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

CAP. XXVII. Of the Incubi, and Succubi.

SOme Divines have been of opinion, that Irregular and Melancholy Love, extends its power and Iurisdiction, as farre as to the very Angells, and Divels also: and that this is the reason, why the women are commanded by S. Paul to have their heads covered in the Church. But, by this word Angell, some others will have the Ministers of the Church to be understood; who in their Sanctity of Life should be like unto the Angels: or else perhaps the Apostle meant, by An∣gels,

all good Christians, who by the In∣tegrity of their life, and purity of Consci∣ence, doe differ as much from the com∣mon prophaner sort of men, as Angels doe from men. But those that hold the other opinion, urge for themselves that passage in Genesis, where Moses saies, that, the sonnes of God, seeing the daughters of Men, that they were faire, they fell in love with them. In the explication of which place, Iosephus, Clemens Alexan∣drinus, Justin Martyr, and others, by the Sonnes of God, understand the Angels. Notwithstanding R. Abraham Aben Ezra interprets this place of Vertuous Men, or else the sonnes of Righteous Seth: and by the Daughters of Men, he will have the daughters of wicked Cain to be meant. Rabbi Kimchi thinks that, by the Sonnes of God, men of great sta∣ture were meant: and that, according to the Idiotisme and usuall manner of speak∣ing among the Hebrews, who are wont to call those men that are very tall, the Mountaines of God. And this interpre∣tation of his seems also to be confirmed by that which followes; where it is said, that to

of these mariages that were made be∣twixt the Sonnes of God and the Daugh∣ters of men, were brought forth Giants.

For mine owne part, I shall be ready; as in this, so in all other places of Scrip∣ture, to submit my selfe to the determina∣tion of Divines. But I shall hardly even assent to that ridiculous conceit of the Rabbins, who are of Opinion, that the Incubi and Succubi are sprung from the seed of Adam, during the space of those 135. years; that he abstained from the knowledge of his wife, after the Mur∣ther of the just Abel, committed by his accursed brother Cain. A more incredible thing yet then this is, if I mistake not, is that which is commonly reported by Hi∣storians, of women that have been gotten with Child by Divells, and Jncubi: and of such copulations, they say, were begot∣ten, Hercules, Romulus, Servius Tullus, Merlin, and many others. I grant it possi∣ble, that the Divell may delude the sen∣ses and Fancy of such lewd women, and cause their belly to swell, as if they had had carnall copulation really with a Man: and perhaps in their travaile make them

seeme to be delivered of a dead Child. Iacobus Rucssius relates a story of one Magdalen, that lived in the Citty of Con∣stance, who having given way to a Divell or Incubus, that haunted her, by the per∣swasion of her Confessor, was at the time of her travaile delivered of a thousand Trumperies, as pieces of broken glasses, Nailes, pieces of wood, haire, pitch, tow, stones, bones, and such like stuffe, but with extreame paine. And sometimes also the Divell assumes a dead body, and by this meanes enticeth wicked minded persons to couple with him. Vincentius reports a story to this purpose, of a certaine young man, who one evening going out to a ri∣ver, to swimme and wash himselfe, as he was in the water, he caught a woman by the haire of the head: whom presently he carried home along with him to his house, without speaking a word; and af∣terward had a sonne by her. But the wo∣man never speaking one word all this while, made the young man very much wonder at the strangenesse of it: and desi∣rous to try if he could make her breake of this her long silence, which made both

himselfe, and all his kindred very much suspect the condition and strange produ∣ction of this monstrous Child, he made her beleeve one day that he would kill her sonne; at which she spake some few words, but instantly vanisht out of his sight. Iacobus Ruessius tells a story of a Butcher, that was in the like manner se∣duced by a Succubus: not much unlike that of Machates and Philinion, related by Aelian, Phlegon, Loyer, and Le sieur de l' Ancre. If any desire to see more con∣cerning this particular, he may have re∣course to Ruessius, in his discourse of Me∣lancholy: where he plainely proves that of S^t Chrysostome to be true, that Quos∣cun{que} Diabolus superat, per Melancholi∣am superat. Whom so ever the Divell o∣vercomes, he overcomes by Melancholy. And therefore the Physitians for very good reason call Melancholy, the Divell Bath.

Yet is it most certaine, that some wo∣men have verily thought that they have been forced by the Divell, or some Witch or other; when as in truth they were only troubled with the Night∣mare,

a disease which the Latines call In∣cubus, the Greekes 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Jnsilire: and by some, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. The∣mison cals it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to suffocate, or strangle: the Arabians call it, Alchabum, Algiathum, or Alneidalan, as Avicen saith.

This Disease takes them commonly in their first sleepe, when as the thick grosse vapors which are carried up to the Braine, stop the Nerves that serve for speech and Respiration: by which meanes the parties thus troubled, think they have a heavy burthen lying upon them, or else some Divell, or Witch, that would attempt a breach upon their Chastity. And there∣fore Hippocrates saies, that Maides that are marriageable, and Widdowes, when they are troubled with Love-Melancho∣ly, thinke that they see the Divell, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: for he doth not say, that they doe see such things.

And although that this disease is cau∣sed 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, by the abun∣dance of vapours arising from Repletion and Inconcoction, and accending up into

the Braine: yet Physitians call it not by the name of the Night-mare, or Incubus, unlesse the Imagination also be hurt withall, in like manner as in Melancholy, which disease it often presageth; or else the Falling sicknesse.

I could adde here, that I my selfe have seene, in the towne of Castelnadaruy in Lauraguex, two young women, that maintained confidently for a certaine truth, that either the Divell, or some witch or other, lay with them every night, as their husbands lay by their sides: Both which by the helpe of God I cured, and they now acknowledge the weak∣nesse of their Fancy, and their owne Fol∣ly.