SLEEP-WAKING. 64-3 



too early, and therefore struck a light. He tells of another who 

 passed on stilts " over a torrent asleep one night, and on awaking 

 was afraid to return before daylight, and before the water had 

 subsided."* 



The intellectual achievements of Coleridge and others during 

 ordinary dreaming are as striking as any thing of the kind to my 

 knowledge recorded of sleep-waking. 



An increase of muscular strength has sometimes, as in insanity, 

 been noticed. One Sunday, Mr. Dubrie, a musician at Bath, 

 attempted in vain to open a window that happened to be nailed 

 down in his bed-room. At night he rose in his sleep, and made 

 the attempt successfully, but threw himself out and broke his 

 leg** 



The increase of mental power, in respect of determinate 

 muscular movement, is shown in that unusual variety of chorea 

 called leaping ague, in fits of which persons wide awake invo- 

 luntarily dance admirably who had never learnt, performing 

 the most difficult steps and exhibiting exquisite grace, rapidly 

 execute all kinds of difficult movements, and run violently in the 

 most dangerous situations without mischief. l Lord Monboddo 

 describes a sleep-walking girl in Scotland, about sixteen years of 

 age, who, in her fits, which began with drowsiness ending "in sleep, 

 or what had the appearance of sleep, for her eyes were close 

 shut," would leap upon stools and tables with surprising agility, 

 and "run with great violence and much faster than she could do 

 when well, but always with a certain destination to some one 

 place in the neighbourhood, and to which place she often said, 

 when she found the fit coming upon her, that she was to go ; and 

 after she had gone to the place of her destination, if she did 

 not there awake, she came back in the same direction, though she 

 did not always keep the high road, but frequently went a nearer 

 way across the fields ; and though her road, for this reason, was 

 often very rough, she never fell, notwithstanding the violence 

 with which she ran. But all the while she ran, her eyes were 

 quite shut, as her brother attests, who often ran with her to take 

 care of her, and who, though he was much stronger, older, and 

 cleverer than she, was hardly able to keep up with her* When 



r Dr. Pritchard, 1. c. p. 434. sq. s Dr. Macnish, 171. 



1 See, for instance, Med. C/iir. Trans, vol. v. and vii. 



U U 3 



