In this situation, after an interval of nearly two hours passed in thoughts of various kinds on all the good or evil in this world, he fell asleep again. Immediately there came to him a new dream in which he believed he heard a sharp and piercing noise which he took for a clap of thunder. The fright it gave him immediately awoke him, and opening his eyes he perceived a large number of fiery sparks all around him in the room. This had often happened at other times; it was nothing very extraordinary for him to wake in the middle of the might and find his eyes sparkling to such a degree as to give him glimpses of the objects nearest him. But on this occasion he chose to have recourse to reasons from philosophy; and after having observed by alternately opening and closing his eyes the quality of the objects thus brought before him, he drew from it conclusions favorable to his understanding. Thus his fear was dissipated, and it was in a reasonably tranquil condition that he fell asleep again.