![]() ![]() Philosophy has accumulated precept upon precept to warn us against the anticipation of future calamities. It is impossible to consider without some regret how much might have been learned, or how much might have been invented, by a rational and vigorous application of time, uselessly or painfully passed in the revocation of events which have left neither good nor evil behind them, in grief for misfortunes either repaired or irreparable, in resentment of injuries known only to ourselves, of which death has put the authors beyond our power. If useless thoughts could be expelled from the mind, all the valuable parts of our knowledge would more frequently recur, and every recurrence would reinstate them in their former place. Ideas are retained by renovation of that impression which time is always wearing away, and which new images are striving to obliterate. We suffer equal pain from the pertinacious adhesion of unwelcome images as from the evanescence of those which are pleasing and useful and it may be doubted whether we should be more benefited by the art of memory or the art of forgetfulness.įorgetfulness is necessary to remembrance. There is another art of which all have felt the want, though Themistocles only confessed it. To assist this weakness of our nature, many methods have been proposed, all of which may be justly suspected of being ineffectual for no art of memory, however its effects have been boasted or admired, has been ever adopted into general use, nor have those who possessed it appeared to excel others in readiness of recollection or multiplicity of attainments. ![]() Men complain of nothing more frequently than of deficient memory and, indeed, everyone finds that many of the ideas which he desired to retain have slipped irretrievably away that the acquisitions of the mind are sometimes equally fugitive with the gifts of fortune and that a short intermission of attention more certainly lessens knowledge than impairs an estate. ![]()
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