SPECTRES OCCASIONED BY DISEASE. 1^7 



corapofed in my mind, I had not been able fo foon entirely to Narrative and 

 forget the caufe of fuch deep and diftrefling vexation, and had remarks on 

 refle6ted on the confequences of it, in order, if poffible, to ducedT) nervous 

 avoid them; and that this happened three hours after dinner, imagination, 

 at the time when the digeftion juft begins. 



At length I became more compofed with refped to the dif- 

 agreeable incident which had given rife to the firft apparition; 

 but though I had ufed very excellent medicine?, and found my- 

 felf in other refpefls perfedly well, yet the apparitions did 

 not diminifh, but on the contrary rather encreafed in number, 

 and were transformed in the moft extraordinary manner. 



After I had recovered from the firft impreffion of terror, I 

 never felt myfelf particularly agitated by thefe apparitions, as 

 I confidered them to be what they really were, the extraordi- 

 nary confequences of indifpofition; on the contrary, I endea- 

 voured as much as poffible to preferve my compofure of mind, 

 that I might remain diflindly confcious of what paflTed within 

 me. I obferved thefe phantoms with great accuracy, and very 

 often reflefled on my previous thoughts, with a view to difcover 

 forae law in the aflbciation of ideas, by which exadily thefe or 

 other figures might prefent themfelves to the imagination. — 

 Sometimes I thought I had made a difcovery, efpecially in tlie 

 latter period of my vifions; but on the whole I could trace no 

 connexion which the various figures that thus appeared and 

 difappeared to my fight had, either with my ftate of mind, or 

 with my employment, and (he other thoughts which engaged 

 my attention. After frequent accurate obfervations on the 

 fubje6l, having fairly proved and maturely confidered it, I 

 could form no other conclufion on the caufe and confequence 

 of fuch apparitions than that, when the nervous fyftem is weak 

 and at the fame time too much excited, or rather deranged, 

 fimilar figures may appear in fuch a manner as if they were ac- 

 tually feen and heard ; for thefe vifions in my cafe were not (he 

 confequence of any known law of reafon, of the imagination, 

 or of the otherwife ufual affociation of ideas; and fuch alfo is 

 the cafe with other men, as far as we can reafon from the few 

 examples vee know. 



The origin of the individual pictures which prefent 

 themfelves to us, mufl; undoubtedly be fought for in the 

 llru6ture of that organization by which we think; but (his will 



always. 



