Oaap. V. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 245 



But it is not true that what our thoughts were laft employed a- 

 bout is always the fubjedt of our dreams; but, on the contrary, it 

 happens more frequently that we dream of things that we have 

 not thought of for a great while, or perhaps never thought of at 

 all. 



And, lajlly^ I hold it to be certain, that future events, or pad or 

 prefent things, that we could not ocherwife know, arc fometimes re- 

 vealed to us in Dreams, more frequently, I believe, in the antient 

 world, and among people nearer to the natural ftate than we are, but 

 fometimes, though rarely, to fuch men as we. And this I the more 

 readily believe, that I cannot doubt the many flories that I have 

 heard concerning what is called the Second Sights by which things 

 are reprefented to men in vifions while they are awake, which other- 

 wife they could not know. But it is to be obferved, that I fpeak 

 only of clear and dired: Dreamjng, called by Ariftotle £yfluo»£»ft« *, 

 by which the event is plainly, and without ambiguity, revealed ; 

 for, as to the art of reading Dreams, as it is called, that is, expound- 

 ing fuch of them as are fuppofed to be fymbolical and enigmatical, 

 I do not know that it has any foundation in Nature. 



Having thus eftablifhed the fads, and laid down certain propofi- 

 tions concerning Dreaming, which I hold to be inconteftible, I will 

 now endeavour to explain the philofophy of it, that is, aflign the 

 caufes of this wonderful phaenomenon, not the lefs wonderful for 

 being fo common ; and I will begin with ftating the opinions of the 

 two antient philofophers I mentioned, Ariftotle and Synefuis, and 

 alfo of Baxter, the only modern philofopher, as far as I know, who 

 has examined this fubjed. This is the method that Aiiftotle fol- 

 lows in all his philofophical inquiries ; and I think it is the bcft me- 

 thod 



• Lib, (le Divinatione per Infomnium, in fine- 



