Chap. V. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 283 



or of vanity. Intereft he -could have none : And^ as to vanity, the 

 difcourfes, in which he gives an account of his Dreams, and of the 

 cures piefcribcd to him, are not, as I have obfcrvcd, written in the 

 Oratorial and Epidciclic Style ; nor does it appear that they ever were 

 pronounced as Orations. Neither does any author, who fpcaksof him, 

 fay that he acquired any reputation by his Dreams, but only by 

 his F.loquence and Learning, 



I cannot therefore rejed fuch evidence, except upon the credit of 

 a found and folid fyftem of philofophy, fhowing that thcTe fcifts are 

 either abfolutely impofRble, or in the highefl: degree improbable. 

 But I am acquainted with no fuch philofophy. On the contrary, 

 the philofophy I have learned favours very much the credibility of 

 the narrative : For, in the Hrft place, it affures me that the Soul 

 will exifi feparated from the Body, after its union with the Body is 

 diflblved by Death ; and then, being difincumbered of its load, it 

 will exert its native Powers, and enjoy more freely the communi- 

 cation with Superior Minds : 2 Jc, It is natural to think that, though 

 the feparation betwixt the Body and Mind be not entire, as in death, 

 but .the connexion only impaired, and, in fome degree, loolencd 

 by difeafe, the Mind may even then aO. more by itfelf, and be more 

 favoured by extraordinary communications, than at other times : 

 3//0, The Mind, in ordinary Sleep, is more difengagcd from the Bo- 

 dy, and more at its eafe, than at other times, not being then difturb- 

 ed by the Senfes, which, when we are awake, are conftantly folicit- 

 ing it, and importuning it, zs it were, by the obje<3;s which they 

 prefent to it. The connexion, therefore, betwixt the Mind and Body 

 of Ariftides being loofened in both thefe ways, it is no wonder that 

 he had Dreams and Vifions of an extraordinary kind. — And, iajilry 

 however improbable it might be that a vulgar manfliouldbefo much 

 favoured of Heaven, yet, if we fuppofe that there may be an extra- 

 ordinary injerpofitipn of Providence in favour of any man, it may 



N n 2 be 



