The Latin Works of Giordano Bruno

LOGIFER. — The most learned Theologian and most subtle patriarch of letters, Master Psicoteus A symbolic name, likely derived from the Greek for "Soul of God" or "Divine Mind.", declares that he has seen the Art of Tully Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman orator whose work "Ad Herennium" was the foundation of the Art of Memory., of Thomas St. Thomas Aquinas, who integrated memory techniques into ethics and theology., of Albert Albertus Magnus, a medieval scholar known for his work on the soul and memory., of Alulidis Possibly a reference to an obscure medieval commentator or a corruption of another name., and of other obscure authors, and he protests that he could draw no juice Meaning he found no practical substance or benefit. from them.

PHILOTHIMVS. — The judgment of the first tonsure. The "tonsure" was the shaved patch on a cleric's head. "First tonsure" refers to a beginner or someone with only a superficial, introductory education.

LOGIFER. — And to finally embrace everything in one word: different people feel differently, various people say various things; as many heads, so many opinions.

PHILOTHIMVS. — And so many voices. Hence crows croak, cuckoos call, wolves howl, pigs grunt, sheep bleat, oxen low, horses neigh, and donkeys bray. It is shameful, said Aristotle, to be anxious about answering every questioner; let oxen low to oxen, horses neigh to horses, and donkeys bray to donkeys; our task is to test something through conversation regarding this man's invention.

LOGIFER. — Rightly indeed. Let it please Hermes, then, to open the book, so that we may consider the author's own opinions.

HERMES. — I shall do so most willingly. Behold, I read the prologue original: "prophœmium" of the work.

I believe (he says) that it escapes no one that many arts of memory memorative arts: systems of mental techniques, like the "Method of Loci," used to store and recall vast amounts of information have been published by others, all and each of which, using the exact same rules, are caught in almost the same difficulty. For this reason, we have decided that it would be better to present the fruits of this invention, through which this illustrious business—for an art so desired—might be handled more seriously, easily, and quickly...