Chap. V. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 241 



and reviews our Phantafias, and correds appearances, in the fame 

 manner as it does when we are awake. 



/^thly. There are other operations of this governing principle, 

 while we are aflcep, which we ought hkewife to diftinguifli from 

 our Dreams : What I mean is, our Reafoning upon the Phantafms 

 which our Dreams prefent to us ; for we often reaibn, and reafoa 

 very well, in our Sleep, upon the Suppofition that the ohjects ap- 

 »earing to us are real objects. But fuch Reafonings Ariflotle very 

 properly dillinguilhes from the Phantafms which give occafion to 

 them, and wluch alone are our Dreams *. 



And here we may obferve, in pafling, a very great refemblance 

 betwixt Dreaming and Madnefs ; for the Madman has Phantafms 

 that he believes to be real, as well as the Dreamer, and, as I have 

 obferved, generally reafons very well, upon the fuppofition of their 

 being realities. 



Further, we not only reafon in our Sleep, upon the fubjed of thefe 

 Phantafms, but fometimes abftradtly ; and there have been examples 

 of perfons folving difficult problems of geometry or arithmetic in 

 their Sleep, that they were not able to folve when awake. And 

 Plato fays, that, if we were to live temperately, and keep our Minds 

 free from diforderly pafTions, we fliould have Philofophic Dreams, 

 in which we might make great dilcoveries t. But fuch operations 

 being not of the Phantafia, but of the Intelled, are not what are 

 properly called Dreams. 



Vol. II. H h Lajlfy^, 



* 1 hefe reafonings Aridotle calls, ir»( t» rm »!»»« yitorou nx^ift; tttuxi, t«{« t« 

 ^Mvrcts-fticrcc' 'ut tu^iv t>uTrn»> <pxTitf De Infomniis, cap. ult. iiijine. 



t Lib. 9. Dc Republ. in initio 1 have no doubt that Plato fpoke from experi- 

 ence ; and I can fay, from my own experience, that the more a man philofophifes, . 

 and the older he grows, the more philofofhical his Dreams will become, and lefs 

 ^hantajiical. 



