SPECTRES OCCASIONED BY DISEASE. 17J 



ift. And eomraonly this may happen in dreams. — The Narrative and 

 manner of dreaming is different in every individual, and pro- j!^"^'"''^ °" 

 bably depends on the joint effe6ls of the powers of intelle6t, dueed by nervous 

 and thofe by which the impreflions of the fenfes are received, indifpofition. 

 fLnd thefe are modified by the flate of the fyfiern at each par- 

 ticular time, I have myfelf made fome remarkable obferva- 

 tions on the nature of my dreams, and compared them with 

 fome obfervations on that fubje(5l which have been commu- 

 nicated to me by others. 



2d. In every degree of mental derangement till abfolute 

 infanity. 



3d. In fevers of the brain, which for a fhort time, or at 

 certain intermitting periods, occafion a delirium. 



4th. By the mere power of imagination without any fever, 

 when in other refpeds the judgment is perfeftly found. In 

 this cafe it is very difficult to difcover the truth, unlefs we 

 combine an accurate habit of obfervation with the >ziofl im- 

 partial fcrutiny. 



Inflances are too frequent in which we are irapofed upon, 

 not by the imagination, but by delufion of the judgment., 

 How many are there, who prefer the marvellous and afTume 

 an air of importance, when they have an opportunity of re- 

 lating wonderful things of themfelves — How few are there 

 who endeavour to divert themfelves of prejudice, or to check 

 their imagination ; and ftill fewer are they who are accurate 

 in their obfervations, efpecially in fuch as relate to them- 

 felves ; even thofe who have fufficient firmnefs to adhere 

 flri6lly to the truth form an inconfiderable number. Hence 

 it is, that when a perfon relates any flrange incident, he 

 either detracts or magnifies, and will even fancy that he has 

 verified fome fads, which he has invented only at the mo- 

 ment that he relates them. This lafl is the cafe with a clafs 

 of men who obflinately perfift in their own opinions, and fre- 

 quently afTert more than they can fupport, merely with a 

 view to maintain what they have once advanced. All the 

 above mentioned circumflances feem to have coincided in the 

 celebrated vifions of Emanuel Swedenborg. He delighted in 

 fpeculation and myfiical theology ; he had formed a fyftera 

 for himfelf in which ghofis were neceffary, and it was his 

 primary view to efiablifh this wonderful fyflem. It is pof- 

 fible that he may have feen phantafms, the more fo as he 



iludied 



