Varieties: or, A surveigh of rare and excellent matters necessary and delectable for all sorts of persons. Wherein the principall heads of diverse sciences are illustrated, rare secrets of naturall things unfoulded, &c. Digested into five bookes, whose severall chapters with their contents are to be seene in the table after the epistle dedicatory. By David Person, of Loghlands in Scotland, Gentleman.

OF SLEEPE AND DREAMES.

Section 1.

That nothing can subsist without sleepe or rest; Exempli∣fied in the death of Perseus King of Macedon: The Primary and secondary causes of sleepe: That a sound conscience is a great motive to sound sleepe; Pro∣ved in the example of Thirois and his two Sonnes.

ALL motion tendeth to,* 1.1 and endeth in rest, except that of the Heavens; Which, in a perennall rotation wheeleth ever about! Wherefore men, beasts, Fowle, Fishes, after the dayes travell doe covet, and betake themselves to rest, as it is in the Poet.

Nox erat, & placidum carpebant fessa soporem Corpora, per terras, syluae{que} & saua quierunt Aequora, cum medio volvuntur sider a lapsu, Cum tacet omnis ager, pecudes, pictae{que} volucres. —Et corda oblita laborum, &c. Captabant placidi tranquilla oblivia somni.

This sleepe is so necessary to the life of man,* 1.2 that for want of it many have dyed, as Perseus King of Macedon, who being prisoner in Rome, and for torture being kept from sleepe, there dyed.

Causes of sleep are two fold, Primary and secondary: The true, Primary, Philosophicall, and immediate cause of sleepe may be said to be this; the heart, the foun∣taine and seat of life, having much adoe to furnish every part of the body with the streames of vitall spi∣rits, hath most adoe to furnish the braines, which are the greatest wasters of them, in regard of the many and ample employments it hath for them,* 1.3 as for Pensing, Projecting, consulting, reasoning, hearing, seeing and so forth; which functions of the braine doe so exhaust the animall spirits, sent up thither per venas carotides, through the veines organs; after by circulation in that admirable Rete, or net of the braine, they are there set∣led, that of all necessity either our life in the heart be∣hooveth to cease, or it must betake it selfe to rest againe, for the recollection and drawing backe of her spent vitall spirits, to refurnish the braines with a new recrew of them.

Secondary causes of sleepe are divers;* 1.4 as excessive labour, agitation of the body, repletion, as by excesse of meates or drinkes, inanition, as by Copulation and

many more of this kinde, which doe so waste the spi∣rits, that of necessity, there behooveth a cessation to be for a time, that new spirits may be recollected for re∣freshing of it; Ausonius wittily chiding his servants lasie drowsinesse, imputes it to excesse of meate and drinke.

Dormiunt glires hiemem Perennem, At cibo parcunt; tibi causa, somni est Multa quod potes; nimia{que} tendas —Mole saginam.

Adde to these causes the tranquillity of a sound Conscience; Whereupon it was, that the two Sons of Thirois (mentioned by Quintilian) upon most reason∣able judgement; were quitted from the murther of their Father,* 1.5 who was found in that same Chamber with them alone, and they both in a sound sleepe, the mur∣therer perchance having fled away: for it was reasoned, no men, guilty of so heynous a crime, as Patricide, could sleepe so soundly, as they were found to doe, by the discoverers of their murdered Father. But leaving examples of this or the former causes whereof every where are plenty, I proceed.

Section 2.

Examples of Kings and great Commanders, that upon the thoughtfulnesse of some great exploite or encounter, have beene extraordinarily surprized with unusuall sleepe; and the resons thereof agitated.

VVE reade that great men and Commanders upon the most important poynt of their ex∣ploytes and affaires, have sometime fallen in so deepe sleepes, that their servants and followers have had much adoe to get them to awake, the like formerly being never perceaved in them. Iustinus and Quintus Curtius in the life of Alexander the great relate of him: That, in the morning of that day appoynted for that memorable battell betwixt him and Darius,* 1.6 he fell in so deepe a sleepe, and slept so long, that, on the very shock of the battell, very hardly could his favorite Parmenio, after two or three tryalls get him to awake. It is agreed upon that hotter constitutions are least subject to sleepe, and all his actions and proceedings marke him out to be such an one; so it could not be his constitution that brought that sleepinesse on him; but he being then in hazard either to loose or conquer a field, whereby both his Crowne, Countrey, and re∣putation lay at the stake (motives to keep a man awake) had so, no question, toyled his minde and body in the right preparing and ordering of all things befitting a man of his place, for the encounter; that being at a

resolution, he gave himselfe to sleepe, which his for∣mer thoughtfulnesse and paines did augment upon him; and not, as some would have it, the terror of his enemies forces: as Marcus Anthonius objected to Augustus in that Navall combat against Pompey in Si∣cilie,* 1.7 that he had not courage enough to behold the or∣der of the battell; for indeed he fell asleepe and slept so long till the Victory was his, which he knew not of till Agrippa with much adoe had awaked him.

But indeed I construe both their courages rather to have beene so great (as their former and succeeding actions may witnesse) that they disdayned that the ap∣p••••hension of such hazards or accidents as might ensue so great encounters, should any way startle them from giving way to their owne inclinations, whether to sleepe or wake, or doe or not doe this or that.

Section 3.

Alexander the great his sound sleeping, when hee should have encountred Darius in battell, heere excused. Catoes sleeping before his death, whereupon is inferred a dis∣course against selfe-Murder.

BVt laying all these excuses aside; I cannot much marvell at this sleeping of Alexander, he being so young in the flower of his age, and so more

subject to sleepe;* 1.8 besides being so puffed up with the fortunate successes of his affaires, which made him have so high a conceit of himselfe, (as to whom (sayth one) fortune gave up townes captive, and to whose pil∣low, whilest he slept, victories were brought;) as I must admire that strange sleepe of Cato; who, after Caesars▪ Conquest of the field at Pharsalia, despairing of the liberty of his enslaved Countrey, resolved to kill himselfe rather then behold the ensuing alteration which Caesars government would bring with it; He then (I say) having put all his domestick affaires in order,* 1.9 expecting newes of the departure of his Col∣leagues from the Port of Vtica, fell in so sound a sleepe, that his servants in the next roome, overheard him to snort extreamly; yet after that sleepe, which (as it should seeme) would have opened the eyes of any mans reason and understanding, so farre as not onely to abhorre his first so ill-sett resolution, but totally to extirpate a future thought of so damned an intention: he awaked so strongly confirmed in his former intent, that forthwith he stabbed himselfe:* 1.10 And sleepe is sayd to mollifie and mitigate fury or rage in any mans minde, Praeter Catonis invictum animum.

Now, though this man, (whom, his many other excellent vertues had made famous) and many other worthy men amongst the ancients, did imagine for the like deathes to be highly commended for courage; yet Saint Augustine (and with him every good Christian) reputeth it rather to be an infallible marke of Pusilla∣nimity,* 1.11 and want of firme and constant resolution, to behold and withstand dangers, and inciteth us rather

to awaite death, which is the worst that can befall us; then, to prevent the sufferance of triviall crosses by un∣naturally Boutchering our selves:* 1.12 To which pur∣pose Cicero, in presence of this same Cato, saith: That since, we are placed here by our generall the GOD Almighty, as Souldiers in a garrison; that it behooveth us not basely to forgoe our station, till it be his good pleasure to call us off: So much for sleepe, now to dreames which are the companions of sleepe.

Section 4.

Of Dreames, both Naturall, Accidentall, Divine and Diabolicall: Apollodorus dreame; Abrahams, Iosephs, Pharaohs, Nebuchadnezzars, &c.

MAny more things might have beene brought in, in the former Sections, as of those that walke or talke in their sleepe, with the reasons thereof, and illustrations to that purpose; but so many having hand∣led those theames, and I studying so much as I can brevity, and to shun tautologies, I remit the Reader to them; and will now by the way touch upon dreames: And they are either Naturall,* 1.13 Accidentall, Divine or Diabolicall.

Naturall are caused either by the Predominant mat∣ter, humor or affections in us: As the Cholericke, who

dreameth of fire, debates, skirmishes and the like; The Sanguine, of love-sports and all joviall things; The Melancholicke on death,* 1.14 dangers, solitudes, &c. where the flegmaticke dreameth of Waters, Seas, drowning and the rest.

These dreames which proceed from our Naturall or predominant affections are either of love, jealousie, feare, avarice, envy, &c. by the first we may Presage and judge of the sickenesses which may ensue upon the superaboundance of such and such humors; (because they being the effects of the redundancy of these hu∣mors, have a connexion in Nature with them, as all other effects have in their causes.) By the latter dreams we may presage, and judge of the affections, and passions of the mind, and so consequently of the vices, consisting in their extreames; So the avaricious dream∣eth of gold, the lover of his Mistris, the Iealous of his corrivall, &c. and if not ever, yet for the most part, this happeneth true or at least in part.

Accidentall dreames,* 1.15 are caused either by dyet, by feare or joy conceaved in the day time; or the pro∣pense desire to have such or such a thing to come to passe, and the like: Thus oft times a vicious soule will figure to it selfe in dreames the terrors that it feareth: As Apollodorus, who dreaming that the Scythians were fleaing off his skinne, thought that his owne heart mur∣mured this unto him: Wretched man that thou art! I am the occasion of all these thy evills which thou en∣durest.

Divine dreames are those,* 1.16 whereby it pleaseth God to give either a warning or insight of things to come▪

such the Lord sent on Abraham the fifteenth of Genesis; and on Ioseph in the first of Saint Mathew; that too of Pharaoh, Genesis forty one: Of Pharaohs Butler, and Baker, Genesis forty: of Nebuchadnezzar, &c.

Diabolicall dreames cannot fore-shew any thing un∣to any man;* 1.17 they may give a shaddow or representa∣tion of things past unto us, but not otherwise: Then seeing there is little connexion of things past and to come, therefore can there be no foresight by them; for although the Divell knoweth many things, and at some times even speaketh the truth of things to come, thereby to inveigle our credulity, when in effect he on∣ly lyeth to deceave us; yet unto them we ought to give no regard or faith. Now how Naturall or accidentall dreames can portend or foreshew future things, it is doubted: indeed Cardan setteth downe the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 how, but not the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 why, any wayes cleerely enough, to my understanding.

For the dreames that GOD sendeth upon a man, I understand to be mysticall, and portending somthing touching his service: Our spirits it cannot well bee; for when we are awake, we cannot foreshew any thing to come, at least without praemeditation, not by any Philosophicall ground whatsoever. Neither can they be moved by the divel, for he is a deceaver, and all his workes impostures: It must be then some other spirit, that infuseth these accidentall dreames whereof we will instance examples heereafter; to my mind, it must be rather some peculiar extraordinary inspira∣tion in the dreamer for the time, than Anima Mundi,

or spiritus universitatis, although many learned men ascrybe such dreames to it particularly.

An example of this kind I read in Herodian,* 1.18 where it is reported, that the Emperor Severus dreamed he saw Pertinax mounted upon his richly Caparassoned Horse, and receaved as Emperor by the Pretorian Souldiers, but that the Horse straight wayes flung Pertinax off his backe, and came stooping to Severus; who reaching the Horse by the mayne forthwith mounted him, and was by the same Souldiers recea∣ved and admitted Emperor; which indeed came so to passe.

Section 5.

The Emperor Severus his dreame of Pertinax; which he caused to be molded in Brasse; An admirable dreame of the Emperor Henry the fifth; Cicero's of Octavianus. That beasts dreame, but hard labouring men seldome; and the reason thereof, &c.

WHereon hee caused the whole drift as it happened,* 1.19 to be cast in brasse, of which at length in Sabellicus Aenead. 7. lib. 5.

To which I may subjoyne that dreame of the Em∣peror Henry the fifth, who being grievously pained with the stone, dreamt that Saint Barnabas had cut him and gave him the stone in his hand;* 1.20 which when he awaked, to his great Ioy he found to be true, if we may be beleeve Cuspinian.

Likewise that Dreame of Cicero may bee ranked a∣mongst these: He dreamt that there appeared a Boy

before him who once should be Emperor and Master over Rome;* 1.21 the next day, after his accustomed man∣ner passing through the publicke market place, and espying Octavianus Augustus a little boy playing the part of a Commander over the rest of his com∣panions, he called to minde the feature and stature of the boy who the night before had appeared to him in his sleepe, and finding that in every lineament he assi∣milated Octavianus, took him by the hand & brought him before all the people that were there assembled, presented him, and told them that one day that boy should command over them, which thereafter came to passe.

Now dreaming is not proper to men only when they sleep, but to beasts also; for War Horses accusto∣med to allarmes, and skirmishes, are observed to start as afrighted, and sometime to neigh; Spaniels, Hounds and other hunting Doggs are knowne with their voy∣ces to hunt in their sleepe.

—Iam Iam{que} teneri Credit, & extento stringit vestigia Rostro.

But sleeping men doe not at all times dreame, wea∣ryed and labour-toyled bodyes doe never finde them.

Dulce sopor fessis in gramine.

Againe,

Sopor virorum dulcis agrestium.

Because nature hath enough to doe to disburden and disgest the drowsinesse, wherewith their whole senses were clogged.

But I will adde no more of dreames, then that which Cato long agoe hath warned us of,

Somnia ne cures, nam mens humana quod optat

Et sperat vigilans, in somnis vidit id ipsum.

That this is love, beside dayly experience we have warrants out of our most famous Poets.

In somnis eadem pleros{que} videmus obire, Causidicos causas agere, & componere lites, Induperatores pugnare & praelia obire.

The reason hereof being that the object of our sen∣ses doe not only move them while they are present at a businesse, but also leaveth some certaine Idea im∣printed in the minde; which rancountring with our drowsie phantasies amidst our sleepes, produceth these confuted dreames above spoken of.

FINIS.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Sleepe, main∣teiner of all living creatures
• * 1.2

  Perseus dyed for want of sleepe.
• * 1.3

  Causes of sleep
• * 1.4

  Secondary.
• * 1.5

  Thirois mur∣ther.
• * 1.6

  Alexander the great his sleep.
• * 1.7

  Augustus his.
• * 1.8

  Alexanders great fortune.
• * 1.9

  Catoes sleepe.
• * 1.10

  His death.
• * 1.11

  A digression against selfe murder.
• * 1.12

  In his booke de Senectute.
• * 1.13

  Division of dreames.
• * 1.14

  Natural which
• * 1.15

  Accidentall.
• * 1.16

  Divine.
• * 1.17

  Diabolicall▪
• * 1.18

  Severus dream of Pertinax.
• * 1.19

  Severus cau∣seth to be cast the manner of his dreame in brasse.
• * 1.20

  Henry the 5^th. his admirable dreame.
• * 1.21

  Cicero's dream of Octavianus.