The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-05-21
EXTRAORDINARY DREAMS.

certain lawyer was seriously perplexed
with complicated law case. In the night
his wife saw him get up, walk to a writing
table, compose an elaborate ''Opinion, place
it carefully in a drawer, and return to bed.
Next morning he remembered nothing of his
dream, and could not believe it til! his wife
gave him ocular demonstration Of the fact by
pointing out the drawer where the opinion
lay complete
Students and poets are often indebted to
dreams for their brightest ideas, and the
marvellous composition of the fragment
"Kuola Khan" by Coleridge, will OCCUR to
every reader He says he had fallen asleep
in his chair while reading in "Purchas' Pill
grimage' of palace built by Khan Kubla,
and remained asleep about three hours, dur
ing which time he could not have composed
less than two OF three hundred lines" The
image rose before him as things, and with
them the corresponding expressions, with
out any sensation OF consciousness Of effort.
When he awOke ne instantly sat down to
commit his composition to paper, but was
called away by person on business; and
when he returned to resume the poem it had
utterly vanished from his memory.
Languages long forgotten, or apparently
but imperfectly known in waking life, have
been known to occur in dreams and delirium
AbercTOmbie relates several authenticated
instances OF this sort and the writer knew
an able clergyman, who, when boy. preach
ed over in his sleep the sermon he had last
heard, seemingly word for word and it was
no uncommon occurrence for his friends TO
gather round his bedside to hear his dis
. course. But he vas endowed with a marvel
. Gus memory in his waking hours and on
one occasion, it is said, he learned three
books Of Euclid on his way home from school.
! Missing documents and forgotten places
+ are sometimes recovered i'm dreams Sir
} WaIterScoJt in his notes TO the "Antfguarv. %
. speaks Of a gentleman sorcIy troubled in his
/ mind because he was pressed for the pay
ment Of some 1.-THE money, which he believed
was unjustly charged, and of which he had
" a aconfused recollection as having been bought
: out by his deceased father many years before.
In his dreams he thought the shade of his
father appeared to him and inquired the
. cause of his grief. Not at all startled bv the
apparition, he cravely stated the facts of the
f case. The shade told him that he must seek
out an old lawyer who had retired from pro
fessional business and was living at Inver.
esk. He gave the lawyers name and remark
ed that the papers relating to the purchase
Of the tithes were in his hands, but that as
the transaction had occurred many years be.
fore, and this was the only one i'm which the
lawyer was ever engaged on his account, il
would be necessary to call it to his recOlIec
ton by this token, that "when I went to pay
his account there was a difficulty i'm getting
change for Portugal piece Of gold, and We
were forced to drink out the balance at q
tavern" On reaching Inveresk the gentle
man called upon the lawyer, who could no
remember the transaction till the incident oi
the Portugal coin was mentioned. when it al
required to his memory. The document.
were handed over to him and carried {,
Edinburgh to prove his case.