An entire body of philosophy according to the principles of the famous Renate Des Cartes in three books, (I) the institution ... (II) the history of nature ... (III) a dissertation of the want of sense and knowledge in brute animals ... / written originally in Latin by the learned Anthony Le Grand ; now carefully translated from the last corrections, alterations, and large additions of the author, never yet published ... by Richard Blome.

CHAP. VII. Of Memory.

I. How it comes to pass that Men differ in Memory. AS Men differ in Wit and force of Imagina∣tion, so also in Memory. For some there are who presently get a thing by heart, and as soon forget it: Others get it soon, and firmly re∣tain it: Others are slow in getting a thing into their Memory, yet when once gotten they do not easily lose it. Lastly there are who slowly learn a thing, but forget it soon.

As to the first sort, they are Men who have nervous Fibrils sufficiently thin and flexile, so that they easily receive the Impressions of the Objects, so that their memory soon gets hold of any thing; but then on the other side their Brain is too moist and diffused, so that the Vestigia of what they had gotten are quickly effac'd, and consequently they forget those things they had learn'd just before. As to those who suddenly get a thing, and also long retain it, they have a Brain most excellently well tempered, neither too moist, nor too dry, so that consequently the Fibrils are wonderfully flexile, and thereupon the Vestigia or tracts themselves, are not, as in the former-case, so soon effaced; and these Men are of all others of the happiest temper. As to those that slowly learn any thing, but long retain it, they have thicker, stiffer and less flexile Fibrils, whence they difficultly receive

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Book. 2. Part. 9. Chap. 7

G. Freman. Inv.

I. Kip. Scul.

To the most Hon∣ourable Henry Marquess of Worcester, Son and Heyre of the Right Noble Henry Duke of Beaufort &c.^a.

This Plate is humbly Dedicated by Richard Blome.

the Vestigia of the Objects, but withall they have a Brain sufficiently temperate, in so much that the Vestigia being there once imprest, they remain there a long time; so that those sort of Men can∣not easily forget a thing which their memory hath acquired. And as to those who quickly drop or let go what they have slowly acquired, It is to be imputed to this, that the Fibrils of their Nerves are thicker and less flexil, and their Brain likewise intemperate, at least either too moist or too dry; and these sort of Men are of all others, of the most unhappy temper.

II. Why In∣fants are deficient in Memory. Children and Infants are less indued with me∣mory, and sooner forget those things which they have learn'd, than those who are more advanc'd in years, or have arriv'd to their middle Age.

The Reason is, because the Memory depends upon certain Vestigia or Tracts in the Brain, af∣ter that the Species of any thing hath been im∣prest upon it. Whence if it happens that any parts of the Brain are changed by accretion or diminu∣tion, those Vestigia must needs be all of them di∣sturbed, and some of them vanish. But whereas Children are continually growing, and something of new substance always added to them, the Pleits in the Brain form'd by the transcurse of the Animal Spirits are easily perverted and lose their pristin Order; as the Pleits or Folds in Pa∣per are easily effaced if any of them be worn, or any new substance be super-induc'd: To this may be added, that the Brain of Children is too soft and moist to retain tenaciously any thing commit∣ted to it. For tho' it easily receives things, yet it retains not any distinction of them one from another, being like nothing so much as Mud tem∣pered with a great deal of Water.

III. The Memo∣ry very prompt in Young Men. The contrary happens in Young Men, who ha∣ving a Brain very well tempered, that is, neither too moist nor too dry; have also their Fibrils more subtile and flexil; and hence it is that the impressions of Objects are more easily received in their Brain, and longer conserved; and hence it is that Infants are much more capable of new ha∣bitudes than those of riper years, by reason that having the Nerves, Muscles and the Brain more tender, the Animal Spirits might the more easily form their passages: Whence it comes to pass, that Infants indeavouring and labouring to speak, get, in time, so great a facility of expressing them∣selves, that they pronounce their words with an incredible swiftness.

IV. Some easily learn the things they hear. Some Persons learn Tunes with little or no trouble, and afterwards without any study or la∣bour of the Brain, express them, so as to make true and exact Harmony.

This so happens by reason that the Animal Spirits acting within the Brain from the distinct accents of the harmony heard, are disposed into peculiar divisions, according to which, when they flow into the process of the Auditory Nerve, like Antomata, as it were spontaneously, and by a certain succession of species they easily express the Tunes of the Voice, or Instrument which they had taken in with their Ears. So Musitians, tho' in∣tent upon other affairs, yet neverthess can so guide their Fingers to find out the Musical Stops for∣merly taught them, that they touch the Instru∣ment plaid on with wonderful skill, dexterity and sweetness.

V. The Memo∣ry of a cer∣tain Learn∣ed Man, hurt by ta∣king Tobac∣co. The Smoke of Tobacco getting up into the Brain, weakens the Memory, and causeth stupidi∣ty and dulness, an excellent example whereof we have had in a Person of extraordinary Learning and Ingenuity▪ and once endowed with an excel∣lent Memory.

And this might very well happen from the Cor∣puscles of the fume suck'd in, which entring the Brain, obstructed those Vestigia which represent the Images of Things, and consequently rendred them uncapable of recalling any thing to Mind. Yet the said Fume being exhaled and drawn out, he recovered his former faculty, and called to mind many things which he had formerly known; much after the Nature of an Apoplexy, by which the Blood being effused out of its Vessels into the substance of the Brain, utterly obliterates the Idea of all things formerly known, no Vestigia of them remaining in the Brain.

VI. Old Men, tho' they easily forget what they did but a little before, yet firmly remember all the acti∣ons of their Youth. Old Men, when they arrive to their decrepit Age, are almost totally devested of their Memory, and scarcely remember any thing which they did but a little before. Yet at the same time remem∣ber the Actions of their Youth, retaining them firmly in memory.

The Reason why Memory decays in Old Men is, because of the over-dryness of the Brain. For dry things cannot be easily wrought upon, so as to be able to receive impression; or if they do admit of an entrance or impression, they soon re∣turn to their pristin state, and recover their for∣mer dispositions. But Old Men retain those things which they have received into their Memory a long time since, because the parts of the Brain are hard∣ned, and its pores in which the Spirits formerly ran up and down, have acquired a certain facility of opening themselves in the same manner at the presence of any object upon the Spirits repairing to them. Hence it is, that they highly extol the times past, because they have a remembrance of things done heretofore, but presently forget late actions and occurrences.

VII. How Arti∣ficial Me∣mory may be obtain'd. Some Persons willing to supply this natural de∣fect of the Memory, have invented a way of Ar∣tificial Memory; as thus, having hired a Chamber, they hang upon the Walls thereof several Pictures, to each of which they apply their Cogitations, and afterwards when they have sufficiently exercised themselves in uniting certain thoughts with certain figures, they make use of this their Artificial Me∣mory, as they grow older and older, thus habitu∣ating themselves to recall this or that thing again into their Memory, according as they contem∣plate this or that Picture. For they cannot look on the said Picture, but presently there is excited in them that very thought which they had for∣merly join'd with the said Picture: For those things which are once joined in the Mind, re∣main joined there for ever.

VIII. Why we cannot re∣member one thing with∣out another to which it was join'd. Hence if any thing that we knew before slip out of the memory, and we call it afterwards to mind, that thing also presently occurs which was join∣ed with it. So that if any particular Man comes into our remembrance, we also call to mind the injury we have received, if we have received any from him.

The Reason is, because when the Vestigia of, the Memory have brought the Image of any thing upon the Glandule, the Spirits in like manner

returning through the same pores, bring back also another Species to which the former was joined; whereby it comes to pass, that the Spirits flowing into the same Muscles, dispose our Body to put forth the same actions again, which it put forth upon occasion of the Object which first excited them, and this by experience we find to happen not only in Man, but also in Beasts; for if we receive with a good Cudgel, a Dog ready to fly upon us, and so put him to flight, the said Dog, if we afterwards meet him, tho' without any Weapon, will as soon avoid us, as if armed; be∣cause by the means of the blows wherewith he was formerly entertain'd, the course of the Spirits which our aspect excites, becomes joined with that course which the Spirits produc'd. So that those two ways meeting in the Brain, and being con∣fused into one, it matters not which of them opens to effect the motion of the Muscles, and excite the said actions.

IX. Our Memo∣ry is more vigorous in the Morn∣ing than in the follow∣ing part of the day. Those Things which we revolve in our Mind in the Morning, we both more easily commit to memory, and more firmly retain, than whatsoe∣ver we think on the remaining part of the day.

The Reason is, because at that time the Brain is free, and not yet hindred by any Vestigia of things; for as in Paper a multitude of Pleits, and in the Air a great number of sounds brings confusion; so in the Brain the delineation of ma∣ny things disturbs the Vestigia, and suffers them not to repose in their due places, nor to be per∣ceived according to their proper nature. For the Sense being intent upon many things, is so much the more distracted and lessened, by how much the more it is imployed in contemplating several di∣stinct things. Add hereunto, that the Brain in the Morning is less hindred with Vapours, in regard the concoction of Meats being now finish'd, the Fibres thereupon are the more expedite, both for quickning the motions of the Brain, and putting on a new affection.

X. Things seen are better remembred than things imagined. We find always by experience, that we better remember those things which we have seen by a Corporal View, than what we have apprehended by the Eyes of Imagination; forasmuch as the Nerves which are the Organs of Sense, more in∣vigorate the Brain, and impress in it deeper Ve∣stigia or tracts than the Animal Spirits do which open the Vestigia of Imagination, and consequent∣ly we must of necessity more distinctly remember things seen, than things imagined; and for this reason it is that we know better the distribution of the Veins in the Liver upon the sight of one dis∣section of that part, than by reading it often times in a Book of Anatomy.

XI. Some per∣sons after a fit of Sick∣ness, forget even the very Names of their Parents and Kin∣dred. A Fit of Sickness or Distemper sometimes takes away all Memory, and so weakens that faculty, that they who before were indowed with an ex∣cellent Memory, after the said Disease scarcely remember any thing. PLINY makes mention of one, who falling from a high place, totally forgot, during the remainder of his Life, the Names of his Parents, Friends and Kinsfolks. And MESSALA CORVINUS after a great fit of Sickness forgot not only the Names of his Relations and Domesticks, but even his own Name also. Moreover a certain Student of MAR∣SEILLES, after a wound received, so utterly lost his Memory, that he was forced to learn all over again, the first Rudiments of the Arts and Sciences.

The Reason is to be taken from the force of the Distemper or Blew given to the Head; which changes the disposition of the Brain, and perverts the pores formed by the means of the Spirits. Whence it comes to pass, that the Vesti∣gia are expunged, or the contexture of the Fibres left in such a state, as renders it less apt for the foresaid Function. For as Liquor spilt upon Pa∣per, washes out all its pleits or folds so utterly, that when the Paper is dry there are left no signs of them; so it may come to pass that the Mor∣bifick Humour may so far prevail as to take away all the Pleits of the Brain, so that no Vestigia of them may remain which the Sick Man knew before. On the contrary, it may possibly hap∣pen, that they who before had a dull and heavy Memory, may from the same causes acquire a hap∣py and lively one. As is related of Pope CLE∣MENT the Sixth, having so happy a Memo∣ry, that whatsoever he read he made absolutely his own, and never forgot it. The Cause of which Faculty PETRARCH ascribes to him from a wound given him in his Head, by which doubtless some Obstructions were dissolved, and the passages of the Brain opened, whereby a com∣modious way was made for the Spirits to pass to and fro. Another Person is mentioned by FULGOSUS, Lib. 1. Cap. 6. in the Reign of the Emperor Friderick the Sixth, who after breathing of a Vein, keeping his Memory intire in all other things, forgot to Read and Write as utterly as if he had never learnt either: But a year after, being let blood again, he recovered his knowledge of Reading and Writing, and be∣came as it were a new Man.

XII. Why very soon ripe Wits soon decay. In like manner it happens, that they who in Youth are brisk and active, when Age comes on, grow heavy and slow, and have little or no ap∣pearance of their former Wit and Ingenuity. Which proceeds either from the Blood vitiated, or from the Obstructions of the Brain, or from that Nervous Liquor, which being, according to the Modern Physitians, the Vehicle of the Animal Spirits, after too much Agitation or Evaporation grows flat. Hence oversoon ripe Wits which make such a clutter before their usual time, are not of long continuance, but in a short time decay and languish. Since such is the state of Nature, that those things which are best tempered, and to last a long time, are ripened by little and little, and as it were by degrees; so Summer Fruits soon decay, because the active principles of which they consist, quickly evaporate.