The true Method of learning the Order and Dates of the English Sovereigns, as of the American Presidents, or of any other list of Rulers, is to deal with them only in the course of reading. When met with in History, all the facts are before the reader, and, if he fails to hold the _order of succession_ clearly in mind in any case, he can easily correlate the Names together. And if he fails to retain some of the dates, he can readily make forgetfulness impossible by correlating names to date-words--or, as the details of the reigns are known to him, he can at once find analytic date-words. The reader wishes to infallibly remember that the date of the beheading of Charles I. was 1649. The formula is "Charles I.--{T}oo {sh}a{r}{p} (1649)." If the reader's memory-training is imperfect, and he is ignorant of the facts, he had better correlate. If his memory-education is complete, and the facts are within his knowledge, he will need no aid, or he will use analytic date-words as in above case (1) {Th}en (6) {Ch}arles (4) {r}ightly (9) {b}eheaded. If he feels that he needs some advice to help him remember the order of succession of the Kings, he can refresh his recollection by turning back and reading the method already given. EXERCISE.--CASES IN EVERY-DAY LIFE. The student must exercise his judgment as to what is the _best known_ to which he will Correlate an _isolated fact_. The following anecdote is taken from the ERA ALMANACK, 1882, p. 36. The actor, whose name was Taylor, could not remember the name assigned to him in his part of the play. We shall see how Mnemonics helped him. ASSOCIATION OF IDEAS.--Macready was once victimised in _Virginius_. The Numitorius could not remember the name given him in the play. "You will remember it, sir," said the tragedian, carefully pronouncing it for him, "by the association of ideas. Think of Numbers--the Book of Numbers." The Numitorius did think of it all day, and at night produced through "the association of ideas" the following effect: _Numitorius_--"Where is Virginia? Wherefore do you hold that maiden's hand?" _Claudius_--"Who asks the question?" _Numitorius_--"I, her uncle--DEUTERONOMY!" The actor should have correlated the word "Numitorius," which he could _not_ remember, to the word "Uncle" as the BEST KNOWN that preceded it, which he could remember, or to his "cue" the word "Question" thus: UNCLE [2] Nephew [1] You [1] You _knew_--NU-mitorius. _Or_, UNCLE [2] Niece [1] Neat [1] Neat and New [1] _A new mitre o'er us_ [1] NU-mitorius. _Or_, QUESTION [1] Wants to know [1] Know [1] Knew [1] _knew my story_ [1] NU-mitorius. _Or_, QUESTION [1] Quest [1] Guessed [1] Knew [1] _Knew a mighty Tory_ [1] NU-mitorius.