Chap. V. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 237 



an unnatural ftate *. But of Night-walking I have faid enough in 

 the preceding Chapter, and fhall now proceed to treat of Dreams. 



Upon this fubjed, there is no modern author that has" written, as 

 far as I know, except Mr Baxter, in his treatife upon the Immate- 

 riality of the Soul. But there are two treatifes of Ariftotle upon the 

 fubjedt ; one of which he entitles, * Concerning Dreams,' and another 

 * Concerning Divination by Dreams.' And there is an excellent dif- 

 courfe upon Dreams by a moft learned Chriftian philofopher of the 

 fourth century, Synefius by name, who, in treating of this fo com- 

 mon phaenomenon, has taken occafion, as he informs us in his in- 

 trodudion, to enter into the moft abftrufe myftcries of philofophy. 

 And indeed it appears to me, that, nnce the days of Plato and Arif- 

 totle, there has not been a philofopher of greater depth than Syne- 

 fius. 



From the writings of thefe authors, and from what has occurred 

 to myfelf, I have endeavoured to form a kind of fyftem upon a 

 fubjedl, which appears, at firft fight, to be fo ftrangely odd and whim- 

 fical, as not to be capable of any fyftem. And I will begin with 

 colleding the fadls relating to dreaming, as it is only upon fads 

 that any good theory, concerning any part of Nature, can be 

 founded. 



One fa£l concerning dreaming is axlmitted by all, that it happens 

 while we are afleep ; and, therefore, before we go farther, it is pro- 

 per that we ftiould diftinguifti accurately and philofophically betwixt 

 fleeping and waking. And here, likewife, we are aflifted by Ari- 

 ftotle, who has written a fmall treatife, which he has entitled, ' Con- 



* cerning 



• I am credibly informed that a night-walker does not feel pain. The perfon, 

 who told me fo, faid that he himfelf made the experiment upon a female night- 

 walker, into whofe arm he ftuck a pin, and (he did not exprefs the lead fenfe of 

 pain. If fo, the night-walker mufl be in the ftate of a feparatc Spirit, which atls . 

 upon Body, but is not ailed upon by it. 



