130 THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE ß1IND, xiphias, hyaena or yaenai zibetta. Most of these he divided also into four parts, viz. head and body, feet, fins or wings and tail, and by some arbitrary or chimerical attachment of each of these to a word or thing which he desired to remember, be committed them to the care of his memory, and that with good success. It is also by this association of ideas, that we may better im- print any new idea upon the memory by joining with it some circumstances of the time, place, company, &c. wherein we first observed, heard or learnt it. If we would recover an absent idea, it is useful to recollect those circumstances of time, place, &c. The substancewill many times be recovered and brought to the thoughts by recollecting the shadow : a man recurs to our fancy by remembering his garment, his size, or stature, his office, or employment, &c. A beast, bird, or fish by its colour, figure, or motion, by thecage, or court-yard, or cistern wherein it was kept. To this head also wemay refer that remembrance of names and things, which may be derived from our recollection of their likeness to other things which we know; either their resemblance in the name, character, form, accident, or any thing that be- longs to them. An idea or word which has been lost or for- gotten, has been often recovered by hitting upon some other kindred word or idea, which has the nearest resemblance to it, and that in the letters, syllables or soundof the name, as well as properties of the thing. If we would remember, Hippocrates or Galen, or Parcel- sus, think of a physician's name, beginning with H. G. or P. If we will remember Ovidius Naso, we may represent a man with a great nose ; if Plato, we may think upon a person with large shoulders ; if Crispus, we shall fancy another with curled hair ; and so of other things. And sometimes a new or strange idea may be fixed in the memory, by considering its contrary or opposite. So if we cannot hit on the word Goliath, the remem- brance of David may recover it : or the name of aTrojan may be recovered by thinking of a Greek, &c. S. In such cases wherein it may be done, seek after a local memory, or a remembrance of what you have read by the side or page where it is written or printed ; whether the right or the left, whether at the top, the middle or the bottom ; whether at the beginning of a chapter or a paragraph, or the endof it. It has been some advantage for this reason, to accustom one's self to books of the same edition : and it has been of constant and special use to divines and private Christians, to be furnished with several Bibles of the same edition ; that wheresoever they are, whether in their chamber, parlour or study, in the younger or elder years of life, they may find the chapters and verses
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