Observations, censures, and confutations of notorious errours in Mr. Hobbes his Leviathan and other his bookes to which are annexed occasionall anim-adversions on some writings of the Socinians and such hæreticks of the same opinion with him / by William Lucy ...

Sect. 3.

But in his 3. Chap. of Humane Nature, he offers at some reasons to prove his conclusion, and they are de∣livered at numb. 3. under the name of a Sign, thus: [The signes by which this appeareth to be so, are the dif∣ferences of dreams (old men commonly dream oftner, and have their dreams more painful then the young) proceeding from the different accidents of mans body] Thus he; I conceive this Instance mistaken; God be praised, I have lived to the age of an old man, and I find it other, because I think my thoughts are more composed, and by practice have made my passions less violent, and trouble my self w•••• h lesse eagerness of businesse; but he saith only, Old men commonly; and then I say, this may be a sign, but not a certain one; yea, in natural things very weak, for the course of Nature is constant, and is a sign that that proposition of his, which is uni∣versally proposed, is not universally true; That many times natural Dreams may arise from such inward causes, may be granted, because they co-operate with the busi∣nesse, or thoughts, or passions, to which that man is in∣clined; but most oft they fail, when it is otherwise. What he further disputes there to shew, that such and such Constitutions do produce alike effects in the dreams of those persons, I deny not, so it be not universally af∣firmed; for we read of some men, who never dreamed; but in the same Numb. pag. 23. he proceeds to another sign thus, [Another sign that Dreams are caused by the Actions of the inward parts, is the disorder and casual con∣sequence of one conception, or image to another.] I grant the conclusion that may be deduced hence, that is, that some Dreams may arise hence, but deny the universa∣lity;

for fancy not guided by reason, but taking things as, by chance, they offer themselves out of that book of the memory, may be as confused and disorderly, as any distur∣bance that comes from the inward parts; yea, that confu∣sion can hardly be conceived to come from the inward parts; for suppose the predominant humor be Melancholy or choler; these can suggest only such fancies, when, on a sud∣den, we may observe that Dreams alter their conditions, and, sometimes in an instant, change from one fancy to another, which that constant condition of the humor can∣not promote; his instance which he immediately gives, is not perswasive; thus: For when we are waking, the an∣tecedent thought or conception introduceth and is cause of the consequent (as the water follows a mans finger upon a dry and level Table) but in Dreams there is commonly no co∣herence. This Example seems to me most incongru∣ous to this purpose; for the understanding of man wa∣king, and his fancy, are imployed and set at work by his will, which often interrupts and crosseth the Chaine of Consequences, and imployes the Reason sometimes to seek out new reasons; other fingers to draw water to its end; sometimes commands that finger to stop in the midst of its progress; and so the finger, imployed other where, is not followed by the water; but in a Dream, if it arise from such a Physical cause, as many times it doth, a man may conceive rather why things, as they are lin∣ked together in the Memory, should follow one another, when one is moved or raised up, because there is no Su∣periour Power to controul that Consequence.

Notes

• His reasons in∣valide.
• Old mens dreams.
• Constitutional dreams:
• Phantastick dreams.
• Whence co∣herent, and incoherent, dreams.