Magical Ars memoriae, De nonreminiscentia magica

[a_waffling]

There might be a reason to celebrate: JKR's Website featueeres a new Wizard of the Month for February 2007, and it's a (late) renaissance one: Mnemone Radford (1562-1649).

Some observations:

• The present day muggle firm Radford Shelving might or might not have some connection to their 16th/17th century magical namesake. If they have: they seem to have gone to some distance, as Mnemone R. was the First Ministry of Magic Obliviator, whereas the present day firm deals with shelving, and thus having things whre you can (perhaps) find them again.
• According to the German Wikipedia the name "Radford" is the name of a town, and several (rather modern) persons, and some snuff. And there is some present day Irene Radford who seems to write on magical things too.
• Mnemone Radford is said to have Developed Memory Modifying Charms. Now muggles have known how to modify memories since classical antiquity - if not even earlier. In addition to the usual classical literature on this subject (for which: cf. the works by F. A. Yates and others in the bibliography of Manuela Kahle's thesis on Camillo and Quiccheberg), if you want to have some impression of the wealth of (mainly renaissance and renaissance related) literature on this subject: have a look at the information on the holdings of of the Warburg Intitute Library at URL http://catalogue.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/search/fNOH+2645/fnoh+2645/-3,-1,,E/browse and the pages following it. And: if you want to have a look at some muggle contemporary of Mmemone Radford writing on the Art of Memory: you might perhaps consult Adamus Bruxius's Leipzig 1610 Simonides redivivus, sive Ars memoriae, et oblivionis … cui accessit Nomenclator mnemonicus, eiusdem authoris..
• Yes, outside of the Potterverse the Renaissance is considered as perhaps the period with most (more or less remotely philosophical) contributions on the Art of Memory.
• It is frequently claimed that in Giordano Bruno (an other contemporary of Menemone Radford) magic and memnotechnics are combined. As I myself never found out how to determine whether a certain interpretation of a text by Bruno is better/more plausible/more correct than differing interpretations of the same text: I consider Giordano Bruno to be outside my area of competence … .
• The famous non reminiscimur in Aristotle's De anima III.5 has probably drawn more attention by renaissance commentators on Aristotle than the whole of his De memoria et reminiscentia.
• So, yes, born 1562 and died 1649: that seems to be a rather plausible setting for a witch who developed memory modifying charms and was the first Ministry of Magic obliviator - not withstanding probable muggle (very) prior art in at least parts of this field.

Comments on and additions to these observations are welcome ….