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thought, I carefully locked up in a letter cafe, which I always carry with me, when I am travelling. And here I must not omit a moft remarkable and aftonishing incident. This vellum roll I found in my letter case the next morning, and the letter to ARTEMIDORUS written on it in fair ROMAN capitals in the fame form, in which I have caused it to be printed. I fhall not be affronted, if any sceptical readers, those especially, who account for the phænomenon of dreaming mechanically, and cannot believe, that our fouls, during that interval, have any commerce with separate immaterial agents, fhould, on this occafion, queftion my veracity. We are apt to difbelieve all fuch facts, as we cannot comprehend. And there was a time when the whole CHRISTIAN world confidered that great man, who truly defcribed the figure of the earth, and demonftrated the Antipodes, as an impious liar, and a dangerous heretic. For my part, I fhall ufe no other means to prove the fact, which I

have afferted, than by giving every curious perfon an opportunity of viewing the vellum roll. For this purpose it shall be depofited immediately in the BODLEIAN LIBRARY. But, I hope, when at any time this valuable manuscript shall be shewn either to the academicians, or to strangers, that it will not be stigmatized, like the M. S. in QUEEN'S COLLEGE (which was produced by a fimilar circumstance) and called the DEVIL'S band-writing. For I esteem this epiftle, as the work of a moft benevolent spirit; and, perhaps, it may be the kind information of my own good GENIUS*.

* It will not be amifs to observe, that in our DREAMS, altho' our imagination hath convey'd us to the moft diftant part of the earth, or even into another planet, we always converse in our native tongue, or in fome other language, which is familiar to us. And we are not in the least furprized to find, that the inhabitants of those remote regions (as if they had the gift of tongues) fpeak ENGLISH as readily, as we our felves. I do not fuppofe, that the following letter had been communicated to me, if I had been altogether unacquainted with the LATIN language. COCCEIUS

Ꭲ .

COCCE I US

ARTEMIDORO SUO

A

CCEPIMUS A CERTIS QUIBUS

DAM MORTUIS. QUI AB URBE PALLADIS IN HUNC LOCUM VENERUNT. RECENTI RE. COMPLURES CIVIUM VESTRORUM ET PATRIAE CAUSAM. ET FIDEM SUAM DESERUISSE. ATQUE A VOBIS AD ONOCENTAUROS DESCIVISSF. VOSQUE DE SCELERE TAM INSIGNI. QUOD QUIDEM PORTENTI SIMILE ESSE DUCITIS. DEAM CONSULUISSE. EDITUM EST ORACULUM. QUID VELIT. STATUTUM EST. SED QUA. ET QUALI COGNATIONE HOMINES CUM ONOCENTAURIS SINT CONJUNCTI. AUT QUEMADMODUM INTER SE PRO

PINQUI. ID PERDIFFICILE INTELLECTU VOBIS VIDETUR. REM HANC INVOLUTISSIMAM. QUAM CONJECTURA ANIMI MINIME ASSEQUI POTES. ET INTER MONSTRA NUMERAS. TOTAM APERIAM. "ATQUE NOVAM HANC NATURAE SIVE FABRICAM. SIVE LUSUM. PAUCIS EXPLICABO. * QUOS TU PUTAS. HI NON SUNT VERI HOMINES. SED

ANI

*Some of the ancient poets and philofophers feem to have been inspired with the knowledge of this doctrine. HORACE tells us, that one AVI DIENUS was called a Dog, because it appeared by his appetite and his actions, that he had a CANINE SOUL.

-AVIDIENUS

Cui CANIS ex VERO ductum cognomen adhæret.

And another of the ROMAN poets addreffes himself to his fellow-citizens in this line:

O'CURVAE in terras ANIMAE! & coeleftium inanes!

T 2

plainly

ANIMANTES QUIDAM. FORMA HOMINUM INDUTI. HUMANITATIS

OM

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plainly intimating, that there were no divine particles in the compofition of their SOULS; that is, that they had not the SOULS of MEN. The CYNIC philofophers derived themselves from DoGs: and fufficiently prov ed their origin by their fnarling and beaftly manner of living. A judicious critic, or obfervant reader will fcarce allow, that more than four or five, in the long catalogue of ROMAN EMPERORS, had any HUMANITY: and, altho' they might perhaps have a juft claim to be filed LORDS of the EARTH, they had no right to the title of MEN. There is an excellent differtation in ERASMUS on the princely qualities of the EAGLE and the LION; wherein that great wit has demonftrated, that EMPERORS and KINGS are very justly represented by thofe animals, and that there must be a fimilarity in their fouls, as all their actions are fimilar and correspondent. There is a SOCIETY or CLUB of gentlemen in LONDON, who call themfelves STAGS, and another SET, who are ftiled Bucks, from a consciousness, I fuppofe, that they have the heads and the hearts of those noble beasts, whose titles they

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