VI. CHAP. "been the custom to lay before people nothing in matters of argument but premises, and leave them to draw conclufions "themselves; which, although it could not be done in all "cafes, might in many. "THE great number of books and papers of amusement, " which, of one kind or another, daily come in one's way, "have in part occafioned, and most perfectly fall in with and "humour this idle way of reading and confidering things. "By this means, time, even in folitude, is happily got rid of, "without the pain of attention; neither is any part of it more put to the account of idlenefs; one can fcarce forbear faying, is spent with less thought, than great part of that "which is spent in reading." A If the plan of study which I formerly described were adopted, it would undoubtedly diminish very much the number of books which it would be poffible to turn over; but I am convinced that it would add greatly to the stock of useful and folid knowledge ; and by rendering our acquired ideas in fome measure our own, would give us a more ready and practical command of them: not to mention, that if we are poffeffed of any inventive powers, fuch exercises would continually furnish them with an opportunity of displaying themselves, upon all the different fubjects which may pass under our review. NOTHING, in truth, has fuch a tendency to weaken, not only the powers of invention, but the intellectual powers in general, as a habit of extenfive and various reading, without reflexion. The VI. The activity and force of the mind are gradually impaired, in CHAP. confequence of disuse; and not unfrequently all our principles and opinions come to be loft, in the infinite multiplicity and difcordancy of our acquired ideas. By confining our ambition to pursue the truth with modefty and candour, and learning to value our acquisitions only in fo far as they contribute to make us wifer and happier, we may perhaps be obliged to facrifice the temporary admiration of the common difpenfers of literary fame; but we may reft affured, that it is in this way only we can hope to make real progress in knowledge, or to enrich the world with useful inventions. “IT requires courage, indeed," (as Helvetius has remarked,) "to remain ignorant of those useless fubjects which are generally "valued;" but it is a courage necessary to men who either love the truth, or who afpire to establish a permanent reputation. SECTION VI. Continuation of the fame Subject.Of Artificial Memory. BY a an Artificial Memory is meant, a method of connecting in the mind, things difficult to be remembered, with things eafily remembered; fo as to enable it to retain, and to recollect the former, by means of the latter. For this purpose, various contrivances have been propofed, but I think the foregoing definition applies to all of them. CHAP. VI. SOME forts of artificial memory are intended to assist the natural powers of the human mind on particular occafions, which require a more than ordinary effort of recollection; for example, to affift a public fpeaker to recollect the arrangement of a long difcourfe. Others have been devised with a view to enable us to extend the circle of our acquired knowledge, and to give us a more ready command of all the various particulars of our information. THE topical Memory, fo much celebrated among the antient rhetoricians, comes under the former description. I ALREADY remarked, the effect of fenfible objects in recalling to the mind the ideas with which it happened to be occupied, at the time when these objects were formerly perceived. In travelling along a road, the fight of the more remarkable scenes we meet with, frequently puts us in mind of the subjects we were thinking or talking of when we last saw them. Such facts, which are perfectly familiar even to the vulgar, might very naturally fuggeft the poffibility of affifting the memory, by establishing a connexion between the ideas we wish to remember, and certain fenfible objects, which have been found from experience to make a permanent impreffion on the mind *. I have been told of a young woman, in a very low "Cum in loca aliqua poft tempus reverfi fumus, non ipfa agnofcimus "tantum, fed etiam, quæ in his fecerimus, reminifcimur, perfonæque fubeunt, "nonunquam tacitæ quoque cogitationes in mentem revertuntur. Nata eft "igitur, ut in plerifque, ars ab experimento." QUINCT. Inft. Orat. lib. xi. cap. 2. rank ys in the fame preparing myself to treat of a great in my memory the unication of my ideas. ion of my fubject into with a particular apartby conceiving myself to be was ftudying the part of my with it,) the habitual order in red to my thoughts, would prefent Angement, and without any effort on ich I was to treat. It is alfo obvious, e would enable me to avail myself of this contrivance, 3 M 2 CHA P. SOME forts of artificial memory are intended to aff tural powers of the human mind on particular occafi require a more than ordinary effort of recollecti ample, to affift a public fpeaker to recollect the of a long difcourfe. Others have been devised enable us to extend the circle of our acquired k to give us a more ready command of all the va of our information. THE topical Memory, fo much celebrated rhetoricians, comes under the former defcrip I ALREADY remarked, the effect of fenf «Cum in loca aliqua poft tempus |