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not inspired by heaven, or to laugh at the idea of a propheticdream as absurd or ridiculous. The dreams of Joseph ana I'ha-raoli; his chief butler and baker; of Nebuchadnezzar and theprophet Daniel, &c. are decisive on tills point. Yet it would betoo much, to allow to dreams all that importance which has beenascribed to them by the priesthood among heathen nations, or bythe vulgar among ourselves. We know how easily ignorance im-poses on itself, and what arts imposture adopts to impose uponothers. We cannot trace any certain connection between ourdreams and tiiose events, to w hich the simplicity of the vulgarpretends that tlvy refer. And we cannot, therefore, join withthe vulgar and the superstitious in believing them really referableto futurity. 9- It appears that the brutes are also capable ofdreaming. The dog is often observed to start suddenly up in hissleep, in a manner which cannot he accounted for any other way,than by supposing that he is roused by some impulse received ina dream. The same thing is observable of other brutes. Thatthey should dream, is not an idea inconsistent with what we knowof their economy and manners in general. We may, therefore,consider it as a pretty certain truth, that many, if not all, of theinferior animals are liable to dream, as well as human beings.

It appears, then, that in dreaming we are not conscious of beingasleep : that to a person dreaming, his dreams seem realities: that [!though it be uncertain whether mankind are all liable to dreams, jyet it is well known that they are not all equally liable to dream :that the nature of a person’ dreams depends in some measure onhis habits of action, and on the circumstances of his life: thatthe state of the health too, and the maimer in which the vitalfunctions are carried on, have a powerful influence in determiningthe character of a person’s dreams: that in sleep and in dream-ing, the senses are either absolutely inactive, or nearly so: thatsuch concerns as we have been very deeply interested in duringthe preceding day, are verj likely to return upon our minds indreams in the hours of rest: that dreams may he rendered pro-phetic of future events ; and therefore, wherever we have suchevidence of their having been prophetic, as we would accept onany other occasion, we cannot reasonably reject the fact as absurd;but tiiai they do not appear to have been actually such, in thosenumerous instances in which the superstition of nations, ignorantof true religion, has represented them as referring to futurity, norin those instances in which they are viewed in the same light bymany among ourselves: and, lastly, that dreaming is not a pheno-menon peculiar to human nature, but that brutes, in some in-stances, are liable to dream. We cannot tell by w hat laws of ourconstitution, we are thus liable to be so frequently engaged inimaginary transactions, nor w hat are the particular means by whichthe delusion is accomplished. The delusion is indeed remarkablystrong. One will sometimes fancy that he reads a book, andactually enter into the nature of the imaginary composition beforehim, and even remember, after he awakes, what he then knows,that he only fancied himself reading. Another will sometimesdream that lie is at church, and hears a sermon delivered, whichhe would be incapable of composing when awake. Can this bedelusion? If delusion, how or for what purpose is it produced?The mind, it would appear, does not, in sleep, become inactivelike the body ; or at least is not always inactive while we areasleep. When we do not dream, the mind must either be inac-tive, or the connection between the mind and the body must beconsidered as in some manner suspended : and when we dream,the mind, though it probably acts in concert with the body, yetdoes not act in the same maimer as when we are awake. It seemsto be clouded or bewildered, in consequence of being deprivedfor a time of the service of the senses. 1 magination becomes moreactive and more capricious: and all the other powers, especiallyjudgement and memory, become disordered and iriegular in their iopeiations. We are far from wishing to restore the reign of super-stition in the most distant degree; or to lead our readers to putfaitli in the numberless ridiculous interpretations, given by somepretenders to divination, of the ordinary run of dreams. The ab-surdity of the many traditional rules, laid down by such persons;such as, that dreaming of eggs prognosticates anger; of the wash-ing of linens forehodes Hitting ; ot green fields, sickness ; of hang-ing, honour; of death, marriage; of fi-.li, children; and of rawflesh, death, &c. Szc. can only he exceeded by the folly of thosewho put faitli in such fooleries. But notwithstanding this, innu- j

merable instances might be adduced, in which the interference ofa Divine Providence is evident. Of these we give the followingone from the “ Perthensis,” which the editors from their personalacquaintance with the parties know to be a fact. It is narrated in the“ Weekly Mirror,” printed at Edinburgh in 1781, and signedVerax. “ In June 1752, Mr. Robert Aikcnhcad, farmer in Den-strath of Aniliall, in the Mearns, about live miles N. of Brechin ,and seven from Montrose, went to a market called Tarrenty Fa r,where he had a large sum of money to receive. His eldest son,Robert, a boy between seven and eight years of age, was sent totake care of the cattle, and happening to lie down upon a grassybank before sun-set, fell fast asleep. Although the boy had neverbeen tar from home, he was immediately carried in his imagina-tion to Tarrenty market, where, he dreamed, that his father, afterreceiving the money, set out on his return home, and was followedall the way by two ill-looking fellows, who, when he had got tothe western dykes of Inglis-.VJauldy, (the seat of the then lordIlalkertoii, now earl of Kintore,) and little more than a milefrom home, attacked and attempted to rob him. Whereupon theboy thought lie ran to his assistance, and when he came within agun-shot of the place, called out some people, who were just goingto bed, who put the robbers to flight. He immediately awoke ina fright, and without waiting to consider, whether it was a visionor a reality, ran as fast as he could to the place he had dreamedof, and had no sooner reached it, than he saw his father in thevery spot and situation he had seen in his dream, defending him-self with his stick against the assassins. He therefore immediatelyrealized his own part of the visionary scene, by roaring out mur-der ! which soon brought out the people, who running up to Mr.Aikenhead’s assistance, found him victor over one of the villains,whom he had previously knocked down with a stone, after theyhad pulled him off his horse; but almost overpowered by theother, who repeatedly attempted to stab him with a sword ; againstwhich he had no other defence than his stick and his hands, whichwere considerably mangled by grasping the blade. Upon sight ofthe country people, the villain who had the sword ran off, but theother not being able was apprehended and lodged in jail. Meantime there was no small line and cry after young Robert, whosemother missing him, and finding the cattle among the corn, was inthe utmost anxiety, < oncluding’that lie haul fallen into some wateror peat moss. But her joy am! surprise w ere equally great, whenher husband returned with the boy, and told her how miraculouslyboth his money and life had been preserved by his son’s dream ;although she was at first startled at seeing her husband’s handsbloody. To those who deny the existence of a God , (adds thewriter,) or the superintendance of a divine providence, the abovenarrative will appear as fabulous as any story in Ovid. To thosewho measure the greatness and littleness of events, by the arbi-trary rules' of human pride and vanity, it will perhaps appear in-credible, that such a miracle should have been wrought for thepreservation of the life of a country-fanner. But all \vlio foundtheir opinions upon the unerring rule of right and truth, w hich as-sures ns, that a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without the per-mission of our heavenly father, (and who know, that in the sightof Him with whom there is no respect of persons or dignities, Thelife of the greatest monarch on earth, and that of the lowest of hissubjects are of equal value,) will laugh at such silly objections,when opposed to well attested facts. That the above.is one, couldbe attested upon oath, were it necessary, by Mr. and Airs. Aiken-head, from whom I had all the particulars above narrated about15 months ago.”—“ Edin. March 12, 1781.” Various theorieshave been proposed to explain what appears most inexplicable indreaming. 'The ingenious Mr. Baxter, in his treatise on the“ Immateriality of the Human Soul,” endeavours to prove t!- .tdreams are produced by the agency of some spiritual beings, whoeither amuse or employ themselves serioirily in engaging mankindin all those imaginary transactions with which they are employedin dreaming. This theory, however, is far from"being plausible.It leads us entirely beyond the limits of our knowledge. It re-quires us to believe without evidence. It is mMippcrted by anyanalogy. It creates difficulties still more inexplicable than'thosewhich it has been proposed to remove. Till it appear that ourdreams cannot possibly be produced without the interference ofother spiritual agents, possessing such influence over our minds asto ueveive us with fancied joys, and involve us in imaginary afilic-,J tie:*,