SUBSECT. 3. Terrors and Affrights, Causes of Melancholy.

Tully in the 4. of his Tusculans, distinguisheth these terrors which arise from the apprehension of some terrible object heard or seen, from other fears, and so doth Patritius lib. 5. Tit. 4. de regis institut.

Of all fears they are most pernicious and violent, and so suddainly alter the whole temperature of the body, move the soul, and spirits, strik such a deep impression, that the parties can never be recovered, causing more grievous and fiercer Melancholy, as Felix Plater, c. 3. de mentis alienat. speakes out of his experience, then any inward cause whatsoever: and imprints it self so forcibly in the spirits, brain, humors, that if all the mass of bloud were let out of the body, it could hardly be extracted. This horrible kinde of Melancholy (for so he tearmes it) had been often brought before him, and troubles and affrights commonly men and women, young and old of all sorts.

Hercules de Saxonia, calls this kinde of Melancholy (ab agitatione spirituum) by a peculiar name; it comes from the agitation, motion, contraction, dilatation of spirits, not from any distemperature of humors, and produceth strong effects. This terror is most usually caused, as Plutarch will have, from some imminent danger, when a terrible object is at hand, heard, seen, or conceived, truely appearing, or in a dream: and many times the more sudden the accident, it is the more violent.

Stat terror animis, & cor attonitum salit, Pavidumque trepidis palpitat venis jecur.

Their soul’s affright, their heart amazed quakes, The trembling Liver pants ith’ veines, and akes.

Arthemedorus the Grammarian lost his wits by the unexpected sight of a Crocodile, Laurentius 7. de melan. The Massacre at Lions 1572. in the reign of Charles the 9. was so terrible and fearful, that many ran mad, some died, great-bellied women were brought to bed before their time, generally all affrighted and agast.

Many lose their wits by the sudden sight of some spectrum or divil, a thing very common in all ages, saith Lavater part. 1. cap. 9. as Orestes did at the sight of the Furies, which appeared to him in black (as Pausanias records) The Greeks call them μορμολύχεια, which so terrifie their souls, or if they be but affrighted by some counterfeit divels in jest,

—ut pueri trepidant, atque omnia cæcis In tenebris metuunt—

as children in the dark conceive Hobgoblins, and are sore afraid, they are the worse for it all their lives. Some by sudden fires, earthquakes, inundations, or any such dismal objects: Themison the Physician fell into an Hydrophobia, by seeing one sick of that disease: (Dioscorides l. 6. c. 33.) or by the sight of a monster, a carcase, they are disquieted many months following, & cannot endure the room where a coarse hath been, for a world would not be alone with a dead man, or lye in that bed many years after in which a man hath died.

At Basil a many little children in the spring time, went to gather flowers in a meddow at the towns end, where a malefactor hung in gibbets; all gazing at it, one by chance flung a stone, and made it stir, by which accident, the children affrighted ran away; one slower then the rest, looking back, and seeing the stirred carcase wag towards her, cried out it came after, & was so terribly affrighted, that for many dayes she could not rest, eat or sleep, she could not be pacified, but melancholy, died.

In the same town another childe beyond the Rhine, saw a grave opened, & upon the sight of a carcase, was so troubled in minde, that she could not be comforted, but a little after departed, and was buried by it. Platerus observat. l. 1.

A Gentlewoman of the same city saw a fat hog cut up, when the intrals were opened, and a noysome savour offended her nose, she much misliked, and would not longer abide: a Physician in presence, told her, as that hog, so was she, ful of filthy excrements, and aggravated the matter by some other loathsome instances, in so much, this nice Gentlewoman apprehended it so deeply, that she fell forthwith a vomiting, was so mightily distempered in minde and boby, that with all his art and perswasions, for some months after, he could not restore her to her self again, she could not forget it, or remove the object out of her sight. Idem.

Many cannot endure to see a wound opened, but they are offended; a man executed, or labor of any fearful disease, as possession, Appolexies, one bewitched: or if they read by chance of some terrible thing, the symptomes alone of such a disease, or that which they dislike, they are instantly troubled in minde, agast, ready to apply it to themselves; they are as much disquieted, as if they had seen it: or were so affected themselves. Hecatas sibi videntur somniare, they dream & continually think of it.

As lamentable effects are caused by such terrible objects heard, read, or seen, auditus maximos motus in corpore facit, as Plutarch holds, no sense makes greater alteration of body and minde: sudden speech sometimes, unexpected news, be they good or bad, prævisa minus oratio, will move as much, animum obruere, & de sede suâ dejicere, as a Philosopher observes, will take away our sleep, and appetite, disturbe and quite overturn us.

Let them bear witnesse that have heard those Tragical alarums, outcryes, hideous noises, which are many times suddenly heard in the dead of the night by irruption of enemies and accidental fires, &c. those panick fears, which often drive men out of their wits, bereave them of sense, understanding and all, some for a time, some for their whole lives, they never recover it.