230 T HEO Rr of the 



and niufl feverely feel the want of it, whatever refolution or 

 circumlocution he might contrive inftead of it. It is evident, 

 that, in many cafes in real life, a flow and tedious expreflion 

 of the thought denoted by the indicative mood, fuppofing 

 tliat it could be made fufficiently intelligible, would not only 

 be difagreeable, but might fcarce ferve the purpofe required ; 

 it might come too late. In 'certain circumftances, a perfon's 

 life and fortune may depend on his quicknefs in exprefling 

 what he means to communicate. Even where nothing of that 

 kind is at flake, the difference between a quick and a flow te- 

 dious exprefTion of thought, is very flriking and important. 

 Language is at befl, and after all its improvements, not only 

 lefs perfedl and accurate, but incomparably flower, than 

 thovight ; the quicknefs of which is proverbial, and with 

 great reafon. I believe it is even in many cafes much quicker 

 than we are commonly aware of. We all know, that we can, 

 in a very few feconds, recolledl a vafl number of things in 

 fuccefllon ■; fuch as the various circumftances of a ftory, in 

 which perhaps inany different perfons were concerned, and 

 many different events occurred, or the various fcenes through 

 which we paffed in the courfe of a long journey. But to tell 

 fuch a ftory intelligibly, or to defcribe particularly fuch fcenes, 

 even with the help of the moft perfedl language, might be the 

 work of hours. In a certain ftate of imperfe(5l fleep, in which 

 dreams mofl commonly occur, or at leafl are moft diftindl and 

 beft remembered, the train of thought appears to be incompa- 

 rably quicker than we can ever make it, while awake, by any vo- 

 luntary exertion. There is reafon to think, that fometimes a 

 fudden noife, which, to a carelefs obferver, might feem to 

 waken a perfon inftantaneoufly and perfectly, may yet give 

 occafion to a long dream, in an almoft imperceptible interval of 

 time. I call the dream long, though it may pafs in a fingle fe- 

 cond or lefs, when it confifts of a great or nun^erous feries of 

 ^imaginary events, the narration of which would be long in 



point 



