whichkindoffancyhathnoparticularname,asbeingathingthatdothnotcommonlyfallintomen’sdiscourse。
Theimaginationsofthemthatsleeparethosewecalldreams。Andthesealsoasallotherimaginationshavebeenbefore,eithertotallyorbyparcels,inthesense。Andbecauseinsense,thebrainandnerves,whicharethenecessaryorgansofsense,aresobenumbedinsleepasnoteasilytobemovedbytheactionofexternalobjects,therecanhappeninsleepnoimagination,andthereforenodream,butwhatproceedsfromtheagitationoftheinwardpartsofman’sbody;whichinwardparts,fortheconnexiontheyhavewiththebrainandotherorgans,whentheybedistempereddokeepthesameinmotion;wherebytheimaginationsthereformerlymade,appearasifamanwerewaking;savingthattheorgansofsensebeingnowbenumbed,soasthereisnonewobjectwhichcanmasterandobscurethemwithamorevigorousimpression,adreammustneedsbemoreclear,inthissilenceofsense,thanareourwakingthoughts。Andhenceitcomethtopassthatitisahardmatter,andbymanythoughtimpossible,todistinguishexactlybetweensenseanddreaming。Formypart,whenIconsiderthatindreamsIdonotoftennorconstantlythinkofthesamepersons,places,objects,andactionsthatIdowaking,norremembersolongatrainofcoherentthoughtsdreamingasatothertimes;andbecausewakingIoftenobservetheabsurdityofdreams,butneverdreamoftheabsurditiesofmywakingthoughts,Iamwellsatisfiedthat,beingawake,IknowIdreamnot;
thoughwhenIdream,Ithinkmyselfawake。
Andseeingdreamsarecausedbythedistemperofsomeoftheinwardpartsofthebody,diversedistempersmustneedscausedifferentdreams。Andhenceitisthatlyingcoldbreedethdreamsoffear,andraiseththethoughtandimageofsomefearfulobject,themotionfromthebraintotheinnerparts,andfromtheinnerpartstothebrainbeingreciprocal;andthatasangercausethheatinsomepartsofthebodywhenweareawake,sowhenwesleeptheoverheatingofthesamepartscausethanger,andraisethupinthebraintheimaginationofanenemy。Inthesamemanner,asnaturalkindnesswhenweareawakecausethdesire,anddesiremakesheatincertainotherpartsofthebody;soalsotoomuchheatinthoseparts,whilewesleep,raisethinthebrainanimaginationofsomekindnessshown。Insum,ourdreamsarethereverseofourwakingimaginations;themotionwhenweareawakebeginningatoneend,andwhenwedream,atanother。
Themostdifficultdiscerningofaman’sdreamfromhiswakingthoughtsis,then,whenbysomeaccidentweobservenotthatwehaveslept:whichiseasytohappentoamanfulloffearfulthoughts;
andwhoseconscienceismuchtroubled;andthatsleepethwithoutthecircumstancesofgoingtobed,orputtingoffhisclothes,asonethatnoddethinachair。Forhethattakethpains,andindustriouslylayshimselftosleep,incaseanyuncouthandexorbitantfancycomeuntohim,cannoteasilythinkitotherthanadream。WereadofMarcusBrutusonethathadhislifegivenhimbyJuliusCaesar,andwasalsohisfavorite,andnotwithstandingmurderedhim,howatPhilippi,thenightbeforehegavebattletoAugustusCaesar,hesawafearfulapparition,whichiscommonlyrelatedbyhistoriansasavision,but,consideringthecircumstances,onemayeasilyjudgetohavebeenbutashortdream。Forsittinginhistent,pensiveandtroubledwiththehorrorofhisrashact,itwasnothardforhim,slumberinginthecold,todreamofthatwhichmostaffrightedhim;
whichfear,asbydegreesitmadehimwake,soalsoitmustneedsmaketheapparitionbydegreestovanish:andhavingnoassurancethatheslept,hecouldhavenocausetothinkitadream,oranythingbutavision。Andthisisnoveryrareaccident:foreventheythatbeperfectlyawake,iftheybetimorousandsuperstitious,possessedwithfearfultales,andaloneinthedark,aresubjecttothelikefancies,andbelievetheyseespiritsanddeadmen’sghostswalkinginchurchyards;whereasitiseithertheirfancyonly,orelsetheknaveryofsuchpersonsasmakeuseofsuchsuperstitiousfeartopassdisguisedinthenighttoplacestheywouldnotbeknowntohaunt。
Fromthisignoranceofhowtodistinguishdreams,andotherstrongfancies,fromvisionandsense,didarisethegreatestpartofthereligionoftheGentilesintimepast,thatworshippedsatyrs,fauns,nymphs,andthelike;andnowadaystheopinionthatrudepeoplehaveoffairies,ghosts,andgoblins,andofthepowerofwitches。
For,asforwitches,Ithinknotthattheirwitchcraftisanyrealpower,butyetthattheyarejustlypunishedforthefalsebelieftheyhavethattheycandosuchmischief,joinedwiththeirpurposetodoitiftheycan,theirtradebeingnearertoanewreligionthantoacraftorscience。Andforfairies,andwalkingghosts,theopinionofthemhas,Ithink,beenonpurposeeithertaught,ornotconfuted,tokeepincredittheuseofexorcism,ofcrosses,ofholywater,andothersuchinventionsofghostlymen。Nevertheless,thereisnodoubtbutGodcanmakeunnaturalapparitions:butthatHedoesitsooftenasmenneedtofearsuchthingsmorethantheyfearthestay,orchange,ofthecourseofNature,whichhealsocanstay,andchange,isnopointofChristianfaith。Butevilmen,underpretextthatGodcandoanything,aresoboldastosayanythingwhenitservestheirturn,thoughtheythinkituntrue;itisthepartofawisemantobelievethemnofurtherthanrightreasonmakesthatwhichtheysayappearcredible。Ifthissuperstitiousfearofspiritsweretakenaway,andwithitprognosticsfromdreams,falseprophecies,andmanyotherthingsdependingthereon,bywhichcraftyambitiouspersonsabusethesimplepeople,menwouldbewouldbemuchmorefittedthantheyareforcivilobedience。
Andthisoughttobetheworkoftheschools,buttheyrathernourishsuchdoctrine。Fornotknowingwhatimagination,orthesensesarewhattheyreceive,theyteach:somesayingthatimaginationsriseofthemselves,andhavenocause;othersthattheyrisemostcommonlyfromthewill;andthatgoodthoughtsareblowninspiredintoamanbyGod,andevilthoughts,bytheDevil;orthatgoodthoughtsarepouredinfusedintoamanbyGod,andevilonesbytheDevil。Somesaythesensesreceivethespeciesofthings,anddeliverthemtothecommonsense;andthecommonsensedeliversthemovertothefancy,andthefancytothememory,andthememorytothejudgement,likehandingofthingsfromonetoanother,withmanywordsmakingnothingunderstood。
Theimaginationthatisraisedinmanoranyothercreatureenduedwiththefacultyofimaginingbywords,orothervoluntarysigns,isthatwegenerallycallunderstanding,andiscommontomanandbeast。Foradogbycustomwillunderstandthecallortheratingofhismaster;andsowillmanyotherbeasts。Thatunderstandingwhichispeculiartomanistheunderstandingnotonlyhiswill,buthisconceptionsandthoughts,bythesequelandcontextureofthenamesofthingsintoaffirmations,negations,andotherformsofspeech:andofthiskindofunderstandingIshallspeakhereafter。
OFTHECONSEQUENCEORTRAINOFIMAGINATIONS
BYCONSEQUENCE,ortrainofthoughts,Iunderstandthatsuccessionofonethoughttoanotherwhichiscalled,todistinguishitfromdiscourseinwords,mentaldiscourse。
Whenamanthinkethonanythingwhatsoever,hisnextthoughtafterisnotaltogethersocasualasitseemstobe。Noteverythoughttoeverythoughtsucceedsindifferently。Butaswehavenoimagination,whereofwehavenotformerlyhadsense,inwholeorinparts;sowehavenotransitionfromoneimaginationtoanother,whereofweneverhadthelikebeforeinoursenses。Thereasonwhereofisthis。Allfanciesaremotionswithinus,relicsofthosemadeinthesense;
andthosemotionsthatimmediatelysucceededoneanotherinthesensecontinuealsotogetheraftersense:insomuchastheformercomingagaintotakeplaceandbepredominant,thelatterfolloweth,bycoherenceofthemattermoved,insuchmanneraswateruponaplaintableisdrawnwhichwayanyonepartofitisguidedbythefinger。
Butbecauseinsense,tooneandthesamethingperceived,sometimesonething,sometimesanother,succeedeth,itcomestopassintimethatintheimaginingofanything,thereisnocertaintywhatweshallimaginenext;onlythisiscertain,itshallbesomethingthatsucceededthesamebefore,atonetimeoranother。
Thistrainofthoughts,ormentaldiscourse,isoftwosorts。Thefirstisunguided,withoutdesign,andinconstant;whereinthereisnopassionatethoughttogovernanddirectthosethatfollowtoitselfastheendandscopeofsomedesire,orotherpassion;inwhichcasethethoughtsaresaidtowander,andseemimpertinentonetoanother,asinadream。Sucharecommonlythethoughtsofmenthatarenotonlywithoutcompany,butalsowithoutcareofanything;thougheventhentheirthoughtsareasbusyasatothertimes,butwithoutharmony;asthesoundwhichaluteoutoftunewouldyieldtoanyman;
orintune,toonethatcouldnotplay。Andyetinthiswildrangingofthemind,amanmayoft-timesperceivethewayofit,andthedependenceofonethoughtuponanother。Forinadiscourseofourpresentcivilwar,whatcouldseemmoreimpertinentthantoask,asonedid,whatwasthevalueofaRomanpenny?Yetthecoherencetomewasmanifestenough。ForthethoughtofthewarintroducedthethoughtofthedeliveringuptheKingtohisenemies;thethoughtofthatbroughtinthethoughtofthedeliveringupofChrist;andthatagainthethoughtofthe30pence,whichwasthepriceofthattreason:andthenceeasilyfollowedthatmaliciousquestion;andallthisinamomentoftime,forthoughtisquick。
Thesecondismoreconstant,asbeingregulatedbysomedesireanddesign。Fortheimpressionmadebysuchthingsaswedesire,orfear,isstrongandpermanent,orifitceaseforatimeofquickreturn:sostrongitissometimesastohinderandbreakoursleep。
Fromdesireariseththethoughtofsomemeanswehaveseenproducethelikeofthatwhichweaimat;andfromthethoughtofthat,thethoughtofmeanstothatmean;andsocontinually,tillwecometosomebeginningwithinourownpower。Andbecausetheend,bythegreatnessoftheimpression,comesoftentomind,incaseourthoughtsbegintowandertheyarequicklyagainreducedintotheway:which,observedbyoneofthesevenwisemen,madehimgivementhisprecept,whichisnowwornout:respicefinem;thatistosay,inallyouractions,lookoftenuponwhatyouwouldhave,asthethingthatdirectsallyourthoughtsinthewaytoattainit。