Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, newly corrected, enlarged and amended: with such additions as are requisite, vnto euery seuerall booke: taken foorth of the most approued authors, the like heretofore not translated in English. Profitable for all estates, as well for the benefite of the mind as the bodie. 1582.

¶Of Dreaming. Cap. 27.

DReaming is a certaine disposition of sleeping men, and printeth in theyr wit by imagination, shape and lykenes of diuers things, as Gregorie sayth, and also Microbius De so••••o Scipionis: Drem••es commeth and falleth in ma∣ny manner wi••e. For because of binding and ioyning, that the soule hath with the bodye, dispositions & passions that spring of the bodye, rebounde in the soule by a manner application of the flesh. There∣fore ofte in sléeping, the soule séeth suche Images and lykenesse of things, as it assayeth sometime waking.

And vnreasonable beasts haue dreames also, as Aristotle saith libro. 3. For an hound hath dreames, as it seemeth by his barking, and an horie, as it seemeth by his neighing. And sometime suche dreames come of too greate repletion ei∣ther of too great lasting; and sometime of great imagination and thought, that is before in waking. Heereof super Ge∣ne, li. 12. Austen speaketh and saith, that as flesh that is vtterly subiect to the spi∣rite is called spirituall, so the spirit that followeth alway the flesh is called flesh∣ly and beastiall. And therefore it is no wonder, though the spirite that follow∣eth the flesh, present in himselfe carnall images. Also he saith there, in sleepe we sée images and likenesse of things and of bodyes, and not the selfe things: but yet the lykenesse of things of that we see in dreames, we cal by y^e names of y^e things, and apropriate to them the names of the things, for likenes of things. In waking we comprehend and take in wit y^e shape & images of things. But in sléeping the spirit seeth y^e images of things. Also som∣time dreames be true, & somtime false: somtime cléere & plaine, & somtime iron∣blous. Dreames y^t be true, be sometime open & plaine, & somtime wrayped in fi∣guratiue, misticall, dim & dark interpre∣tation, as it fared in Phara•••• dreames. Such impression and printing is made

in his wit, that sléepeth, by inspiration of God, and sometime by seruice of An∣gells, as it fared of Iacob, that sawe in his sléepe popler yeardes, and an Angell that sayd to him, take those yeardes, &c. Gen. 30. And somtime by scorne and de∣ceipt of euill spirites, as it fareth in fan∣tastisies and false Prophets, and them that be taken. Héereof Austen speaketh there and saith, that when a good spirite taketh and rauisheth a mans spirite into these sights, without doubt the said ima∣ges y^t be séene, be images of some things: and it is good to knowe the sayd things, for that knowing is Gods gifte. Some∣time Sathans Angell disguiseth him, as though he were an Angel of light, & ma∣keth such Images to beguile and deceiue men to his purpose, when men beléeue him in doings that be openly good. Whē such dreames come by reuelation, sober vnderstanding déemeth readyly with help of Gods grace: All dreames be not true, neyther all false. For somtime by dremes God sendeth certaine warnings and to∣kens of things that shall befall: Also di∣uers dreames come of diuers causes, sometime of complection, as he that is Sanguine hath glad & liking dreames, the melancholious dremeth of sorrow, y^t Cholarike, of firy things, & the flematike of Raine, Snow, and of Waters, and of such other watrye things. And euerye man dreameth dreames according to his complection, wit, and age, as sayth Con∣stantine. And sometime dreames come of appetite, affection, and desire, as he that is an hungred dreameth of meate, and a dronken man that is thirstie, dreameth of drinke: and of the contrary therof, lack and default of meate and drinke. The more such a one dreameth, that he eateth or drinketh, the worse hée is an hungred or a thirst: when he is waked. Sometime of great study and thought set on a thing, as a couetous man alwaye dreameth of golde, and that he counteth and telleth his money, & maketh it lesse either more: Somtime of euill disposition of y^e brain, as it fareth in them that be disposed to phrensie and to madnesse: They haue wonderfull dreames, that neuer man heard speake off before. For as vapour infecteth and varyeth the cell of fantasie, euen so the dreames doe varie and hée diuerse. Sometime of corrupt bloud: For they that haue infect and corrupt bloud, thinke that they goe in corrupt, stinking, and vncleane places. Sometime of lyke∣nesse and chaunging of ayre. For ayre disposed to lykenesse and to chaunging, chaungeth and lykeneth the bodie to his owne lykenesse. And so the smoake that is then resolued and departed, maketh newe impression and printings in the braine, and thereof commeth vnlyke and diuerse dreames. Sometime of diuerse a∣ges and chaunging of age: small children dreame not. Therefore Aristotle. lib.4. sayth, That among all beasts, namelye a man dreameth most, and children, dreme not before fiue yeares. And it followeth. In olde time some men and women had no dremes in theyr youth, and after they had dreames in their age, and died soone after, or had great sicknesse.

Notes

• Somnier•• s
• Sanguine Melan∣chuli. Color. Fleame.
• Yet laugh they in their sleep and make prettie counte∣nances of the liking of some¦thing.