be tamed; voluntarily thou wilt not do this or that, which thou oughtest to do, or refrain, &c. but when thou art lashed like a dull Jade, thou wilt reform it; fear of a whip will make thee do, or not do. Do that voluntarily then which thou canst do, and must do by compulsion: thou mayest refrain if thou wilt, and master thine affections. "As in a city, (saith Melancthon) they do by stubborn rebellious rogues, that will not submit themselves to political judgment, compel them by force; so must we do by our affections. If the heart will not lay aside those vicious motions, and the phantasie those fond imaginations, we have another form of government to enforce and refrain our outward members, that they be not led by our passions." If appetite will not obey, let the moving faculty overrule her, let her resist and compel her to do otherwise. In an ague the appetite would drink; sore eyes that itch would be rubbed; but reason saith no, and therefore the moving faculty will not do it. Our phantasie would intrude a thousand fears. suspicions, Chimeras upon us, but we have reason to resist, yet we let it be overborn by our appetite; "Imagination enforceth spirits which by an admirable league of nature compel the nerves to obey, and they our several limbs :" we give too much way to our passions. And as to him that is sick of an ague, all things are distasteful and unpleasant, non ex cibi vitio, saith Plutarch, not in the meat, but in our taste: so many things are offensive to us, not of themselves, but out of our corrupt judgement, jealousie, suspicion and the like; we pull these mischiefs upon our own heads.

If then our judgement be so depraved, our reason over-ruled, Will precipitated, that we cannot seek our own good, or moderate our selves, as in this disease commonly it is, the best way for ease is to impart our misery to some friend, not to smother it up in our own breast; alitur vitium crescitq; tegendo, &c. and that which was most offensive to us, a cause of fear and grief, quod nunc te coquit, another hell; for strangulat inclusus dolor atq; exæstuat intus, grief concealed strangles the soul; but when as we shall but impart it to some discreet, trusty, loving friend, it is instantly removed, by his counsel happily, wisdome, perswasion, advice, his good means, which we could not otherwise apply unto our selves. A friend's counsel is a charm,

• Cap. 3. de affect. anim. Ut in civitatibus contumaces qui non cedunt politico imperio vi coercendi sunt; ita Deus nobis indidit alteram imperii formam; si cor non deponit vitiosum affectum, membra foras coercenda sunt, ne ruant in quod affectus impellat; et locomotiva, quæ herili imperio obtemperat, altın resistat. f Imaginatio impellit spiritus, et inde nervi moventur, &c. & obtemperant imagination & appetitui mirabili foedere, ad exequendum quod jubent. Ovid Trist. lib. 5. b Participes inde calamitatis nosuæ

sunt, & velut exoneratâ in eos sarcinâ onere levamur. Arist. Eth. lib. 9.

like mandrake wine, curas sopit; and as a Bull that is tyed to a fig-tree becomes gentle on a sudden (which some, sayeth † Plutarch, interpret of good words) so is a savage, obdurate heart mollified by faire speeches. "All adversity finds ease in complaining (as Isidore holds)" and 'tis a solace to relate it,"

§ Αγαθὴ δε παραίφασις εςιν εταίρε.

Friends confabulations are comfortable at all times, as fire in winter, shade in summer, quale soper fessis in gramine, meat and drink to him that is hungry or athirst; Democritus' Collyrium is not so soveraign to the eyes as this is to the heart; good words are chearful and powerful of themselves, but much more from friends, as so many props, mutually sustaining each other like Ivie and a wal, which Camerarius hath well illustrated in an Embleme. Lenit animum simplex vel sæpè narratio, the simple narration many times easeth our distressed mind, and in the midst of greatest extremities; so divers have been relieved, by exonerating themselves to a faithful friend: he sees that which we cannot see for passion and discontent, he pacifies our minds, he will ease our pain, asswage our anger; quanta inde voluptas, quanta securitas, Chrysostome adds, what pleasure, what security by that means!" Nothing so available, or that so much refresheth the soul of man." Tully, as I remember, in an Epistle to his dear friend Atticus, much condoles the defect of such a friend. "I live here (saith he) in a great city, where I have a multitude of acquaintance, but not a man of all that companie, with whom I dare familiarly breath, or freely jest. Wherefore I expect thee, I desire thee, I send for thee; for there be many things which trouble and molest me, which had I but thee in presence, I could quickly disbur self of in a walking discourse." The like peradventure may he and he say with that old man in the Comedy,

den my

"Nemo est meorum amicorum hodie,

Apud quem expromere occulta mea audeam."

and much inconvenience may both he and he suffer in the mean time by it. He or he, or whosoever then labours of this malady, by all means let him get some trusty friend, Semper habens Pylademq; aliquem qui curet Orestem, a Pylades, to

*Camerarius Embl. 26. Cen. 2.

+ Sympos. lib. 6. cap. 10.

Seneca Epist. 67.

Epist. 8. lib. 3. Adversa fortuna habet in querelis levamentum; & malorum relatio, &c. i As Da§ Alloquium chari juvat, & solamen amici. Emblem. 54. cent. 1. Hic in civitate vid did to Jonathan, 1 Sam. 20. magnâ et turbâ magnâ neminem reperire possumus quocum suspirare familiariter aut jocari liberè possimus. Quare te expectamus, te desideramus, te arcessimus. Multa sunt enim quæ me solicitant et angunt, quæ mihi videor aures tuas nactus, unius ambulationis sermone exhaurire posse.

k Ovid.

whom

whom freely and securely he may open himself. For as in all other occurrences, so it is in this, Si quis in cælum ascendisset, &c. as he said in * Tully, If a man had gone to heaven, "seen the beauty of the skies," stars errant, fixed, &c. insuavis erit admiratio, it will do him no pleasure, except he have somebody to impart what he hath seen. It is the best thing in the world, as Seneca therefore adviseth in such a case, "to get a trusty friend, to whom we may freely and sincerely pour out our secrets; nothing so delighteth and easeth the minde, as when we have a prepared bosoine, to which our secrets may descend, of whose conscience we are assured as our own, whose speech may ease our succourless estate, counsell relieve, mirth expell our mourning, and whose very sight may be acceptable unto us." It was the counsell which that politick Commineus gave to all princes, and others distressed in mind, by occasion of Charles Duke of Burgundy, that was much perplexed, “first to pray to God, and lay himself open to him, and then to some speciall friend, whom we hold most dear, to tell all our grievances to him; nothing so forcible to strengthen, recreate, and heal the wounded soul of a miserable man."

SUBSECT. II.

m

Help from friends by counsell, comfort, fair and foul means, witty devices, satisfaction, alteration of his course of life, removing objects, &c.

THEN the Patient of himself is not able to resist, or over

come these heart-eating passions, his friends or physician must be ready to supply that which is wanting. Suæ erit humanitatis & sapientiae (which + Tully injoyneth in like case) siquid erratum, curare, aut improvisum, suá diligentia corrigere. They must all joyn; nec satis medico, saith Hippocrates, suum fecisse officium, nisi suum quoq; ægrotus, suum astantes, &c. First they must especially beware, a melancholy discontented person (be it in what kinde of .nelancholy soever) never be left alone or idle: but as Physicians prescribe physick, cum custodia, let them not be left unto themselves, but with some company or other, lest by that means they aggra

*De amicitia. 'De tranquil. c. 7. Optimum est amicum fidelem nancisci in quem secreta nostra infundamus; nihil æquè oblectat animum, quam ubi sint præparata pectora, in quæ tutò secreta descendant, quorum conscientia æque ac tua: quorum sermo solitudinem leniat, sententia consiliam expediat, hilaritas tristitiam dissipet, conspectusq; ipse delectet. Comment. 1. 7.

Ad Deum confugiamus, et peccatis veniam precemur, inde ad amicos, et cui plurimum tribuimus, nos patefaciamus totos, et animi vulnus quo affligimur: nihil ad reficiendum animum efficacius. + Ep. Q. frat. † Aphor. prim.

vate and increase their disease; non oportet ægros hujusmodi esse solos vel inter ignotos, vel inter eos quos non amant aut negligunt, as Rod. à Fonseca Tom. 1. consul. 35. prescribes. Lugentes custodire solemus (saith Seneca) ne solitudine male utantur; we watch a sorrowful person, lest he abuse his solitariness, and so should we do a melancholy man; set him. divert may about some business, exercise or recreation, which his thoughts, and still keep him otherwise intent; for his phantasie is so restless, operative, and quick, that if it be not in perpetuall action, ever employed, it will work upon itself, melancholize, and be carried away instantly, with some fear, jealousy, discontent, suspicion, some vain conceit or other. If his weakness be such, that he cannot discern what is amiss, correct, or satisfie, it behoves them by counsel, comfort, or perswasion, by fair or foul means, to alienate his mind, by some artificiall invention, or some contrary persuasion, to remove all objects, causes, companies, occasions, as may any wayes molest him, to humour him, please him, divert him, and if it be possible, by altering his course of life, to give him security and satisfaction. If he conceal his grievances, and will not be known of them, They must observe by his looks, gestures, motions, phantasie, what it is that offends," and then to apply remedies unto him many are instantly cured, when their minds are satisfied. • Alexander makes mention of a woman, "that by reason of her husband's long absence in travel, was exceeding peevish and melancholy, but when she heard her husband was returned, beyond all expectation, at the first sight of him, she was freed from all fear, without help of any other physick restored to her former health.' Trincavellius consil. 12. lib. 1. hath such a story of a Venetian, that being much troubled with melancholy, "Pand ready to die for grief, when he heard his wife was brought to bed of a son, instantly recovered." As Alexander concludes," If our imaginations be not inveterate, by this art they may be cured, especially if they proceed from such a cause.' No better way to satisfy, then to remove the object, finde it cause, occasion, if by any art or means possible we may out. If he grieve, stand in fear, be in suspition, suspence, or any way molested, secure him, Solvitur malum, give him satisfaction, the cure is ended; alter his course of life, there needs

66 n

P Præ

*Epist. 10. " Observando motus, gestus, manus, pedes, oculis, phantasiam, Piso. • Mulier melancholia correpta ex longa viri peregrinatione, et iracundè omnibus respondens, quum maritus domũ reversus, præter spem, &c. dolore moriturus que nunciatum esset uxorem peperisse filium subitò recuperaNisi affectus longo tempore infestaverit, tali artificio imaginationes curare oportet, præsertim ubi malum ab his velut à primaria causa occasionem habuerit.

vit.

no

668

no other Physick. If the party be sad, or otherwise affected, "consider (saith Trallianus) the manner of it, all circumstances, and forthwith make a sudden alteration," by removing the occasions, avoid all terrible objects, heard or seen, monstrous and prodigious aspects," tales of devils, spirits, ghosts, tragicall stories; to such as are in fear they strike a great impression, renew many times, and recal such chimeras and terrible fictions into their minds. "Make not so much as mention of them in private talk, or a dumb shew tending to that purpose: such things (saith Galateus) are offensive to their imaginations." And to those that are now in sorrow, "Seneca "forbids all sad companions, and such as lament; a groaning companion is an enemy to quietness. Or if there be any such party, at whose presence the Patient is not well pleased, he must be removed: gentle speeches, and fair means, must first be tried; no harsh language used, or uncomfortable words; and not expel, as some do, one madness with another; he that so doth, is madder then the Patient himself:" all things must be quietly composed; eversa non evertenda, sed erigenda, things down must not be dejected, but reared, as Crato councelleth; "he must be quietly and gently used," and we should not do any thing against his mind, but by little and little effect it. As an horse that starts at a drum or trumpet, and will not endure the shooting of a peece, may be so manned by art, and animated, that he cannot only endure, but is much more generous at the hearing of such things, much more couragious then before, and much delighteth in it: they must not be reformed ex abrupto, but by all art and insinuation, made to such companies, aspects, objects they could not formerly away with. Many at first cannot endure the sight of a green wound, a sick man, which afterward become good Chyrurgians, bold Empericks: A horse starts at a rotten post afar off, which coming neer he quietly passeth. 'Tis much in the manner of making such kinde of persons, be they never so averse from company, bashful, solitary, timorous, they may be made at last with those Roman Matrons, to desire nothing more then in a publike shew, to see a full company of gladiators breath out their last.

Lib. 1. cap. 16. Si ex tristitia aut alio affectu cæperit, speciem considera, aut aliud quid eorum, quæ subitam alterationem facere possunt, • Evitandi monstrifici aspectus, &c. Neq; enim tam actio, aut recordatio rerum hujusmodi displicet, sed iis vel gestus alterius Imaginationi adumbrare, vehementer molestum. Galat. de mor. cap. 7. "Tranquil. Præcipue vitentur tristes, & omnia deplorantes; tranquillitati inimicus est comes perturbatus, omnia gemens. * Illorum quoque hominum, à quorum consortio abhorrent, præsentia amovenda, nec sermonibus ingratis obtudendi; si quis insaniam ab insania sic curari æstimet, et protervè utitur, magis quam æger insanit. Crato consil. 184. Scoltzii. Molliter ac suaviter ægor tractetur, nec ad ea adigatur quæ non

curat.