holds) and as the Prophet David denounceth, "they that use it, shall never dwell in God's tabernacle." Such scurrile jests, flouts, and sarcasmes therefore, ought not at all to be used; especially to our betters, to those that are in misery, or any way distressed: for to such, ærumnarum incrementa sunt, they multiply grief, and as he perceived, In multis pudor, in multis iracundia, &c. many are ashamed, many vexed, angred, and there is no greater cause or furtherer of melancholy. Martin Cromerus, in the 6. book of his history, hath a pretty story to this purpose, of Uladislaus the second king of Poland, and Peter Dunnius, Earle of Shrine; they had been hunting late, and were enforced to lodge in a poor Cottage. When they went to bed, Uladislaus told the Earle in jest, that his wife lay softer with the Abbot of Shrine; he not able to contain, replied, Et tua cum Dabesso, and your's with Dabessus, a gallant young Gentleman in the Court, whom Christina the Queen loved. Tetigit id dictum Principis animum, these words of his so galled the Prince, that he was long after tristis & cogitabundus, very sad and melancholy for many months: but they were the Earl's utter undoing: for when Christina heard of it, she persecuted him to death. Sophia the Empresse, Justinian's wife, broke a bitter jest upon Narsetes the Eunuch, a famous Captain then disquieted for an overthrow which he lately had: that he was fitter for a distaffe and to keep women company, then to wield a sword, or to be General of an army but it cost her dear, for he so far distasted it, that he went forthwith to the adverse part, much troubled in his thoughts, caused the Lumbards to rebell, and thence procured many miseries to the Commonwealth. Tiberius the Emperor with-held a Legacy from the people of Rome, which his Predecessor Augustus had lately given, and perceiving a fellow round a dead corse in the care, would needs know wherefore he did so; the fellow replied, that he wished the departed Soul to signifie to Augustus, the commons of Rome were yet unpaid for this bitter jest the Emperor caused him forthwith to be slaine, and carry the news himselfe. For this reason, all those that otherwise approve of jests in some cases, and facete Companions, (as who doth not ?) let them laugh and be merrie, rumpantur & ilia Codro, 'tis laudable and fit, those yet will by no meanes admit them in their companies, that are any way inclined to this malady; non jocandum cum iis qui miseri sunt, & ærumnosi, no jesting with a discontented person, 'Tis Castilio's caveat, Jo. Pontanus, and "Galateus, and every good man's. Psal. 15.3. cap. 3. Balthasar Castilio lib. 2. de aulico. "Fol. 55. Galateus. De sermone lib. 4. Play Play with me, but hurt me not: Jest with me, but shame me not. Comitas is a vertue betwixt Rusticity and Scurrility, two extremes, as Affability is betwixt Flattery and Contention, it must not exceed; but be still acompanied with that* åßλabeia or innocency, quæ nemini nocet, omnem injuriæ oblationem abhorrens, hurts no man, abhors all offer of injury. Though a man be liable to such a jest, or obloquie, have been overseene, or committed a foule fact, yet it is no good manners or humanity, to upbraid, to hit him in the teeth with his offence, or to scoffe at such a one; 'tis an old axiome, turpis in reum omnis exprobratio. I speak not of such as generally taxe vice, Barclay, Gentilis, Erasmus, Agrippa, Fishcartus, &c. the Varronists and Lucians of our time, Satyrists, Epigrammatists, Comedians, Apologists, &c. but such as personate, rayle, scoffe, calumniate, perstringe by name, or in presence offend ; "Ludit qui stolidâ procacitate, Non est Sestius ille sed caballus ;" 'Tis horse-play this, and those jests (as he saith)" are no better than injuries," biting jests, mordentes & aculeati, they are poysoned jests, leave a sting behinde them, and ought not to be used. Set not thy foot to make the blinde to fall, If these rules could be kept, we should have much more ease and quietness then we have, lesse melancholy: whereas on the contrary, we study to misuse each other, how to sting and gaul, like two fighting bores, bending all our force and wit, friends, fortunes, to crucifie‡ one another's souls; by means of which, there is little content and charity, much virulency, hatred, malice, and disquietnesse among us. Tully Tusc. quest. + Mart. lib. 1. epig. 35. juriis non possint discerni. Galateus fo. 55. * Tales joci ab iny Pybrac in his Quadraint 37. Ego hujus misera fatuitate & dementia conflictor. Tull. ad Attic. li. 11. SUBSEC. SUBSECT. V. Loss of Liberty, Servitude, Imprisonment, how they cause Melancholy. T this Catalogue of causes, I may well annex loss of li berty, servitude, or imprisonment, which to some persons is as great a torture as any of the rest. Though they have all things convenient, sumptuous houses to their use, fair walkes and gardens, delicious bowers, galleries, good fare and diet, and all things correspondent: yet they are not content, because they are confined, may not come and go at their pleasure; have, and do what they will, but live alienda quadrá, at another man's table and command. As it is in meats so it is in all other things, places, societies, sports; let them be never so pleasant, commodious, wholesome, so good; yet omnium rerü est satietas, there is a loathing satiety of all things. The children of Israel were tired with Manna, it is irksome to them so to live, as to a bird in a cage, or a dog in his kennel, they are weary of it. They are happy, it is true, and have all things, to another man's judgment, that heart can wish, or that they themselves can desire, bona si sua nórint: yet they loath it, and are tired with the present: Est natura hominum novitatis avida; men's nature is still desirous of news, variety, delights; and our wandring affections are so irregular in this kinde, that they must change, though it be to the worst. Batchelors must be married, and married men would be Batchelors; they do not love their own wives, though otherwise fair, wise, vertuous, and well qualified, because they are theirs; our present estate is still the worst, we cannot endure one course of life long, & quod modò voverat, odit, one calling long, esse in honore juvat, mox displicet; one place long, Rome Tybur amo, ventosus Tybure Romam, that which we earnestly sought, we now contemn. Hoc quosdam agit ad mortem (saith Seneca) quòd proposita sæpe mutando in eadem revoluntur, & non relinquunt novitati locum: Fastidio capit esse vita, & ipsus mundus, & subit illud rapidissimarum deliciarum, Quousque eudem? this alone kils many a man, that they are tied to the same still, as a horse in a mill, a dog in a wheele, they run round, without alteration or news, their life groweth odious, the world loathsome, and that which crosseth their furious delights, What? still the same? Marcus Aurelius and Solomon, that had experience of all worldly delights and b a y Miserum est alicna vivere quadra. Juv. 2 Crambæ bis coctæ. me reddepriori. De tranquil. animæ. * Hor. Vitæ plea pleasure, confessed as much of themselves; what they most desired, was tedious at last, and that their lust could never be satisfied, all was vanity and affliction of minde. с d Now if it be death it self, another Hell, to be glutted with one kind of sport, dieted with one dish, tied to one place; though they have all things otherwise as they can desire, and are in Heaven to another man's opinion, what misery and discontent shall they have, that live in slavery, or in prison itself? Quod tristius morte, in servitute vivendu, as Hermolaus told Alexander in Curtius, worse then death is bondage: hoc animo scito omnes fortes, ut mortem servituti anteponant, All brave men at arms (Tully holdes) are so affected. Equidem ego is sum, qui servitutem extremum omnium maloru esse arbitror: I am he (saith Boterus) that accompt servitude the extremity of misery. And what calamity do they endure, that live with those hard task-masters, in gold mines, (like those 30000 + Indian slaves at Potosa in Peru) tin-mines, lead mines, stonequarries, cole-pits, like so many mouldwarps under ground, condemned to the gallies, to perpetuall drudgery, hunger, thirst, and stripes, without all hope of delivery? How are those women in Turkie affected, that most part of the year come not abroad; those Italian and Spanish Dames, that are mewed up like Hawks, and lockt up by their jealous husbands? how tedious is it to them that live in Stoves and Caves half a year together? as in Iseland, Muscovy, or under the Pole itself, where they have six moneths perpetuall night. Nay, what misery and discontent do they endure, that are in prison? They want all those six non natural things at once, good ayr, good dyet, exercise, company, sleep, rest, ease, &c. that are bound in chains all day long, suffer hunger, and (as Lucian describes it)" must abide that filthy stink, and ratling of chains, howlings, pitiful out-cryes, that prisoners usually make: these things are not only troublesome, but intolerable." They lie nastily amongst toads and frogs in a dark dungeon, in their own dung, in pain of body, in pain of soul, as Joseph did, Psal. 105. 18. "They hurt his feet in the stocks, the iron entered his soul. They live solitary, alone, sequestered from all company but heart-eating melancholy; and for want of meat, must eat that bread of affliction, prey upon themselves. Well might Arculanus put long imprisonment for a cause, especially to such as have lived jovially, in all sensuality and lust, upon a Lib S. f *Tullius Lepido Fam. 10. 27. d Boterus 1. 1. polit. cap. 4. + Laet. descrip. America. If there be any inhabitants. f In Taxari. Interdiu quidem collum vinctum est, & manus constricta, noctu verò totum corpus vincitur, ad has miserias accidit corporis fætor, strepitus ejulantium, somni brevitas, hæc omnia planè inolesta & intolerabilia, • In 9 Rhasis. sudden sudden are estranged and debarred from all manner of pleasures: as were Huniades, Edward, and Richard the second, Valerian the Emperour, Bajazet the Turk. If it be irksome to miss our ordinary companions and repast for once a day, or an hour, what shal it be to lose them for ever? If it be so great a delight to live at liberty, and to enjoy that variety of objects the world affords; what misery and discontent must it needs bring to him, that shal now be cast headlong into that Spanish Inquisition, to fall from Heaven to Hel, to be cubbed up upon a sudden, how shall he be perplexed, what shall become of him? Robert Duke of Normandy, being imprisoned by his youngest brother Henry the first, ab illo die inconsolabili dolore in careere contabuit, saith Matthew Paris: from that day forward pined away with grief. † Jugurth that generous Captain, "brought to Rome in triumph, and after imprisoned, through anguish of his soul, and melancholy, dyed." Roger, Bishop of Salisbury, the second man from King Stephen, (he that built that famous Castle of Devices in Wiltshire) was so tortured in prison with hunger, and all those calamities accompanying such men, ut vivere noluerit, mori nescierit, he would not live, and could not die, betwixt fear of death, and torments of life. Francis King of France was taken prisoner by Charls the fifth, ad mortem ferè melancholicus, saith Guicciardine, melancholy almost to death, and that in an instant. But this is as clear as the Sun, and needs no further illustration. k SUBSECT. VI. Poverty and Want, Causes of Melancholy. POVER OVERTY and want are so violent oppugners, so unwelcome guests, so much abhorred of all men, that I may not omit to speak of them apart. Poverty, although (if con sidered aright, to a wise, understanding, truly regenerate, and contented man) it be donum Dei, a blessed estate, the way to Heaven, as "Chrysostome cals it, God's gift, the mother of modesty, and much to be preferred before riches (as shall be shewed in his " place) yet as it is esteeined in the world's censure, it is a most odious calling, vile and base, a severe torture, summum scelus, a most intolerable burthen; we shun it all, William the Conqueror's eldest son. Salust. Romam triumpho ductus tandemq; in carcerem conjectus, animi dolore periit. miserum senem ita fame & calamitatibus in carcere fregit, inter mortis metum, & vitæ tormenta, &c * Vies hodie. Part. 2. Sect. 3. Memb. 3. formidamus. Plut. Seneca. m Com. ad Hebræos. Quem ut dificilem morbum pueris tradere cane |