138 GRATITUDE FOR HAPPY DREAMS. workings of organism in reference to apparently rational prescient acts, and of the relations of the cerebro-spinal or central axis to the instinct in animals endowed with nerves and central ganglia, is so utterly imperfect, that we can advance no further, hypothetically, than the principles we have laid down. In a vast majority of prophetic dreams, the whole of the facts are not stated; consequently it is not possible to trace the dream ideas to their sources; and even if they were it would still probably be impossible, because (as we have already shown) the mind may compare and deduce, and establish a conclusion, of which it does not become conscious until the whole series of ideas are acted in a dream. Consequently, results and events may be thus unconsciously anticipated in a waking state which appear as things done in a dream. For this reason, dreams of this kind should not be neglected." Journal of Psychological Medicine, vol. iv., October, 1851. MORE THAN OURSELVES IN SLEEP. SIR THOMAS BROWNE. "There is surely a nearer apprehension of anything that delights us in our dreams, than in our waked senses. Without this I were unhappy; for my awaked judgment discontents me, ever whispering unto me that I am from my friend, but my friendly dreams in the night requite me and make me think I am within his arms. I thank God for my happy dreams, as I do for my good rest; for there is a satisfaction in them unto reasonable desires, and such as can be content with a fit of happiness. And surely it is not a melancholy conceit to think we are all asleep in this world, and that the conceits of this life are as mere dreams to those of the next, as the phantasms of the night to the conceit of the day. There is an equal delusion in them both; and the one doth but seem to be the INTELLECTUAL ELEVATION OF THE DEPARTING. 139 We are somewhat more than emblem or picture of the other. ourselves in our sleeps; and the slumber of the body seems to It is the ligation of sense, but be but the waking of the soul. the liberty of reason; and our match the fancies of our sleeps. was the watery sign of Scorpio. hour of Saturn, and I think I have a piece of that leaden planet in me. I am no way facetious, nor disposed for the mirth and galliardise of company; yet in one dream I can compose a whole comedy, behold the action, apprehend the jests, and laugh myself awake at the conceits thereof. Were my memory as faithful as my reason is then fruitful, I would never study but in my dreams, and this time also would I choose for my devotion; but our grosser memories have then so little hold of our abstracted understandings, that they forget the story and can only relate to our awaked souls a confused and broken tale of that which hath passed. Aristotle, who hath written a singular tract of sleep, hath not, methinks, thoroughly defined it; nor yet Galen, though he seems to have corrected it; for these noctambulos and night-walkers, though in their sleep, do yet enjoy the action of their senses. We must therefore say that there is something in us that is not in the jurisdiction of Morpheus; and that those abstracted and ecstatic souls do walk about in their own corpses, as spirits with the bodies they assume, wherein they seem to hear, see, and feel; though indeed the organs are destitute of sense, and their natures of those faculties that should inform them. Thus it is observed, that men sometimes upon the hour of departure do speak and reason among themselves. For then the soul begins to be freed from the ligaments of the body, begins to reason like herself, and to discourse in a strain above mortality."-Religio Medici. CHAPTER IV. RESPONSIBILITY AND MORAL USES OF DREAMS. A SINFUL STATE OF DREAMS. SIR THOMAS BROWNE. "BESIDES innocent delusions, there is a sinful state of dreams. Death alone, not sleep, is able to put an end unto sin; and there may be a night book of our iniquities; for besides the transgressions of the day, casuists will tell us of mortal sins in dreams, arising from evil precogitations. Meanwhile human law regards not noctambulos; and if a night-walker should break his neck, or kill a man, takes no notice of it."—On Dreams. TOUCHSTONE OF MORALS. PLUTARCH. "Zeno was of opinion that every man might and ought to know whether he profited or no in the schoole of vertue, even by his very dreames; namely, if hee tooke no pleasure to see in his sleepe any filthy or dishonest thing, nor delighted to imagine that he either intended, did, or approved, any lewd, unjust, or outrageous action, but rather did behold (as in a settled calme, without winde, weather, and wave, in the cleare bottome of the water) both the imaginative and also the passive facultie of the soule wholly overspread and lightened with the bright beames of reason; which Plato before him (as it should TOUCHSTONE OF MORALS. 141 seeme) knowing well enough, hath prefigured and represented unto us, what fantasticall motions they be that proceed in sleepe from the imagination and sensual part of the soule given by nature to tyranize and overrule the guidance of reason; namely if a man dream that he seeketh to perpetrate any great or grievous iniquity, or that he hath a great minde and appetite to eate all strange, unlawfull and forbidden meats ; as if then the said tyrant gave himselfe wholy to all those sensualities and concupiscences as being let loose at such a time, which by day the law either by feare or shame doth represse and keepe downe. Like as therefore beasts which serve for draught or saddle, if they be well taught and trained, albeit their governors and rulers let the reines loose and give them the head, fling not out nor goe from the right way, but either draw or make pace forward still, and, as they were wont ordinarily, keepe the same traine and holde on in one course and order,—even so they whose sensuall part of the soule is made trainable and obedient, tame, and well schooled by the discipline of reason, will neither in dreams nor sicknesses easily suffer the lusts and concupiscences of the flesh to rage or breake out into any enormities punishable by law; but will observe and keepe still in memorie that good discipline and custome which doth ingenerate a certeine power and efficacie unto diligence, whereby they shall and will take heed unto themselves; for if the mind hath bene used by exercise to resist passions and temptations, to hold the bodie, and all the members thereof as it were with bit and bridle under subjection, in such sort that it hath in comand the eies not to shed tears for pitty; the heart likewise not to leape and pant in feare; the whole nature and disposition to be easily governable and obedient to the suggestions of vertue; how can it otherwise be but that there should be more likelihood that exercise having seized upon the sensuall parts of the soul, and tamed it should polish, lay even, reforme, and bring unto good order al the imaginations and motions thereof even as farre as the dreames and fantasies in sleepers? as is reported of Hilpo the philosopher, 142 TOUCHSTONE OF MORALS. who dreamed that he saw Neptune expostulating with him in anger, because he had not killed a beefe to sacrifice unto him as the manner was of other priests to doe, and that himself nothing astonied or dismaid at the said vision, should answer thus againe, 'What is it thou saist, O Neptune? commest thou to complaine indeed like a child (who pules and cries for not having a piece big enough) that I take not up some money at interest, and put myselfe in debt, to fill the whole citie with the sent and savor of rost and burnt, but have sacrificed unto thee such as I had at home according to my abilitie and in a meane?' Whereupon Neptune (as hee thought) should merrily smile and reach forth unto him his right hand, promising that for his sake, and for the love of him, that he would that yeere send the Megarians great store of rain, and good foison of sea loaches or fishes called Aphyra by that means comming to them by whole sculles. Such then as while they lie asleepe have no illusions arising in their braines to trouble them, but those dreames or visions only as be joious, pleasant, plaine and evident, not painfull, not terrible, nothing rough, maligne, tortuous and crooked-may boldly say that these fantasies and apparitions be no other than the reflections and raies of that light which rebound from the good proceedings in philosophie; whereas, contrariwise, the furious pricks of lust, timorous frights, unmanly and base flights, childish and excessive joies, dolorous sorrowes, and dolefull mones by reason of some piteous illusions, strange and absurd visions appearing in dreames, may be well compared unto the broken waves and billowes of the sea beating upon the rocks and craggie banks of the shore; for that the soule having not as yet that settled perfection in itselfe which should keepe it in good order, but holdeth on a course still according to good lawes onley and sage opinions, from which when it is farthest sequestered and most remote, to wit, in sleepe, it suffereth itselfe to returne againe to the old wont and to be let loose and abandoned to the passions."-Of proceeding in Vertue. Translated by Philemon Holland. |