Sect. XIX. 2. OF REVERIE, i 7I 



the whole fenforial power is fo employed oji thefe trains of com- 

 plete reverie, that like the violent efforts of volition, as in con- 

 vulfions or infanity ; or like the great activity of the irritative 

 motions in drunkennefs ; or of the fenfitive motions in deliri- 

 um ; they preclude all fenfation confequent to external ftimulus. 



2. Thofe perfons, who are faid to walk in their fieep, are af- 

 fected with reverie to fo great a degree, that it becomes a for- 

 midable difeafe ; the efTence of which confifts in the inaptitude 

 of the mind to attend to external flimuli. Many hiftories of 

 this difeafe have been published by medical writers 5 of which 

 therfc is a very curious one in the Laufanne Transactions. I 

 fhall here fubjoin an account of fuch a cafe, with its cure, for the 

 better illuftration of this fubject. 



A very ingenious and elegant young lady, with light eyes and 

 hair, about the age of feventeen, in other refpects well, was fud- 

 denly feized foon after her ufual menflruation with this very 

 wonderful malady. The difeafe began with vehement convul- 

 sions of aimoft every mufcle of her body, with great but vain ef- 

 forts to vomit, and the mofl violent hiccoughs, that can be 

 conceived : thefe were fucceeded in about an hour with a fixed 

 fpafm ; in which one hand was applied to her head, and the other 

 to fupport it : in about half an hour thefe ceafed, and the reverie 

 began fuddenly, and was at firft manifeft by the look of her eyes 

 and countenance, which feemed to exprefs attention. Then 

 fhe converfed aloud with imaginary perfons with her eyes open, 

 and could not for about an hour be brought to attend to the ftim- 

 ulus of external objects by any kind of violence, which it was 

 proper to ufe : thefe fymptoms returned in this order every day 

 for five or fix weeks. 



Thefe converfations were quite confident, and we could un- 

 derftand, what {he fuppofed her imaginary companions to anfwer, 

 by the continuation of her part of the difcourfe. Sometimes 

 ihe was angry, at other times (hewed much wit and vivacity, but 

 was mod frequently inclined to melancholy. In thefe reveries 

 (he fometimes fung over fome mufic with accuracy, and repeated 

 whole pages from theEnglifh poets. In repeating fome lines iVom 

 Mr. Pope's works fhe had forgot one word, and began again, en- 

 deavouring to recollect it ; when ihe came to the forgotten word, 

 it was ihouted aloud in her ear, and this repeatedly, to no p»r- 

 pofe j buT by many trials ihe at length regained it herfelf. 



Thefe paroxyfms were terminated with the appearance of ln- 

 expreifible furprife, and great fear, from which fhe was lome 

 minutes in recovering herfelf, calling on her lifter with great ag- 

 itation, and very frequently underwent a repetition of convul- 

 sions, apparently from the pain of. fear. See .Sect. XVII. 3. 7. 



After 



