in the bedroom. He then sat down and wrote a long paper, which he put carefully by in the desk, and returned to bed. The following morning he told his wife that he had a most interesting dream;—that he had dreamed of delivering a clear and luminous opinion respecting a case which had exceedingly perplexed him; and that he would give any thing to recover the train of thought which had passed before him in his dream. She then directed him to the writing-desk, where he found the opinion clearly and fully written out, and which was afterward found to be perfectly correct.

There can be no doubt that many dreams take place which are not remembered, as appears from the fact of a person talking in his sleep so as to be distinctly understood without remembering any thing of the impression that gave rise to it. It is probable, also, that the dreams which are most distinctly remembered, are those which occur during imperfect sleep, or when the sleep begins to be broken by an approach towards waking. Another very peculiar state has perhaps occurred to most people, in which there is a distressing dream, and at the same time an impression that it probably is only a dream. This appears to take place in a still more imperfect state of sleep, in which there is the immediate approach to waking, and to the exercise of the reasoning powers. But there are some very singular facts on record of this kind of reasoning being applied to dreams for the purpose of dissipating them. Dr. Beattie mentions of himself, that in a dream he once found himself standing in a very peculiar situation on the parapet of a bridge. Recollecting, he says, that he never was given to pranks of this nature, he began to fancy that it might be a dream, and determined to throw himself headlong, in the belief that this would restore his senses, which accordingly took place. In the same manner Dr. Reid cured himself of a tendency to frightful dreams, with which he had been annoyed from his early years. He endeavored to fix strongly on his mind the impression that all such dangers in dreams are but imaginary; and determined, whenever in a dream he found himself on the brink of a precipice, to throw himself

Forgotten dreams. What dreams probably most distinctly remembered? Peculiar state of mind in dreams. Dr. Beattie's case. Dr. Reid.

over, and so dissipate the vision. By persevering in this method he so removed the propensity that for forty years he was never sensible of dreaming, though he was very attentive in his observation on the subject.

Some persons are never conscious of dreaming; and a gentleman, mentioned by Locke, was not sensible of dreaming till he had a fever at the age of twenty-six or twenty

seven.

A leading peculiarity in the phenomena of dreaming, is the loss of power over the succession of our thoughts. We have seen that there are some exceptions to this, but the fact applies to by far the greater number of dreams, and some curious phenomena appear to be referable to it. Of this kind are probably some of those singular instances of imaginary difficulties occurring in dreams on subjects on which none could be felt in the waking state. It is not uncommon for a clergyman to dream that he is going to preach, and cannot find his text; or for a clergyman of the Church of England, that he cannot find the place in the prayer-book. This, I think, can only be explained by supposing that in the chain of ideas passing through the mind, the church and prayer-book had come up, but had then led off into some other train, and not into that of actually going on with the service; while, at the same time, there arose in the mind a kind of impression that, under these circumstances, it ought to have been gone on with.

The remarkable analogy between dreaming and insanity has already been referred to; and I shall only add the following illustration :-Dr. Gregory mentions a maniac who had been for some time under his care, and entirely recovered. For a week after his recovery he was harassed during his dreams by the same rapid and tumultuous thoughts, and the same violent passions by which he had been agitated during his insanity.

The slight outline which has now been given of dreaming, may serve to show that the subject is not only curious but important. It appears to be worthy of careful investi

Persons unconscious of dreams.

Power over the succession of thoughts lost in dreams. Common troubles. Analogy between dreaming and insanity? Example illus trating it.

gation, and there is much reason to believe that an extensive collection of authentic facts, carefully analyzed, would unfold principles of very great interest in reference to the philosophy of the mental powers.

II. SOMNAMBULISM.

Somnambulism appears to differ from dreaming chiefly in the degree in which the bodily functions are affected. The mind is fixed in the same manner as in dreaming upon its own impressions as possessing a real and present existence in external things; but the bodily organs are more under the control of the will, so that the individual acts under the influence of his erroneous conceptions, and holds conversation in regard to them. He is also, to a certain degree, susceptible of impressions from without through his organs of sense; not, however, so as to correct his erroneous impressions, but rather to be mixed up with them. variety of remarkable phenomena arise out of these peculiarities, which will be illustrated by a slight outline of this singular affection.

A

The

The first degree of somnambulism generally shows itself by a propensity to talk during sleep; the person giving a full and connected account of what passes before him in dreams, and often revealing his own secrets or those of his friends. Walking during sleep is the next degree, and that from which the affection derives its name. The phenomena connected with this form are familiar to every one. individual gets out of bed; dresses himself; if not prevented, goes out of doors; walks frequently over dangerous places in safety; sometimes escapes by a window, and gets to the roof of a house; after a considerable interval, returns and goes to bed; and all that has passed conveys to his mind merely the impression of a dream. A young nobleman, mentioned by Horstius, living in the citadel of Bres lau, was observed by his brother, who occupied the same room, to rise in his sleep, wrap himself in a cloak, and escape by a window to the roof of the building. He there

Difference between somnambulism and dreaming. State of the senses? First degree of somnambulism? Next degree? Instance of it?

tore in pieces a magpie's nest, wrapped the young birds in his cloak, returned to his apartment, and went to bed. In the morning he mentioned the circumstances as having occurred in a dream, and could not be persuaded that there had been any thing more than a dream, till he was shown the magpies in his cloak. Dr. Prichard mentions a man who rose in his sleep, dressed himself, saddled his horse, and rode to the place of a market which he was in the habit of attending once every week; and Martinet mentions a man who was accustomed to rise in his sleep and pursue his business as a saddler. There are many instances on record of persons composing during the state of somnambulism; as of boys rising in their sleep and finishing their tasks which they had left incomplete. A gentleman at one of the English universities had been very intent during the day in the composition of some verses which he had not been able to complete: during the following night he rose in his sleep and finished his composition; then expressed great exultation, and returned to bed.

In these common cases the affection occurs during ordinary sleep; but a condition very analogous is met with, coming on in the daytime in paroxysms, during which the person is affected in the same manner as in the state of somnambulism, particularly with an insensibility to external impressions: this presents some singular phenomena. These attacks in some cases come on without any warning; in others, they are preceded by a noise or a sense of confusion in the head. The individuals then become more or less abstracted, and are either unconscious of any external impression, or very confused in their notions of external things. They are frequently able to talk in an intelligible and consistent manner, but always in reference to the impression which is present in their own minds. They in some cases repeat long pieces of poetry, often more correct y than they can do in their waking state, and not unfrequently things which they could not repeat in their state of health, or of which they were supposed to be entirely ignorant. In other cases, they hold conversation with imaginary beings, or relate circumstances or conversations

Other examples? Case of the English scholar. Attacks in the daytime. Various effects produced.

which occurred at remote periods, and which they were supposed to have forgotten. Some have been known to sing in a style far superior to any thing they could do in their waking state; and there are some well-authenticated instances of persons in this condition expressing themselves correctly in languages with which they were imperfectly acquainted. I had lately under my care a young lady who is liable to an affection of this kind, which comes on repeatedly during the day, and continues from ten minutes to an hour at a time. Without any warning, her body becomes motionless, her eyes open, fixed, and entirely insensible; and she becomes totally unconscious of any external impression. She has been frequently seized while playing on the piano, and has continued to play over and over a part of a tune with perfect correctness, but without advancing beyond a certain point. On one occasion, she was seized after she had begun to play from the book a piece of music which was new to her. During the paroxysm, she continued the part which she had played, and repeated it five or six times with perfect correctness; but, on coming out of the attack, she could not play it without the book. During the paroxysms the individuals are, in some instances, totally insensible to any thing that is said to them; but in others they are capable of holding conversation with another person with a tolerable degree of consistency, though they are influenced to a certain degree by their mental visions, and are very confused in their notions of external things. In many cases, again, they are capable of going on with the manual occupations in which they had been engaged before the attack. This occurred remarkably in a watchmaker's apprentice mentioned by Martinet. The paroxysms in him appeared once in fourteen days, and commenced with a feeling of heat extending from the epigastrium to the head. This was followed by confusion of thought, and this by complete insensibility; his eyes were open, but fixed and vacant, and he was totally insensible to any thing that was said to him, or to any external impression. But he continued his usual employment, and was always much astonished, on his recovery, to find the change

The author's patient. Insensibility during the paroxysms. The watchmaker's ap prentice. Point illustrated by this case?