The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-08-16
Phenomena 6f elccD.

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Phenomena Of Sleep.
Tartini, celebrated violin player,
is said to have composed his famous
Devils Sonata from the inspiration, of
a dream, in which the Devil appeared
to him and challenged him to a trial
Of skill upon Ills own fiddle. A math.
ematician, in like manner, is often
engaged i'll the solution of problems,
and has his brain full of Newton,
Euler, Euclid, and Laplace, while
poet is occupied in writing
verses, or indeIiberating upon the
strains Of such bards rs are most
familiar to his spirit; it was thus in
dream that Mr.. Coleridge composed
his splendid fragments of kubla Khan.
The following is the account he himself
gives of the circumstance
In the summer of the year 1897, the
author, then in ill. health, had retired
to q lonely farm house between Por.
lock and Linton, on the. Exsnoor con-
fines of Somerset and Devonshirc. In
consequence ofa slight indisposition,
all anodyne had been prescribed, from
the ELECTS OF which he fell asleep in
his chair at the moment that he was
reading the following sentence. or
words Of the same substance, in "Pur-
cha's Pilgrimage" !"
"Herc the Khan kubla., commanded
palace to be built, and IL stately gur-
den thereunto. And thus ten miles
of'tertile ground were enclosed with u
WALL 'I,,' "r"'t u 80
The author continued for about
three hours in. a profound sleep, ut
least Of the axternal senses, during
which time he had the most vivid con.
iideEce, that he could not have COM
posed less than from two to three hun
drcd lines if that indeed can be called
composition III .wi,inl, nil the iInares
rose up before him rs things, with !,
parallel production of the correspond
ent expressions, without any sensation
or consciousness nf effort.
On awakening, he appeared to him
self to have d distinct recollection of
the whole; and taking his pen, ink,
and paper instantly and eagerly wrote
down the lines that are here preserved.
At this moment he was unfortunately
called out by o person on business
from Porlock, and detained by him
above an hour and on his return to
his rcoHz, found, to his no small SUR
prise and modification, that though he
still retained some vague and dim re-
collection of the general purport of the
vision; yet, with the exception Of some
eight or ten scattered ines;and images
all the rest had passed away like the
images on the surface Of n stream into
which d stone had been cast, but alas |!
without the alter restoration of the
| latter"
Dreams being produced by tile at,
tive state Of such organs rs, are disso.
ciatcd from, or have not sympathised
in, the general slumber, partake of the
character of those whose powers are
in greatest vigor, or iarsltest removed
from the somnolcnt state"
a PERSONS natural character, there
fore, or his pursuits in life, by strength.
ening one faculty, make it less suscep.
tiGle, than such as are weukcr, OF
being overcome by complete sleep F;
or, if it be overcome, it uwakes more
rapidly from it's dormant state; and
exhibits its proper characteristics in
dreams.
Thus, the miscr dreams of wealth,
the lover of his mistress, the musician
of melody, the philosopher science, the
merchant oftrade, and tie debter of
duns and bailiffs th like manner, a
cbohric man often is passionate in his
sleep; a vicious mars mind is filed
! with wicked actions; virtuous mans
with deeds Of bcncvoIcnce; IL humor.
lists with ludicrous ideas.