8 An EJsay on the

same time. And these impressions must beperceived ; for the foul is still active and per-cipient ; and its perceptivity is now no otherway solicited by any thing external. Andthe register of former impressions being sealedup from its view, these new impressions mustbe perceived without memory of what hathpasted before ; and therefore they must beperceived as caused by real external objebts ,such as usually make impressions upon thesensory. This seems the rationale of thephænomenon in general, as has been alreadyremarked {d) ; and according to this, we

find

(d) This, if impartially considered, seems to accountnaturally and fairly, for the neceflary want of memoryin our sleep; which is the circumstance sceptical menchiefly insist upon, as arguing the greatest imperfectionin the foul; tho’ I have shewn before the wife and neces-sary end attained by thus hindering the foul to act, ei-ther by itself, or in conjunction with the body, in thetime of steep and rest. Lucretius himself is far from mak-ing this an imputation on the foul. On the contrary,observing that it could never be an argument for him,he employs his whole address to make it appear con-sistent with a material foul. He fays, immediately afterthe words last cited,

Hoc idea fieri cogit natura , quod omnesCorporh affeffi fenfus per membra quiefeunt ,

Nec