dant was the watery Sign of Scorpius : I was born in the plenatary Hour of Saturn, and I think I have a Piece of that leaden Planet in me. I am no way facetious, nor difposed for the Mirth and Galliardize of Company; yet in one Dream I can compose a whole Comedy, behold the Action, apprehend the Fests, and laugh myself awake at the Conceits thereof. Were my Memory as faithful as my Reason is then fruitful, I would never study but in my Dreams; and this time also would I chuse for my Devotions: but our groffer Memories have then so little hold of our abstracted Understandings, that they forget the Story, and can only relate to our awaked Souls a confused and broken Tale of that that has passed_Thus it is obferved that Men sometimes, upon the Hour of their Departure, do speak and Reason above themselves; for then the Soul beginning to be freed from the Ligaments of the Body, begins to reason like herself, and to discourse in a Strain above Mortality.

WE may likewife observe in the third Place, that the Passions affect the Mind with greater Strength when we are asleep, than when we are awake. Joy and Sorrow give us more vigorous Senfations of Pain or Pleasure at this time, than any other. Devotion likewise, as the excellent Author above-mentioned has hinted, is in a very particular manner heightned and enflamed, when it rises in the Soul at a Time that the Body is thus laid at rest. Every Man's Experience will inform him in this Matter, though it is very probable, that this may happen differently, in different Conftitutions. I shall conclude this Head with the two following Problems, which I shall leave to the Solution of my Reader. Suppofing a Man always happy in his Dreams and miferable in his waking Thoughts, and that his Life was equally divided between them, whether would he be more happy or miferable? Were a Man a King in his Dreams, and a Beggar awake, and dreamt as confequentially, and in as continued unbroken Schemes as he thinks when awake, whether he would be in Reality a King or Beggar, or rather, whether he would not be both?

THERE is another Circumstance, which methinks gives us a very high Idea of the Nature of the Soul, in regard to what passes in Dreams, I mean that innumerable Multitude and Variety of Ideas which then arife in her. Were that Active and watchful Being only confcious of her

own Existence at such a Time, what a painful Solitude would her Hours of Sleep be? Were the Soul sensible of her being alone in her fleeping Moments, after the fame manner that she is sensible of it while awake, the Time would hang very heavy on her, as it often actually does when she dreams that the is in fuch a Solitude;

Semperque relinqui

Sola fibi, femper longam incomitata videtur
Ire viam!

Virg.

But this Observation I only make by the Way. What I would here remark, is that wonderful Power in the Soul, of producing her own Company on these Occafions. She converses with numberless Beings of her own Creation, and is transported into ten thousand Scenes of her own raising. She is herself the Theatre, the Actor, and the Beholder. This puts me in mind of a Saying, which I am infinitely pleased with, and which Plutarch ascribes to Heraclitus, That all Men whilst they are awake are in one common World; but that each of them, when he is afteep, is in a World of his own. The waking Man is converfant in the World of Nature, when he fleeps he retires to a private World that is particular to himself. There seems something in this Confideration that intimates to us a natural Grandeur and Perfection in the Soul, which is rather to be admired than explained.

I must not omit that Argument for the Excellency of the Soul, which I have feen quoted out of Tertullian, namely, its Power of divining in Dreams. That several such Divinations have been made, none can question, who believes the Holy Writings, or who has but the leaft Degree of a common historical Faith; there being innumerable Instances of this Nature in several Authors, both Antient and Modern, Sacred and Prophane. Whether fuch dark Presages, such Visions of the Night proceed from any latent Power in the Soul, during this her State of Abstraction, or from any Communication with the Supreme Being, or from any Operation of fubordinate Spirits, has been a great Dispute among the Learned; the the Matter of Fact is, I think, incontestable, and has been looked upon as fuch by the greatest Writers, who have been never suspected either of Superftition or Enthufafm.

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I do not suppose, that the Soul in these Instances is entirely loose and unfettered from the Body: It is sufficient, if she is not so far sunk, and immersed in Matter, nor intangled and perplexed in her Operations, with such Motions of Blood and Spirits, as when she actuates the Machine in its waking Hours. The corporeal Union is slackned enough to give the Mind more Play. The Soul seems gathered within herself, and recovers that Spring which is broke and weakned, when she operates more in concert with the Body.

THE Speculations I have here made, if they are not Arguments, they are at least strong Intimations, not only of the Excellency of an human Soul, but of its Independance on the Body; and if they do not prove, do at least confirm these two great Points, which are established by many other Reasons that are altogether unanswerable. Ó

No. 488. Friday, September 19.

Quanti empte? parvi. Quanti ergo? octo affibus. Eheu! Hor.

I

FIND, by several Letters which I receive daily, that many of my Readers would be better pleased to pay Three Half-pence for my Paper, than Two-pence. The ingenious T. W. tells me, that I have deprived him of the best Part of his Breakfast, for that fince the Rife of my Paper, he is forced every Morning to drink his Dish of Coffee by itself, without the Addition of the Sperator, that used to be better than Lace to it. Eugenius informs me very obligingly, that he never thought he should have disliked any Passage in my Paper, but that of late there have been two Words in every one of them, which he could heartily wish left out, viz. Price Two pence. I have a Letter from a Soap-boiler, who condoles with me very affectionately upon the Necessity we both lie under of fetting an higher Price on our Commodities, since the late Tax has been laid upon them, and defiring me, when I write next on that Subject, to speak a Word or two upon the present Duties on Castile-Soap. But there is none of these my Correfpondents, who writes with a greater Turn of good Sense and Elegance of Expression, than the generous Philomedes, who advises me to value every Spectator at Six-pence, and promises that he himself will engage for above an hundred of his Acquaintance, who shall take it in at that Price.

LETTERS from the Female World are likewise come to me, in great Quantities, upon the fame Occafion; and as I naturally bear a great Deference to this Part of our Species, I am very glad to find that those who approve my Conduct in this Particular, are much more numerous than those who condemn it. A large Family of Daughters have drawn me up a very handsome Remonstrance, in which they set forth, that their Father having refused to take in the Spectator, fince the additional Price was fet upon it, they offered him unanimoufly to bate him the Article of Bread and Butter in the TeaTable Account, provided the Spectator might be served up to them every Morning as usual. Upon this the old Gentleman, being pleased, it feems, with their Defire of improving themselves, has granted them the Continuance both of the Spellator and their Bread and Butter, having given particular Orders, that the Tea-Table shall be fet forth every Morning with its customary Bill of Fare, and without any Manner of Defalcation. I thought myfelf obliged to mention this Particular, as it does Honour to this worthy Gentleman'; and if the young Lady Lætitia, who fent me this Account, will acquaint me with his Name, I will infert it at length in one of my Papers, if he defires it.

I should be very glad to find out any Expedient that might alleviate the Expence which this my Paper brings to any of my Readers; and, in order to it, must propose two Points to their Confideration. First, that if they retrench any the smallest Particular in their ordinary Expence, it will eafily make up the Half-pennya-day, which we have now under Confideration. Let a Lady facrifice but a single Ribband to her Morning Studies, and it will be sufficient: Let a Family burn but a Candle a-night less than the usual Number, and they may take in the Spectator without Detriment to their private Affairs.

In the next place, if my Readers will not go to the Price of buying my Papers by retail, let them have patience, and they may buy them in the Lump, without the Burden of a Tax upon them. My Speculations, when they are fold fingle, like Cherries upon the Stick, are Delights for the Rich and Wealthy; after fome time they come to Market in greater Quantities, and are every ordinary Man's Money. The Truth of it is, they have a certain Flavour at their first Appearance, from several accidental Circumstances of Time, Place and Person, which they may lose if they are not taken early; but in this Case every Reader is to confider, whether it is not better for him to be half a Year behind-hand with the fashionable and polite Part of the World, than to ftrain himself beyond his Circumstances. My Bookfeller has now about Ten Thousand of the third and fourth Volumes, which he is ready to publish, having already difpofed of as large an Edition both of the first and second Volume. As he is a Person whose Head is very well turned to his Business, he thinks they would be a very proper Present to be made to Perfons at Christenings, Marriages, Vifiting-Days, and the like joyful Solemnities, as feveral other Books are frequently given at Funerals. He has printed them in such a little portable Volume, that many of them may be ranged together upon a fingle Plate; and is of Opinion, that a Salver of Spectators would be as acceptable an Entertainment to the Ladies, as a Salver of Sweetmeats.

I shall conclude this Paper with an Epigram lately fent to the Writer of the Spectator, after having returned my Thanks to the ingenious Author of it.

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SIR,

AVING heard the following Epigram very much commended, I wonder that it has not yet ⚫ had a Place in any of your Papers: I think the Suf• frage of our Poet Laureat should not be overlooked, • which shews the Opinion he entertains of your Paper, • whether the Notion he proceeds upon be true or false, • I make bold to convey it to you, not knowing if it has yet come to your Hands.

On