professional rhapsodist, or some one
gifted with extraordinary powers of memory that would hardly be
compatible with a great understanding, nobody would think of committing
Thucydides to memory. That Demosthenes should be a perfect master both
of the narrated facts, and of the sagacious theorisings of Thucydides
in those facts, we may take for granted. And, farther, the orations
delivered by opposing speakers in the great critical debates, might very
well have been committed _verbatim_ by a young orator; many of them are
masterpieces of oratory in every point of view. But the reason for
getting them by heart does not apply to the general narrative. Even to
imbibe the best qualities of the style of Thucydides would not require
whole pages to be learnt _verbatim_; a much better way would readily
occur to any intelligent man.

In fact, there is no case where it is profitable to load the memory with
a whole book, or with large portions of a book. There are many small
portions of every leading work that might be committed with advantage.
Principal propositions ought to be retained to the letter. Passages,
here and there, remarkable for compact force, for argumentative power,
or elegant diction, might be read and re-read till they clung to the
memory; but this should be the consummation of a thorough and critical
estimate of their merits. To commit to memory without thinking of the
meaning is a senseless act; and could not be ascribed to Demosthenes.
At the stage when the young student is forming a style, he is assisted by
laying up _memoriter_ a number of passages of great authors; but it is
never necessary to go beyond select paragraphs. Detached sentences are
valuable, and strain the memory least. Entire paragraphs have a farther
value in impressing good paragraph connection; but, to string a number
of paragraphs together, or to learn whole chapters by memory, has
nothing to recommend it in the way of mental culture.

There is a memory in _extension_ that holds a long string of words and
ideas together. Its value is to get readily at anything occurring in a
certain train, as in a given book. It is the memory of easy reference.
There is also a memory of _intension_, that takes a strong grasp of
brief expressions and thoughts, and brings them out for use, on the
slightest relevancy. The two modes interfere with each other's
development; we cannot be great in both; while, for original force, the
second is worth the most: it