BOOK X. xcvii. 209-xcviii. 2X2 



animals all those that close the eyes sleep. That 

 also water animals sleep at all events a little is held 

 even by those who doubt about the other kinds ; 

 they do not infer this from the eyes, as these creatui-es 

 have no eyehds, but merely by their quietness : they 

 are seen reposing as if sunk in slumber, and only 

 moving their tails, and waking up in alarm at any 

 disturbance. It is affirmed with more confidence 

 about tunny-fish, because they sleep close to banks 

 or rocks ; while flatfish sleep in shallow water, so 

 that they are often taken out by hand. Dolphins 

 and whales, in fact, are heard actually snoring. That 

 insects also sleep is shown by their silence, and by 

 their not even being roused by having lights brought 

 near them. 



XCVIII. Man when born is beset by sleep (or sieepoj 

 some months, and then day by day his waking period ^reamsoj 

 eets loiiffer. An infant beffins to dream at once, for manmdoj 



O O O CintJTlQlSm 



it wakes up in a fright, and also imitates sucking. 

 But some children never dream, and with these we 

 find instances in which their dreaming contrary to 

 their usual habit was a sign of approaching death. 

 Here an important topic invites us and one fully 

 supphed with arguments on both sides — whether 

 there are certain cases of foreknowledge present in 

 the mind during repose, and what causes them, or 

 whether it is a matter of chance like most things. 

 If the question be argued by instances, these would 

 doubtless be found to be equal on both sides. It is 

 practically agreed that dreams occurring directly 

 after drinking wine and eating food, and those that 

 come in dozing off to sleep a second time, are false ; 

 but sleep is really nothing but the retirement of the 

 mind into its innermost self. It is manifest that, 



427 



