Chap. VI. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 427 



obferved*, that theintclled employs itfelf upon thefe appearances in our 

 fleep, reafons, and draws conclufions concerning their* in thefar.-.e man- 

 ner as it does upon tlie appearances prefcnted to us by our fenfes whea 

 we are awake. Where, then, it will be faid, is the difference betwixt 

 our waking and fleeping- perceptions ? and how fliall we know that 

 our whole life is nothing but a dream ? And, indeed, if all the powers 

 of the mind, as well as the power of perception, and the reafoning fa- 

 culty, were employed in our dreams, I think it would be impoffible to 

 diftinguifh betwixt our waking and fleeping life. But the difference 

 betwixt the two I take to be this, that, while we fl^ep, we have no 

 exercife of memory, and, by confequence, no power of reviewing 

 our former actions, and comparing the paft with the prefent : For it is 

 well known that we converfe with perfons in our dreams, who have 

 been dead long before, as if they were flill alive, without the lead 

 memory or recolledion of their being dead. 



I know it is faid, and believe it to be true, that perfons fometimes 

 know that they are dreaming ; but this happens very ftldom ; and, 

 when it does happen, 1 am perfuaded the perfon is in a Hate inter- 

 mediate betwixt fleeping and waking, and always wakes very foon 

 after. 



Thus, it appears, that the mind, in dreaming, has not the full ex- 

 ercife of its faculties, wanting confcioufnefs and reflection, by which 

 our minds are more diftinguilhed from the brute mind than by any. 

 thing elfe ; fo that it is not to be wondered that the brutes have 

 dreams as well as we. On the other hand, In our waking flate, we 

 exercife all the powers of our mind ; we have memory, recollection, 

 confcioufnefs, and refledion ; we can review our adions and opera- 

 tions ; can compare the ftate we are then in with the flate we were 

 in when afleep, and can fliow the difference betwixt the two. 



H h h 2 In 



* Ariftotl. de Jnfomniis. 



