Henr. Stephani Dialogus de bene instituendis Graecae linguae studiis

and concerning their manifold use, do you not want to be taught beforehand by those who profess grammar? CORNELIUS. Of course, we shall order the candidate of Greek language studies to diligently fix in his memory how many and which are the Copulative Conjunctions (for I hardly dare to say "conjunctive conjunctions"), how many and which are the Disjunctive, how many and which are either Causal or Adversative (to be silent about the rest). Indeed, I think it is the same as if someone, dwelling in the court of some prince, feeding a large multitude of men, and putting several in charge of individual offices and ministries, wanted to occupy his memory in learning the number of those who were in charge of each office or ministry, and also learning the names of them all: so that he could recite from memory how many ministers each one had, and the names of them all: and was not content that his memory should perform this, that as often as he had business with any of those ministers, he could remember both what ministry he performed and by what name he was called. PHILIP. That comparison does not displease. CORNELIUS. Nor will this one displease, as I hope. For I also say it is the same as if someone, having distributed plants into certain classes as it were, were to attempt to fix in his memory the number of all garden plants, all aquatic plants, all those in forests, all those growing on mountains (or at least of the greatest part of each), and also all the names of them all, so that he could recite them by name as often as he liked. For who would not say both that this person is burdening his memory with a superfluous weight, and on the contrary that it should be enough for him if, as often as he happened upon one of those which are especially useful in each class, he could remember both in what class it is placed and by what name it is called?

With whom those are to be compared who attempt to learn the classes of indeclinable parts and the number of those that pertain to each one.