List Of Contents | Contents of Miscellanies upon Various Subjects
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navigasset, cum naufragio esse perituram: itaque Simonidem rediisse
periisse caeeteros, qui tum navigassent."

---The dream of Simonides. This person, when he saw a certain body
thrown dead upon the shore, though a stranger, caused him to be
buried. Much about that time he had it in his head to go on ship-
board, but dreamt that he had warning given him by the man he had got
to be interred, not to go; that if he went, the ship would
infallibly be cast away. Upon this Simonides returned, and every soul of
them besides that went on board was lost.

Cicero "de Divinatione", lib. 2. "Somnium, Alexandri. Qui, cum
Ptolomaeus familiaris ejus, in proelio, telo venenato ictus esset, eoque
vulnere summo cum dolore moreretur, Alexander assidens somno est
consopitus; tum secundum quietem visus ei dicitur draco is, quem
mater Olympias alebat, radiculam ore ferre & simul dicere quo illa
loci nasceretur neque is longe aberat ab eo loco: ejus autem esse vim
tantam, ut Ptolomaeum facile sanaret. Cum Alexander experrectus
narrasset amicis somnium, emisisse qui illam radiculam quaererent. Qua,
inventa, & Ptolomaeus sanatus dicitur, & multi milites, qui erant eodem
genere teli vulnerati."

(i. e.) The dream of Alexander, when his friend Ptolemy was wounded
in battle, by an envenomed dart, and died of the wound, in all the
extremities of pain and anguish; Alexander sitting by him, and
wearied out and quite fatigued, fell into a profound sleep. In this
sleep, that dragon is reported to have appeared to him, which was bred
up by his mother Olympias, carrying a little root in his mouth and to
have told him in what spot of ground it grew, (nor was it far from
that very place) and told him withal it seems, that such was the
force, efficacy, and virtue of it, that it would work an easy cure
upon Ptolomy. When Alexander waked, he told his friends the dream, and
sent some out in quest of this little root. The root (as story says)
was found, and Ptolemy was healed, so were many soldiers likewise,
that had been wounded with the same kind of darts.

Cardanus "Somniorum Synesiorum", lib. 4, chap. 2. "Narrat Plinius 35
lib. Nat. Hist, vir ab omnia superstitione alienissimus, Historiam
hujusmodi. 'Nuper cujusdam militantis in Praetorio mater vidit in
quiete, ut radicem sylvestris Rosae (quam Cynorrhodon vocant) blanditam
sibi aspectu pridie in Fruteto, mitteret filio bibendam: In Lusitania
res gerebatur, Hispaniae, proxima parte: casuque accidit, ut milite a
morsu Canis incipiente aquas expavescere superveniret epistola orantis
ut paretet religioni; servatusque est ex insperato, & postea
quisquis auxilium simile tentavit.' "

i. e. In his natural history, Pliny, a man the most averse to
superstition, relates to us the following passage. Lately, the mother
of one of the guards, who attended upon the General, was admonished by
a vision in her sleep, to send her son a draught composed of the
decoction of the root of a wild rose, (which they call Cynorrhodon)
with the agreeable look whereof she had been mightily taken the day
before, as she was passing through a coppice. The seat of the war at
that time lay in Portugal, in that part of it next adjoining to Spain,
that a soldier, beginning to apprehend mighty dangerous consequences
from the bite of a dog, the letter came unexpectedly from her,
entreating him to pay a blind obedience to this superstition. He did
so, and was preserved beyond all expectation; and everybody
afterwards had recourse to the same remedy.

Ibid. Galeni "tria Somnia".--- "Tertium magis dignum miraculo, cum bis
per somnium admonitus, ut arteriam secaret, quae inter pollicem &
indicem est, idque agens liberatus sit a diuturno dolore, quo
infestabatur ea in parte, qua septo transverso jecur jungitur, idque
in libri de sectione venae fine testatus est. Magno certe exemplo, quod
tantus vir in medicina eam adhibuerit somnio fidem, ut in seipso
periculum vitae subierit, in arte propria. Deinde probitatem admiror,
ut quo potuerit solertia ingenii sibi inventum ascribere, Deo cui
debebatur, rediderit. Dignus vel hoc solo vir immortalitate nominis, &
librorum suorum."

Galen's three dreams. The third more worthy of being called a miracle,
was, when being twice admonished in his sleep, to cut the artery that
lies between the fore finger and the thumb, and doing it accordingly,
he was freed from a continual daily pain with which he was afflicted
in that part where the liver is joined to the midriff; and this he has
testified at the end of his book of Venesection. 'Tis certainly a very
great example, when a man so great as he was in the medicinal art, put
so much confidence in a dream as to try experiments upon himself;
where he was to run the risque of his life, in his own very art. I
cannot help but admire his probity in the next place, that where he
might have arrogated the merit of the invention to himself, and placed
it wholly to the account of the subtility and penetration of his own
genius, he attributed it to God, to whom it was due. In this alone did
the man well deserve to purchase an immortality to his name and his
writings.

In his fourth book, chap. 4. "De Exemplis propriis", he owns the
solution of some difficult problems in Algebra to his dreams.

Plinii, Nat. Hist. lib. 22, chap. 17. "Verna carus Pericli
Atheniensium Principi, cum is in arce templum aedificaret,
repsissetque super altitudinem fastigii, & inde cecidisset, hac herba
(Parthenio) dicitur sanatus, monstrata Pericli somnio a Minerva. Quare
Parthenium vocari coepta est, assignaturque ei Deae."

Pliny's Natural History, book 22, chap. 17. "A little Home-bred Slave,
that was a darling favourite to Pericles, Prince of the Athenians, and
who, while a temple was building in the Prince's palace, had climbed
up to the very top of the pinnacle, and tumbled down from that
prodigious height; is said to have been cured of his fall by the herb
Parthenium, or mug-wort, which was shown to Pericles in a dream, by
Minerva. From hence it originally took the name of Parthenium, and is
attributed to that Goddess.

"Augustinus, Cui etiam praeter sanctitatem, plena fides adhiberi
potest, duo narrat inter reliqua somnia admiranda. Primum, quod cum
quidam mortuo nuper patre venaretur tanquam de pecunia quam pater illi
ex chirographo debuisset, dum incastus viveret, hac causa nocte quadam
umbram patris videt, quae illum admonuit de persoluta pecunia & ubi
chirographum esset repositum. Cum surrexisset, invenit chirographum
loco eo quem umbra paterna docuerat, liberatusque est ab injusto
petitore."

Saint Austin, to whom even, besides his sanctity, we owe an entire
credit, tells among others, two very wonderful dreams. The first is,
when a person was arrested by one, as for a certain sum of money,
which his father had owed him by a note under his own hand, while he
led a lewd debauched life, saw the ghost of his father one night, upon
this very account, which told him of the money being paid, and where
the acquittance lay. When he got up in the morning, he went and found
the acquittance in that very place that his father's ghost had
directed him to, and so was freed from the litigious suit of one that
made unjust demands upon him.

      "Alterum adhuc magis mirum".

"Praestantius, vir quidam a Philosopho petierat dubitationem quandam
solvi; quod ille pernegavit. Nocte sequente, tametsi vigilaret
Prsestantius, vidit sibi Philosophum assistere, ac dubitationem
solvere, moxque abire. Cum die sequenti obviam Praestantius eundem
habuisset Philosophum, rogat, Cur cum pridie rogatus nolluisset
solvere illam questionem, intempesta nocte, non rogatus, & venisset ad
se & dubitationem aperuisset. Cui Philosophus. Non quidem ego adveni
sed somnians visus sum tibi hoc Officium praestare."

      The other is much more wonderful still.

A certain gentleman named Praestantius, had been entreating a
Philosopher to solve him a doubt, which he absolutely refused to do.
The night following, although Praestantius was broad awake, he saw the
Philosopher standing full before him, who just explained his doubts to
him, and went away the moment after he had done. When Praestantius met
the Philosopher the next day, he asks him why, since no entreaties
could prevail with him the day before, to answer his question, he came
to him unasked, and at an unseasonable time of night, and opened every
point to his satisfaction. To whom thus the Philosopher. " Upon my
word it was not me that came to you; but in a dream I thought my own
self that I was doing you such a service."

The plague raging in the army of the Emperor Charles V. he dreamt that
the decoction of the root of the dwarf-thistle (a mountain plant since
called the Caroline thistle) would cure that disease. See Gerrard's
Herbal, who tells us this.

In Queen Mary's time, there was only one congregation of Protestants
in London, to the number of about three- hundred, one was the deacon
to them, and kept the list of their names: one of that congregation
did dream, that a messenger, (Queen's Officer) had seized on this
deacon, and taken his list; the fright of the dream awaked him: he
fell asleep and dreamt the same perfect dream again. In the morning
before he went out of his chamber, the deacon came to him and then he
told him his dream, and said, 'twas a warning from God; the deacon
slighted his advice, as savouring of superstition; but --- was so
urgent with him that he prevailed with him to deposite the list in
some other hand, which he did that day. The next day, the Queen's
officer attacked him, and searched (in vain) for the list, which had
it been found, would have brought them all to the flame.
Foxe's Martyrology.

When Arch Bishop Abbot's mother (a poor clothworker's wife in
Guilford) was with child of him, she did long for a Jack, and she
dreamt that if she should eat a Jack, her son in her belly should be a
great man. She arose early the next morning and went with her pail to
the river-side (which runneth by the house, now an ale-house, the sign
of the three mariners) to take up some water, and in the water in the
pail she found a good jack, which she dressed, and eat it all, or very
near. Several of the best inhabitants of Guilford were invited (or
invited themselves) to the christening of the child; it was bred up a
scholar in the town, and by degrees, came to be Arch Bishop of
Canterbury.

In the life of Monsieur Periesk, writ by Gassendus, it is said, that
Monsieur Periesk, who had never been at London, did dream that he was
there, and as he was walking in a great street there, espied in a
goldsmith's glass desk, an antique coin, he could never meet with. (I
think an Otho.) When he came to London, walking in (I think) Cheap-
side, he saw such a shop, and remembered the countenance of the
goldsmith in his dream, and found the coin desired, in his desk. See
his life.

When Doctor Hamey (one of the physicians college in London) being a
young man, went to travel towards Padoa, he went to Dover (with
several others) and shewed his pass, as the rest did, to the Governor
there. The Governor told him, that he must not go, but must keep him
prisoner. The Doctor desired to know for what reason ? how he had
transgrest ? well it was his will to have it so. The pacquet-boat
hoisted sail in the evening (which was very clear), and the Doctor's
companions in it. There ensued a terrible storm, and the pacquet-boat
and all the passengers were drowned: the next day the sad news was
brought to Dover. The Doctor was unknown to the Governor, both by name
and face; but the night before, the Governor had the perfect vision in
a dream, of Doctor Hamey, who carne to pass over to Calais; and that
he had a warning to stop him. This the Governor told the Doctor the
next day. The Doctor was a pious, good man, and has several times
related this story to some of my acquaintance.

My Lady Seymour dreamt, that she found a nest, with nine finches in
it. And so many children she had by the Earl of Winchelsea, whose name
is Finch.

The Countess of Cork (now Burlington) being at Dublin, dreamt, that
her father, (the Earl of Cumberland) who was then at York, was dead.
He died at that time.

'Tis certain, that several had monitory dreams of the conflagration of
London.

Sir Christopher Wren, being at his father's house, anno 1651, at
Knahill in Wilts (a young Oxford scholar) dreamt, that he saw a fight
in a great market-place, which he knew not; where some were flying,
and others pursuing; and among those that fled, he saw a kinsman of
his, who went into Scotland to the King's army. They heard in the
country, that the King was come into England, but whereabouts he was
they could not tell. The next night his kinsman came to his father at
Knahill, and was the first that brought the news of the fight at
Worcester.

When Sir Christopher Wren was at Paris, about 1671, he was ill and
feverish, made but little water, and had a pain in his reins. He sent
for a physician, who advised him to be let blood, thinking he had a
plurisy: but bleeding much disagreeing with his constitution, he
would defer it a day longer: that night he dreamt, that he was in a
place where palm-trees grew, (suppose AEgypt) and that a woman in a
romantic habit, reached him dates. The next day he sent for dates,
which cured him of the pain of his reins.

Since, I have learned that dates are an admirable medicine for the
stone, from old Captain Tooke of K--. Take six or ten date-stones, dry
them in an oven, pulverize and searce them; take as much as will lie
on a six-pence, in a quarter of a pint of white wine fasting, and at
four in the afternoon: walk or ride an hour after: in a week's time
it will give ease, and in a month cure. If you are at the Bath, the
Bath water is better than white wine to take it in.

Sir John Hoskin's Lady, when she lay in of her eldest son, had a
swelling on one side of her belly, the third day when the milk came,
and obstructions: she dreamt that syrup of elderberries and distilled
water of wormwood would do her good, and it did so; she found ease in
a quarter of an hour after she had taken it. I had this account from
her Ladyship's own mouth.

Captain --- Wingate told me, that Mr. Edmund Gunter, of Gresham
College, did cast his nativity, when about seventeen or eighteen years
old; by which he did prognosticate that he should be in danger to lose
his life for treason. Several years before the civil wars broke out,
he had dreamt that he was to be put to death before a great castle,
which he had never seen; which made a strong impression in his memory.
In anno 1642, he did oppose the church ceremonies, and was chosen a
member of Parliament, then was made a Captain, and was taken prisoner
at Edge Hill, by Prince Rupert, and carried to Kenilworth Castle,
where he was tried by a council of war, and condemned to die: but they
did better consider of it, and spared his life; for that he being so
considerable a person, might make an exchange for some of the King's
party-:* and he was exchanged for the right Honourable Montague, Earl of
Lindsey (heir of the General.) Since the restoration, he was made

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