"Let every thing we desire to remember be fairly and distinctly written and divided into Periods, with large Characters in the Beginning; for by this Means we shall the more readily imprint the Matter and Words on our Minds, and recollect them with a Glance, the more remarkable the Writing appears to the Eye."
— Watts, Isaac (1674-1748)
Author
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for James Brackstone
Date
1741
Metaphor
"Let every thing we desire to remember be fairly and distinctly written and divided into Periods, with large Characters in the Beginning; for by this Means we shall the more readily imprint the Matter and Words on our Minds, and recollect them with a Glance, the more remarkable the Writing appears to the Eye."
Metaphor in Context
Let every thing we desire to remember be fairly and distinctly written and divided into Periods, with large Characters in the Beginning; for by this Means we shall the more readily imprint the Matter and Words on our Minds, and recollect them with a Glance, the more remarkable the Writing appears to the Eye. This Sense conveys the Ideas to the Fancy better than any other; and what we have seen is not so soon forgotten as what we have only heard. What Horace affirms of the Mind or Passions may be said also of the Memory;
Segnius irritant animos demissa per aurem
Quam quæ sunt oculis subjecta fidelibus,& qua
Ipse sibi tradit spectator.
Apply'd thus in English:
Sounds which address the Ear are lost and die
In one short Hour; but that which strikes the Eye
Lives long upon the Mind; the faithful Sight
Engraves the Knowledge with a Beam of Light.
(pp. 276-7)
Segnius irritant animos demissa per aurem
Quam quæ sunt oculis subjecta fidelibus,& qua
Ipse sibi tradit spectator.
Apply'd thus in English:
Sounds which address the Ear are lost and die
In one short Hour; but that which strikes the Eye
Lives long upon the Mind; the faithful Sight
Engraves the Knowledge with a Beam of Light.
(pp. 276-7)
Categories
Provenance
Searching and Reading in Google Books
Citation
32 entries in ESTC (1741, 1743, 1753, 1754, 1761, 1768, 1773, 1782, 1784, 1785, 1786, 1787, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, 1798, 1799, 1800).
Most text drawn from Google Books. See The Improvement of the Mind: or, a Supplement to the Art of Logick: Containing a Variety of Remarks and Rules for the Attainment and Communication of Useful Knowledge, in Religion, in the Sciences, and in Common Life. By I. Watts, D.D. (London: Printed for James Brackstone, at the Globe in Cornhill, 1741). <Link to ESTC><Link to 2nd edition in Google Books>
Most text drawn from Google Books. See The Improvement of the Mind: or, a Supplement to the Art of Logick: Containing a Variety of Remarks and Rules for the Attainment and Communication of Useful Knowledge, in Religion, in the Sciences, and in Common Life. By I. Watts, D.D. (London: Printed for James Brackstone, at the Globe in Cornhill, 1741). <Link to ESTC><Link to 2nd edition in Google Books>
Date of Entry
02/05/2014
