of those six non-natural things above all, as good diet, which
Montanus, consil. 27. enjoins a French nobleman, to have an especial
care of it, without which all other remedies are in vain. Bloodletting
is not to be used, except the patient's body be very full of blood, and
that it be derived from the liver and spleen to the stomach and his
vessels, then [4379]to draw it back, to cut the inner vein of either
arm, some say the salvatella, and if the malady be continuate, [4380]to
open a vein in the forehead.
Preparatives and alteratives may be used as before, saving that there
must be respect had as well to the liver, spleen, stomach,
hypochondries, as to the heart and brain. To comfort the [4381]stomach
and inner parts against wind and obstructions, by Areteus, Galen,
Aetius, Aurelianus, &c., and many latter writers, are still prescribed
the decoctions of wormwood, centaury, pennyroyal, betony sodden in
whey, and daily drunk: many have been cured by this medicine alone.
Prosper Altinus and some others as much magnify the water of Nile
against this malady, an especial good remedy for windy melancholy. For
which reason belike Ptolemeus Philadelphus, when he married his
daughter Berenice to the king of Assyria (as Celsus, lib. 2. records),
magnis impensis Nili aquam afferri jussit, to his great charge caused
the water of Nile to be carried with her, and gave command, that during
her life she should use no other drink. I find those that commend use
of apples, in splenetic and this kind of melancholy (lamb's-wool some
call it), which howsoever approved, must certainly be corrected of cold
rawness and wind.
Codronchus in his book de sale absyn. magnifies the oil and salt of
wormwood above all other remedies, [4382]which works better and
speedier than any simple whatsoever, and much to be preferred before
all those fulsome decoctions and infusions, which must offend by reason
of their quantity; this alone in a small measure taken, expels wind,
and that most forcibly, moves urine, cleanseth the stomach of all gross
humours, crudities, helps appetite, &c. Arnoldus hath a wormwood wine
which he would have used, which every pharmacopoeia speaks of.
Diminutives and purges may [4383]be taken as before, of hiera, manna,
cassia, which Montanus consil. 230. for an Italian abbot, in this kind
prefers before all other simples, [4384]And these must be often used,
still abstaining from those which are more violent, lest they do
exasperate the stomach, &c., and the mischief by that means be
increased. Though in some physicians I find very strong purgers,
hellebore itself prescribed in this affection. If it long continue,
vomits may be taken after meat, or otherwise gently procured with warm
water, oxymel, &c., now and then. Fuchsius cap. 33. prescribes
hellebore; but still take heed in this malady, which I have often
warned, of hot medicines, [4385]because (as Salvianus adds) drought
follows heat, which increaseth the disease: and yet Baptista Sylvaticus
controv. 32. forbids cold medicines, [4386] because they increase
obstructions and other bad symptoms. But this varies as the parties do,
and 'tis not easy to determine which to use. [4387]The stomach most
part in this infirmity is cold, the liver hot; scarce therefore (which
Montanus insinuates consil. 229. for the Earl of Manfort) can you help
the one and not hurt the other: much discretion must be used; take no
physic at all he concludes without great need. Laelius Aegubinus
consil. for an hypochondriacal German prince, used many medicines; but
it was after signified to him in [4388]letters, that the decoction of
China and sassafras, and salt of sassafras wrought him an incredible
good. In his 108 consult, he used as happily the same remedies; this to
a third might have been poison, by overheating his liver and blood.
For the other parts look for remedies in Savanarola, Gordonius,
Massaria, Mercatus, Johnson, &c. One for the spleen, amongst many
other, I will not omit, cited by Hildesheim, spicel. 2, prescribed by
Mat. Flaccus, and out of the authority of Benevenius. Antony Benevenius
in a hypochondriacal passion, [4389]cured an exceeding great swelling
of the spleen with capers alone, a meat befitting that infirmity, and
frequent use of the water of a smith's forge; by this physic he helped
a sick man, whom all other physicians had forsaken, that for seven
years had been splenetic. And of such force is this water, [4390]that
those creatures as drink of it, have commonly little or no spleen. See
more excellent medicines for the spleen in him and [4391]Lod. Mercatus,
who is a great magnifier of this medicine. This Chalybs praeparatus, or
steel-drink, is much likewise commended to this disease by Daniel
Sennertus l. 1. part. 2. cap. 12. and admired by J. Caesar Claudinus
Respons. 29. he calls steel the proper [4392]alexipharmacum of this
malady, and much magnifies it; look for receipts in them. Averters must
be used to the liver and spleen, and to scour the mesaraic veins: and
they are either too open or provoke urine. You can open no place better
than the haemorrhoids, which if by horseleeches they be made to flow,
[4393]there may be again such an excellent remedy, as Plater holds.
Sallust. Salvian will admit no other phlebotomy but this; and by his
experience in an hospital which he kept, he found all mad and
melancholy men worse for other bloodletting. Laurentius cap. 15. calls
this of horseleeches a sure remedy to empty the spleen and mesaraic
membrane. Only Montanus consil. 241. is against it; [4394] to other men
(saith he) this opening of the haemorrhoids seems to be a profitable
remedy; for my part I do not approve of it, because it draws away the
thinnest blood, and leaves the thickest behind.
Aetius, Vidus Vidius, Mercurialis, Fuchsius, recommend diuretics, or
such things as provoke urine, as aniseeds, dill, fennel, germander,
ground pine, sodden in water, or drunk in powder: and yet [4395]P.
Bayerus is against them: and so is Hollerius; All melancholy men (saith
he) must avoid such things as provoke urine, because by them the
subtile or thinnest is evacuated, the thicker matter remains.
Clysters are in good request. Trincavelius lib. 3. cap. 38. for a young
nobleman, esteems of them in the first place, and Hercules de Saxonia
Panth. lib. 1. cap. 16. is a great approver of them. [4396]I have found
(saith he) by experience, that many hypochondriacal melancholy men have
been cured by the sole use of clysters, receipts are to be had in him.
Besides those fomentations, irrigations, inunctions, odoraments,
prescribed for the head, there must be the like used for the liver,
spleen, stomach, hypochondries, &c. [4397]In crudity (saith Piso) 'tis
good to bind the stomach hard to hinder wind, and to help concoction.
Of inward medicines I need not speak; use the same cordials as before.
In this kind of melancholy, some prescribe [4398]treacle in winter,
especially before or after purges, or in the spring, as Avicenna,
[4399] Trincavellius mithridate, [4400]Montaltus paeony seed, unicorn's
horn; os de corde cervi, &c.
Amongst topics or outward medicines, none are more precious than baths,
but of them I have spoken. Fomentations to the hypochondries are very
good, of wine and water in which are sodden southernwood, melilot,
epithyme, mugwort, senna, polypody, as also [4401]cerotes,
[4402]plaisters, liniments, ointments for the spleen, liver, and
hypochondries, of which look for examples in Laurentius, Jobertus lib.
3. c. pra. med. Montanus consil. 231. Montaltus cap. 33. Hercules de
Saxonia, Faventinus. And so of epithems, digestive powders, bags, oils,
Octavius Horatianus lib. 2. c. 5. prescribes calastic cataplasms, or
dry purging medicines; Piso [4403]dropaces of pitch, and oil of rue,
applied at certain times to the stomach, to the metaphrene, or part of
the back which is over against the heart, Aetius sinapisms; Montaltus
cap. 35. would have the thighs to be [4404]cauterised, Mercurialis
prescribes beneath the knees; Laelius Aegubinus consil. 77. for a
hypochondriacal Dutchman, will have the cautery made in the right
thigh, and so Montanus consil. 55. The same Montanus consil. 34.
approves of issues in the arms or hinder part of the head. Bernardus
Paternus in Hildesheim spicel 2. would have [4405] issues made in both
the thighs; [4406]Lod. Mercatus prescribes them near the spleen, aut
prope ventriculi regimen, or in either of the thighs. Ligatures,
frictions, and cupping-glasses above or about the belly, without
scarification, which [4407]Felix Platerus so much approves, may be used
as before.
SUBSECT. II.—_Correctors to expel Wind. Against Costiveness, &c._
In this kind of melancholy one of the most offensive symptoms is wind,
which, as in the other species, so in this, hath great need to be
corrected and expelled.
The medicines to expel it are either inwardly taken, or outwardly.
Inwardly to expel wind, are simples or compounds: simples are herbs,
roots, &c., as galanga, gentian, angelica, enula, calamus aromaticus,
valerian, zeodoti, iris, condite ginger, aristolochy, cicliminus,
China, dittander, pennyroyal, rue, calamint, bay-berries, and
bay-leaves, betony, rosemary, hyssop, sabine, centaury, mint, camomile,
staechas, agnus castus, broom-flowers, origan, orange-pills, &c.;
spices, as saffron, cinnamon, bezoar stone, myrrh, mace, nutmegs,
pepper, cloves, ginger, seeds of annis, fennel, amni, cari, nettle,
rue, &c., juniper berries, grana paradisi; compounds, dianisum,
diagalanga, diaciminum, diacalaminth, electuarium de baccis lauri,
benedicta laxativa, pulvis ad status. antid. florent. pulvis
carminativus, aromaticum rosatum, treacle, mithridate &c. This one
caution of [4408]Gualter Bruell is to be observed in the administering
of these hot medicines and dry, that whilst they covet to expel wind,
they do not inflame the blood, and increase the disease; sometimes (as
he saith) medicines must more decline to heat, sometimes more to cold,
as the circumstances require, and as the parties are inclined to heat
or cold.
Outwardly taken to expel winds, are oils, as of camomile, rue, bays,
&c.; fomentations of the hypochondries, with the decoctions of dill,
pennyroyal, rue, bay leaves, cumin, &c., bags of camomile flowers,
aniseed, cumin, bays, rue, wormwood, ointments of the oil of spikenard,
wormwood, rue, &c. [4409]Areteus prescribes cataplasms of camomile
flowers, fennel, aniseeds, cumin, rosemary, wormwood-leaves, &c.
[4410]Cupping-glasses applied to the hypochondries, without
scarification, do wonderfully resolve wind. Fernelius consil. 43. much
approves of them at the lower end of the belly; [4411]Lod. Mercatus
calls them a powerful remedy, and testifies moreover out of his own
knowledge, how many he hath seen suddenly eased by them. Julius Caesar
Claudinus respons. med. resp. 33. admires these cupping-glasses, which
he calls out of Galen, [4412]a kind of enchantment, they cause such
present help.
Empirics have a myriad of medicines, as to swallow a bullet of lead,
&c., which I voluntarily omit. Amatus Lusitanus, cent. 4. curat. 54.
for a hypochondriacal person, that was extremely tormented with wind,
prescribes a strange remedy. Put a pair of bellows end into a clyster
pipe, and applying it into the fundament, open the bowels, so draw
forth the wind, natura non admittit vacuum. He vaunts he was the first
invented this remedy, and by means of it speedily eased a melancholy
man. Of the cure of this flatuous melancholy, read more in Fienus de
Flatibus, cap. 26. et passim alias.
Against headache, vertigo, vapours which ascend forth of the stomach to
molest the head, read Hercules de Saxonia, and others.
If costiveness offend in this, or any other of the three species, it is
to be corrected with suppositories, clysters or lenitives, powder of
senna, condite prunes, &c. ℞ Elect. lenit, e succo rosar. ana ℥ j.
misce. Take as much as a nutmeg at a time, half an hour before dinner
or supper, or pil. mastichin. ℥ j. in six pills, a pill or two at a
time. See more in Montan. consil. 229. Hildesheim spicel. 2. P.
Cnemander, and Montanus commend [4413]Cyprian turpentine, which they
would have familiarly taken, to the quantity of a small nut, two or
three hours before dinner and supper, twice or thrice a week if need
be; for besides that it keeps the belly soluble, it clears the stomach,
opens obstructions, cleanseth the liver, provokes urine.
These in brief are the ordinary medicines which belong to the cure of
melancholy, which if they be used aright, no doubt may do much good; Si
non levando saltem leniendo valent, peculiaria bene selecta, saith
Bessardus, a good choice of particular receipts must needs ease, if not
quite cure, not one, but all or most, as occasion serves. Et quae non
prosunt singula, multa juvant.
THE SYNOPSIS OF THE THIRD PARTITION.
Love and love melancholy, Memb. 1 Sect. 1.
Preface or Introduction. Subsect. 1.
Love's definition, pedigree, object, fair, amiable, gracious, and
pleasant, from which comes beauty, grace, which all desire and love,
parts affected.
Division or kinds, Subs. 2.
Natural, in things without life, as love and hatred of elements; and
with life, as vegetable, vine and elm, sympathy, antipathy, &c.
Sensible, as of beasts, for pleasure, preservation of kind, mutual
agreement, custom, bringing up together, &c.
or Rational
Simple, which hath three objects as M. 2.
Profitable, Subs. 1.
Health, wealth, honour, we love our benefactors: nothing so amiable as
profit, or that which hath a show of commodity.
Pleasant, Subs. 2.
Things without life, made by art, pictures, sports, games, sensible
objects, as hawks, hounds, horses; Or men themselves for similitude of
manners, natural affection, as to friends, children, kinsmen, &c., for
glory such as commend us.
Of women, as
Before marriage, as Heroical Mel. Sect. 2. vide ♈
Or after marriage, as Jealousy, Sect. 3. vide ♉
Honest, Subs. 3.
Fucate in show, by some error or hypocrisy; some seem and are not; or
truly for virtue, honesty, good parts, learning, eloquence, &c.
or Mixed of all three, which extends to M. 3.
Common good, our neighbour, country, friends, which is charity; the
defect of which is cause of much discontent and melancholy.
or God, _Sect. 4._
In excess, vide ♊
In defect, vide ♋
♈ Heroical or Love-Melancholy, in which consider,
Memb. 1. His pedigree, power, extent to vegetables and sensible
creatures, as well as men, to spirits, devils, &c.
His name, definition, object, part affected, tyranny. [Subs. 2.]
Causes, Memb. 2.
Stars, temperature, full diet, place, country, clime, condition,
idleness, S. 1.
Natural allurements, and causes of love, as beauty, its praise, how it
allureth.
Comeliness, grace, resulting from the whole or some parts, as face,
eyes, hair, hands, &c. Subs. 2.
Artificial allurements, and provocations of lust and love, gestures,
apparel, dowry, money, &c.
_Quest_. Whether beauty owe more to Art or Nature? Subs. 3.
Opportunity of time and place, conference, discourse, music, singing,
dancing, amorous tales, lascivious objects, familiarity, gifts,
promises, &c. Subs. 4.
Bawds and Philters, Subs. 5.
Symptoms or signs, Memb. 3.
Of body
Dryness, paleness, leanness, waking, sighing, &c.
Quest. An delur pulsus amatorius?
or Of mind.
Bad, as
Fear, sorrow, suspicion, anxiety, &c.
A hell, torment, fire, blindness, &c.
Dotage, slavery, neglect of business.
or Good, as
Spruceness, neatness, courage, aptness to learn music, singing,
dancing, poetry, &c.
Prognostics; despair, madness, frenzy, death, Memb. 4.
Cures, Memb. 5.
By labour, diet, physic, abstinence, Subs. 1.
To withstand the beginnings, avoid occasions, fair and foul means,
change of place, contrary passion, witty inventions, discommend the
former, bring in another, Subs. 2.
By good counsel, persuasion, from future miseries, inconveniences, &c.
S. 3.
By philters, magical, and poetical cures, Subs. 4.
To let them have their desire disputed pro and con. Impediments
removed, reasons for it. Subs. 5.
♉ Jealousy, Sect. 3.
His name, definition, extent, power, tyranny, Memb. 1.
Division, Equivocations, kinds, Subs. 1.
Improper
To many beasts; as swans, cocks, bulls.
To kings and princes, of their subjects, successors.
To friends, parents, tutors over their children, or otherwise.
or Proper
Before marriage, corrivals, &c.
After, as in this place our present subject.
Causes, Subs. 2.
In the parties themselves,
Idleness, impotency in one party, melancholy, long absence.
They have been naught themselves. Hard usage, unkindness, wantonness,
inequality of years, persons, fortunes, &c.
or from others.
Outward enticements and provocations of others.
Symptoms, Memb. 2.
Fear, sorrow, suspicion, anguish of mind, strange actions, gestures,
looks, speeches, locking up, outrages, severe laws, prodigious trials,
&c.
Prognostics, Memb. 3.
Despair, madness, to make away themselves, and others.
Cures, Memb. 4.
By avoiding occasions, always busy, never to be idle.
By good counsel, advice of friends, to contemn or dissemble it. Subs.
1.
By prevention before marriage. Plato's communion.
To marry such as are equal in years, birth, fortunes, beauty, of like
conditions, &c.
Of a good family, good education. To use them well. [Subs. 2.]
♊ Religious Melancholy, Sect. 4.
In excess of such as do that which is not required. Memb. 1.
A proof that there is such a species of melancholy, name, object God,
what his beauty is, how it allureth, part and parties affected,
superstitious, idolaters, prophets, heretics, &c. Subs. 1.
Causes, Subs. 2.
From others
The devil's allurements, false miracles, priests for their gain.
Politicians to keep men in obedience, bad instructors, blind guides.
or from themselves.
Simplicity, fear, ignorance, solitariness, melancholy, curiosity,
pride, vainglory, decayed image of God.
Symptoms, Subs. 3.
General
Zeal without knowledge, obstinacy, superstition, strange devotion,
stupidity, confidence, stiff defence of their tenets, mutual love and
hate of other sects, belief of incredibilities, impossibilities.
or Particular.
Of heretics, pride, contumacy, contempt of others, wilfulness,
vainglory, singularity, prodigious paradoxes.
In superstitious blind zeal, obedience, strange works, fasting,
sacrifices, oblations, prayers, vows, pseudomartyrdom, mad and
ridiculous customs, ceremonies, observations.
In pseudoprophets, visions, revelations, dreams, prophecies, new
doctrines, &c., of Jews, Gentiles, Mahometans, &c.
Prognostics, Subs. 4.
New doctrines, paradoxes, blasphemies, madness, stupidity, despair,
damnation.
Cures, Subs. 5.
By physic, if need be, conference, good counsel, persuasion,
compulsion, correction, punishment. Quaeritur an cogi debent? Affir.
In defect, as Memb. 2.
Secure, void of grace and fears.
Epicures, atheists, magicians, hypocrites, such as have cauterised
consciences, or else are in a reprobate sense, worldly-secure, some
philosophers, impenitent sinners, Subs. 1.
or Distrustful, or too timorous, as desperate. In despair consider,
Causes, Subs. 2.
The devil and his allurements, rigid preachers, that wound their
consciences, melancholy, contemplation, solitariness.
How melancholy and despair differ. Distrust, weakness of faith. Guilty
conscience for offence committed, misunderstanding, &c.
Symptoms, Subs. 3.
Fear, sorrow, anguish of mind, extreme tortures and horror of
conscience, fearful dreams, conceits, visions, &c.
Prognostics; Blasphemy, violent death, Subs. 4.
Cures, Subs. 5.
Physic, as occasion serves, conference, not to be idle or alone. Good
counsel, good company, all comforts and contents, &c. [Subs. 6.]
THE THIRD PARTITION,
LOVE-MELANCHOLY.
THE FIRST SECTION, MEMBER, SUBSECTION.
_The Preface_.
There will not be wanting, I presume, one or other that will much
discommend some part of this treatise of love-melancholy, and object
(which [4414]Erasmus in his preface to Sir Thomas More suspects of his)
that it is too light for a divine, too comical a subject to speak of
love symptoms, too fantastical, and fit alone for a wanton poet, a
feeling young lovesick gallant, an effeminate courtier, or some such
idle person. And 'tis true they say: for by the naughtiness of men it
is so come to pass, as [4415] Caussinus observes, ut castis auribus vox
amoris suspecta sit, et invisa, the very name of love is odious to
chaster ears; and therefore some again, out of an affected gravity,
will dislike all for the name's sake before they read a word;
dissembling with him in [4416]Petronius, and seem to be angry that
their ears are violated with such obscene speeches, that so they may be
admired for grave philosophers and staid carriage. They cannot abide to
hear talk of love toys, or amorous discourses, vultu, gestu, oculis in
their outward actions averse, and yet in their cogitations they are all
out as bad, if not worse than others.
[4417]Erubuit, posuitque meum Lucretia librum
Sed coram Bruto, Brute recede, legit.
But let these cavillers and counterfeit Catos know, that as the Lord
John answered the Queen in that Italian [4418]Guazzo, an old, a grave
discreet man is fittest to discourse of love matters, because he hath
likely more experience, observed more, hath a more staid judgment, can
better discern, resolve, discuss, advise, give better cautions, and
more solid precepts, better inform his auditors in such a subject, and
by reason of his riper years sooner divert. Besides, nihil in hac
amoris voce subtimendum, there is nothing here to be excepted at; love
is a species of melancholy, and a necessary part of this my treatise,
which I may not omit; operi suscepto inserviendum fuit: so Jacobus
Mysillius pleadeth for himself in his translation of Lucian's
dialogues, and so do I; I must and will perform my task. And that short
excuse of Mercerus, for his edition of Aristaenetus shall be mine,
[4419]If I have spent my time ill to write, let not them be so idle as
to read. But I am persuaded it is not so ill spent, I ought not to
excuse or repent myself of this subject; on which many grave and worthy
men have written whole volumes, Plato, Plutarch, Plotinus, Maximus,
Tyrius, Alcinous, Avicenna, Leon Hebreus in three large dialogues,
Xenophon sympos. Theophrastus, if we may believe Athenaeus, lib. 13.
cap. 9. Picus Mirandula, Marius, Aequicola, both in Italian, Kornmannus
de linea Amoris, lib. 3. Petrus Godefridus hath handled in three books,
P. Haedus, and which almost every physician, as Arnoldus, Villanovanus,
Valleriola observat. med. lib. 2. observ. 7. Aelian Montaltus and
Laurentius in their treatises of melancholy, Jason Pratensis de morb.
cap. Valescus de Taranta, Gordonius, Hercules de Saxonia, Savanarola,
Langius, &c., have treated of apart, and in their works. I excuse
myself, therefore, with Peter Godefridus, Valleriola, Ficinus, and in
[4420]Langius' words. Cadmus Milesius writ fourteen books of love, and
why should I be ashamed to write an epistle in favour of young men, of
this subject? A company of stern readers dislike the second of the
Aeneids, and Virgil's gravity, for inserting such amorous passions in
an heroical subject; but [4421]Servius, his commentator, justly
vindicates the poet's worth, wisdom, and discretion in doing as he did.
Castalio would not have young men read the [4422] Canticles, because to
his thinking it was too light and amorous a tract, a ballad of ballads,
as our old English translation hath it. He might as well forbid the
reading of Genesis, because of the loves of Jacob and Rachael, the
stories of Sichem and Dinah, Judah and Thamar; reject the Book of
Numbers, for the fornications of the people of Israel with the
Moabites; that of Judges for Samson and Dalilah's embracings; that of
the Kings, for David and Bersheba's adulteries, the incest of Ammon and
Thamar, Solomon's concubines, &c. The stories of Esther, Judith,
Susanna, and many such. Dicearchus, and some other, carp at Plato's
majesty, that he would vouchsafe to indite such love toys: amongst the
rest, for that dalliance with Agatho,
Suavia dans Agathoni, animam ipse in labra tenebam;
Aegra etenim properans tanquam abitura fuit.