The Art of Rhetoric, Book 3 · Part 1 · Section 91
Vvhat thinges are requisite to get the Arte of Memorie.
THey that wyll remember manye thynges and rehearse them together out of hande: muste learne to hauehave places, and digest Images in them accordingly
A Place what it is.
A place is called anye rowme apt to receiue thinges.
An Image what it is.
An Image is any picture or shape, to declare some certayne thing therby. And euē as in waxe we make print wt a seale so we hauehave places wher liuely pictures must be set. The places must be greate,Places vowe they must be. of small distaunce, not one like an other, and euermore the fifte place must be made notable aboue the rest, hauinge alwayes some seuerall note from the other, as some antique, or a hande pointing, or suche like, that the rather hauinge a greate number of places, we might the better knowe where we are, by the remembraunce of suche notable and straunge places. And thus hauynge theim well appoynnted, wee muste kepe theim freshe in oure memorye, and neuer chaunge them, but vse them styll, whatsoeuer we hauehave to saye. But the ymages we may chaunge as the matter shal geue iust cause, vsinge suche as shall serue beste for the knowledge of thinges.
The whiche Images muste be sette forthe as thoughe they were stirring,Images how they must be. yea they must be sometimes made raumping, and last of all, they muste be made of thinges notable, suche as maye cause earnest impression of thinges in our mind. As a notable euill fauoured man, or a monstruous horse, suche as sainte Georges horse was wonte to be, or any such like, helpe well for remembraunce.
i. The places of Memory are resembled vntounto Waxe and Paper.
ij. Images are counted lyke vntounto letters or a Seale.
iij. The placing of these Images, is like vntounto wordes written.
iiij. The vtteraunce and vsing of them, is like vntounto readynge.
ANd therfore as we do reserue paper, and yet chaūg our writynge, putting out wordes as occasion shal serue, and settinge other in their rowme: so may we do for the Images inuented, chaunge our pictures ofte, and reserue the papers still. Some gather their places and ymages oute of the crosse rowe, beginninge euerye letter with the name of some Beaste, and so go thorowe the whole, makyng in euerye beaste fyue seuerall places, where the impression of thinges shalbe made, that is to saye, in the Heade, the Bealye, in the Taile, in the former parte of the legges, and also in the hinder part. So that bi this meanes, there shall be gathered, an hundreth and fiftene places.
Some againe will set their places in his heade or bodye wi…h whom they speake. As to make the nose, the eyes, the forheade, the heere, the eares, and other partes, to serue for places. And for makinge places in anye house, churche, or other rowme, this lesson is also geuen, that wee enter oure firste places alwaies vponupon the right hande, neuer returning backe, but goynge on styll as I might saye in a circuite, til we come to that place where we first beganne. But first before the Images be inuented, the places muste be learned perfitelye, and therfore one geueth coūsayle that we should go into some solitary place where no company is, and there make our places, walking vp and downe foure or fiue times and callyng styll to our remembraunce what and where the places are. And not onelyonly to do this once or twise, but to laboure in it two or thre dayes at seuerall times, vntil we shal be able to tel our places vponupon our fingers endes.
And nowe to make this harde matter somewhat plaine, I will vse an example. My frende (whom I toke euer to be an honest manne) is accused of thefte, of aduoutrie, of ryot, of manslaughter, and of treason, if I woulde kepe thes… wordes in my remembraunce, and rehearse them in order as they were spoken, I muste appoynte fiue places, the whiche I hadde neade to hauehave so perfectlye in my memorye, as coulde be possible. As for example, I will make these in my chamber. A dore, a windowe, a presse, a bedsteade, and a chimney. Now in ye dore, I wil set Cacus the thefe, or some suche notable verlet. In the windowe I will place Venus. In the presse I will put Apitius yt famous glutton. In the bedsteade I will set Richard the thirde kinge of England, or some like notable murtherer. In the chimney I wil place the blacke Smythe, or some other notable traytoure.
That if one repete these places, and these Images twise or thrise together, no doubte, though he hauehave but a meane memorie, he shal carye awaye the wordes rehearsed with ease. And like as he maye do with these fiue woordes, so maye he do wyth fiue score, if he hauehave places freshe in hys remembraūce, and do but vse him selfe to this trade one fortenight together.
Therfore thoughe it seme straunge and folyshe to them that knowe it not, yet the learned hauehave taken this waye, & doubte not but maruayles maye be done, if one hauehave places readye made for the purpose, and hauehave them freshe in his remembraunce. For what other thinge els do they that appoynt ymages in certaine places made for that purpose, but write (as a manne woulde saye) vponupon Paper, that which is spoken vntounto them? What maketh the olde manne (that for lacke of naturall heate and moisture, scante knoweth hys right hande from his lefte) remember in the morning where he layed his purse all nyght, but the beddes heade, whyche lyghtlye is the appoynted place for all mennes purses, especiallie such as be wayfairers, and hauehave but little store.
Shall some gentilman playe blyndefolde at the chesse, and can not a learned man be able to rehearse vp a score or two of straunge names together? A Neteherde hauinge the charge and kepynge of .xviij. score heade of beastes in a wyld Fenne, that belonge to diuers menne, will not onelye tell, who be the owners of al suche cattell, but also he wil shew a manne twise a weeke where anye one is feading, and if he wante one amonge the whole, he will tell immediatly what it is, and whose it is that is wantynge. Then fonde are they that counte the Arte of Memorye so harde, seynge they will neither proue the hardenes of it, nor yet blowshe at the matter, when they see pore neteherdes go so farre beyonde them. Howe many thinges dothe Memorie conteine marueylous to beholde, and muche more would, if we were not altogether slouthful, and as carelesse to kepe, as we are to gette, good thinges I meane, not goodes of thys world. Euerye Artificer hath through exercise and laboure, an artificiall memorye, sauynge the learned man onelyonly, who hath most nede of it aboue all other.
When we come to a place where we hauehave not bene many a daye before, we remembre not onelyonly the place it selfe, but by the place, we call to remembraunce manye thinges done there. Yea sometimes a window maketh some remēber that they hauehave stollen in their daies some thing out of it. Sometimes a chimney telleth them of manye late drinkinges and sittinges vp by the fire. Sometimes a bedstead putteth thē in remembraūce of many good morowes, sometimes a dore, & sometimes a parler. Thus we se places euē wtout images, helpe oft the memorye, muche more then shall we remēbre, if we hauehave both places and Images.
But nowe because I hauehave halfe weried the reader with a tedious matter, I will harten him agayne wyth a merye tale. At the time of rebellion in Northfolke, there was a priest emong al other adiudged to dye vpō a gibet in a grene place, a little from the hyghe waye side. This Prieste s… inge the place of his laste ende, stode a whyle musinge wyth him selfe, and saide to the companye there. Now Lord God what a thinge is this.God graunt al rebels lyke remembraunces. It comes to my remembraunce nowe that aboute fourtene yeres paste, I was merye here vponupon thys Bancke wyth an other Prieste, and wallowynge me downe vponupon the grasse, I said these wordes: Haec requ… es mea in seculū seculi, hic habitabo quoniam elegi eam. The whiche Sentence beynge a Psalme of Dauid, is nothinge els in Englishe, But this is my restynge place for euer and euer, here shall be my dwellynge, because I hauehave chosen it. And nowe (quod he) I finde it to be ouer true, so that I thinke it be Goddes wyl I should dye, and therfore I take it in good worthe, and thus I desire you al to praye for me. Thus we see that the place brought hym in remembraunce of a sentence spoken .xiiij. yeres before.
Therfore this knoweledge is not to be neglected, no thoughe we do contemne it, yet we hauehave the vse of it. For if we be fully disposed to remēber a thing, we do call vp the memorye, and styrre it to mynde thynges lyke thereunto. As if one be called Wingefeld, and I feare to forget this name I might remembre the winge of a byrde,Remembraūce bi thinges like and a grene feld to walke in. Sometymes we remēber the whole, by kepyng in mynde some parte of a word. As when one is called Crowcroft, I myght by remembring of a Crowe, the rather mind his name.
Notwtstāding ther be some (emōg whō is Erasmus) which like not this arte of Memorie, but saye it rather hindereth, then helpeth a mans wit. And yet Tullie the greatest Oratour emong the Romaynes, did wel alowe it, and proued it good by a naturall reason. For where as we knowe some thinges (sayeth he) onelye by vnderstandynge, and some by the sence of seynge, those we kepe best in our mindes whiche we knowe by sight, & hauehave marked with our eyes. As for example. When I se a Lyon, ye ymage therof abideth faster in my mind, thē if I should heare some report made of a Lyon Emong all the senses, the eye sight is most quicke, & cōteineth the impressiō of thinges more assuredly, thē any of the other senses do.
And the rather when a manne bothe heareth and seeth a thinge (as by artificiall memorye he dothe almoste se thinges liuelye) he dothe remember it muche the better. The sight printeth thinges in a mannes memorye, as a seale doth prynce a mannes name in waxe. And therfore heretofore Images were sette vp for remembraunce of Sainctes, to be laye mennes bokes, that the rather by seinge the Pictures of suche menne, they might be stirred to folowe their good liuynge. The whiche surely hadde bene well done, if God had not forbidden it. But seinge thinges muste be done not of a good entente, but euen as God hath commaunded, it is well doone that suche Idolles are cleane taken oute of the churche. Marye for this purpose wherof we nowe write, they woulde hauehave serued gayly well. Thus the arte is sone tolde, but the practise of it is all. And therfore if one desire to excell herein, let him take paynes to gather his places together, and kepe them well in remembraunce, prouinge by halfe a score, how he shall be able to vse a hundreth. And no doubte, but time and exercise shall make him perfecte.
For the beste arte of memorye that can be, is to heare muche, to speake muche, to reade muche, and to write much. And exercise it is that dothe all, when we hauehave saide al that euer we can.