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| 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.
Have a badger dog, thus the badger, and a pointing bird dog. All set for memory, good for 120!
ReplyDeleteI only have the right leg of a Badgre. Will this do instead of a left leg?
ReplyDeleteRhyming fun. Three cheers for a wonderful blog, Earle
ReplyDeleteIf you use the gall of a homing pigeon will you have a 16th century GPS in your head?
ReplyDeleteA wonderfulle, ſasyſying blogge,
ReplyDelete