A Gentleman, about forty-five years old, of a corpulent phlegmatic habit of Body, and an inactive disposition of Mind, complain’d of a vast oppression which he felt in his sleep; upon which he consulted a Physician, who prescrib’d both bleeding and purging, to be repeated as often as it return’d. This prescription was follow’d with success at first, but it became so often necessary, that the patient was not able to bear such evacuations. He therefore was obliged to sleep in a chair all night, to avoid the Night-mare. But one night he ventur’d to bed, and was found half dead in the morning. He continued paralytic two years; and after taking the round of Bath and Bristol, &c. to no purpose, he died an Idiot. “—D. Abraham Schonnichel, who was a Captain of horse in the Emperor’s army, and being fond of drink, was afflicted with the Night-mare as often as he lay on his Back, after taking many medicines it became less frequent. But when, on account of his intemperance, it return’d, I order’d his Chamberlain to rouse him whenever he heard him groan, in sleep; by which means, the fits were shorten’d, but about two years after he died of an Epilepsy[36].” Cœlus Aurelianus says[37], that this disease was epidemic and kill’d many at Rome. As the Romans took little breakfast or dinner, but made supper their principal meal, ’tis probable, that they were very subject to the Night-mare, especially during the Saturnalia, when they held all their repotia or drinking-matches, and indulged themselves in all kinds of intemperance at night. Galen says, “That the Night-mare is a kind of an Epilepsy, which happens in sleep; and that if it continues long, it will turn to a real Epilepsy[38].” “An accidental Night-mare is not dangerous; but if it be habitual, it threatens an Epilepsy, Apoplexy, or Melancholy, especially if the Person be subject to a Vertigo in the day-time. If it attacks one between sleeping and waking, it denotes the Epilepsy to be very near; but it is remarkably dangerous, when a cold Sweat, a palpitation of the Heart, a Spasm, or a Fainting fit, succeed it[39].” “Hoffman mentions the Night-mare among the Symptoms of an Apoplexy, that was cur’d by an over-dose of Camphire[40].”