Monday, January 20, 2014

How to Improve Your Memory, 1563

Edward Topsell, The History of Four-Footed Beasts, 1607
"To make one have a good memorie. Take a Tooth or the lefte legge of a Badgre... and binde it aboute youre riggt arme nexte unto the flesh. Take also the gall of a Partrich, and rubbe your temples with it that it maie soke into the skin and fleshe, ones in a moneth, and it will make you have a good memorie." 
The Second Part of the Secretes of Maister Alexis of Piemont (1563)
This is a bit of a Faustian bargain, isn't it? Your improved memory comes at the cost of having to adorn yourself with badger parts and partridge goo. Well, at least others will definitely remember you. 

5 comments:

  1. Have a badger dog, thus the badger, and a pointing bird dog. All set for memory, good for 120!

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  2. I only have the right leg of a Badgre. Will this do instead of a left leg?

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  3. Rhyming fun. Three cheers for a wonderful blog, Earle

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  4. If you use the gall of a homing pigeon will you have a 16th century GPS in your head?

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  5. A wonderfulle, ſasyſying blogge,

    ReplyDelete

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