But this ordinary seeing of dreams is common to all men, and arises in our fancies in different modes and forms: for either there remain, as we have said, in the reminiscent part of the soul, the echoes of daily occupations; or, as often happens, the constitution of dreams is framed with regard to such and such a condition of the body: for thus the thirsty man seems to be among springs, the man who is in need of food to be at a feast, and the young man in the heat of youthful vigour is beset by fancies corresponding to his passion.

I also knew another cause of the fancies of sleep, when attending one of my relations attacked by frenzy; who being annoyed by food being given him in too great quantity for his strength, kept crying out and finding fault with those who were about him for filling intestines with dung and putting them upon him: and when his body was rapidly tending to perspire he blamed those who were with him for having water ready to wet him with as he lay: and he did not cease calling out till the result showed the meaning of these complaints: for all at once a copious sweat broke out over his body, and a relaxation of the bowels explained the weight in the intestines. The same condition then which, while his sober judgment was dulled by disease, his nature underwent, being sympathetically affected by the condition of the body-not being without perception of what was amiss, but being unable clearly to express its pain, by reason of the distraction resulting from the disease-this, probably, if the intelligent principle of the soul were lulled to rest, not from infirmity but by natural sleep, might appear as a dream to one similarly situated, the breaking out of perspiration being expressed by water, and the pain occasioned by the food, by the weight of intestines.

Ἡ δὲ συνήθης αὕτη τῶν ὀνείρων ὄψις κοινὴ πάντων ἐστί͵ πολυτρόπως καὶ πολυειδῶς ταῖς φαντασίαις ἐγγινομένη. ῍Η γὰρ παραμένει͵ καθὼς εἴρηται͵ τῷ μνημονικῷ τῆς ψυχῆς τῶν μεθημερινῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων τὰ ἀπηχήματα, ἢ πολλάκις καὶ πρὸς τὰς ποιὰς τοῦ σώματος διαθέσεις ἡ τῶν ἐνυπνίων κατάστασις ἀνατυποῦται. Οὕτω γὰρ ὁ διψώδης ἐν πηγαῖς εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ ἐν εὐωχίαις ὁ τροφῆς προσδεόμενος καὶ ὁ νέος͵ σφριγώσης αὐτῷ τῆς ἡλικίας͵ καταλλήλῳ τῷ πάθει φαντασιοῦται.  

Ἔγνων δὲ καὶ ἄλλην ἐγὼ τῶν καθ' ὕπνου γενομένων αἰτίαν͵ θεραπεύων τινὰ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἑαλωκότα φρενίτιδι͵ ὃς βαρούμενος τῇ τροφῇ πλείονι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ προσενεχθείσῃ͵ ἐβόα τοὺς περιεστῶτας μεμφόμενος͵ ὅτι ἔντερα κόπρου πληρώσαντες εἶεν ἐπιτεθεικότες αὐτῷ. [173] Καὶ ἤδη τοῦ σώματος αὐτῷ πρὸς ἱδρῶτα σπεύδοντος͵ ᾐτιᾶτο τοὺς παρόντας ὕδωρ ἔχειν ἡτοιμασμένον͵ ἐφ' ᾧ τε καταβρέξαι κείμενον͵ καὶ οὐκ ἐνεδίδου βοῶν͵ ἕως ἡ ἔκβασις τῶν τοιούτων μέμψεων τὰς αἰτίας ἡρμήνευσεν. Ἀθρόως γὰρ ἱδρώς τε πολὺς ἐπεῤῥύη τῷ σώματι καὶ ἡ γαστὴρ ὑποφθαρεῖσα τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἐντέροις βαρύτητα διεσήμανεν. Ὅπερ τοίνυν͵ ἀμβλυνθείσης ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου τῆς νήψεως͵ ἔπασχεν ἡ φύσις συνδιατιθεμένη τῷ πάθει τοῦ σώματος͵ τοῦ μὲν ὀχλοῦντος οὐκ ἀναισθήτως ἔχουσα͵ διασαφῆναι δὲ τὸ λυποῦν ἐναργῶς͵ διὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς νόσου παραφορὰν οὐκ ἰσχύουσα· τοῦτο κατὰ τὸ εἰκός͵ εἰ μὴ ἐξ ἀῤῥωστίας͵ ἀλλὰ τῷ κατὰ φύσιν ὕπνῳ τὸ διανοητικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς κατηυνάσθη͵ ἐνύπνιον ἂν τῷ οὕτως διακειμένῳ ἐγίνετο͵ ὕδατι μὲν τῆς τοῦ ἱδρῶτος ἐπιῤῥοῆς͵ ἐντέρων δὲ βάρει τῆς κατὰ τὴν τροφὴν ἀχθηδόνος σημαινομένης.