Name: On Divination in Sleep
Author: Aristotle

Ross (OCT, 1955) · Beare (1908)

Beare (1908)

Chapter 1 (462b12–463b11)

462b

Περὶ δὲ τῆς μαντικῆς τῆς ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις γινομένης καὶ

λεγομένης συμβαίνειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐνυπνίων, οὔτε καταφρονῆσαι

ῥᾴδιον οὔτε πεισθῆναι. τὸ μὲν γὰρ πάντας ἢ πολλοὺς ὑπολαμβάνειν

15 ἔχειν τι σημειῶδες τὰ ἐνύπνια παρέχεται πίστιν

ὡς ἐξ ἐμπειρίας λεγόμενον, καὶ τὸ περὶ ἐνίων εἶναι τὴν μαντικὴν

ἐν τοῖς ἐνυπνίοις οὐκ ἄπιστον· ἔχει γάρ τινα λόγον· διὸ

καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐνυπνίων ὁμοίως ἄν τις οἰηθείη. τὸ δὲ

μηδεμίαν αἰτίαν εὔλογον ὁρᾶν καθ' ἣν ἂν γίνοιτο, τοῦτο

20 δὴ ἀπιστεῖν ποιεῖ· τό τε γὰρ θεὸν εἶναι τὸν πέμποντα, πρὸς

τῇ ἄλλῃ ἀλογίᾳ, καὶ τὸ μὴ τοῖς βελτίστοις καὶ φρονιμωτάτοις

ἀλλὰ τοῖς τυχοῦσι πέμπειν ἄτοπον. ἀφαιρεθείσης δὲ

τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ αἰτίας οὐδεμία τῶν ἄλλων εὔλογος εἶναι

φαίνεται αἰτία· τοῦ γὰρ περὶ τῶν ἐφ' Ἡρακλείαις στήλαις

25 ἢ τῶν ἐν Βορυσθένει προορᾶν τινας ὑπὲρ τὴν ἡμετέραν εἶναι

δόξειεν ἂν σύνεσιν εὑρεῖν τὴν ἀρχήν. ἀνάγκη δ' οὖν τὰ

ἐνύπνια ἢ αἴτια εἶναι ἢ σημεῖα τῶν γινομένων ἢ συμπτώματα,

ἢ πάντα ἢ ἔνια τούτων ἢ ἓν μόνον. λέγω δ' αἴτιον

μὲν οἷον τὴν σελήνην τοῦ ἐκλείπειν τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ τὸν κόπον

30 τοῦ πυρετοῦ, σημεῖον δὲ τῆς ἐκλείψεως τὸ τὸν ἀστέρα εἰςελθεῖν,

τὴν δὲ τραχύτητα τῆς γλώττης τοῦ πυρέττειν, σύμπτωμα

δὲ τὸ βαδίζοντος ἐκλείπειν τὸν ἥλιον· οὔτε γὰρ σημεῖον

12As to the divination which takes place in sleep, and is said to be based on dreams, we cannot lightly either dismiss it with contempt or give it implicit confidence. The fact that all persons, or many, suppose dreams to possess a special significance, 15tends to inspire us with belief in it [such divination], as founded on the testimony of experience; and indeed that divination in dreams should, as regards some subjects, be genuine, is not incredible, for it has a show of reason; from which one might form a like opinion also respecting all other dreams. Yet the fact of our seeing no probable cause to account for such divination 20tends to inspire us with distrust. For, in addition to its further unreasonableness, it is absurd to combine the idea that the sender of such dreams should be God with the fact that those to whom he sends them are not the best and wisest, but merely commonplace persons. If, however, we abstract from the causality of God, none of the other causes assigned appears probable. For that certain persons should have foresight in dreams concerning things destined to take place at the Pillars of Hercules, 25or on the banks of the Borysthenes, seems to be something to discover the explanation of which surpasses the wit of man. Well then, the dreams in question must be regarded either as causes, or as tokens, of the events, or else as coincidences; either as all, or some, of these, or as one only. I use the word 'cause' in the sense in which the moon is [the cause] of an eclipse of the sun, or in which fatigue is [a cause] 30of fever; 'token' [in the sense in which] the entrance of a star [into the shadow] is a token of the eclipse, or [in which] roughness of the tongue [is a token] of fever; while by 'coincidence' I mean, for example, the occurrence of an eclipse of the sun while some one is taking a walk; for the walking is neither a token nor a cause of the eclipse, nor the eclipse [a cause or token] of the walking.

463a

1 τοῦ ἐκλείπειν τοῦτ' ἐστὶν οὔτ' αἴτιον, οὔθ' ἡ ἔκλειψις τοῦ

βαδίζειν· διὸ τῶν συμπτωμάτων οὐδὲν οὔτε ἀεὶ γίνεται, οὔθ'

ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ. ἆρ' οὖν ἐστι τῶν ἐνυπνίων τὰ μὲν αἴτια, τὰ

δὲ σημεῖα, οἷον τῶν περὶ τὸ σῶμα συμβαινόντων; λέγουσι

5 γοῦν καὶ τῶν ἰατρῶν οἱ χαρίεντες ὅτι δεῖ σφόδρα προσέχειν

τοῖς ἐνυπνίοις· εὔλογον δὲ οὕτως ὑπολαβεῖν καὶ τοῖς μὴ

τεχνίταις μέν, σκοπουμένοις δέ τι καὶ φιλοσοφοῦσιν. αἱ γὰρ

μεθ' ἡμέραν γινόμεναι κινήσεις, ἂν μὴ σφόδρα μεγάλαι

ὦσι καὶ ἰσχυραί, λανθάνουσι παρὰ μείζους τὰς ἐγρηγορικὰς

10 κινήσεις, ἐν δὲ τῷ καθεύδειν τοὐναντίον· καὶ γὰρ αἱ μικραὶ

μεγάλαι δοκοῦσιν εἶναι. δῆλον δ' ἐπὶ τῶν συμβαινόντων

κατὰ τοὺς ὕπνους πολλάκις· οἴονται γὰρ κεραυνοῦσθαι καὶ

βροντᾶσθαι μικρῶν ἤχων ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶ γινομένων, καὶ μέλιτος

καὶ γλυκέων χυμῶν ἀπολαύειν ἀκαριαίου φλέγματος

15 καταρρέοντος, καὶ βαδίζειν διὰ πυρὸς καὶ θερμαίνεσθαι

σφόδρα μικρᾶς θερμασίας περί τινα μέρη γινομένης, ἐπεγειρομένοις

δὲ ταῦτα φανερὰ τοῦτον ἔχοντα τὸν τρόπον· ὥστ'

ἐπεὶ μικραὶ πάντων αἱ ἀρχαί, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τῶν νόσων καὶ

τῶν ἄλλων παθημάτων τῶν ἐν τοῖς σώμασι μελλόντων γίνεσθαι.

20 φανερὸν οὖν ὅτι ταῦτα ἀναγκαῖον ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις εἶναι

καταφανῆ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐν τῷ ἐγρηγορέναι. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ

ἔνιά γε τῶν καθ' ὕπνον φαντασμάτων αἴτια εἶναι τῶν οἰκείων

ἑκάστῳ πράξεων οὐκ ἄλογον· ὥσπερ γὰρ μέλλοντες

πράττειν ἢ ἐν ταῖς πράξεσιν ὄντες ἢ πεπραχότες πολλάκις

25 εὐθυονειρίᾳ ταύταις σύνεσμεν καὶ πράττομεν (αἴτιον δ' ὅτι

προωδοποιημένη τυγχάνει ἡ κίνησις ἀπὸ τῶν μεθ' ἡμέραν

ἀρχῶν), οὕτω πάλιν ἀναγκαῖον καὶ τὰς καθ' ὕπνον κινήσεις

πολλάκις ἀρχὰς εἶναι τῶν μεθ' ἡμέραν πράξεων διὰ τὸ

προωδοποιῆσθαι πάλιν καὶ τούτων τὴν διάνοιαν ἐν τοῖς φαντάσμασι

30 τοῖς νυκτερινοῖς. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἐνδέχεται τῶν ἐνυπνίων

ἔνια καὶ σημεῖα καὶ αἴτια εἶναι. τὰ δὲ πολλὰ συμπτώμασιν

1For this reason no coincidence takes place according to a universal or general rule. Are we then to say that some dreams are causes, others tokens, e.g. of events taking place in the bodily organism? 5At all events, even scientific physicians tell us that one should pay diligent attention to dreams, and to hold this view is reasonable also for those who are not practitioners, but speculative philosophers. For the movements which occur in the daytime [within the body] are, unless very great and violent, lost sight of in contrast with the waking movements, which are more impressive. 10In sleep the opposite takes place, for then even trifling movements seem considerable. This is plain in what often happens during sleep; for example, dreamers fancy that they are affected by thunder and lightning, when in fact there are only faint ringings in their ears; or that they are enjoying honey or other sweet savours, when only a tiny drop of phlegm is flowing down [the oesophagus]; 15or that they are walking through fire, and feeling intense heat, when there is only a slight warmth affecting certain parts of the body. When they are awakened, these things appear to them in this their true character. But since the beginnings of all events are small, so, it is clear, are those also of the diseases or other affections about to occur in our bodies. 20In conclusion, it is manifest that these beginnings must be more evident in sleeping than in waking moments.
Nay, indeed, it is not improbable that some of the presentations which come before the mind in sleep may even be causes of the actions cognate to each of them. For as when we are about to act [in waking hours], or are engaged in any course of action, or have already performed certain actions, 25we often find ourselves concerned with these actions, or performing them, in a vivid dream; the cause whereof is that the dream-movement has had a way paved for it from the original movements set up in the daytime; exactly so, but conversely, it must happen that the movements set up first in sleep should also prove to be starting-points of actions to be performed in the daytime, since the recurrence by day of the thought of these actions also has had its way paved for it in the images before the mind at night. 30Thus then it is quite conceivable that some dreams may be tokens and causes [of future events].

463b

1 ἔοικε, μάλιστα δὲ τά τε ὑπερβατὰ πάντα καὶ ὧν

μὴ ἐν αὑτοῖς ἡ ἀρχή, ἀλλὰ περὶ ναυμαχίας καὶ τῶν

πόρρω συμβαινόντων ἐστίν· περὶ γὰρ τούτων τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον

ἔχειν εἰκὸς ὃν ὅταν μεμνημένῳ τινὶ περί τινος τυχῇ τοῦτο

5 γιγνόμενον· τί γὰρ κωλύει καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις οὕτως; μᾶλλον

δ' εἰκὸς πολλὰ τοιαῦτα συμβαίνειν. ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ τὸ μνησθῆναι

περὶ τοῦδε σημεῖον οὐδὲ αἴτιον τοῦ παραγενέσθαι αὐτόν,

οὕτως οὐδ' ἐκεῖ τοῦ ἀποβῆναι τὸ ἐνύπνιον τῷ ἰδόντι οὔτε σημεῖον

οὔτ' αἴτιον, ἀλλὰ σύμπτωμα. διὸ καὶ πολλὰ τῶν ἐνυπνίων

10 οὐκ ἀποβαίνει· τὰ γὰρ συμπτώματα οὔτε ἀεὶ οὔθ' ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ

πολὺ γίγνεται.

1Most [so-called prophetic] dreams are, however, to be classed as mere coincidences, especially all such as are extravagant, and those in the fulfilment of which the dreamers have no initiative, such as in the case of a sea-fight, or of things taking place far away. As regards these it is natural that the fact should stand as it does whenever a person, on mentioning something, finds the very thing mentioned come to pass. 5Why, indeed, should this not happen also in sleep? The probability is, rather, that many such things should happen. As, then, one's mentioning a particular person is neither token nor cause of this person's presenting himself, so, in the parallel instance, the dream is, to him who has seen it, neither token nor cause of its [so-called] fulfilment, but a mere coincidence. Hence the fact that many dreams 10have no 'fulfilment', for coincidence do not occur according to any universal or general law.

Chapter 2 (463b12–464b18)

Ὅλως δὲ ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων ὀνειρώττει τινά,

θεόπεμπτα μὲν οὐκ ἂν εἴη τὰ ἐνύπνια, οὐδὲ γέγονε τούτου

χάριν (δαιμόνια μέντοι· ἡ γὰρ φύσις δαιμονία, ἀλλ' οὐ

15 θεία). σημεῖον δέ· πάνυ γὰρ εὐτελεῖς ἄνθρωποι προορατικοί

εἰσι καὶ εὐθυόνειροι, ὡς οὐ θεοῦ πέμποντος, ἀλλ' ὅσων ὥσπερ

ἂν εἰ λάλος ἡ φύσις ἐστὶ καὶ μελαγχολική, παντοδαπὰς

ὄψεις ὁρῶσιν· διὰ γὰρ τὸ πολλὰ καὶ παντοδαπὰ κινεῖσθαι

ἐπιτυγχάνουσιν ὁμοίοις θεωρήμασιν, ἐπιτυχεῖς ὄντες ἐν τούτοις

20 ὥσπερ ἔνιοι ἀρτιάζοντες· ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ λέγεται

"ἂν πολλὰ βάλλῃς, ἄλλοτ' ἀλλοῖον βαλεῖς", καὶ ἐπὶ τούτων

τοῦτο συμβαίνει. ὅτι δ' οὐκ ἀποβαίνει πολλὰ τῶν ἐνυπνίων,

οὐδὲν ἄτοπον· οὐδὲ γὰρ τῶν ἐν τοῖς σώμασι σημείων

καὶ τῶν οὐρανίων, οἷον τὰ τῶν ὑδάτων καὶ τὰ τῶν πνευμάτων

25 (ἂν γὰρ ἄλλη κυριωτέρα ταύτης συμβῇ κίνησις, ἀφ'

ἧς μελλούσης ἐγένετο τὸ σημεῖον, οὐ γίνεται), καὶ πολλὰ βουλευθέντα

καλῶς τῶν πραχθῆναι δεόντων διελύθη δι' ἄλλας

κυριωτέρας ἀρχάς. ὅλως γὰρ οὐ πᾶν γίνεται τὸ μελλῆσαν,

οὐδὲ τὸ αὐτὸ τὸ ἐσόμενον καὶ τὸ μέλλον· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἀρχάς

30 γέ τινας λεκτέον εἶναι ἀφ' ὧν οὐκ ἐπετελέσθη, καὶ σημεῖα πέφυκε

ταῦτά τινων οὐ γενομένων. περὶ δὲ τῶν μὴ τοιαύτας

12On the whole, forasmuch as certain of the lower animals also dream, it may be concluded that dreams are not sent by God, nor are they designed for this purpose [to reveal the future]. They have a divine aspect, however, for Nature [their cause] is divinely planned, though not itself divine. 15A special proof [of their not being sent by God] is this: the power of foreseeing the future and of having vivid dreams is found in persons of inferior type, which implies that God does not send their dreams; but merely that all those whose physical temperament is, as it were, garrulous and excitable, see sights of all descriptions; for, inasmuch as they experience many movements of every kind, they just chance to have visions resembling objective facts, their luck in these matters being merely like that of persons who 20play at even and odd. For the principle which is expressed in the gambler's maxim: 'If you make many throws your luck must change,' holds in their case also.
That many dreams have no fulfilment is not strange, for it is so too with many bodily toms and weather-signs, e.g. those of rain or wind. 25For if another movement occurs more influential than that from which, while [the event to which it pointed was] still future, the given token was derived, the event [to which such token pointed] does not take place. So, of the things which ought to be accomplished by human agency, many, though well-planned are by the operation of other principles more powerful [than man's agency] brought to nought. For, speaking generally, that which was about to happen is not in every case what now is happening, nor is that which shall hereafter he identical with that which is now going to be. 30Still, however, we must hold that the beginnings from which, as we said, no consummation follows, are real beginnings, and these constitute natural tokens of certain events, even though the events do not come to pass.

464a

1 ἐχόντων ἀρχὰς ἐνυπνίων οἵας εἴπομεν, ἀλλ' ὑπερορίας ἢ

τοῖς χρόνοις ἢ τοῖς τόποις ἢ τοῖς μεγέθεσιν, ἢ τούτων μὲν

μηδέν, μὴ μέντοι γε ἐν αὑτοῖς ἐχόντων τὰς ἄρχας τῶν

ἰδόντων τὸ ἐνύπνιον, εἰ μὴ γίνεται τὸ προορᾶν ἀπὸ συμπτώματος,

5 τοιόνδ' ἂν εἴη μᾶλλον ἢ ὥσπερ λέγει Δημόκριτος

εἴδωλα καὶ ἀπορροίας αἰτιώμενος. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὅταν κινήσῃ

τι τὸ ὕδωρ ἢ τὸν ἀέρα, τοῦθ' ἕτερον ἐκίνησε, καὶ παυσαμένου

ἐκείνου συμβαίνει τὴν τοιαύτην κίνησιν προϊέναι μέχρι τινός,

τοῦ κινήσαντος οὐ πάροντος, οὕτως οὐδὲν κωλύει κίνησίν τινα

10 καὶ αἴσθησιν ἀφικνεῖσθαι πρὸς τὰς ψυχὰς τὰς ἐνυπνιαζούσας

(ἀφ' ὧν ἐκεῖνος τὰ εἴδωλα ποιεῖ καὶ τὰς ἀπορροίας),

καὶ ὅποι δὴ ἔτυχεν ἀφικνουμένας μᾶλλον αἰσθητὰς εἶναι

νύκτωρ διὰ τὸ μεθ' ἡμέραν φερομένας διαλύεσθαι μᾶλλον

(ἀταραχωδέστερος γὰρ ὁ ἀὴρ τῆς νυκτὸς διὰ τὸ νηνεμωτέρας

15 εἶναι τὰς νύκτας), καὶ ἐν τῷ σώματι ποιεῖν αἴσθησιν

διὰ τὸν ὕπνον, διὰ τὸ καὶ τῶν μικρῶν κινήσεων τῶν ἐντὸς

αἰσθάνεσθαι καθεύδοντας μᾶλλον ἢ ἐγρηγορότας. αὗται δ'

αἱ κινήσεις φαντάσματα ποιοῦσιν, ἐξ ὧν προορῶσι τὰ μέλλοντα

καὶ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων, καὶ διὰ ταῦτα συμβαίνει τὸ πάθος

20 τοῦτο τοῖς τυχοῦσι καὶ οὐ τοῖς φρονιμωτάτοις. μεθ' ἡμέραν

τε γὰρ ἐγίνετ' ἂν καὶ τοῖς σοφοῖς, εἰ θεὸς ἦν ὁ πέμπων·

οὕτω δ' εἰκὸς τοὺς τυχόντας προορᾶν· ἡ γὰρ διάνοια

τῶν τοιούτων οὐ φροντιστική, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἔρημος καὶ κενὴ

πάντων, καὶ κινηθεῖσα κατὰ τὸ κινοῦν ἄγεται. τοῦ δ' ἐνίους

25 τῶν ἐκστατικῶν προορᾶν αἴτιον ὅτι αἱ οἰκεῖαι κινήσεις οὐκ

ἐνοχλοῦσιν ἀλλ' ἀπορραπίζονται· τῶν ξενικῶν οὖν μάλιστα

αἰσθάνονται. τὸ δέ τινας εὐθυονείρους εἶναι καὶ τὸ τοὺς

γνωρίμους περὶ τῶν γνωρίμων μάλιστα προορᾶν συμβαίνει

διὰ τὸ μάλιστα τοὺς γνωρίμους ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων φροντίζειν·

30 ὥσπερ γὰρ πόρρω ὄντων τάχιστα γνωρίζουσι καὶ αἰσθάνονται,

οὕτω καὶ τῶν κινήσεων· αἱ γὰρ τῶν γνωρίμων γνωριμώτεραι.

οἱ δὲ μελαγχολικοὶ διὰ τὸ σφοδρόν,

ὥσπερ βάλλοντες πόρρωθεν, εὔστοχοί εἰσιν, καὶ διὰ τὸ μεταβλητικὸν

1As for [prophetic] dreams which involve not such beginnings [sc. of future events] as we have here described, but such as are extravagant in times, or places, or magnitudes; or those involving beginnings which are not extravagant in any of these respects, while yet the persons who see the dream hold not in their own hands the beginnings [of the event to which it points]: unless the foresight which such dreams give is the result of pure coincidence, 5the following would be a better explanation of it than that proposed by Democritus, who alleges 'images' and 'emanations' as its cause. As, when something has caused motion in water or air, this [the portion of water or air], and, though the cause has ceased to operate, such motion propagates itself to a certain point, though there the prime movement is not present; just so it may well be that a movement and a consequent sense-perception 10should reach sleeping souls from the objects from which Democritus represents 'images' and 'emanations' coming; that such movements, in whatever way they arrive, should be more perceptible at night [than by day], because when proceeding thus in the daytime they are more liable to dissolution (since at night the air is less disturbed, there being then less wind); and that they shall be 15perceived within the body owing to sleep, since persons are more sensitive even to slight sensory movements when asleep than when awake. It is these movements then that cause 'presentations', as a result of which sleepers foresee the future even relatively to such events as those referred to above. These considerations also explain why 20this experience befalls commonplace persons and not the most intelligent. For it would have regularly occurred both in the daytime and to the wise had it been God who sent it; but, as we have explained the matter, it is quite natural that commonplace persons should be those who have foresight [in dreams]. For the mind of such persons is not given to thinking, but, as it were, derelict, or totally vacant, and, when once set moving, is borne passively on in the direction taken by that which moves it. With regard to the fact that 25some persons who are liable to derangement have this foresight, its explanation is that their normal mental movements do not impede [the alien movements], but are beaten off by the latter. Therefore it is that they have an especially keen perception of the alien movements.
That certain persons in particular should have vivid dreams, e.g. that familiar friends should thus have foresight in a special degree respecting one another, is due to the fact that such friends are most solicitous on one another's behalf. 30For as acquaintances in particular recognize and perceive one another a long way off, so also they do as regards the sensory movements respecting one another; for sensory movements which refer to persons familiarly known are themselves more familiar.

464b

1 ταχὺ τὸ ἐχόμενον φαντάζεται αὐτοῖς· ὥσπερ

γὰρ τὰ Φιλαινίδος ποιήματα καὶ οἱ ἐμμανεῖς ἐχόμενα

τοῦ ὁμοίου λέγουσι καὶ διανοοῦνται, οἷον Ἀφροδίτην φροδίτην,

καὶ οὕτω συνείρουσιν εἰς τὸ πρόσω. ἔτι δὲ διὰ τὴν σφοδρότητα

5 οὐκ ἐκκρούεται αὐτῶν ἡ κίνησις ὑφ' ἑτέρας κινήσεως. τεχνικώτατος

δ' ἐστὶ κριτὴς ἐνυπνίων ὅστις δύναται τὰς ὁμοιότητας

θεωρεῖν· τὰς γὰρ εὐθυονειρίας κρίνειν παντός ἐστιν.

λέγω δὲ τὰς ὁμοιότητας, ὅτι παραπλήσια συμβαίνει τὰ

φαντάσματα τοῖς ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν εἰδώλοις, καθάπερ καὶ

10 πρότερον εἴπομεν. ἐκεῖ δέ, ἂν πολλὴ γίγνηται ἡ κίνησις,

οὐδὲν ὁμοία γίνεται ἡ ἔμφασις καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα τοῖς ἀληθινοῖς.

δεινὸς δὴ τὰς ἐμφάσεις κρίνειν εἴη ἂν ὁ δυνάμενος

ταχὺ διαισθάνεσθαι καὶ συνορᾶν τὰ διαπεφορημένα καὶ

διεστραμμένα τῶν εἰδώλων, ὅτι ἐστὶν ἀνθρώπου ἢ ἵππου ἢ

15 ὁτουδήποτε, κἀκεῖ δὴ ὁμοίως τί δύναται τὸ ἐνύπνιον τοῦτο.

ἡ γὰρ κίνησις ἐκκόπτει τὴν εὐθυονειρίαν. τί μὲν οὖν ἐστιν ὕπνος

καὶ τί ἐνύπνιον, καὶ διὰ τίν' αἰτίαν ἑκάτερον αὐτῶν γίνεται,

ἔτι δὲ περὶ τῆς ἐκ τῶν ἐνυπνίων μαντείας εἴρηται περὶ πάσης·

1Atrabilious persons, owing to their impetuosity, are, when they, as it were, shoot from a distance, expert at hitting; while, owing to their mutability, the series of movements deploys quickly before their minds. For even as the insane recite, or con over in thought, the poems of Philaegides, e.g. the Aphrodite, whose parts succeed in order of similitude, just so do they the 'atrabilious' go on and on stringing sensory movements together.Moreover, owing to their aforesaid impetuosity, 5one movement within them is not liable to be knocked out of its course by some other movement.
The most skilful interpreter of dreams is he who has the faculty of observing resemblances. Any one may interpret dreams which are vivid and plain. But, speaking of 'resemblances', I mean that dream presentations are analogous to the forms reflected in water, as indeed we have already stated. 10In the latter case, if the motion in the water be great, the reflexion has no resemblance to its original, nor do the forms resemble the real objects. Skilful, indeed, would he be in interpreting such reflexions who could rapidly discern, and at a glance comprehend, the scattered and distorted fragments of such forms, so as to perceive that one of them represents a man, or a horse, Or anything whatever. Accordingly, 15in the other case also, in a similar way, some such thing as this [blurred image] is all that a dream amounts to; for the internal movement effaces the clearness of the dream.
The questions, therefore, which we proposed as to the nature of sleep and the dream, and the cause to which each of them is due, and also as to divination as a result of dreams, in every form of it, have now been discussed.
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