238 ON THE EFFECTS OF CERTAIN MENTAL "^ 



A female servant, in the town of Chelmsford, surprised the 

 family, at four o'clock one morning, by walking down a flight of 

 stairs in her sleep, and rapping at the bed-room door of her master, 

 who inquired what she wanted ? when, in her usual tone of voice, 

 she requested some cotton; saying, that she had torn her work, but 

 hoped that her mistress would forgive her; at the same time burst- 

 ing: into tears. Her fellow-servant observed her get out of bed, and 

 quickly followed her, but not before she had related the pitiful 

 story. She then returned to her room, and a light having been 

 procured, she was found searching for her cotton box, from which she 

 was offered an empty reel, but she refused it, and taking up the 

 gown she pointed to the two holes which she was anxious to mend. 

 In order to quiet her, her fellow servant threaded a needle with 

 black cotton, which she angrily rejected as of no use, her gown being 

 a light-coloured one. Another person now went to her, when per- 

 ceiving a difference in the voice she said "that is my mistress," 

 which was not the case. This girl evidently acted upon the imagi- 

 nation of her dream; and, without doubt, her senses were limited 

 in their action to it. Iler sense of vision enabled her to distinguish 

 the diff*erence of colour between the two cottons; but at the same 

 time deceived her in the person of her mistress, who was not present. 

 Her imagination was em})loyed about tearing her work, for which 

 she supposed her mistress would be angry, and hence the two lead- 

 ing ideas of her fancy were the rents in the work, and the anger of 

 her mistress. We consequently find what her senses reveal to her 

 relating only to these two circumstances Cotton is presented to her 

 which she rejects because it \v<i» not the colour suited to her wants. 

 She hears a voice, and fancies, since the anger of her mistress was 

 the predominant idea of her fancy, that it is her mistress's voice 

 though it is not so. The senses of the somnambulist are curiously 

 modified in their action, and over them, in this state, the Imagination 

 exerts some of its most extraordinaiy effects. They take cognizance 

 of nothing except the fancy wills it, and to the examples which I have 

 given of hearing and sight, may be added others which affect the 

 senses, touch, taste, and smell, in the ordinary condition ; not nearly 

 so liable to deception or deranged impression as the former. 



It is evident that the senses are not awake during sleep-walking, 



which these are modified by the imagination of the dream This lady in the 



siimnambulatorj state, heard the sound of a passing bell. " I wish I was 

 dead," she cried, listening to the bell ; and then, taking off" one of her shoes, 

 as she sat upon the bed, she exclaimed "I love the colour black, a httle 

 wider, and a little longer, and even this might make me a coffin." 



