Italian of thirty, melancholic, and a
deep thinker, who was observed one evening in his bed. It was seen that
he slept with his eyes open but fixed and immovable. His hands were
cold, and his pulse extremely slow. At midnight he brusquely tore the
curtains of his bed aside, dressed himself, went to his stable, and
mounted a horse. Finding the gate of the court yard closed he opened it
with the aid of a large stone. Soon he dismounted, went to a billiard
room, and simulated all the movements of one playing. In another room
he struck with his empty hands a harpsichord, and finally returned to
his bed. He appeared to be irritated when anybody made a noise, but a
light placed under his nose was apparently unnoticed. He awoke if his
feet were tickled, or if a horn was blown in his ear. Tissot transmits
to us the example of a medical student who arose in the night, pursued
his studies, and returned to bed without awaking; and there is another
record of an ecclesiastic who finished his sermon in his sleep.

The Archbishop of Bordeaux attests the case of a young ecclesiastic who
was in the habit of getting up during the night in a state of
somnambulism, taking pen, ink, and paper, and composing and writing
sermons. When he had finished a page he would read aloud what he had
written and correct it. In order to ascertain whether the somnambulist
made any use of his eyes the Archbishop held a piece of cardboard under
his chin to prevent his seeing the paper upon which he was writing. He
continued to write without being in the slightest degree incommoded. In
this state he also copied out pieces of music, and when it happened
that the words were written in too large characters and did not stand
over the corresponding notes he perceived his error, blotted them out,
and wrote them over again with great exactness.

Negretti, a sleep-walker, sometimes carried a candle about with him as
if to furnish him light in his employment, but when a bottle was
substituted he carried it, fancying that he had the candle. Another
somnambulist, Castelli, was found by Dr. Sloane translating Italian and
French and looking out words in his dictionary. His candle was
purposely extinguished, whereupon he immediately began groping about,
as if in the dark, and, although other lighted candles were in the
room, he did not resume his occupation until he had relighted his
candle at the fire. He was insensible to the light of every candle
excepting the one upo