Since the days of Shakespeare, who undoubtedly was familiar with dreams and their interpretations, a dream of money has implied its loss.

"There is some ill a brewing towards my rest, For I did dream of Money-bags to-night," wails Shylock.

Dreams of hunger, care and poverty seem invariably to bear a contrary meaning, whether from motives of consolation to the dreamer or whether through the establishment of symbolism in the days of gypsy supremacy when the witch was sent for to comfort my lady in her bower, we may not decide.

The invariably happy augury of every dream relating to the farmer or to agricultural implements pictures the mediaeval gypsy looking with longing eyes upon the land that he might not own. Implements of trade, especially the trades of the town, on the other hand imply discomfort and contempt. Female avocations of domesticity evidently rouse the disdain of the wandering tribes, for to dream of a distaff, spindle, needle, pin or any other symbol of a purely feminine occupation implies gossip and mischief.

Apart from these there is still a certain natural and obvious symbolism that establishes itself even more strongly than symbols of past traditions. These symbols are derived from a knowledge of the powers of nature and of natural history, and in gypsy dream interpretations these take, and hold precedence. The goose appears in dreams, not as the sacred bird of the Greeks and Romans, but as an emblem of stupidity; insects denote hurts and stings and animals generally signify misfortune in accord with the naturalist's knowledge of the proclivities of the beasts themselves. Sometimes this natural symbolism is tinged with humor as in the dream of soap which is held to signify transient worries, while the dream of yeast is another example of practical homely symbolism.

Rigid morality is the general tone of the gypsy translation, the morality of children's fairy tales and of folk lore in which the villain is discovered and punished and the good man rewarded. The virtue of toil is implied in that all manner of work prognosticates success, even when superficial worldly judgment might argue the contrary; a workhouse for instance is a dream that forecasts a legacy.

Falsity of every description is fiercely frowned upon by the old-world morality of the dream-books; wigs, false hair, artificial teeth, rouge, etc., invariably connote evil or evil conditions. Physical indulgence is likewise disapproved, and dreams of eating or food invariably augur illness; whether from a sternly moral disapprobation of gluttony or whether from the ultra-modern theory of a physical dream as implying a physical desire, it is impossible to say. Cynical knowledge of human nature is implied in the translation of the dream of servants and inferiors into a prognostication of enmity; and the interchangeable dreams of tombs and weddings might wrest a smile of assent from the veriest skeptic With all dream interpreters dreams of marriage herald death and dreams of death and of the appurtenances thereto, a wedding. The phallic and erotic symbols of modern interpreters are invariably translated as ominous dreams by the gypsy.

The appended list of dream symbols has been carefully culled from seven well-established authorities. Artemidorus Daldianus being the one generally preferred, Raphael following in importance.

Time has established Artemidorus as the "Great law-giver of the dream world," says a popular writer upon the subject, "and his 'Oneirocriticon* is the statute book of dreams."

He lived in the second century under the Emperor Antoninus Pius, and he claims to have gathered his dream lore from ancient and established sources.

He gives certain rules for dream interpretation which it may be well to remember, not only in dream interpretation, but in forming judgment upon the efforts of others in this direction.

"In giving judgment on dreams we are to take notice that dreams are proportioned according to the condition of the party dreaming. Thus those of persons of eminency, be they good or bad, will be great - that is, if good, they signify great benefit; but if bad great misery. If the party that dreams be of a mean condition, the dreams, with their events, will be mean also; if poor, their dreams will be very inconsiderable. For the rules of dreaming are not general and therefore cannot satisfy all persons at once, but often, according to times and persons, admit of various interpretations. . . . Moreover, all those things which are done by us and to us, and towards us only, we must think that they appertain to us particularly. And on the contrary, that all such things as are not done by us, nor towards us, nor in us, shall happen to others; and yet, notwithstanding, if they be our friends, and the dreams signify good, the joy shall come to us; and if contrary, then the contrary; but if they be our enemies, we ought to think and judge accordingly."

The invariably happy augury of every dream relating to the farmer or to agricultural implements pictures the mediaeval gypsy looking with longing eyes upon the land that he might not own. Implements of trade, especially the trades of the town, on the other hand imply discomfort and contempt. Female avocations of domesticity evidently rouse the disdain of the wandering tribes, for to dream of a distaff, spindle, needle, pin or any other symbol of a purely feminine occupation implies gossip and mischief.

Apart from these there is still a certain natural and obvious symbolism that establishes itself even more strongly than symbols of past traditions. These symbols are derived from a knowledge of the powers of nature and of natural history, and in gypsy dream interpretations these take, and hold precedence. The goose appears in dreams, not as the sacred bird of the Greeks and Romans, but as an emblem of stupidity; insects denote hurts and stings and animals generally signify misfortune in accord with the naturalist's knowledge of the proclivities of the beasts themselves. Sometimes this natural symbolism is tinged with humor as in the dream of soap which is held to signify transient worries, while the dream of yeast is another example of practical homely symbolism.

Rigid morality is the general tone of the gypsy translation, the morality of children's fairy tales and of folk lore in which the villain is discovered and punished and the good man rewarded. The virtue of toil is implied in that all manner of work prognosticates success, even when superficial worldly judgment might argue the contrary; a workhouse for instance is a dream that forecasts a legacy.

Falsity of every description is fiercely frowned upon by the old-world morality of the dream-books; wigs, false hair, artificial teeth, rouge, etc., invariably connote evil or evil conditions. Physical indulgence is likewise disapproved, and dreams of eating or food invariably augur illness; whether from a sternly moral disapprobation of gluttony or whether from the ultra-modern theory of a physical dream as implying a physical desire, it is impossible to say. Cynical knowledge of human nature is implied in the translation of the dream of servants and inferiors into a prognostication of enmity; and the interchangeable dreams of tombs and weddings might wrest a smile of assent from the veriest skeptic With all dream interpreters dreams of marriage herald death and dreams of death and of the appurtenances thereto, a wedding. The phallic and erotic symbols of modern interpreters are invariably translated as ominous dreams by the gypsy.

The appended list of dream symbols has been carefully culled from seven well-established authorities. Artemidorus Daldianus being the one generally preferred, Raphael following in importance.

Time has established Artemidorus as the "Great law-giver of the dream world," says a popular writer upon the subject, "and his 'Oneirocriticon' is the statute book of dreams."

He lived in the second century under the Emperor Antoninus Pius, and he claims to have gathered his dream lore from ancient and established sources.

He gives certain rules for dream interpretation which it may be well to remember, not only in dream interpretation, but in forming judgment upon the efforts of others in this direction.

"In giving judgment on dreams we are to take notice that dreams are proportioned according to the condition of the party dreaming. Thus those of persons of eminency, be they good or bad, will be great - that is, if good, they signify great benefit; but if bad great misery. If the party that dreams be of a mean condition, the dreams, with their events, will be mean also; if poor, their dreams will be very inconsiderable. For the rules of dreaming are not general and therefore cannot satisfy all persons at once, but often, according to times and persons, admit of various interpretations. . . . Moreover, all those things which are done by us and to us, and towards us only, we must think that they appertain to us particularly. And on the contrary, that all such things as are not done by us, nor towards us, nor in us, shall happen to others; and yet, notwithstanding, if they be our friends, and the dreams signify good, the joy shall come to us; and if contrary, then the contrary; but if they be our enemies, we ought to think and judge accordingly."