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61. "I also ask, if God gives us these visions as
forewarnings, why does he not give them to us when
we are awake rather than when we are asleep?
For, whether our souls in sleep are impelled by some
external and foreign force; or whether they are self-moved; or whether there is some other cause why,
during sleep, we imagine ourselves seeing or hearing,
or doing certain things—whatever the cause, it
would apply just as well when we are awake. If
the gods did send us warnings in our sleep and for
our good they would do the same for us when we are
awake, especially since, as Chrysippus says in replying to the Academicians, appearances seen when we
are awake are much more distinct and trustworthy
than those seen in dreams. It would, therefore,
have been more in keeping with the beneficence of
gods, in consulting for our good, to send us clear
visions in our waking moments rather than unintelligible ones in our dreams. But since that is not the case,
dreams ought not to be held divine.
Cicero: De Senectute De Amicitia De Divinatione. With An English Translation. William Armistead Falconer. Cambridge. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, Mass., London, England. 1923.
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