[Footnote 3:  ‘Livy,’ Bk.  II. sec. 32.]

[Footnote 4:  Xenophon’s ’Memorabilia Socratis, Bk.  II.]

[Footnote 5:  ‘Phaedon’, Sec. 10.]

[Footnote 6:  that]

* * * * *

No. 184.  Monday, October 1, 1711.  Addison.

      ‘...  Opere in longo fas est obrepere somnum ...’

      Hor.

When a Man has discovered a new Vein of Humour, it often carries him much further than he expected from it.  My Correspondents take the Hint I give them, and pursue it into Speculations which I never thought of at my first starting it.  This has been the Fate of my Paper on the Match of Grinning, which has already produced a second Paper on parallel Subjects, and brought me the following Letter by the last Post.  I shall not premise any thing to it further than that it is built on Matter of Fact, and is as follows.

  SIR,

’You have already obliged the World with a Discourse upon Grinning, and have since proceeded to Whistling, from whence you [at length came [1]] to Yawning; from this, I think, you may make a very natural Transition to Sleeping.  I therefore recommend to you for the Subject of a Paper the following Advertisement, which about two Months ago was given into every Body’s Hands, and may be seen with some Additions in the Daily Courant of August the Ninth.

    ’Nicholas Hart, [2] who slept last Year in St. Bartholomew’s
    Hospital, intends to sleep this Year at the Cock and Bottle in
    Little-Britain.’

Having since inquired into the Matter of Fact, I find that the above-mentioned Nicholas Hart is every Year seized with a periodical Fit of Sleeping, which begins upon the Fifth of August, and ends on the Eleventh of the same Month:  That

    On the First of that Month he grew dull;
    On the Second, appeared drowsy;
    On the Third, fell a yawning;
    On the Fourth, began to nod;
    On the Fifth, dropped asleep;
    On the Sixth, was heard to snore;
    On the Seventh, turned himself in his Bed;
    On the Eighth, recovered his former Posture;
    On the Ninth fell a stretching;
    On the Tenth about Midnight, awaked;
    On the Eleventh in the Morning called for a little Small-Beer.

This Account I have extracted out of the Journal of this sleeping Worthy, as it has been faithfully kept by a Gentleman of Lincoln’s-Inn, who has undertaken to be his Historiographer.  I have sent it to you, not only as it represents the Actions of Nicholas Hart, but as it seems a very natural Picture of the Life of many an honest English Gentleman, whose whole History very often consists of Yawning, Nodding, Stretching, Turning, Sleeping, Drinking, and the like extraordinary Particulars.  I do not question, Sir, that, if you pleased, you could put out an Advertisement