in the early stages of society, all the laws were written in verse, and sung, that they might be better remembered. Ask a singer to repeat the words of his song, and he cannot do it; let him sing it, and he is at no loss for the words. Alliteration assists the memory. We often find it in the construction of proverbs and old sayings, as dead dogs don't bite: when the steed is stolen shut the stable door. On the establishment of infant schools in Leicester, I was requested to furnish the young aspirants with some simple songs, suitable to their understanding and voice, and I had the satisfaction of hearing the four little songs (page 382) sung with spirit and pleasure. It was obvious that the children comprehended both the words and the music, and entered into it with all the enthusiasm of a hundred professional performers. Slight as this tuition is, it will awaken a sense for harmonious sounds in the rising generation, and do much towards laying the foundation of a more general taste for music in England.

CHAPTER LXXI.

SUNDAY MORNING.

How welcome the return of this quiet day of rest! With what pleasure have I taken my early walk, strolling through the flowery fields of Evington and Stough

ton Grange, when the trees in spring time were putting on their leafy robes! Here have I wandered 'mid nature's charms, before the sun had swept away the morning dew, and have listened to the chime of church bells wafted over the breezy hill.

There is a sacred sound in that morning peal, that lifts the soul on high. The return of this day brought me my great delight that of raising my boyish voice in the anthem strains of Playford, Knapp and Tansur—the only book of sacred music then in print.

As years roll on, what wonders doth time unfold ! The astronomer detects new worlds among the stars. The chemist lays open the laws of life, and the musician discovers new combinations of sounds. So have I lived to enjoy in the sacred art, a higher taste a new delight. Simple as are the following notes, thrown together by the hand of Beethoven, what a lofty song of praise do they breathe! an invocation worthy to be addressed to the Great Supreme.

HYMN.-(PAGE 334.)

"O Lord my God! how infinite are thou;
Thy bounteous gifts are every evening new ;

From thee, O Lord, thy goodness ever flows;
What mercies, Lord, thy bounteous hand bestows!" *

*I have adapted the above words (for which I am answerable) to a pianoforte sonata of Beethoven's; and this is the only vocal music given in the present work which is not my own composition.

CHAPTER LXXII.

DREAMS.

In the first chapter of this volume, I have spoken of my cradle thoughts. I will now allude to dreams, as they seem to be connected with the phenomena of the mind. The state of sleep is very analogous to the effects produced on the brain by intoxication, inducing forgetfulness of the past, and neglect of the future. Some maintain that, during sleep, the soul is disentangled from the body, and thus uncontrolled, will sometimes wander in the most whimsical flights. Newton and Milton were of opinion that our minds are more strongly impressed with scenes of beauty or of terror, in our dreams, than by real objects when awake; and that when we awake with these vivid impressions on the mind, we return to an existence that is flat and stale, compared to that experienced in these glowing visions.

The tale of Tartini dreaming that he heard the devil play upon the violin, and the rapture he felt on waking, well illustrates this exalted sensibility of the soul. I have awakened with most exquisite strains in my ears, so clearly impressed that I thought I could have put them correctly down; but, like a dissolving view, the whole has vanished before I could put pen to paper. The freshness of dreams may aptly be

LORD BROUGHAM.

compared to the vivid fancy of a child.

353

Everything is

A child de

magnified, whether of pleasure or pain. prived of its plaything suffers more than a monarch at the loss of a kingdom. To illustrate these feelings, let us call up a few common incidents in our dreams. Pursued by a monster, or wild beast, we are on the point of being seized; or, falling from a great height, are about to be dashed to pieces, we wake and find ourselves safe in bed! Who has not felt the delight of skimming through the air, as if the soul had rid itself of the weight of the body? Sometimes in a dream we feel bewildered or lost-perhaps separated from a companion or dog, followed by an excess of joy on meeting again.

If dreams are to be ascribed to innate ideas, as well as to waking thoughts, we need not wonder at their incoherence, as during sleep the reasoning powers are dormant. A dream of my childhood has haunted me through life. Early dreams of this intensity present themselves, with sundry modifications, over and over again. As we grow older, the imagination is not so easily excited, and our dreams accord more with reality. Lord Brougham is of opinion that we only dream when just on the point of waking; that what we suppose to be the finish of a dream, is, in fact, the beginning, middle, and end of it, so quick is thought.

It may be considered presumptuous in me to hazard an opinion upon the cause of our dreams; but as I have watched the phenomena with more than ordinary

attention, I may be forgiven, even if I am wrong The moment digestion is about to begin, a heavy drowsiness comes over us, and when the process is fairly set in, the inlets of sense--the eyes, ears, &c.—close, and we become nearly as unconscious of the outer world, as if we were dead. Under the process of digestion the body is resuscitated. Sensorial power is generated to supply the wasted energies of the previous day. During this operation, the sensorium being cut off from outward impressions, is now affected by the interior workings of the body. caused by improper food, or uneasy posture, excites the brain to a repetition of mental vibrations. The effect may be compared to the eliciting of sound from a musical instrument; as, for instance, by the wind playing upon the strings of an Æolian harp, the music of which is wild and incoherent; but when an instrument is touched by the hand of science, the sounds are rational and pleasing-analagous to the vibrations of the brain under the control of reason.

This action, whether