(1) I do not here speak of the figurative or fanciful exercise of the
imagination, which consists in finding out some striking object or image
to illustrate another.
(2) Mr. Wordsworth himself should not say this, and yet I am not sure he
would not.
(3) The only good thing I have ever heard come of this man's singular
faculty of memory was the following. A gentleman was mentioning his
having been sent up to London from the place where he lived to see
Garrick act. When he went back into the country he was asked what he
thought of the player and the play. 'Oh!' he said, 'he did not know: he
had only seen a little man strut about the stage and repeat 7956 words
one hand to his forehead, and seeming mightily delighted, called
out, 'Ay, indeed! And pray, was he found to be correct?' This was the
supererogation of literal matter-of-fact curiosity. Jedediah Buxton's
counting the number of words was idle enough; but here was a fellow who
wanted some one to count them over again to see if he was correct.
The force of _dulness_ could no farther go!
(4) Sir Joshua Reynolds, being asked how long it had taken him to do a
certain picture, made answer, 'All my life!.'