ed upon cabbage, might find the crude effects thereof; and
Pythagoras might have had calmer sleeps if he had totally abstained from
beans."

The influences of the day's occurrences, and the thoughts which have
occupied the mind during the day, have been said to give a corresponding
tone and coloring to our dreams at night. Thus the lover dreams of his
mistress; the miser of his gold; the merchant of his speculations; the
man of science of his discoveries. The poets of all ages and nations
adopt this view. Virgil describes Dido forsaken by AEneas, wandering
alone on a desert shore in pursuit of the Tyrians. Milton represents Eve
relating to Adam the dreams which were very naturally the repetition of
her waking thoughts. Petrarch invokes the beauty of Laura. Eloisa,
separated from Abelard, is again happy in his company, even amid the
"dreary wastes" and "low-browed rocks."

There can be no doubt that the dreams of many persons are very greatly
influenced by the reflections and emotions they have experienced the
preceding day; but this is by no means invariably the case. We have
known persons whose dreams refer habitually to events which occurred to
them, perhaps, twenty years ago, and upon whom recent events seem to
possess no such influence. We have often been told by ladies happily and
affectionately married, that while they were engaged, although their
thoughts were naturally much set on their engagement, they never dreamed
of their lovers. So, also, the father of a family, habitually impressed
with a sense of his responsibility and affection toward his offspring,
will sometimes dream often enough of his neighbor's children, but
seldom or, perhaps, never, of his own. Try to dream on a given
subject--resolve and fix the attention upon it--going to sleep, and no
sooner are our eyelids closed, than fantastic fancy will conjure up the
most opposite and incongruous imagery. We have heard this dream-problem
explained by referring it to a principle of _antagonism_, which, waking
or sleeping, may be observed in the animal economy. If a limb become
fatigued by remaining too long in one position, it will be relieved by
being thrown into the very opposite condition; if the eye fatigue itself
by gazing intently on the disc of any bright color, and the eyelids
close, the very opposite, or antagonistic color will be depicted upon
the retina: in like manner, when our waking thoughts--in connection with
the nerve matter, which is the