[43]
It is
a curious fact, of which the reason is not obvious, that
the interval of a single night will greatly increase
the strength of the memory, whether this be due to
the fact that it has rested from the labour, the
fatigue of which constituted the obstacle to success,
or whether it be that the power of recollection,
which is the most important element of memory,
undergoes a process of ripening and maturing
during the time which intervenes. Whatever the
cause, things which could not be recalled on the
spot are easily co-ordinated the next day, and time
itself, which is generally accounted one of the causes
of forgetfulness, actually serves to strengthen the
memory.
Quintilian. With An English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1922.
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