MAURY ON SLEEP AND DREAMS. 369 



exactemenfc dans quelles dispositions je me trouvais avant de 

 m'endormir ; et je prie la personne qui est pres de moi de 

 m'eveiller a des instants plus ou moins eloignes du moment 

 ou je me suis assoupi. Reveille en sursaut, la memoire du 

 reve, auquel on m'a soudainement arrache, est encore presente 

 a mon esprit, dans la fraieheur meme de 1'impression. II 

 m'est alors facile de rapprocher les details de ce reve des cir- 

 constances ou je m'etais place pour m'endormir. Je consigne 

 sur un cahier ces observations, comme le fait un medecin 

 pour les cas qu'il observe. Et en relisant le repertoire que 

 je me suis ainsi dresse, j'ai saisi entre des reves qui s'etaient 

 produits a di verses epoques de ma vie, des coincidences, des 

 analogies dont la similitude des circonstances qui les avaient 

 provoquees m'ont bien souvent donne la clef.' 



M. Maury goes on to state the necessity of having 

 a coadjutor with him in this inquiry, not solely for the 

 purpose here mentioned of being awakened at particu- 

 lar times, but also for the due observation of what may 

 be called the utterances of sleep. Sounds made and 

 words spoken by the sleeper, must be recorded in rela- 

 tion to the dreams afterwards remembered. Even 

 simple attitudes and movements of the body, especially 

 such as express agitation, require the same record, and 

 for the same purpose. M. Maury mentions his own 

 habits as to sleep, as being singularly favourable to 

 these methods of observation ; and we are well disposed 

 to believe in the results thus obtained. Nevertheless, 

 the chances of error are so great in this land of sha- 

 dows, that we should be glad to find the research taken 

 up by others, with such variations as individual tempe- 

 rament may suggest. It is obvious that the latter point 

 is one of singular importance. The sleep and dreams 

 of one man interpret only partially and doubtfully 



B B 



