"To think in this manner is to augment our existence, as instead of reckoning a third of our life mere waste, we habituate ourselves to attend to the result of our hours past in Sleep, and to recover out of the mass of thought produced during that period, very often amusement, and sometimes useful instruction, nor are we to be without expectation that at some extraordinary times we may have impressions made upon our minds in Sleep so strong as may persuade us to act in consequence of them, and thereby to attain good or avoid evil."
— Boswell, James (1740-1795)
Author
Work Title
Date
September, 1781
Metaphor
"To think in this manner is to augment our existence, as instead of reckoning a third of our life mere waste, we habituate ourselves to attend to the result of our hours past in Sleep, and to recover out of the mass of thought produced during that period, very often amusement, and sometimes useful instruction, nor are we to be without expectation that at some extraordinary times we may have impressions made upon our minds in Sleep so strong as may persuade us to act in consequence of them, and thereby to attain good or avoid evil."
Metaphor in Context
To think in this manner is to augment our existence, as instead of reckoning a third of our life mere waste, we habituate ourselves to attend to the result of our hours past in Sleep, and to recover out of the mass of thought produced during that period, very often amusement, and sometimes useful instruction, nor are we to be without expectation that at some extraordinary times we may have impressions made upon our minds in Sleep so strong as may persuade us to act in consequence of them, and thereby to attain good or avoid evil. Suetonius has not informed us of the particulars of the Dream by which Octavius was warned; whether it was a plain notification of danger, or something that required interpretation. But the emperor we see acted wisely in paying such regard to it as to change his purpose; for be doing so, he escaped being cut into pieces.
(II, p. 117 in SUP edition)
(II, p. 117 in SUP edition)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
The Hypochondriack, No. 48 (September, 1781). See The London Magazine, or Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer <Link to Google Books>
See also James Boswell, The Hypochondriack, ed. Margery Bailey, 2 vols. (Stanford UP, 1928)
See also James Boswell, The Hypochondriack, ed. Margery Bailey, 2 vols. (Stanford UP, 1928)
Date of Entry
07/09/2013
