I may not deny but that there is some folly approved, a divine furie, a holy madnesse, even a spiritual drunkennesse in the Saints of God themselves; Sanctam insaniam Bernard cals it (though not as blaspheming Vorstius, would infer it as a passion incident to God himself, but) familiar to good men, as that of Paul, 2 Cor. he was a fool, &c. and Rom. 9. he wisheth himself to be anathematized for them.

Such is that drunkennesse which Ficinus speaks of, when the soul is elevated and ravished with a divine tast of that heavenly Nectar, which poets deciphered by the sacrifice of Dionysius, and in this sense with the Poet insanire lubet, as Austin exhorts us, ad ebrietatem se quisque paret, let’s all be mad and drunk. But we commonly mistake, and go beyond our commission, we reel to the opposite part, we are not capable of it,

and as he said of the Greeks, Vos Græci semper pueri, vos Britanni, Galli, Germani, Itali, &c. you are a company of fools.

Proceed now à partibus ad totum, or from the whole to parts, and you shall finde no other issue, the parts shall be sufficiently dilated in this following Preface. The whole must needs follow by a Sorites or induction. Every multitude is mad, bellua multorum capitum, precipitate and rash without judgement, stultum animal, a roaring rout. Roger Bacon proves it out of Aristotle, Vulgus dividi in oppositum contra sapientes, quod vulgo videtur verum, falsum est; that which the commonalty accounts true, is most part false, they are still opposite to wise men,

but all the world is of this humor (vulgus) and thou thy self art de vulgo, one of the Commonalty; and he, and he, and so are all the rest; and therefore, as Phocion concludes, to be approved in nought you say or do, meer idiots and asses. Begin then where you will, go backward or forward, choose out of the whole pack, wink and choose, you shall finde them all alike, never a barrell better herring.

Copernicus, Atlas his successor, is of opinion, the earth is a planet, moves and shines to others, as the Moon doth to us. Digges, Gilbert, Keplerus, Origanus, and others, defend this hypothesis of his in sober sadnesse, and that the Moon is inhabited: if it be so that the Earth is a Moon, then are we also giddy, vertigenous and lunatick within this sublunary Maze.

I could produce such arguments till dark night: If you should hear the rest, Ante diem clauso componet vesper Olympo: but according to my promise, I will descend to particulars.

'This melancholy extends it self not to men only, but even to vegetals and sensibles. I speak not of those creatures which are Saturnine, melancholy by nature, as Lead, and such like Minerals, or those Plants, Rue, Cypresse, &c. and Hellebor it self, of which Agrippa treats, Fishes, Birds, and Beasts, Hares, Conies, Dormice, &c. Owls, Bats, Nightbirds, but that artificial, which is perceived in them all. Remove a plant, it will pine away, which is especially perceived in Date trees, as you may reade at large in Constantines husbandry, that antipathy betwixt the Vine and the Cabbage, Vine and Oyl.

'Put a bird in a cage, he wil dye for sullennesse, or a beast in a pen, or take his yong ones or companions from him, and see what effect it wil cause. But who perceivs not these common passions of sensible creatures, fear, sorrow, &c. Of all other, dogs are most subject to this maladie, in so much some hold they dream as men do, and through violence of melancholy, run mad; I could relate many stories of dogs, that have dyed for grief, and pined away for loss of their Masters, but they are common in every Author.

Kingdoms, Provinces, and politick bodies are likewise sensible and subject to this disease, as Boterus in his politicks hath proved at large. As in humane bodies (saith he) there be divers alterations proceeding from humors, so there be many diseases in a common-wealth, which do as diversly happen from several distempers, as you may easily perceive by their particular symptomes.

For where you shall see the people civil, obedient to God and Princes, judicious, peaceable and quiet, rich, fortunate, and flourish, to live in peace, in unity and concord, a Country well tilled, many fair built and populous Cities, ubi incolæ nitent, as old Cato said, the people are neat, polite and terse, ubi bene, beateque vivunt, which our Politicians make the chief end of a Common-wealth;

and which Aristotle Polit. lib. 3. cap. 4. calls Commune bonum, Polybius lib. 6. optabilem & selectum statum, That countrey is free from melancholy. As it was in Italy in the time of Augustus, now in China, now in many other flourishing kingdoms of Europe.

But whereas you shall see many discontents, common grievances, complaints, poverty, barbarism, beggery, plagues, wars, rebellions, seditions, mutinies, contentions, idlenesse, riot, epicurism, the land ly untilled, waste, full of bogs, fens, desarts, &c. cities decayed, base and poor towns, villages depopulated, the people squalid, ougly, uncivil; that kingdom, that country, must needs be discontent, melancholy, hath a sick body, and had need to be reformed.

Now that cannot well be effected, till the causes of these maladies be first removed, which commonly proceed from their own default, or some accidental inconvenience: as to be site in a bad clime, too far North, steril, in a barren place, as the desart of Lybia, desarts of Arabia, places void of waters, as those of Lop and Belgian in Asia, or in a bad ayr, as at Alexandretta, Bantam, Pisa, Durazzo, S. Iohn de Vllua, &c.

or in danger of the seas continual inundations, as in many places of the Low-countries and elsewhere, or neer some bad neighbors, as Hungarians to Turks, Podolians to Tartars, or almost any bordering countries, they live in fear still, and by reason of hostile incursions are oftentimes left desolate.