can alleviate: thefe juices continuing ftill to be 
feparated in the ftomach, and every moment be- 
coming more acridymix witii the blood, and infe£l 
the circulation ; which being thus contaminated, 
becomes v/eaker and more contracted ; and the 
whole nervous frame fympathifmg, an hedic fe- 
ver, and fometimes madnefs, is produced ; in 
which terrible ftate the famiflaed creature expires. 
Thus, the Man who dies by hunger may be faid 
to be poifoned with the juices of his own body; 
and is deftroyed lefs by the want of nourifhment 
than through the vitiated ftate of what he has al- 
ready fwallowed. 
But though hunger feems to be more dreaded 
than any other malady, more die of repletion than 
inanition; and, when abilinence is voluntary, it is 
fometimes fupported an almoft incredible length 
of time. In the Records of the Tower, there is 
an account of a native of Scotland, imprifoned 
for felonv, who, for the fpace of fix weeks, re- 
frained from every kind of fuftenance; and, on 
account of this voluntary penance and ftrengthof 
conftitution, received the royal pardon. 
When the American Indians undertake long 
journies, and a ftock of provifions fufficient to 
fupport them the whole way would be too much 
for them to carry; to obviate this inconvenience, 
inftead of taking the neceffary quantity, they con- 
trive a method of palliating their hunger, namely, 
by fwallowing pills compofed of calcined fliells 
and tobacco: thefe pills diveft them of all appe- 
tite, by producing a temporary diforder in the 
fromach ; and, no doubt, the frequent repetition 
of this wretclied expedient mufh eventually prove 
fatal. 
Man is certainly lefs able to fupport hunger 
than any other animal: nor is he better qualified 
to bear a ftate of watchfulnefs. Indeed, fleep 
feems much more neceffary to him than any other 
creature ; as, when awake, he may be faid to ex- 
jhaufb a greater proportion of the nervous fluid, 
and confcquently to ftand in need of an adequate 
fupply. Odier animals, when moft awake, are 
but little removed from a ftate of flumber; their 
inert faculties, imprifoned in matter, and rather 
exerted by impulfe than deliberation, require fleep 
more as a ceffation from motion than from 
thought. But with refpeft to Man it is far other- 
wife; his ideas fatigued with their various excur- 
fions, demand a ceffation, not lefs than the body 
from toil. 
Fortunately for mankind, fleep generally ar- 
rives in time to relieve the mental powers, as v/ell 
as the bodily frame : however, Man finds it more 
difficult than any other animal to procure repofe; 
and fome are obliged to court it's approaches forfe- 
veral hours fucceffivcly before they incline to reft. 
It is often in vain that all light is excluded, all 
noife removed, and warmth and foftnefs confpire 
as it were to invite fleep ; the reftlefs and aftive 
mind ftill retains it's former vigilance ; and reafon, 
that wifties to refign the reins, is obliged, in fpite 
of herfelf, to maintain them. In this difagreeable 
ftate, the mind ranges from thought to thought, 
willing to lofe the diftindtnefs of perception by in- 
creafing the multitude of images. At laft, when 
fleep makes nearer approaches, every object of 
the imagination begins to blend with tliat which 
lies next it; a part of their diftin£i:ion fades away; 
and enfuing fleep fafliions out dreams for the re- 
mainder. 
In fleep^ the whole nervous frame is relaxed.. 
MAN 
while the heart and lungs feem more forcibly 
exerted. This fuller circulation produces alfo' 
a tcnfion of the mufcles; it may be confldered 
as a kind of exercife, continued throup-h the 
whole frame ; and by this the perfpiration becom.es- 
more copious, though the appetite for food is en- 
tirely removed. Too much fleep dulls the ap- 
prehenflon, weakens the memory, and unfits the 
body for fupporting fatigue : on the contrary, too 
little fleep em.aciates the frame, produces melan- 
choly, and waftes the conftitution. Some dep-ree 
of care is therefore requifite to regulate the quan- 
tity of fleep, and to talce juft as much as will re~ 
ftore nature without opprefllng it. 
The celebrated Philip Barrettiere, who was. 
confidered as a prodigy of learning at the early- 
age of fourteen, was known to fleep regularly 
tv»?elve hours in the twenty-four: the extrem.e ac- 
tivity of his mind, when awake, in fome meafure 
called for an adequate alternation of repofe. A 
life of ftudy, it is well known, unfits the body 
for receiving this gentle refrefliment; and the ap- 
proaches of fleep are averted by intenfe refleftion : 
when, therefore, it comes at laft, it's continuance 
fliould not be haftily interrupted. 
Sleep is indeed, to fome, a very agreeable pe- 
riod of their exiftence. Hence a queftion has 
been agitated in the fchools. Which is the moft 
happy ? the Man who is a beggar by night, and a 
king by day ; or he who is a beggar by day, and a 
king by night? It is given in favour of the nightly 
monarch by him who firft ftarted the queftion : 
for the dream (fays he) gives the full enjoyment 
of the dignity, without it's attendant inconve- 
niencies; while, on the other hand, the king, who 
fuppofes himfelf degraded, feels all the mifery of 
his fallen fortune, without trying to experience the 
comforts of his humble fituation. Thus, by day, 
botli ftates have their peculiar diftreffes: but, by 
night, the exalted beggar is perfedtly bleffed, and 
the king compleatly miferable. This, however, 
is rather fanciful than juft; the pleafure which 
dreams are capable of conveying feldom reaching 
to our waking pitch of felicity ; the mind often, 
in the midft of it's higheft vifionary fatisfaftions, 
demands of itfelf, v/hether it does not owe them to 
an illufion ? and not unfrequently awakes with the 
reply. 
But it is feldom, except in cafes of the higheft 
delight or the deepeft diftrefs, that the^mind has 
power thus to difengage itfelf from the empire of 
fancy : in the common courfe of it's operations, it 
fubmits to thofe numerous fantaftic images v/hich 
fucceed each other; and which, like many of our 
waking thoughts, are generally forgotten. 
There are ot'ners on whom dreams appear to 
have a very different effedl ; and v^^ho, without 
feeming to remem^ber their imjpreffions the fuc- 
ceeding m^orning, have yet evidenced, by their 
aftions during fleep, that they were very power- 
fully impelled by their dominion. Numberlefs 
inftances of fuch perfons occur, who, while afieep, 
have performed many of the ordinary duties to^ 
v/hich they have been accuftomed when awake; 
and, with a ridiculous induftry, have compleated 
by night v/hat they failed in accomplilbing by 
day. In the German Ephemerides, mention is 
made of a young ftudent, who being enjoined a 
fevere exercife by his tutor, went to bed defpairing 
of fuccefs. On awaking, however, the next morn- 
ing, to his great furprize, he found the {afk fairly 
executed in his own hund-writing. At the firft'. 
