Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, newly corrected, enlarged and amended: with such additions as are requisite, vnto euery seuerall booke: taken foorth of the most approued authors, the like heretofore not translated in English. Profitable for all estates, as well for the benefite of the mind as the bodie. 1582.

¶Of Melancholy. Cap. 11.

MElancholy is a humour boystous and thicke, and is bred of troubled congealyngs of bloud: and hath his name of Melon, that is blacke, and Ca∣lor that is humoure: wherevpon it is called Melancholia, as it were a blacke humour: and so Phisitions ••all it, Cho∣lera nigra, blacke cholar: for the cou∣lour thereof declineth toward blacknes. Some melancholy is kindlye and some vnkindly: the kindly melancholy is colde and drye, that is bred in bloud, as the lées is in wine: the substance wher∣of is thicke and earthy, the sauour ther∣of, is betwéene swéete and ••ower, brack∣ish. This manner melancholy is diuided into two partes, the one abideth with the bloud, and setteleth therewith into the members, because of neede and of helpe. If néedeth that it be meddeled with bloude, to make the bloude apte and couenable to féede the melancholye

members: for it thickeneth the bloude, that it ••leete not from digestion, by cleer∣nesse and thinnesse. The second parte is sent to the splene, for neede and also for helpe. It needeth, both for cleansing of the bodie and the splene: it is a helpe, that it flowe into the mouth of the sto∣macke, and to make it strong and thicke, and make it to itch, and so to wake hun∣ger and desire of féeding. That parte of melanchloy, that is superfluitie of bloud, passeth to the splene, and that that goeth from the splene, néedeth not to the fée∣ding of the splene, and as redde Cholera helpeth the stomacke to put off superflu∣itie downward, either inwarde: so me∣lancholy helpeth the vertue of appetite aboue. It is called the dregs of bloud, more verely then Cholera, or fleame••for it soketh and is seperated from bloud, as the thicknesse of vryne, or dregges of ••y∣rour. Nothing sweeteth neither com∣meth out of fleame, for the clamminesse thereof, nor lykewise of Cholera, for the substitie and cléerenesse thereof: & ther∣fore it is not called the dregges of Cho∣lera, neither of fleame. The vnkindlye melancholy, is not as dregs or groundes of a thing, but as burning of ashes, and that falleth by these meanes: Heat wor∣king ouermuch in y^e substaunce of fleme, burneth it: and by ouermuch burning, turneth it into burned Cholera. And if the humour be first subtill and watrye, when it is burnt, it is made salte: and if it be troubled and thicke, it draweth to sowrenesse ward: and if the bloud bée burnt and tourned into ashes, the ashes thereof are salte, with a lyttle sweetenesse: and when kind melancho∣ly is burnt, the burning or ashes therof, is sower as vineger. And if it fall vpon the earth, it boyleth, and the smel thereof is heauie and sower as vineger, y^e which flyes shun and voyde for horrible sauor thereof, and the sowrest part thereof is worst. And if the substaunce thereof bée boystous and thicke, when melancholy is burnt the ashes thereof is lesse sower with a lyttle sharpnesse, the which when it falleth vpon the earth, boyleth lesse, & grieueth the members lesse, and is not so malytious nor so venem••••••, neyther s••ayeth so soone as the first. This blacke Cholera is c••••••e to kind, and hath apt∣ly euill deedlye analyti••s, and breedeth euills incurable, as canker, lepry, & other such. By burning of fleame, of bloud, & of kinde melancholy, vnkinde and worst melancholy is bread: and when by s••••∣thing the bloud is bred of fleame, and Cholera of bloud by strong heate, and of Cholar, melancholy: and of that bur∣ning, that infecteth the kindly humour, that worst humour is happely bread, as Coa. saith li. pri. ca. 24. Of this humour hauing masterie in any bodye, these bee the signes and tokens. First the colour of the skinne chaungeth into blacke or bloo: sower sauour, sharpe and carthye is felt in the mouth: By the qualytie of the humor, the patient is faint, and fearfull in heart without cause: and so all that haue this passion, are fearefull without cause, and oft sory, and that is through the melancholy humour, y^t con∣straineth and closeth the heart: and so if we aske of such heauie folkes what they scare, or wherefore they be ••orye, they haue none aunswere. Some sup∣pose that they shoulde dye in some so∣daine vyolence: Some dread emnitie of some man: Some loue and desire death. Wherfore in li. Passion••m Galen saith: It is no wonder, though they that suffer Choleram nigram be very sorie, & haue suspition of death For nothing is more dredfull outward in the body than dark∣nesse. And so when any obscure thing he∣leth the brayne, as melancholy fleme, the patient must needes dread: for he bea∣reth with him the cause why he shoulde dread. And therefore he dreameth dred∣full darke dreames, and very ill to see, & of stinking san••••••r and ••••••ll, of which is bred Passio melancholia. Also it com∣meth of a madnesse, and of disposition of melancholy, when such haue lyking and laugh alway of sorrowfull things, and make sorow and dolor for ioyful things. Also such holde their peace when they should speake, and speake too much when they should be s••ill. Also some dee•••• themselues that they be earthen vesse••••, and feare to be touched, lea••t they break. And some thinke that they close y^e world

in their fist, and in their handes to con∣taine all things: and therefore they put not out their hands to take meate: for they dread that if they should put forth their hands, part of the world should fal and be lost. Also some imagine, that an Angell holdeth vp the world, and would for wearinesse let the world fall: and therfore they heaue their hands & shoul∣ders to holde vp the world, that séemeth to thē is in point to fall, & rore & scrike strongly, & striue if Phisitions make thē holde downe their handes. Also some thinke that they haue no heads: & some wéene that they haue leaden heades, or Asse heades, or some other euill sha••en fashion. And there be other, which if they heare Cockes crowe, they lyfte vp their hands and armes, and smite them∣selues, and singing thinke themselues to be Cockes: & at the last they be hoarce for great crieng, and dumbe also. Also some fall into euill suspitions without recouerie: and therfore they hate, blame, and confound their friends, and somtime they smite and slaye them. Melancholy men fal into all these & many other wō∣derfull passions, as Galen, Alexander, & many other Authours say, y^• which pas∣sions it were too long to recken all. And this we sée each day, as it fell late of a Noble man, that fell into such a madnesse of melancholy, that he in no wise could be perswaded, but y^t he was a Cat, and therefore he would no where rest, but vnder beds, where Cats waigh∣ted after Mice. Moreouer in punishment of sinne, Nabuchodonosor was puni∣shed with such a payne, as it is written in stories, that seauen yeares he thought that he was a Beast, through diuers shapes, lyke a Lyon, an Eagle, an Oxe, and other.

Now haue we treated sufficiently of Melancholy, and of other humors kind∣ly and vnkindlye, as it appertayneth to this worke, at this time.