The Anatomy of Melancholy

If anyone wishes to attempt such a thing, says Lemnius, let him dispense with all those fraudulent trappings ordinarily used by exorcists: astrologically chosen times and places, outlandish costumes, bombast, grand words a foot and a half long, spells, crosses and magical signs. Let him follow Peter and John, who cured a lame man without any ostentatious, inflated language: In the name of Christ Jesus, rise and walk, Acts 3.

His name alone is the best and only charm against all such diabolical illusions: so Origen advises, and Chrysostom likewise: This will be your staff, your impregnable tower, your armour.

Perhaps many will await what we shall say to this, says St Augustine. Many will want my counsel and opinion on what should be done in this matter. I can say no more than that, with true faith which works through love, we should flee to God alone: let them flee to God alone for help.

Athanasius, in his book On Various Questions, prescribes as an immediately effective charm against devils the beginning of Psalm 67: Let God arise; let his enemies be scattered, and so on.

But the best remedy is to flee to God, call upon him, hope, pray, trust and rely on him, and commit ourselves wholly to him. For the practice of the early Church in this matter, and its method of casting out demons, read Wierus at length in book 5, in the section on treating those harmed by witches, chapter 38 and following.

Last of all: if the sufferer knows for certain that this malady arose from too much fasting, meditation, a life of strict religious observance, contemplation of God’s judgments—for the devil deceives many by such means; in that other extreme he ensnares melancholy itself—or from reading certain books and treatises, hearing severe preachers, and so on;

if he sees that it first began with some great loss, painful incident, disaster, the sight of others in a similar condition, or any such terrifying object, let him promptly remove the cause—a measure Navarrus strongly recommends for curing this disease: let him turn his thoughts away from what occasions his scruples;

by every counteracting means, skill and effort, let him relax his mind, and refresh and restore his distressed soul through wholesome recreation of every kind. Let him guide his thoughts, both by his own efforts and with his friends’ help.

Let him stop reading such tracts or subjects, hearing such frightening discourse and keeping such company. Above all, let him disclose his troubles and submit to the advice of good physicians and theologians. This is counteracting scruples, as Navarrus calls it. Let him listen to those whom the Lord has given the tongue of the learned, able to offer a word to the weary, whose words are like flagons of wine.