Erōtomania or A treatise discoursing of the essence, causes, symptomes, prognosticks, and cure of love, or erotique melancholy. Written by Iames Ferrand Dr. of Physick

CHAP. I. That it is needfull to teach the Cure of Love.

IT may seem at the first view a vaine and idle enter∣prise to goe about to pre∣scribe remedies for the cure of Love: Which all, both Poets, Philosophers, and ancient Divines,

have ever acknowledged to be the origi∣nall and cause of all good: (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, * 1.1 saies the Philosopher: Love is the cause of all good: as contrarywise hatred, of all evill. It is the Modell of Iustice, Temperance, * 1.2 Fortitude, and Prudence: the first inven∣tor of Physick, Poetry, Musick, and all * 1.3 Liberall Arts; the most noble, most pow∣erfull, & most Ancient of all those Gods, the superstitious Heathen framed to themselves out of their own braine. Should I indeed speake any thing against this Love; I might justly be thought wor∣thy the same punishment the Poet Stefi∣chorus suffered, for speaking ill of the beauteous Helen: who was therefore pu∣nished with blindnesse, till he had recan∣ted his error. Besides, that in writing a∣gainst this love, I should doe injury to the Art of Physick, which I professe: seeing that Plato, under the person of Eryxima∣chus * 1.4 the Physitian, saies, that Physick is nothing else, but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. The know∣ledge of those things, that respect the de∣sires and affections of the Body, as con∣cerning

Evacuation and Repletion. So that he that in this case can distinguish be∣twixt honest and dishonest love, is to be ••ccounted the skilfullest Physitian.

But we are to observe with Pausani∣••s, * 1.5 that as there are two Veneres: the one Heavenly, called Ʋrania, the daughter of Coelum, brought forth without a Mother: the other the daughter of Iupiter and Di∣••••ne, * 1.6 commonly called Pandemia, or Vul∣gar: so likewise are there two Amores, Sonnes of these two Godesses; the one Divine, and the other common and vul∣gar. Of these two kindes of Love, the Supernaturalists and Divines discourse of the essence and properties of the former: and the Physitian of the later. Which a∣gaine is either honest or dishonest: they teach the means of preserving the former, during the tearme of Marriage; and pre∣scribe remedies for the cure, and preven∣tion of the Later; with the fury whereof Ignoble and degenerate spirits are for the most part violently carried away.

The Greekes feigne that Apollo had two sonnes, Aesculapius and Plato: this, for to cure the maladies of the mind,

Aesculapius for those of the Body. Now love being a mixt disease, both of the bo∣dy and the mind; I shall furnish my selfe with precepts out of Plato, and with me dicines from Aesculapius, in the cure of Love Melancholy, being such as I have gathered out of Hippocrates, the Prince of Physitians: Intending to handle Love no otherwise, then as it is a passion, or vio∣lent perturbation of the Mind, Dishonest, and Refractory to Reason.

Vtile propositum est saevas extinguere flam∣mas. Nec servum vitiis pectus habere tuum.

But my chiefest purpose is, to prescribe some remedies for the prevention of this disease of Love, which those men for the most part are subject unto, that have not the power to governe their desires, and subject them to Reasons Lawes: seeing that this unchast Love proves oftentimes the Author of the greatest Mischiefes that are in the world, as they are reckoned up by Plautus.

Amorem cuncta vitia sectari solent: * 1.7 ••ura, aegritudo, dolor, nimia{que} elegantia, ••osomnia, aerumna, error, & terror, & fuga, ••neptia stultia{que} adeò, & temeritas, ••ncogitantia excors, immodestia, ••etulantia, cupiditas & malevolentia: ••nhaeret etiam aviditas, desidia, injuria, ••nopia, contumelia & dispendium, Multiloquium, pauciloquium, &c.

Which hath given occasion to a late French Poet to feigne, that on a day, Ve∣nus left whipping of her sonne Cupid, and afterward bound him to a Myrtle tree. Intimating by this Poeticall fiction, that Pleasure many times punisheth Lovers with scourges, signified by his purple wings, which, according to Guitton d' Arezzo, are the Hieroglyphicks of griefe, and cruell torment. And Petrarch, in his 4. cap. del Triomfo d' Amore, feignes him to be lodged in a palace of Hopes; which makes all persons, of what condi∣tion, or sexe soever, desire to be enter∣tained there: But the more they labour to ascend, the lower still they fall, because the staires that lead up to this palace are of

a very slippery substance. The three first steps are, the immodest cast of the eyes, su∣perfluity of words, & the violence of the hands: the upper chambers are adorned with Idlenesse, dreames, vaine desires, and inconstancy: the chimney of the great hall, is the breast of the Lover; that of the chamber is his heart; and his liver, that of the Kitchen. The seats of those that come thither, and are entertained there, are false contents, on which they are no sooner setled, but they break under them. Which to repaire, they presently send for their engineeres, envy, torment, and deceit. Suspence, and feare, are the surest guardians of this palace, the gates whereof are shut up at night by false opi∣nion, and Distrust stands sentinell, &c. Which Apollonius Thyaneus having well * 1.8 considered, being one day sollicited by the King of Babylon to invent some strange kind of punishment for an Eunuch that had been taken in the very Act with one of the Kings Concubines, made him this answere, that he should suffer him still to live, and pursue his own unchast desires: then which there could not a

greater punishment be found. For the beginnings of Lust are Feares; Ruine at∣tends it in the midst of its course; and Re∣pentance concludes it: As you shall see more cleerely, when I shall have discove∣red unto you the ordinary Symptomes of ••ove Melancholy.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Arist. Met. 1. c. 4.
• * 1.2

  Plat. conv.
• * 1.3

  Plutar. Symp.
• * 1.4

  Plat. conv.
• * 1.5

  Plotin. de Amo.
• * 1.6

  Cic. l. 3. de nat. deor. Fulgent. mythol.
• * 1.7

  Plaut. Act 1. scen. 1. Merc.
• * 1.8

  Philostr. l. 1. cap. 23.