, throughout his whole book; "not out of affectation (as he tells us) but experience, as most easy for the memory;" with others of the like nature, which serve at least to show that the memory wants assistance, and that small helps are better than none. But of all the inventions made use of for this end, none has been found to contribute more to the assistance of the memory than that of technical verses; both as they generally contain a great deal in a little com​pass, and also because being once learned, they are seldom or never forgot. For the truth of which I may venture to appeal to the weakest memories, whether they have not to the last found themselves in possession of that ever-memorable line,

Of this nature is the following method; the design of which is, not to make the memory better, but things more easy to be remembered; so that by the help of it, an ordinary, or even a weak memory, shall be able to retain what the strongest and most extraordinary memory could not retain without it. For, as he, who first contrived to assist the eye with a telescope, did not by that pretend to give sight to the blind, or make any alteration in the eye itself, but only to bring the objects nearer, that they might be viewed more accurately and distinctly; so neither is it pretended^[1] by this art to teach those to remember everything who never could remember anything; or to make men in an instant skilful in sciences which before they were utterly unacquainted with; but only to enable them to retain, with certainty and exactness, what they have already a general and competent knowledge of: that they may not be obliged upon every occasion to have fresh recourse to their books or maps, or be under the tiresome necessity of reading the same things again and again, still forgetting them as fast as they read them.

To those who may object, of what use is it to be thus exact, and content themselves with an imperfect and confused remembrance of what they read; it might be answered, ​that such as think it of no use, need not, as I presume they will not, trouble themselves about it; this being designed for the benefit of those only who think it is of use; and who, even at the expense of a little pains, would remember if they could: but, besides this, I believe it will be agreed on all hands, that to instance in history only, a man who has an exact notion of time and place, finds incomparably more pleasure, and makes a speedier progress in that study than he who has not.

I shall here beg leave to transcribe a passage from Addson'S Dialogues, upon the Usefulness of Ancient Medals:

If this be such a considerable advantage in medals, I hope it will be allowed that the following method is of some use, since by it a man may be enabled to remember when any emperor, from Julius Cæsar to Jovian, began his reign, and that as readily as you can name him, by the help of ne more than seven memorial lines. The like he may do, with the same ease and readiness, by the kings of England, and so proportionably for any other part of sacred or profane history. For, how impracticable soever it may seem at first view, I have reason to believe, that any reader of a ​common capacity may, by a regular proceeding and ordinary application, be able readily and exactly to answer most if not all, the questions that can be proposed, from the following tables.

The manner in which I would advise him to proceed (after having premised that he must not be too hasty at first, but make himself^[2] master of one thing before he proceeds to another, beginning with such particulars as he has most occasion or inclination to retain) is this. First, let him learn to explain the several memorial lines, according to the method hereafter to be laid down, by consulting the tables to which they belong. 2. This done, let him, by Looking upon the tables, learn to make out the lines; and 3, Let him charge his memory with them, by frequent repetition. By this means the words will become familiar, how harsh and uncouth soever they may appear at first, and he will find it as easy to know the diameter, distance, and magnitude of any planet; the particular time or age of any remarkable person or thing; the longitude and latitude of any place, and the like, as it is to remember their names the whole art being in effect nothing more than this; to make such a change in the ending of the name of a place, person, planet, coin, &c. without altering the beginning of it, as shall readily suggest the thing sought, at the same time that the beginning of the word being preserved, shal. be a leading or prompting syllable to the ending of it so changed.

I would willingly here let the reader a little more into my meaning, which he may not otherwise so readily ​apprehend, lest he should think there is more difficulty in the matter than there really is. I would ask him, then, if he thinks he could remember to call Cyrus, Cyruts; Daniel, Daniull; Alexander the Great, Aléxila; Julius Cæsar, Julios Cæsar; or Mahomet, Máhomaudd. If he can but do this, he has nothing else to do (when he is once master of the general key, and knows what letters of the alphabet stand for what figures) in order to remember, without any possibility of being mistaken, that the years in which Cyrus, Alexander, and Julius Cæsar founded their pective monarchies, were as follow:—

And that the Mahometan æra, or flight of Mahomet was A. D. 622.—In like manner for Geography. Does he think he could remember to call Madrid Madroy-t, or Jerusalem Jerula-ts, or Blenheim Blenhebav, or Thessalia Thessjan? This is all that is required,—to remember that the degree of latitude of Madrid is about 40, and the^[3] longitude about 3; the latitude of Jerusalem about 31, and the longitude 36; that Blenheim is in Bavaria, and that what was the ancient Thessaly is the present Janna. Thus the reader will observe, that all that he has to do, is for one word to remember another, which only varies from it a little in the termination.^[4] And to make even this easier to be remembered, ​the technical words are thrown into the form of common Latin verse, or at least of something like it. For as there was no necessity to confine myself to any rules of quantity or position, I hope I need make no apology for the liberty I have taken in having, without regard to either, and perhaps now and then without so much as a regard to the just number of feet, only placed the words in such order as to make them run most easily off the tongue, and succeed each other in the most natural manner. But this by the way for the reader's encouragement.

In the mean time, till he can repeat the memorial lines, and to those who are not willing to give themselves any trouble at all in charging their memory with them, the tables themselves will not be without their use; of which it may be expected that I should give some account.

For the chronology and history I have chiefly consulted^[5] Archbishop Usher's Annals, Marshall's Chronological Tables, the Rationarium Temporum of Petavius, Mr. Hearne's Ductor Historicus, and Bishop Beveridge's Institutiones Chronologiœ. The succession of the Assyrian and Babylonian Monarchs, the Kings of Persia, Media, Syria, Egypt, &c. are taken from Dr. Prideaux's Chronological Tables, at the end of his Connexion; the times of the flourishing of the Fathers, Heretics, Councils, &c. from Dr. Cave's Historia Literaria. The Roman Emperors, and the time of writing of the canonical books of the New Testament, from Mr. Eachard's Roman and Ecclesiastical Histories. The Legatine ​and Provincial Constitutions from Bishop Gibson's Codex Juris Ecclesiastici. The astronomical calculations are from Dr. Derham's Astro-Theology. I have also added Mr. Whiston's, from his Theory of the Earth. In the geographical part, my chief guide has been Dr. Wells's Treatise of ancient and Present Geography, whose Maps may be consulted by the learner. For the coins, weights, and measures, I have chiefly been obliged to Dr. Arbuthnot's books and tables, not without consulting Bishop Cumberland, Dr. Bernard, and Bishop Hooper, and other writers upon that subject, of whom I have made what use I thought convenient. If any prefer other authors, who differ from these, they may easily apply the art to their favourite author, by a change of the words, according to the method laid down. And, indeed, when the reader is perfectly master of it, he would do well to form words for his own use, which perhaps he will sooner remember than those which I had formed for mine; my design being rather to give a specimen of what might be done by it, than a set of complete tables in the respective sciences.. If some think I have been deficient in leaving out what they suppose worthy of remembering, others perhaps will think I have been too full. To both these I answer, that I impose no task upon my readers, nor desire to prevent their own improvements: they may add what they please, and pass by what they please. Nor do I think it at all necessary that they should be able to answer every particular in the following tables; only this I may venture to affirm, that if they once charge their memory with them, they will find them no burden, and that it is not only practicable, but easy to be done.

It is not to be expected that gentlemen, who have gone through the course of their studies, will trouble themselves to begin again anew, and go regularly through the whole; ​but it is submitted to those who have the education of young students in the universities and public schools, whether it would not be of some service towards facilitating the progress of their pupils and scholars in useful knowledge, to have them early and thoroughly acquainted with this small treatise. It is the advice of Quintilian, that boys should be used to repeat, as fast as possible, harsh and crabbed words and verses, purposely made difficult, in order to give them a more full and articulate pronunciation. His words are these: ^[6] Non alienum fuerit exigere ab his ætatibus, quo sit absolutius os et expressior sermo, ut nomina quædam versusque affectate difficultatis, ex pluribus asperrime coëuntibus inter se syllabis catenatos et veluti confragosos quam citatissime volvant. The frequent repetition of the following memorial lines would certainly answer this end, and at the same time a much better; and if I might also recommend, as he does, the writing of them too, in order to make the deeper impression, it would doubtless have a good effect, and boys would be treasuring up learning even before they were aware of it. ^[7]Illud non pænitebit curasse cum scribere nomina puer (quemadmodum moris est) cæperit, nehanc operam in vocabulis vulgaribus et forte occurrentibus perdat. Protinus enim potest interpretationem linguæ secretioris quam Græci γλώσσας vocant, dum aliud agitur, ediscere, et inter prima elementa consequi rem postea proprium tempus desideraturam. It may be sufficient to have just hinted these things to those whose more immediate province it is, and who are best qualified to judge what methods may most effectually contribute to the improvemen of those under their care.

From the account I have given of it, the reader will ​observe, that the method here proposed is perfectly different from that of Simonides the Cean,^[8] so famous among the ancients for being the first inventor of an art of memory,^[9] of whom both Tully and Quintilian speak with respect, and of whose method of ^[10]places and images (i.e. of having a repository of ideas, a large house, or the like, divided into several apartments, in each of which you are to place in order a symbolical representation of the things which you would remember) they have given us a very full and particular account, as also of the occasion which first gave rise to it. What improvements have been made of this method by some modern authors, or in what manner or with what success others have set up to teach privately the art of ​memory, I am altogether ignorant. Having found my own method sufficient for myself, I had no inclination to look after any other. What use it may be of to the public, must be left to experience. The novelty of it may perhaps recommend it to the inquisitive and curious; and I desire nothing more than that into whose hands soever it may fall, they would not be prejudiced against it upon the account of its seeming difficulty, before any have made trial of it; being inclined to think, that to any one, who is at all acquainted with it, it will be found to be so far from being really difficult, that nothing can be more easy, or more obvious. The representation of numbers by letters of the alphabet hath been a thing in practice, more or less, almost in every language. The only thing wanting was to make that representation further useful, by substituting vowels, as well as consonants, for the numerical figures, in such manner and proportion, that any number might be formed into a word capable of being articulately pronounced, and consequently more perfectly remembered. Amongst the Jews, indeed, of whose alphabet the vowels are no part, it was a practice, not only to abbreviate sentences and names of many words, by putting together the initial letters of those words, and making out of them an artificial word ^[11] to express the whole; but also to make use of natural words, to represent numbers, when they could meet with such as happened to answer the number they wanted to express.We have several pieces of ingenuity of this kind in the ​frontispieces of their Bibles, where they give us the year of the edition in some word or sentence of Scripture, the letters of which, according to their numerical value, make up the date. I have subjoined^[12] some of them for the entertainment of the learned reader, from Bishop Beveridge's Arithmetica Chronologica. And indeed I am not certain whether I owe not to observations of this kind, the first hint of this method, which I have carried so far, and which, doubtless, like all other inventions, is still capable of further improvements.

What is added of the miscellany kind, is a small part of what I had drawn up for my own use, and shews how easily this art may be applied to almost every part of learning. If ​upon the whole this attempt shall be found to contribute to the more speedy attainment of useful knowledge, and to give men of reading, instead of an imperfect and confused remembrance of what they read, a satisfactory certainty and exactness, as I cannot think the little time I have spent upon it ill bestowed in respect of my own improvement, so I shall be glad that it proves of as much benefit to others as I have found it to myself.

The probable reasons why Grey's Memoria Technica has not been more generally received in Grammar Schools, where any separate regard is paid to History and Chronology, are, that it abounds with matter which has not a strict relation to classical authors, and that it is extended to branches of knowledge, such as Geography, Astronomy, &c. where the necessity of the art is not so evident, and the difficulty of application much greater.

In defence of this art as a subsidiary aid to young persons in History and Chronology, I will not say, that by the help of it the weakest memory may be able to retain what the strongest could not retain without it; but I have no scruple in recommending it to those who wish to avoid the necessity of perpetual recurrence to chronological maps or tables, and who prefer accuracy and fidelity to confused recollection and imperfect remembrance. It does not, indeed confer a new faculty, but it teaches us to manage with skill the capacity of the memory, and contrives such helps as greatly assist its natural powers.