Humorous they are beyond all measure, sometimes profusely laughing, extraordinary merry, and then again weeping without a cause, (which is familiar with many Gentlewomen) groaning, sighing, pensive, sad, almost distracted, multa absurda fingunt, & à ratione aliena (saith Frambesarius) they feign many absurdities, vain, void of reason: one supposeth himself to be a Dog, Cock, Bear, Horse, Glasse, Butter, &c. He is a Giant, a Dwarf, as strong as an hundred men, a Lord, Duke, Prince, &c.

And if he be told he hath a stinking breath, a great nose, that he is sick, or inclined to such or such a disease, he beleeves it eftsoons, and peradventure by force of imagination, will work it out. Many of them are immoveable, and fixed in their conceipts, others vary upon every object, heard or seen. If they see a stage-play, they run upon that a week after; if they hear Musick, or see dancing, they have naught but bag-pipes in their brain; if they see a combat, they are all for armes.

If abused, an abuse troubles them long after; if crossed, that cross, &c. Restlesse in their thoughts and actions, continually meditating, Velut ægri somnia, vanæ finguntur species; More like dreames, then men awake, they fain a company of Antick, phantasticall conceipts, they have most frivolous thoughts, impossible to be effected; and sometimes think verily they hear and see present before their eyes such phantasms or goblins, they fear, suspect, or conceive, they still talk with, and follow them.

In fine, cogitationes somniantibus similes, id vigilant, quod alii somniant cogitabundi; Still, saith Avicenna, they wake, as others dreame, and such for the most part are their imaginations and conceipts, absurd, vain, foolish toies, yet they are most curious and sollicitous, continual, & supra modum, Rhasis cont. lib. 1. cap. 9. præmeditantur de aliqua re. As serious in a toy, as if it were a most necessary businesse, of great moment, importance, and still, still, still thinking of it: sæviunt in se, macerating themselves.

Though they do talk with you, and seem to be otherwise employed, and to your thinking very intent and busie, still that toy runs in their minde, that fear, that suspicion, that abuse, that jealousie, that agony, that vexation, that crosse, that castle in the ayr, that crochet, that whimsie, that fiction, that pleasant waking dream whatsoever it is. Nec interrogant (saith Fracastorius) nec interrogatis rectè respondent,

They do not much heed what you say, their minde is on another matter; ask what you will, they do not attend, or much intend that business they are about, but forget themselves what they are saying, doing, or should otherwise say or do, whither they are going, distracted with their own melancholy thoughts. One laughs upon a sudden, another smiles to himself, a third frownes, calls, his lips go still, he acts with his hand, as he walks, &c.

’Tis proper to all melancholy men, saith Mercurialis, con. 11. What conceit they have once entertained, to be most intent, violent, and continually about it. Invitis occurrit, do what they may, they cannot be rid of it, against their wills they must think of it a thousand times over, Perpetuò molestantur, nec oblivisci possunt, they are continually troubled with it, in company, out of company; at meat, at exercise, at all times and places,

non desinunt ea, quæ minime volunt, cogitare, if it be offensive especially, they cannot forget it, they may not rest or sleep for it, but still tormenting themselves, Sysiphi saxum volvunt sibi ipsis, as Brunner observes, Perpetua calamitas & miserabile flagellum.

Crato, Laurentius, & Fernelius, put bashfulness for an ordinary Symptome, subrusticus pudor, or vitiosus pudor, is a thing which much haunts & torments them. If they have been misused, derided, disgraced, chidden, &c. or by any perturbation of minde misaffected, it so far troubles them, that they become quite moped many times, and so disheartned, dejected, they dare not come abroad, into strange companies especially, or manage their ordinary affairs, so childish, timorous and bashfull, they can look no man in the face; some are more disquieted in this kinde, some less, longer some, others shorter, by fits, &c. though some on the other side (according to Fracastorius) be inverecundi & pertinaces, impudent and peevish.

But most part they are very shamefac’d, and that makes them with Pet. Blesensis, Christopher Urswick, & many such, to refuse honours, offices and preferments, which sometimes fall into their mouths, they cannot speak, or put forth themselves as others can, timor hos, pudor impedit illos, timorousness & bashfulness hinder their proceedings, they are contented with their present estate, unwilling to undertake any office, and therefore never likely to rise.

For that cause they seldom visit their friends, except some familiars: pauciloqui, of few words, and oftentimes wholly silent. Frambesarius a Frenchman had two such patients, omnino taciturnos, their friends could not get them to speak: Rodericus à Fonseca consult. Tom. 2. 85. consil. gives instance in a young man, of 27 years of age, that was frequently silent, bashfull, moped, solitary, that would not eat his meat, or sleep, and yet again by fits, apt to be angry, &c.

Most part they are, as Plater notes, desides, taciturni, ægrè impulsi, nec nisi coacti procedunt, &c. they will scarce be compelled to do that which concerns them, though it be for their good, so diffident, so dull, of small or no complement, unsociable, hard to be acquainted with, especially of strangers; they had rather write their minds, then speak, and above all things love Solitariness. Ob voluptatem, an ob timorem soli sunt? Are they so solitary for pleasure (one asks) or pain? for both: yet I rather think for fear and sorrow, &c.

Hinc metuunt, cupiuntque, dolent, fugiuntque, nec auras Respiciunt clausi tenebris, & carcere cæco.