Trincavelius consil.14. lib.1. prefers those Porrectan baths before the rest, because of the mixture of brasse, iron, allome, and consil.35. l.3. for a melancholy Lawyer, and consil.36. in that hypocondrical passion, the Baths of Aquaria, and 36. consil. the drinking of them.

Frisimelica consulted among the rest in Trincavelius. consil.42. lib.2. preferres the waters of Apona before all artificiall baths whatsoever in this disease, and would have one nine years affected with Hypocondriall passions, flie to them, as to an holy anchor. Of the same minde is Trincavelius himself there, and yet both put a hot liver in the same party for a cause, and send him to the water of S. Helen, which are much hotter.

Montanus consil.230. magnifies the Chalderinian Baths, and consil.237. &239. he exhorteth to the same, but with this caution, that the liver be outwardly anointed with some coolers that it be not overheated. But these baths must be warily frequented by melancholy persons, or if used, to such as are very cold of themselves, for as Gabelius concludes of all Dutch Baths, and especially of those of Baden, they are good for all cold diseases, naught for cholerick, hot and dry, and all infirmities proceeding of choler, inflammations of the spleen and liver.

Our English Baths as they are hot must needs incur the same censure: But D. Turner of old and D. Iones have written at large of them. Of cold Baths I finde little or no mention in any Physician, some speak against them: Cardan alone out of Agathinus commends bathing in fresh rivers, and cold waters, and adviseth all such as mean to live long to use it, for it agrees with all ages and complexions, and is most profitable for hot temperatures.

As for sweating, urine, bloud-letting by hæmrods, or otherwise, I shall elsewhere more opportunely speak of them.

Immoderate Venus in excess, as it is a cause, or in defect; so moderately used to some parties an only help, a present remedy. Peter Forestus calls it, aptissimum remedium, a most apposite remedy, remitting anger, and reason, that was otherwise bound.

Avicenna Fen.3.20. Oribasius med. collect. lib.6. cap.37. contend out of Ruffus and others, that many mad-men, melancholy and labouring of the falling sickness, have been cured by this alone. Montaltus cap.27. de melan. will have it drive away sorrow, and all illusions of the brain, to purge the heart and brain from ill smoakes and vapours that offend them, and if it be omitted, as Valescus supposeth, it makes the minde sad, the body dull and heavy.

Many other inconveniences are reckoned up by Mercatus, and by Rodericus à Castro, in their tracts de melancholia virginum & monialium; ob seminis retentionem sæviunt sæpè moniales & virgines, but as Platerus addes, si nubant sanantur, they rave single, and pine away, much discontent, but marriage mends all.

Marcellus Donatus lib.2. med. hist. cap.1. tells a storie to confirm this out of Alexander Benedictus, of a maid that was mad, ob menses inhibitos, cum in officinam meritoriam incidisset, à quindecem viris eadem nocte compressa, mensium largo profluvio, quod pluribus annis ante constiterat, non sine magno pudore mane menti restituta discessit.

But this must be warily understood, for as Arnoldus objects, lib.1. breviar.18. cap. Quid coitus ad melancholicum succum? What affinity have these two? except it be manifest that superabundance of seed, or fulness of blood be a cause, or that love, or an extraordinary desire of Venus have gone before, or that as Lod. Mercatus excepts, they be very flatuous, and have been otherwise accustomed unto it.

Montaltus cap.27. will not allow of moderate Venus to such as have the Gout, Palsie, Epilepsie, Melancholy, except they be very lusty, and full of bloud. Lodovicus Antonius lib. med. miscel. in his chapter of Venus, forbids it utterly to all Wrestlers, Ditchers, labouring men, &c.

Ficinus and Marsilius Cognatus put Venus one of the five mortall enemies of a student: It consumes the spirits, and weakeneth the brain. Halyabbas the Arabian.5. Theor. cap.36. and Iason Pratensis make it the fountain of most diseases, but most pernicious to them who are cold and dry; a melancholy man must not meddle with it, but in some cases.

Plutarch in his book de san. tuend. accounts of it as one of the three principall signs and preservers of health, temperance in this kinde; To rise with an appetite, to be ready to work, and abstain from venery, tria saluberrima, are three most healthfull things.

We see their opposites how pernicious they are to mankinde, as to all other creatures they bring death, and many ferall diseases: Immodicis brevis est ætas & rara senectus. Aristotle gives instance in Sparrows, which are parùm vivaces ob salacitatem, short lived because of their salacity, which is very frequent, as Scopius in Priapiis will better inform you.

The extremes being both bad, the medium is to be kept, which cannot easily be determined. Some are better able to sustain, such as are hot and moist, phlegmatick, as Hippocrates insinuateth, some strong and lustie, well fed like Hercules, Proculus the Emperour, lusty Laurence, prostibulum fæminæ Messalina the Empress, that by Philters, and such kinde of lascivious meats, use all means to inable themselves:

and brag of it in the end, confodi multas enim, occidi vero paucas per ventrem vidisti, as that Spanish Celestina merrily said: others impotent, of a cold and dry constitution cannot sustain those gymnicks without great hurt done to their own bodies, of which number (though they be very prone to it) are melancholy men for the most part.