Class III. i. 2. u OF VOLITION. 307 



her in greater or lefs degree for about two years ; (he then re- 

 covered perfectly, and is now a cheerful old woman. 



Mrs. , a farmer's wife, going up flairs to drefs, found 



the curtains of her bed drawn, and on undrawing them, (he be- 

 lieved that (he faw the corpfe of her lifter, who was then ill at 

 the diftance of twenty miles, and became from that time infane ; 

 and as her filter died about that time, fhe could not be produc- 

 ed to counteract the infane hallucination, but fire perfectly re- 

 covered in a few months. 



Mrs. , a molt elegant, beautiful, and aceomplifhed la- 

 dy, about twenty-two years of age, had been married about two 

 months to an elegant, polifhed, and affluent young man, and it 

 was well known to be a love-match on both fides. She fudden- 

 ly became melancholy, and yet not to fo great a degree, but 

 that fhe could command herlelf to do the honours of her table 

 with grace and apparent eafe. After many days intreaty, fhe 

 at length told me, that (lie thought her marrying her huiband 

 had made him unhappy *, and that this idea (he could not efface 

 from her mind day or night. I withflood her being confined, 

 as fome had advifed, and propofed a fea- voyage to her, with ex- 

 pectation that the ficknefs as well as change of objects, might 

 remove the infane hallucination, by introducing other energetic 

 ideas ; this was not complied with, but fhe travelled about Eng- 

 land with her friends and her hufband for manv months, and 

 at length perfectly recovered, and is now I am informed in health 

 and fpirits. 



Thefe cafes are related to fhew the utility of endeavouring to 

 inveftigate the maniacal idea, or hallucination -, as it may not 

 only acquaint us with the probable defigns of the patient, from 

 whence may be deduced the neceihty of confinement 5 but alio 

 may fome time lead to the moft effectual plan of cure. 



I received good information of the truth of the following cafe, 

 which was publifhed a few years ago in the newfpapers. A 

 young farmer in Warwickfhire, finding his hedges broke, and 

 the flicks carried away during a frofty feafon, determined to 

 watch for the thief. He lay many cold hours under a hay- 

 flack, and at length an old woman, like a witch in a play, ap- 

 proached, and began to pull up the hedge ; he waited till (lie had 

 tied up her bottle of flicks, and was carrying them off, that he 

 might convict her of the theft, and then Springing from his con- 

 cealment, he feized his prey with violent threats. After fome 

 altercation, in which her load was left upon the ground, fhe 

 kneeled upon her bottle of flicks, and raifing her arms to Heaven 

 beneath the bright moon then at the full, fpoke to tl^e farmer al- 

 ready fhivering with cold, " Heaven grant, that thou never mayeft 



know 



