118 THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE MIND. as sometimes it happens in those who are but one degree above an idiot, who have manifested an amazing strength and extent of memory, but have hardly been able to join or disjoin two or three ideas in a wise and happy manner, to make a solid rational pro- -position. There have been instances of others who have had but a very tolerable power of memory, yet their judgment has been of a much superior degree, just and wise, solid and excellent. Yet it must be acknowledged, that where a happy memory is found in any person, there is one good foundation laid for a 'wise and just judgment of things, wheresoever the natural ge- nius has any thing of sagacity and brightness to make a right use of it. A good judgment must always in some measure depend upon a survey and comparison of several things together in the mind, and determining the truth of some doubtful proposition by that survey and comparison. When the mind has, as it were, set all those various objects present before it, which are necessary to form a true proposition or judgment concerning any thing, it then determines that such and such ideas are to be joined or dis- joined, to be affirmed or denied ; and this in a consistency and correspondence with all those other ideas or propositions which any way relate or belong to the same subject. Now therecan be no suchcomprehensive survey of many things without a tolerable degree of memory ; it is by reviewing things past we learn to judge of the futures: and it happens sometimes, that if one need- ful or important subject or idea be absent, the judgment concern- ing the thing enquired will thereby become false or mistaken. You will enquire then, How comes it to pass, that there are some persons who appear in the world of business as well as in theworld of learning, to have a good judgment, and have ac- quired the just character of prudence and wisdom, and yet have neither a very bright genius, nor sagacity of thought, nor a very happy memory, so that theycannot set before their minds at once a large scene of ideas, in order to pass a judgment. Now we may learn from Pensoroso some account of this dif- ficulty. You shall scarcely ever find this man forward in judg- ing and determining things proposed to him : but he always takes time, and delays, and suspends, and ponders things maturely, before he passes his judgment : then he practises a slow medita- tion, ruminates on the subject, and thus perhaps in two or three nights and days rouses and awakens those several ideas, one after another as he can, which are necessary in order to judge right of the thing proposed, and makes them pass before his review in succession : this he doth to relieve the want both of a quick sa- gacity.of thought, and of a ready memory and speedy recollec- tion ; and this caution and practice, lays the foundation of his
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