All which varietie is produced from the severall degrees of heat and cold, which Hercules de Saxonia will have wholy to proceed from the distemperature of spirits alone, animal especially, and those immateriall, the next and immediate causes of Melancholy as they are hot, cold, dry, moist, and from their agitation proceeds that diversity of Symptomes, which he reckons up, in the 13. chap. of his Tract of Melancholy, and that largely through every part.

Others will have them come from the divers adustion of the four humours, which in this unnatural melancholy, by corruption of bloud, adust choler, or melancholy natural, by excessive distemper of heat turned, in comparison of the naturall, into a sharp lye by force of adustion, cause according to the diversity of their matter, diverse and strange Symptomes, which T. Bright reckons up in his following chapter. So doth Arculanus, according to the four principall humors adust, and many others.

For example, if it proceed from fleagme, (which is seldome and not so frequent as the rest) it stirres up dull Symptomes, and a kinde of stupiditie, or impassionate hurt: they are sleepy, saith Savonarola, dull, slow, cold, blockish, ass-like, Asininam melancholiam, Melancthon calls it, they are much given to weeping, and delight in waters, ponds, pooles, rivers, fishing, fowling, &c. (Arnoldus breviar. 1. cap. 18.) They are pale of colour, slothfull, apt to sleep, heavie; much troubled with head-ach, continual meditation, and muttering to themselves;

they dream of waters, that they are in danger of drowning, and fear such things, Rhasis. They are fatter then others that are melancholy, of a muddy complexion, apter to spit, sleep, more troubled with rheume then the rest, and have their eyes still fixed on the ground. Such a patient had Hercules de Saxonia, a widow in Venice, that was fat and very sleepy still; Christophorus à Vega another affected in the same sort.

If it be inveterate or violent, the Symptomes are more evident, they plainly dote and are ridiculous to others, in all their gestures, actions, speeches: imagining impossibilities, as he in Christophorus à Vega, that thought he was a tun of Wine, and that Siennois, that resolved with himself not to pisse, for fear he should drown all the town.

If it proceed from bloud adust, or that there be a mixture of bloud in it, such are commonly ruddy of complexion, and high-coloured, according to Salust Salvianus, and Hercules de Saxonia. And as Savonarola, Vittorius Faventinus Emper. farther adde, the veins of their eyes be red, as well as their faces. They are much inclined to laughter, wittie and merry, conceited in discourse, pleasant, if they be not far gone, much given to musick, dancing, and to be in womens company.

They meditate wholly on such things, and think they see or hear playes, dancing, and such like sports (free from all fear and sorrow, as Hercules de Saxonia supposeth.) If they be more strongly possessed with this kinde of melancholy, Arnoldus addes, Breviar. lib. 1. cap. 18. Like him of Argos in the Poet, that sate laughing all day long, as if he had been at a Theatre.

Such another is mentioned by Aristotle, living at Abydos a towne of Asia minor, that would sit after the same fashion, as if he had been upon a stage, and sometimes act himself, now clap his hands, and laugh, as if he had been well pleased with the sight. Wolfius relates of a country fellow called Brunsellius, subject to this humour, That being by chance at a sermon, saw a woman fall off from a form half asleep, at which object most of the company laughed, but he for his part, was so much moved, that for three whole dayes after he did nothing but laugh, by which meanes he was much weakened, and worse a long time following.

Such a one was old Sophocles, and Democritus himself had hilare delirium, much in this vain. Laurentius cap. 3. de melan. thinks this kinde of melancholy, which is a little adust with some mixture of bloud, to be that which Aristotle meant, when he said Melancholy men of all other are most witty, which causeth many times a divine ravishment, & a kinde of Enthusiasmus, which stirreth them up to be excellent Philosophers, Poets, Prophets, &c. Mercurialis, consil. 110. gives instance in a young man his patient, sanguine melancholy, of a great wit, and excellently learned.

If it arise from choler adust, they are bold and impudent, and of a more hairebraine disposition, apt to quarrell and think of such things, battles, combats, and their manhood, furious, impatient in discourse, stiff, irrefragable and prodigious in their tenents, and if they be moved, most violent, outragious, ready to disgrace, provoke any, to kill themselves and others; Arnoldus addes, stark mad by fits, they sleep little, their urine is subtile and fiery. (Guianerius) In their fits you shall hear them speak all manner of languages, Hebrew, Greek and Latine, that never were taught or knew them before.

Apponensis in com. in Pro. sec. 30. speaks of a mad woman that spake excellent good Latine; and Rhasis knew another, that could prophesie in her fit, and foretell things truly to come. Guianerius had a patient could make Latine verses when the moon was combust, otherwise illiterate. Avicenna and some of his adherents will have these symptomes, when they happen, to proceed from the devill, and that they are rather dæmoniaci, possessed, then mad or melancholie, or both together, as Jason Pratensis thinkes, Immiscent se mali genii, &c.