The arte of rhetorique for the vse of all suche as are studious of eloquence, sette forth in English, by Thomas Wilson.

¶The place of memorie.

THe Phisicians declare, that in the former parte of the hed, lieth the common sense, the whiche is ther∣fore so called, because it geueth iudgement, of al the fiue outwarde senses, onely when thei are presently occupied aboute any thyng. As when I heare a thyng, or see a thyng, my common sense iudgeth, that then I doe heare, or se thesame. But the memorie called the Threasure of the mynde, lieth in the hynder parte, the whiche is made moste perfect by temperatnesse, and moderacion of qualitees in the brain. For where humours excede or want, there must nedes ensue muche weakenesse of remembraunce. Children* 1.1 there∣fore beyng ouer moyst, and olde menne ouer drie, haue neuer good memories. Again, where ouer muche cold is, & extreme moysture, there is euer muche forgetfulnesse. Therfore it a∣uaileth greatly, what bodies we haue, and of what constitu∣cion thei bee compacte together.* 1.2 For suche as bee hotte and moyste, do sone conceiue matters, but thei kepe not long. A∣gain, thei that bee colde and drie,* 1.3 dooe hardely conceiue, but thei kepe it surely, when thei ones haue it. And the reason is this, heate beyng chief qualitee, dooeth drawe thynges vnto it (as we maie se by the Sonne) the whiche notwithstādyng are sone after dissipated & resolued. Again, who hath seen a print made in water of any yerthly thing? Then though heat and moysture together, drawe thynges vnto them, yet (we se

plainly) thei cannot long hold theim. But when the brain is cold and drie, thynges are therfore the faster holden, because it is the propertie of colde and drought, to thicken all thyn∣ges, and to harden theim faste together, as we see the water through coldenesse, is congeled, and softe thynges are frosen oftentymes, almoste as harde as a stone. So that moysture, through heate beyng chief qualitee, doth drawe: and drought through coldnesse, whiche is chief contrary to heate, dooeth harden and make thynges fast together. But now how dooe wee knowe, that the memorie* 1.4 resteth in the latter parte of the hedde? No doubte, experience hath proued, and confir∣med this to be moste true. For, there hath been some, that be∣yng hurt in that place, haue vtterly forgot their awne name I do remember one man, that (beeyng hurte in that place, at the insurreccion of the Lincolne Shire men, xv. yeres past) could not deuise the makyng of some Letters, in his Crosse rowe, when he tooke penne and ynke, to write to his frende, whereas before that tyme, he wrote bothe faste and faire, and was learned in the Latine. And therefore when he wrote, he would stande musyng a greate while, before he could call to his remembraunce, howe he vsed to make a .P. a G. or suche another letter, whereupon diuerse muche marueiled what he would haue, or what he ment at the first tyme. For beyng greued, and willing to aske help, he could not vtter his mea∣nyng, for lacke of remembraunce, and yet his tongue serued hym well otherwise, to vtter whatsoeuer came in his hedde.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Children and old men haue but euill me∣mories.
• * 1.2

  Hot and moys•• bodies sone conc••iue.
• * 1.3

  Colde and drie kepe thynges sure.
• * 1.4

  Memorie in the latter part of the hedde.