Ronseus epist. miscel.3. reports of a Gentlewoman 25. years old; that falling foule with one of her Gossips, was upbraided with a secret infirmity, (no matter what) in publike and so much grieved with it, that shee did thereupon solitudines quærere, omnes ab se ablegare, ac tandem in gravissimam incidens melancholiam, contabescere, forsake all company, quite moped, and in a melancholy humor pine away.

Others are as much tortured to see themselve rejected, contemned, scorned, disabled, dis-famed, detracted, undervalued, or left behind their fellow’s. Lucian brings in Ætamacles a Philosopher in his Lapith.convivio, much discontented that he was not invited amongst the rest, expostulating the matter, in a long Epistle with Aristenetus their Host.

Prætextatus a robed Gentleman in Plutarch, would not sit down at a Feast, because he might not sit highest, but went his wayes all in a chafe. We see the common quarrellings that are ordinary with us, for taking of the wall, precedency, and the like, which though toyes in themselves, and things of no moment, yet they cause many distempers, much heart-burning amongst us.

Nothing pierceth deeper then a contempt or disgrace, especially if they be generous spirits, scarce anything affects them more, then to be despised or vilified. Crato consil.16.l.2. exemplifies it, and common experience confirmes it.

Of the same nature is oppression, Ecclus,77. surely oppression makes a man mad, loss of liberty, which made Brutus venture his life, Cato kill himself, & Tully complain, Omnem hilaritatem in perpetuum amisi, mine heart’s broken, I shall never look up, or be merry again, hæc jactura intolerabilis, to some parties ’tis a most intolerable loss.

Banishment a great misery, as Tyrteus describes it in an Epigram of his,

Nam miserum est patriâ amissa, laribusque vagari Mendicum, & timidâ voce rogare cibos: Omnibus invisus, quocunque accesserit exul Semper erit, semper spretus egensque jacet, &c.

A miserable thing ’tis so to wander, And like a begger for to whine at door, Contemn’d of all the world, an exile is, Hated, rejected, needy still and poor.

Polynices in his conference with Iocasta in Euripides, reckons up five miseries of a banished man, the least of which alone, were enough to deject some pusillanimous creatures. Oftentimes a too great feeling of our own infirmities or imperfections of body or minde, will rivel us up: as if we be long sick:

O beata sanitas, te præsente, amœnum Ver florit gratiis, absque te nemo beatus:

O blessed health! thou art above all gold and treasure, Ecclus.30.15. the poor mans riches, the rich mans bliss, without thee there can be no happiness: Or visited with some loathsome disease, offensive to others, or troublesome to our selves: as a stinking breath, deformity of our limbs, crookedness, loss of an eye, leg, hand, paleness, leanness, redness, baldness, loss or want of hair, &c.

hic ubi fluere cœpit, diros ictus cordi infert, saith Synesius, he himself troubled not a little ob comæ defectum, the loss of hair alone, strikes a cruel stroke to the heart. Acco an old woman, seeing by chance her face in a true glass (for she used false flattering glasses belike at other times, as most Gentlewomen do) animi dolore in insaniam delapsa est, (Cælius Rhodiginus l.17.c.2.) ran mad.

Brotheus the son of Vulcan, because he was ridiculous for his imperfections, flung himself into the fire. Lais of Corinth now grown old, gave up her glass to Venus, for she could not abide to look upon it. Qualis sum nolo, qualis eram nequeo. Generally to fair nice peeces, old age and foul linen are two most odious things, a torment of torments, they may not abide the thought of it.

—— ô deorum Quisquis hæc audis, utinam inter errem Nuda leones, Antequam turpis macies decentes Occupet malas, teneræque succus Defluat prædæ, speciosa quæro pascere tygres

To be foul, ugly, and deformed, much better be buried alive. Some are fair but barren, and that gaules them. Hannah wept sore, did not eat, and was troubled in spirit, and all for her barrenness, 1.Sam.1. and Gen.30. Rachel said in the anguish of her soul, give me a child, or I shall die: another hath too many: one was never married, and that’s his hell, another is, and that’s his plague.

Some are troubled in that they are obscure; others by being traduced, slandered, abused, disgraced, vilified, or any way injured: minimè miror eos (as he said) qui insanire occipiunt ex injuriâ, I marvel not at all if offences make men mad. Seventeen particular causes of anger and offence Aristotle reckons them up, which for brevities sake I must omit.

No tydings troubles one; ill reports, rumors, bad tydings or news, hard hap, ill success, cast in a sute, vain hopes, or hope deferred, another: expectation, adeo omnibus in rebus molesta semper est expectatio, as Polibius observes; one is too too eminent, another too base borne, and that alone tortures him as much as the rest: one is out of action, company, imployment; another overcome and tormented with worldly cares, and onerous business. But what tongue can suffice to speak of all?

Many men catch this malady by eating certain meats, hearbs, roots, at unawares; as henbane, nightshade, cicuta, mandrakes, &c. A company of young men at Agrigentum in Sicily, came into a Taverne; where they had freely taken their liquor, whether it were the wine it self, or something mixt with it ’tis not yet known,

but upon a sudden they began to be so troubled in their brains, that their phantasie so crased, that they thought they were in a ship at sea, and now ready to be cast away by reason of a tempest. Wherefore to avoid shipwrack and present drowning, they flung all the goods in the house out at the windowes into the street, or into the sea, as they supposed;

thus they continued mad a pretty season, and being brought before the Magistrate to give an account of this their fact, they told him (not yet recovered of their madness) that what was done they did for fear of death, and to avoid eminent danger:

the spectators were all amazed at this their stupidity and gazed on them still, whilst one of the ancientest of the company, in a grave tone excused himself to the Magistrate upon his knees, O viri Tritones, ego in imo jacui, I beseech your deities, &c. for I was in the bottom of the ship all the while:

another besought them as so many sea Gods, to be good unto them, and if ever he and his fellows came to land again; he would build an Altar to their service. The Magistrate could not sufficiently laugh at this their madness, bid them sleep it out, and so went his wayes. Many such accidents frequently happen, upon these unknown occasions.

Some are so caused by philters, wandring in the sun, biting of a mad dog, a blow on the head, stinging with that kind of Spider called Tarantula, an ordinary thing if we may believe Skenck.l.6.de Venenis, in Calabria and Apulia in Italy, Cardan.subtil.l.9. Scaliger exercitat.185. Their Symptomes are merrily described by Jovianus Pontanus Ant.dial. how they dance altogether, & are cured by Musick.

Cardan speaks, of certain stones, if they be carried about one, which will cause melancholy and madness, he cals them unhappy, as an Adamant, Selenites, &c. which dry up the body, increase cares, diminish sleep: Ctesias in Persicis, makes mention of a Well in those parts, of which if any man drink, he is mad for 24. houres.

Some lose their wits by terrible objects (as elsewhere I have more copiously dilated) and life it self many times, as Hippolitus affrighted by Neptune’s sea-horses, Athamas by Juno’s Furies: but these relations are common in all Writers.

Hic alias poteram, & plures subnectere causas, Sed jumenta vocant, & Sol inclinat, Eundum est.

Many such causes, much more could I say, But that for provender my cattle stay: The sun declines, and I must needs away.

These causes if they be considered, and come alone, I do easily yield, can do little of themselves, seldome, or apart (an old oke is not felled at a blow) though many times they are all sufficient every one:

yet if they concurre, as often they do, vis unita fortior; Et quæ non obsunt singula, multa nocent, they may batter a strong constitution; as Austin said, many grains and small sands sink a ship, many small drops make a floud, &c. often reiterated; many dispositions produce an habit.