1 Sleep

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1.1 What is sleep?

It has also been stated what sleep is: it is a seizure of the primary sense-organ to prevent it from operating, and it occurs by necessity. (Aristotle On the soul Oxford p.113)

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2 Dreams

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2.1 The Images of dreams 

Just as in a liquid, if one moves it violently, sometimes no reflected image appears and sometimes it appears, but is completely distorted, so that it appears unlike the original: and when it settled down, the reflected images are clear and plain: and thus also during sleep the images act like that. (Aristotle On the soul Oxford p.119)

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2.2 The thoughts of dreams 

Dream thoughts: it is the image resulting from the movement of the sensation, whenever it occurs during sleep, and in so far as one is asleep, that is a dream. (Aristotle On the soul Oxford p.121)

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2.3 Prophecy in dreams

Concerning the prophecy which takes place in sleep and is said to arise from dreams (...) the fact that we see no reasonable cause why such prophecy might occur gives rise to incredulity (...) It is absurd to hold both that the one who sends them is god, and that he sends them not to the best and most intelligent but to anyone at random. (Aristotle On the soul Oxford p.122)

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2.4 Taste in dreams 

Food pictured in dreams is extremely like food received in the waking state; yet sleepers receive no nourishment, they are simply sleeping. (Saint Augustine - Confessions (Oxford) p.41)

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2.5 Philosophers Dream

The word spoken to me was not “Where he is, there will you be also”, but “Where you are, there will he be also”. I confess to you Lord that to the best of my memory (and it is a matter which I have frequently discussed) I was more moved by your answer through my vigilant mother than by the dream itself. (Saint Augustine - Confessions (Oxford) p.50)