and of every sweet smelling Wood, which reached above 300 Cubits in Height; He alfo caft into the Pile Bundles of Myrrh and Sheaves of Spikenard, enriching it with every spicy Shrub, and making it fat with the Gums of his Plantations. This was the Burnt-Offering which Shalum offered in the Day of his Efpoufals: The Smoke of it afcended up to Heaven, and filled the whole Country with Incense and Perfume. No. 586. B Friday, August 27. Que in vita ufurpant homines, cogitant, curant, vident, Queque agunt vigilantes, agitantque, ea cuique in fomno accidunt. Cic. de Div. Y the laft Poft I received the following Letter, which is built upon a Thought that is new, and very well carried on; for which Reafons I fhall give it to the Publick without Alteration, Addition, or Amendment. 6 SIR, I T was a good Piece of Advice which Pythagoras gave to his Scholars, That every Night before they flept they fhould examine what they had been a doing that Day, and fo discover what Actions were worthy of Purfuit to-morrow, and what little Vices were to be prevented from flipping unawares into a Habit. If I might second the Philofopher's Advice, it fhould be mine, That in a Morning before my • Scholar rofe, he should confider what he had been ⚫ about that Night, and with the fame Strictnefs, as if the Condition he has believed himself to be in, was real. Such a Scrutiny into the Actions of his Fancy must be of confiderable Advantage, for this Reafon, because the Circumstances which a Man imagines himself in during Sleep, are generally fuch as VOL. VIII. F entirely entirely favour his Inclinations good or bad, and give him imaginary Opportunities of purfuing them to the utmoft; fo that his Temper will lie fairly open to his View, while he confiders how it is moved when free ⚫ from thofe Conftraints which the Accidents of real Life put it under. Dreams are certainly the Results of our waking Thoughts, and our daily Hopes and Fears are what give the Mind fuch nimble Relishes of Pleafure, and fuch fevere Touches of Pain, in its Midnight Rambles. A Man that murders his Enemy, or deferts his Friend in a Dream, had need to guard his Temper against Revenge and Ingratitude, and take heed that he be not tempted to do a vile Thing in the Purfuit of falfe, or the Neglect of true Honour. For my Part, I feldom receive a Benefit, but in a Night or two's Time I make most noble Returns for it; which tho' my Benefactor is not a whit the better for, yet it pleafcs me to think that it was from a Principle of Gratitude in me, that my Mind was fufceptible of fuch generous Transport while I thought my felf repaying the Kindness of my Friend: And I have often been ready to beg Pardon, instead of returning an Injury, after confidering that when the Offender was in my Power I had carried my Resentments much too far. • I think it has been obferved in the Course of your Papers, how much one's Happiness or Mifery may depend upon the Imagination: Of which Truth thofe ftrange Workings of Fancy in Sleep are no inconfiderable Inftances, fo that not only the Advantage a Man has of making Difcoveries of himself, but a Regard to his own Eafe or Difquiet may induce him to accept of my Advice. Such as are willing to comply with it, I fhall put into a way of doing it with Pleafure, by obferving only one Maxim which I fhall give them, viz, To go to Bed with a Mind entirely free from Paffion, and a Body clear of the leaft Intemperance. THEY indeed who can fink into Sleep with their Thoughts lefs calm or innocent than they fhould be, do but plunge themselves into Scenes of Guilt and Milery or they who are willing to purchase any ⚫ Midnight Midnight Difquietudes for the Satisfaction of a full Meal, or a Skin full of Wine; thefe I have nothing to fay to, as not knowing how to invite them to Reflections full of Shame and Horror: But thofe that will obferve this Rule, I promise them they fhall • awake into Health and Chearfulness, and be capable of recounting with Delight thofe glorious Moments wherein the Mind has been indulging it felf in fuch 'Luxury of Thought, fuch noble Hurry of Imagination. Suppofe a Man's going fupperlefs to Bed fhould introduce him to the Table of fome great Prince or other, where he should be entertained with the nobleft Marks of Honour and Plenty, and do fo much Bufi⚫ nefs after, that he fhall rife with as good a Stomach to his Breakfast as if he had fafted all Night long; or fuppofe he should see his dearest Friends remain all Night in great Diftreffes, which he fhould inftantly have difengaged them from, could he have been content to ' have gone to Bed without t'other Bottle: Believe me, thefe Effects of Fancy are no contemptible Confequences of commanding or indulging one's Appetite. I forbear recommending my Advice upon many ⚫ other Accounts, till I hear how you and your Readers relish what I have already faid, among whom • if there be any that may pretend it is useless to them, ⚫ because they never dream at all, there may be others, perhaps, who do little elfe all Day long. Were every one as fenfible as I am what happens to him in his Sleep, it would be no Difpute whether we paft fo • confiderable a Portion of our Time in the Conditi· on of Stocks and Stones, or whether the Soul were ⚫ not perpetually at work upon the Principle of Thought. However, 'tis an honeft Endeavour of mine to perfuade my Countrymen to reap fome Advantage from fo many unregarded Hours, and as fuch you will encourage it. I fhall conclude with giving you a Sketch or two of my Way of proceeding. IF I have any Bufinets of Confequence to do tomorrow, I am fcarce dropt afleep to-night but I am in the midst of it, and when awake I confider the F 2 whole ⚫ whole Proceffion of the Affair, and get the Advanof the next Day's Experience before the Sun has • rifen upon it. tage THERE is fcarce a great Poft but what I have fome Time or other been in ; but my Behaviour ⚫ while I was Master of a College, pleases me fo well, ⚫ that whenever there is a Province of that Nature vacant, I intend to step in as foon as I can. I have done many Things that would not pafs Ex⚫amination, when I have had the Art of Flying, or being invifible; for which Reafon I am glad I am not poffeffed of thofe extraordinary Qualities. LASTLY, Mr. SPECTATOR, I have been a great Correfpondent of yours, and have read many of my Letters in your Paper which I never wrote you. If you have a Mind I fhould really be fo, I have got a • Parcel of Vifions and other Mifcellanies in my Noctuary, which I fhall send you to enrich your Paper with on proper Occafions. Oxford, Aug. 20. I am, John Shadow. અંકમાં છે::::::::એન No. 587. Monday, August 30. TH Intus, & in Cute novi. Perf. HO' the Author of the following Vision is unknown to me, I am apt to think it may be the Work of that ingenious Gentleman, who promifed me, in the laft Paper, fome Extracts out of his Noctuary. > SIR, I Was the other Day reading the Life of Mahomet. Among many other Extravagancies, I find it. ⚫ recorded of that Impoftor, that in the fourth Year ⚫ of of his Age the Angel Gabriel caught him up, while he was among his Play-fellows, and, carrying him afide, cut open his Breaft, plucked out his Heart, and wrung out of it that black Drop of Blood, in which, fay the Turkish Divines, is contained the Fomes Pec cati, fo that he was free from Sin ever after. I immediately faid to my felf, tho' this Story be a Fiction, a very good Moral may be drawn from it, would every Man but apply it to himself, and endeavour to fqueeze out of his Heart whatever Sins or ill Qualities ⚫ he finds in it. 6 6 WHILE My Mind was wholly taken up with this Contemplation, I infenfibly fell into a moft pleafing Slumber, when methought two Porters entered my Chamber, carrying a large Cheft between them. • After having fet it down in the middle of the Room they departed. I immediately endeavour'd to open ⚫ what was fent me, when a Shape, like that in which we paint our Angels, appeared before me, and forbad me. Enclosed, faid he, are the Hearts of several of your Friends and Acquaintance; but before you can be qualified to fee and animadvert on the Failings of others, you must be pure your felf; whereupon he drew out his Incifion Knife, cut me open, took out my Heart, and began to fqueeze it. I was in a great Confufion, to fee how many Things, which I had always cherished as Virtues, iffued out of my Heart on this Occafion. In fhort, after it had been. throughly fqueezed, it looked like an empty Bladder, when the Phantome, breathing a fresh Particle of divine Air into it, reftored it fafe to its former Repofitory; and having fewed me up, we began to examine the Cheft. THE Hearts were all enclosed in tranfparent Phials, and preserved in a Liquor which looked like Spirits of Wine. The firft which I caft my Eye upon, I was afraid would have broke the Glafs which con⚫tained it. It shot up and down, with incredible Swiftnefs, thro' the Liquor in which it fwam, and very frequently bounced against the Side of the Phial. The Fomes, or Spot in the Middle of it, was not large, F 3 ⚫ but |