D'Assigny, Marius (1643-1717)

The Art of Memory

London

J. Darby

1697

" Let these Characters, or Beginnings of every Period, be well imprinted in our Minds, for they will quickly bring thither the whole Discourse also."

5. Let these Characters, or Beginnings of every Period, be well imprinted in our Minds, for they will quickly bring thither the whole Discourse also. No sooner shall we think upon the first entrance, but we shall have a prospect of all the rest in our Imagination. And it will be no small Assistance to our Memories, if these first Letters of every Sentence or Period can luckily express some known or remarkable Word or Thing in every Page. As Buxtorf in his Hebrew Grammas, that Students may remember the Letters which change their natural Pronunciation by the Inscription of a Dagesh, has gathered them together in the word Begadkephat. And that they might not forget the Letters nam'd Quiescentes, that are written, and sometimes not pronounc'd, he has put them together in the word Ehevi. Thus if we may happily join all the first Words of every Sentence so as to express some remarkable Thing, or Subject, or Word, we shall remember more easily the Beginnings of every Period or Sentence; and by taking every Letter in order one after another, come to the remembrance of all that is written in the Page without any difficulty, for the beginning will lead us to all the rest. This Direction may be of great use to weak Memories.
(pp. 56-7)

Impressions::Imprint

Google Books

Four entries in ESTC: 1697, 1699, 1699?, and 1706. Text from The Art of Memory. A Treatise useful for all, especially such as are to speak in Publick., 3rd edition, corrected (London: Printed by J. Darby, 1706). <Link to Google Books>

07/13/2013