SUBSEC. 3. Of the matter of Melancholy.

Of the Matter of Melancholy, there is much question betwixt Avicen & Galen, as you may read in Cardans Contradictions, Valesius controversies, Montanus, Prosper Calenus, Capivaccius, Bright, Ficinus, that have written either whole Tracts, or copiously of it, in their several Treatises of this subject.

What this humor is, or whence it proceeds, how it is ingendred in the body, neither Galen, nor any old Writer hath sufficiently discussed, as Iacchinus thinks: the Neotericks cannot agree. Montanus in his consultations, holds Melancholy to be materiall or immateriall: and so doth Arculanus: the materiall is one of the four humors before mentioned, and natural.

The immateriall or adventitious, acquisite, redundant, unnatural, artificial: which Hercules de Saxonia will have reside in the spirits alone, and to proceed from an hot, cold, dry, moist distemperature, which without matter, alter the Brain and functions of it. Paracelsus wholly rejects and derides this division of four humors and complexions, but our Galenists generally approve of it, subscribing to this opinion of Montanus.

This materiall Melancholy is either simple, or mixt; offending in Quantity or quality, varying according to his place, where it setleth, as Brain, spleen, Meseriack veins, Heart, Womb, & Stomack: or differing according to the mixture of those natural humors amongst themselves, or four unnatural adust humors, as they are diversly tempered and mingled.

If natural melancholy abound in the body, which is cold & dry, so that it be more than the Body is wel able to bear, it must needs be distempered, saith Faventinus, & diseased: & so the other, if it be depraved, whether it arise from that other Melancholy of Choler adust, or from Blood, produceth the like effects, and is, as Montaltus contends, if it come by adustion of humors, most part hot and dry.

Some difference I find, whether this melancholy matter may be ingendred of all four humors, about the colour and temper of it. Galen holds it may be ingendred of three alone, excluding Flegme, or Pituita, whose true assertion, Valesius and Menardus stiffly maintain, and so doth Fuchsius, Montaltus, Montanus. How (say they) can white become black? But Hercules de Saxonia l. post. de mela. c. 8. & Cardan are of the opposite part

(it may be ingendred of Flegme, etsi rarò contingat, though it seldom come to pass) so is Guianerius and Laurentius c. 1. with Melanct. in his Book de Anima, and Chap. of humors; he cals it Asininam, dull, swinish Melancholy, and saith that he was an eye witness of it: so is Wecker.

From melancholy adust ariseth one kind, from Choler another, which is most brutish: another from Flegme, which is dull; and the last from blood, which is best. Of these some are cold and dry, others hot and dry, varying according to their mixtures, as they are intended, & remitted.

And indeed as Rodericus à Fons. cons. 12. l. determines, ichores & those serous matters being thickned become flegme, and flegme degenerates into choler, choler adust becomes æruginosa melancholia, as vinegar out of pure wine putrified or by exhalation of purer spirits is so made and becomes sowre and sharp: and from the sharpness of this humor proceed much waking, troublesome thoughts & dreams, &c.

so that I conclude as before. If the humor be cold, it is saith Faventinus, a cause of dotage, & produceth milder symptomes: if hot, they are rash, raving mad, or inclining to it. If the brain be hot, the animal spirits are hot, much madness follows with violent actions: if cold, fatuity & sottishness, Capivaccius.

The colour of this mixture varies likewise according to the mixture, be it hot or cold, ’tis sometimes black, sometimes not, Altomarus. The same Melanelius proves out of Galen and Hippocrates in his book of Melancholy (if at least it be his) giving instance in a burning coal, which when it’s hot, shines; when it is cold, looks black, and so doth the humor.

This diversity of Melancholy matter, produceth diversity of effects. If it be within the body, and not putrified, it causeth black Jaundise; if putrified, a Quartan Ague; if it break out to the skin, Leprosie; if to parts, severall Maladies, as scurvie, &c. If it trouble the mind, as it is diversly mixt, it produceth severall kinds of Madness and Dotage: of which in their place.