is the Eye. And therefore he that hath a cleer Eye, though he be otherwise deformed, by often looking upon him, will make one mad, and tye him fast to him by the eye." Leonard. Varius lib. 1. cap. 2. de fascinat. telleth us, that by this interview, the purer spirits are infected," the one Eye pierceth through the other with his rays, which he sends forth, and many men have those excellent piercing eys, that, which Suetonius relates of Augustus, their brightness is such, they compel their spectators to look off, and can no more endure them then the Sun beams. d Barradius lib. 6. cap. 10. de Harmonia Evangel. reports as much of our Saviour Christ, and Peter Morales of the Virgin Mary, whom Nicephorus describes likewise to have been yellow-hair'd, of a wheat colour, but of a most amiable and piercing eye. The rays, as some think, sent from the eys, carry certain spiritual vapours with them, and so infect the other party, and that in a moment. I know, they that hold visio fit intra mittendo, will make a doubt of this; but Ficinus proves it from blear-eys. "That by sight alone, make others blear eyed: and it is more then manifest, that the vapour of the corrupt blood doth get in together with the rays, and so by the contagion, the spectators eys are infected. Other arguments there are of a Basilisk, that kills afar off by sight, as that Ephesian did of whom & Philostratus speaks, of so pernitious an eye, he poysoned all he looked steddily on and that other argument, menstruæ fœminæ, 'out of Aristotle's Problems, morbosa Capivaccias adds, and * Septalius the Commentator, that contaminate a lookingglass with beholding it. "So the beams that come from the agent's heart, by the eys infect the spirits about the patients, inwardly wound, and thence the spirits infect the blood." To this effect she complained in Apuleius, "Thou art the cause of my grief, thy eys, piercing through mine eys to mine inner 'parts, have set my bowels on fire, and therefore pitty me that am now ready to dye for thy sake." Ficinus illustrates this with a familiar example of that Marrhusian Phædrus and Theban Lycias, "Lycias he stares on Phædrus face, and Phædrus d Lib. de h Sic radius < Spiritus puriores fascinantur, oculus à se radios emitit, &c. pulch. Jes. et Mar. Lib. 2. c. 23. colore triticum referente, crine, flava, acribus oculis. Lippi solo intuitu alios lippos faciunt, & patet una cum radio vaporem corrupti sanguinis emanare, cujus contagione oculus spectantis inficitur. 8 Vita Apollon. *Comment in Aristot. Probl. à corde percutientis missus, regimen proprium repetit, cor vulnerat, per oculos & sanguinem inficit & spiritus, subtili quadam vi. Castil. lib. 3. de aulico. i Lib. 10. Causa omnis & origo omnis præ sentis doloris tute es; Isti enim tui oculi, per meos oculos ad intima delapsi præcordia, acerrimum meis medullis commovent incendium; ergo miserere tui causa pereuntis. * Lycias in Ph dri vultum inhiat, Phædrus in oculos Lycia scintillas suorum defigit oculorum; cumq; scintillis, &c. Sequitur Phædrus Lyciam, quia cor suum petit spiritum; Phædrum Lycias, quia spiritus propriam sedem postulat. Verum Lycias, &c. fastens fastens the balls of his eys upon Lycias, and with those sparkling rays sends out his spirits. The beams of Phædrus' eys are easily mingled with the beams of Lycias, and spirits are joyned to spirits. This vapour begot in Phædrus' heart, enters into Lycias' bowels: and that which is a greater wonder, Phædrus' blood is in Lycias' heart, and thence come those ordinary lovespeeches, my sweet heart Phædrus, and mine own self, my dear bowels. And Phædrus again to Lycias, O my light, my joy, my soul, my life. Phædrus follows Lycias, because his heart would have his spirits, and Lycias follows Phædrus, because he loves the seat of his spirits; both follow; but Lycias the earnester of the two: the river hath more need of the fountain, then the fountain of the river; as iron is drawn to that which is touched with a loadstone, but draws not it again: so Lycias draws Phædrus." But how comes it to pass then, that the blind man loves, that never saw? We read, in the Lives of the Fathers, a story of a child that was brought up in the wilderness, from his infancy, by an old Hermite: now come to man's estate, he saw by chance two comely women wandring in the woods: he asked the old man what creatures they were, he told him Fayries; after a while talking obitèr, the Hermite demanded of him, which was the pleasantest sight that ever he saw in his life? he readily replied, the two Fayries he spied in the wilderness. So that, without doubt, there is some secret loadstone in a beautiful woman, a magnetique power, a natural inbred affection, which moves our concupiscence, and as he sings, * Methinks I have a mistress yet to come, And still I seek, I love, I know not whom. 'Tis true indeed of natural and chaste love, but not of this Heroical passion, or rather brutish burning lust of which we treat; we speak of wandring, wanton, adulterous eys, which, as he saith, "lie still in wait as so many souldiers, and when they spy an innocent spectator fixed on them, shoot him through, and presently bewitch him: especially when they shall gaze and glote, as wanton lovers do one upon another, and with a pleasant eye-conflict participate each others souls." Hence you may perceive how easily and how quickly we may be taken in love; since at the twinkling of an Eye, Phædrus' spirits may so pernitiously infect Lycias' blood. Neither is it any wonder, if we but consider how many other diseases תו Dæmonia inquit quæ in hoc Eremo nuper occurrebant. Castilio de aulico, 1. 3. fol. 228. Oculi ut milites in insidiis semper recubant, et subito ad vi sum sagittas emittunt, &c. Nec mirum si reliquos morbos qui ex contagione nascuntur consideremus, pestem, pruritum, scabiem, &c. closely closely, and as suddainly are caught by infection, Plague, Itch, Scabs, Flux," &c. The spirits taken in, will not let him rest that hath received them, but egg him on. "Idque petit corpus mens unde est saucia amore;" and we may manifestly perceive a strange eduction of spirits, by such as bleed at nose after they be dead, at the presence of the murderer; but read more of this in Lemnius lib. 2. de occult. nat. mir. cap. 7. Valleriola lib. 2. observ. cap. 7. Valesius controv. Ficinus, Cardan, Libavius de cruentis cadaveribus, &c. Artificial allurements of love, causes and provocations te lust; Gestures, Cloaths, Dowre, &c. ATURAL beauty is a stronger loadstone of it self, as you have heard, a great temptation, and pierceth to the very heart; forma verecundæ nocuit mihi visa puellæ; but much more when those artificial inticements and provocations of Gestures, Cloaths, Jewels, Pigments, Exornations, shall be annexed unto it; those other circumstances, opportunity of time and place shall concur, which of themselves alone were all sufficient, each one in particular to produce this effect. It is a question much controverted by some wise men, forma debeat plus arti an nature? Whether natural or artificial objects be more powerful? but not decided: for my part I am of opinion, that though beauty it self be a great motive, and give an excellent lustre in sordibus, in beggery, as a Jewel on a dunghil will shine and cast his rays, it cannot be suppressed, which Heliodorus fains of Chariclia, though she were in begger's weeds: yet as it is used, artificial is of more force, and much to be preferred. • Lucretius. "Sic dentata sibi videtur Ægle, So toothless Ægle seems a pretty one, Her self admires, now finer then cherry. In beauty, that of favor is preferred before that of colours, and decent motion is more then that of favor, Bacon's Essaies. * Martialis. - VOL. II. R John John Lerius the Burgundian cap. 8. hist. navigat. in Brasil. is altogether on my side. For whereas (saith he) at our coming to Brasil, we found both men and women naked as they were born, without any covering, so much as of their privities, and could not be perswaded, by our Frenchmen that lived a year with them, to wear any," Many will think that our so long commerce with naked women, must needs be a great provocation to lust;" but he concludes otherwise, that their nakedness did much less entice them to lasciviousness, then our women's cloaths. "And I dare boldly affirm (saith he) that those glittering attires, counterfeit colors, headgears, curled hairs, plaited coats, cloaks, gowns, costly stomachers, guarded and loose garments, and all those other coutrements, wherewith our country-women counterfeit a beauty, and so curiously set out themselves, cause more inconvenience in this kind, then that Barbarian homeliness, although they be no whit inferior unto them in beauty. I could evince the truth of this by many other arguments, but I appeal (saith he) to my companions at that present, which were all of the same mind." His country-man, Montague, in his Essayes, is of the same opinion, and so are many others; out of whose assertions thus much in brief we may conclude, that Beauty is more behold ing to Art then Nature, and stronger provocations proceed from outward ornaments, then such as nature hath provided. It is true that those fair sparkling eys, white neck, coral lips, turgent Paps, Rose-coloured cheeks, &c. of themselves are potent enticers; but when a comely, artificial, well-composed look, pleasing gesture, an affected carriage shall be added, it must needs be far more forcible then it was, when those curious needle-works, variety of colours, purest dyes, Jewels, spangles, pendants, lawn, lace, tiffanies, fair and fine linnen, embroideries, calamistrations, oyntments, &c. shall be added, they will make the veriest dowdy otherwise, a Goddess, when nature shall be furthered by Art. For it is not the eye of it self that entiseth to lust, but an "adulterous eye,' " as Peter terms it, 2. 2. 14. a wanton, a rolling, lascivious eye: A wandring eye, which Isaiah taxeth, 3.16. Christ himself, and the Virgin Mary, had most beautiful eys, as amiable eys as any persons, saith Baradius, that ever lived, but withall so modest, so chaste, that whosoever looked on them, was freed from that passion of burning lust, if we may believe Gerson Multi tacit è opinantur commercium illud adeo frequens cum Barbaris nudis, ac presertim cum fœminis, ad libidinem provocare, at minus multò noxi illorum nuditas quam nostrarum fœminarum cultus. Ausim asseverare splendidum illum cultum, fucos, &c. a Harmo. evangel. lib. 6. cap. 6. de concep. virg. Physiognomia virginis omnes movet ad castitatem. **Serm. and and Bonaventure: there was no such Antidote against it, as the Virgin Marie's face; 'tis not the eye, but carriage of it, as they use it, that causeth such effects. When Pallas, Juno, Venus, were to win Paris favour for the golden apple, as it is elegantly described in that pleasant euterlude of *Apuleius, Juno came with majesty upon the stage, Minerva gravity, but Venus, dulce subridens, constitit amænè; & gratissime Gratie deam propitiantes, &c. came in smiling with her gratious graces and exquisite musick, as if she had danced, & nonnunquam saltare solis oculis, and which was the main matter of all, she danced with her rolling eys: they were the Brokers and Harbingers of her sute. So she makes her brags in a modern Poet, + Soon could I make my brow to tyrannize, And force the world do homage to mine eys. The eye is a secret Orator, the first bawde, Amoris porta, and with private looks, winking, glances and smiles, as so many dialogues they make up the match many times, and understand one another's meanings, before they come to speak a word. 'Eurialus and Lucretia were so mutually enamored by the eye, and prepared to give each other entertainment, before ever they had conference: he asked her good will with his eye; she did suffragari, and gave consent with a pleasant look. That Thracian Rodophe was so excellent at this dumb Rhetorick, "that if she had but looked upon any one almost (saith Calisiris) she would have bewitched him, and he could not possibly escape it." For as Salvianus observes, "the eys are the windows of our souls, by which as so many channels, all dishonest concupiscence gets into our hearts." They reveal our thoughts, and as they say, frons animi index, but the eye of the countenance, "Quid procacibus intuere ocellis?" &c. I may say the same of smiling, gait, nakedness of parts, plausible gestures, &c. To laugh is the proper passion of a man, an ordinary thing to smile; but those counterfeit, composed, affected, artificial and reciprocal, those counter-smiles are the dumb shews and prognosticks of greater matters, which they most part use, to inveagle and deceive; though many fond 3. sent. d. 3. q. 3. mirum, virgo formosissima, sed à nemine concupita. * Met. 10. +Rosamond's complaint, by Sam. Daniel. Æneas Silv. Heliodor 1. 2. Rodophe Thracia tam inevitabili fascino instructa, tam exacte oculis intuens attraxit, ut si in illam quis incidisset, fieri non posset quin caperetur. * Lib. 3. de providentia: Animi fenestræ oculi, et omnis improba cupiditas per ocellos tanquam canales introit. Buchanan. R 2 lovers |