ceeds; and in proportion as they can be afcertained by his own fpeculations, or collected by the logician from an examination of his researches, fimilar powers of invention will be placed within the reach of other men, who apply themselves to the fame study.

The following remarks, which a truly philofophical artist has applied to painting, may be extended, with fome trifling alterations, to all the different employments of our intellectual powers.

"What we now call genius, begins, not where "rules, abstractedly taken, end; but where known, "vulgar, and trite rules have no longer any place. It "must of neceffity be, that works of genius, as well "as every other effect, as it must have its cause, "must likewife have its rules; it cannot be by "chance, that excellencies are produced with any "conftancy, or any certainty, for this is not the na. "ture of chance; but the rules by which men of

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extraordinary parts, and such as are called men of "genius, work, are either fuch as they difcover by "their own peculiar observation, or of such a nice "texture as not easily to admit handling or expreffing "in words.

"Unsubstantial, however, as these rules may seem, "and difficult as it may be to convey them in writ"ing, they are still feen and felt in the mind of the "artift; and he works from them with as much cer"tainty, as if they were embodied, as I may fay,

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upon paper. It is true, thefe refined principles "cannot be always made palpable, like the more "grofs rules of Art; yet it does not follow, but that

Y 4

"the

"the mind may be put in fuch a train, that it fhall "perceive, by a kind of scientific sense, that propriety, "which words can but very feebly suggest *."

SECTION V.

Application of the Principles flated in the foregoing Sections of this Chapter, to explain the Phenomena of Dreaming.

W

7ITH refpect to the Phenomena of Dreaming, three different queftions may be propofed. Firft; What is the ftate of the mind in fleep? or, in other words, what faculties then continue to operate, and what faculties are then fufpended? Secondly; how far do our dreams appear to be influenced by our bodily fenfations; and in what respects do they vary, according to the different conditions of the body in health, and in ficknefs? Thirdly; what is the change which fleep produces on thofe parts of the body, with which our mental operations are more immediately connected; and how does this change operate, in diverfifying, fo remarkably, the phenomena which our minds then exhibit, from thofe of which we are conscious in our waking hours? Of these three queftions, the first belongs to the Philofophy of the Human Mind; and it is to this question that the following inquiry is almoft entirely confined. The fecond is more particularly interesting to the medical inquirer, and does not properly fall under the plan of this work. The third feems to me to relate to a fubject, which is placed beyond the reach of the human faculties.

Difcourfes by Sir Joshua Reynolds.

It will be granted, that, if we could ascertain the ftate of the mind in fleep, fo as to be able to refolve the various phenomena of dreaming into a fmaller number of general principles; and still more, if we could refolve them into one general fact; we should be advanced a very important step in our inquiries upon this fubject; even although we fhould find it impoffible to fhew, in what manner this change in the state of the mind refults from the change which fleep produces in the state of the body. Such a step would at least gratify, to a certain extent, that difpofition of our nature which prompts us to afcend from particular facts to general laws; and which is the foundation of all our philofophical researches; and, in the present inftance, I am inclined to think, that it carries us as far as our imperfect faculties en able us to proceed.

In conducting this inquiry with respect to the ftate · of the mind in fleep, it seems reasonable to expect, that fome light may be obtained from an examination of the circumftances which accelerate or retard its approach; for when we are difpofed to rest, it is natural to imagine, that the state of the mind approaches to its state in fleep, more nearly, than when we feel ourselves alive and active, and capable of applying all our various faculties to their proper purposes.

In general, it may be remarked, that the approach of fleep is accelerated by every circumstance which diminifhes or fufpends the exercise of the mental powers; and is retarded by every thing which has a contrary tendency. When we wish for fleep, we naturally

endeavour

Chap. V. endeavour to withhold, as much as poffible, all the active exertions of the mind, by difengaging our attention from every interesting fubject of thought. When we are difpofed to keep awake, we naturally fix our attention on fome fubject which is calculated to afford employment to our intellectual powers, or to rouse and exercise the active principles of our

nature.

It is well known, that there is a particular class of founds which compofe us to fleep. The hum of bees; the murmur of a fountain; the reading of an uninterefting difcourfe; have this tendency in a remarkable degree. If we examine this clafs of founds, we fhall find that it confifts wholly of fuch as are fitted to withdraw the attention of the mind from its own thoughts; and are, at the fame time, not fufficiently interefting to engage its attention to themfelves.

It is also matter of common obfervation, that children and perfons of little reflexion, who are chiefly occupied about fenfible objects, and whofe mental activity is, in a great measure, fufpended, as foon as their perceptive powers are unemployed; find it extremely difficult to continue awake, when they are deprived of their ufual engagements. The fame thing has been remarked of favages, whofe time, like that of the lower animals, is almost completely divided between fleep and their bodily exertions *.

From

*The existence of the Negro flaves in America, appears to "participate more of fenfation than reflection. To this must be "afcribed, their difpofition to fleep when abstracted from their

"diverfions,

From a confideration of these facts, it seems reasonable to conclude, that in fleep thofe operations of the mind are fufpended, which depend on our volition; for if it be certain, that before we fall asleep, we muft withhold, as much as we are able, the exercife of all our different powers; it is scarcely to be imagined, that, as foon as fleep commences, these powers fhould again begin to be exerted. The more probable conclufion is, than when we are defirous to procure fleep, we bring both mind and body, as nearly as we can, into that state in which they are to continue after sleep commences. The difference, therefore, between the ftate of the mind when we are inviting fleep, and when we are actually asleep, is this; that in the fore mer cafe, although its active exertions be fufpended, we can renew them, if we please. In the other cafe, the will lofes its influence over all our powers both of mind and body; in confequence of fome phyfical alteration in the fyftem, which we shall never, probably, be able to explain.

In order to illuftrate this conclufion a little farther, it may be proper to remark, that if the fufpenfion of our voluntary operations in fleep be admitted as a fact, there are only two fuppofitions which can be formed concerning its caufe. The one is, that the power of volition is fufpended; the other, that the will lofes its influence over thofe faculties of the mind, and those members of the body, which, during our waking

"diverfions, and unemployed in their labour. An animal whofe "body is at reít, and who does not reflect, must be disposed to "fleep of course." Notes on Virginia, by Mr. JEFFERSON, p. 255.

hours,