writing on, but never opening his eyes afterwards, although he wrote on
from line to line regularly, and corrected some errors of the pen, or in
spelling: so much easier was it to him to refer to his ideas of the
positions of things, than to his perceptions of them.

7. The associated motions persisted in their usual channel, as appeared by
the combinations of her ideas, and the use of her muscles, and the equality
of her pulse; for the natural motions of the arterial system, though
originally excited like other motions by stimulus, seem in part to continue
by their association with each other. As the heart of a viper pulsates long
after it is cut out of the body, and removed from the stimulus of the
blood.

8. In the section on sleep, it was observed that the nerves of sense are
equally alive and susceptible to irritation in that state, as when we are
awake; but that they are secluded from stimulating objects, or rendered
unfit to receive them: but in complete reverie the reverse happens, the
immediate organs of sense are exposed to their usual stimuli; but are
either not excited into action at all, or not into so great action, as to
produce attention or sensation.

The total forgetfulness of what passes in reveries; and the surprise on
recovering from them, are explained in Section XVIII. 19. and in Section
XVII. 3. 7.

9. It appears from hence, that reverie is a disease of the epileptic or
cataleptic kind, since the paroxysms of this young lady always began and
frequently terminated with convulsions; and though in its greatest degree
it has been called somnambulation, or sleep-walking, it is totally
different from sleep; because the essential character of sleep consists in