ale we are informed of a conjurer who had the
reputation of possessing the faculty of reading the contents of sealed
letters. Being called into the presence of his prince, he was asked
whether he would undertake to inform him of the contents of a despatch
he had received by a courier. "Yes," replied the conjuror, "to-morrow
morning." The despatch remained sealed in the prince's possession
until the following morning, when the conjuror gave the correct
contents of the despatch. In explanation, the cunning man said, on
going to bed, he excited in himself a strong desire to read the
letter, that he then fell asleep, and in a dream he became acquainted
with the whole document.

We are told of an old Sultan who was warned of his death in a dream.
He thought he saw the great prophet Mohammed snatching the Alcoran out
of his hand and taking his coat-of-arms from him by force, and
striking him down with so great violence that he could not rise. The
astrologers also foretold him that he would never see the feast of
Ramazan, because the star that presided at his birth was much obscured
in its conjunction with the planet that was then predominant. They
affirmed that he would die soon. His dream, and the astrologers'
predictions, were not long of being verified. The Sultan's death was
accompanied with great ignominy.

From Aristotle we learn that the death of Alexander was foretold in a
dream; and so was that of Caesar. In Westminster Abbey are singular
records of the dreams of Edward the Confessor, and of instances of
faith in visions.

Lord Falkland's dream, the night before the battle of Newbury, in
which he was slain, in the year 1643, has often been referred to by
persons who believe in dreams. James Montgomery, the poet, has in
touching lines assisted to keep the dream from being forgotten.

In more modern times, good men, whom we might suppose to be free from
the trammels of superstition, have to some extent directed their
course in life according to the interpretation of their dreams. The
Rev. John Brown, author of the _Dictionary of the Holy Bible_, writing
of dreams, says: "It is like they often begin from some outward
sensation of the body, in which spirits, good and bad, have no
inconsiderable influence."

In visions and dreams the persecution of the early Christians was made
known to many believers. Other important events were also predicted,
and preceded by strange phenomena. But for dreams, not a few
celebrate