Signes of a Melancholike person.
THe face of Melancholy persons is swart, their countenance cloudy and often * 1.1 cruell, their aspect is sad and froward; frequent Schirrhous, or hard swellings, tumors of the spleene, Haemorroids, Varices (or swollen veines) Quartaine feavers, whe∣ther continuall or intermitting, Quintaine, Sextaine, and Septimane feavours; and to conclude, all such wandering feavers or agues set upon them. But when it happens the Melancholy humor is sharpened, either by adustion, or commixture of Choler, then Tetters, the blacke Morphew, the Cancer simple and ulcerated, the Leprous and filthy scabbe, sending forth certaine scaly and branlike excrescenses, (being vul∣garly called Saint Manis his evill) and the Leprosie it selfe invades them: They have small veines and arteries, because coldnesse hath dominion over them, whose proper∣tie is to straiten, as the qualitie of heate is to dilate. But if at any time their veines * 1.2 seeme bigge, that largenesse is not by reason of the laudable bloud, contained in them, but from much windinesse; by occasion whereof it is somewhat difficult to let them bloud; not onely because that when the veine is opened, the bloud flowes slowly forth, by reason of the cold slownesse of the humors; but much the rather, for that the veine doth not receive the impression of the Lancet, sliding this way and that way, by reason of the windinesse contained in it, and because that the harsh drinesse of the upper skinne, resists the edge of the instrument. Their bodies seeme cold and hard to the touch, and they are troubled with terrible dreames, for they are observed to seeme * 1.3 to see in the night Devils, Serpents, darke dens and caves, sepulchers, dead corpses, and many other such things full of horror, by reason of a blacke vapour, deversly moving and disturbing the Braine, which also wee see happens to those, * 1.4 who feare the water, by reason of the biting of a mad dogge. You shall finde them froward, frau∣dulent, * 1.5 parsimonious, and covetous, even to basenesse, slow speakers, fearefull, sad, complainers, carefull, ingenious, lovers of solitarinesse, man-haters, ob∣stinate maintainers of opinions once conceived, slow to anger, but angered not be pacified. But when Melancholy hath exceeded natures and its owne bounds, then by reason of putrefaction and inflammation all things appeare full of extreme fury and madnesse, so that they often cast themselves headlong downe from some high place, or are otherwise guilty of their owne death, with feare of which notwithstanding they are terrified.
But we must note that changes of the native temperament, doe often happen in the course of a mans life, so that hee which a while agone was Sanguine, may now bee * 1.6 Cholericke, Melancholick, or Phlegmatick; not truly by the changing of the bloud into such humors, but by the mutation of Diet, and the course or vocation of life. For none of a Sanguine complexion but will prove Cholericke if he eate hot and drie meates, * 1.7 (as all like things are cherished and preserved by the use of their like, and contraries are destroyed by their contraries) and weary his body by violent exercises, and con∣tinuall labours; and if there be a suppression of Cholericke excrements, which be∣fore did freely flow, either by nature, or art. But whosoever feeds upon meates ge∣nerating * 1.8 grosse bloud, as Beefe, Venison, Hare, old Cheese, and all salt meates, he without all doubt sliding from his nature, will fall into a Melancholy temper; especi∣ally if to that manner of diet, he shall have a vocation full of cares, turmoiles, miseries, strong and much study, carefull thoughts and feares; and also if he sit much, wanting exercise, for so the inward heate as it were defrauded of its nourishment, faints, and growes dull, whereupon grosse and drossie humors abound in the body. To this al∣so the cold and drie condition of the place, in which we live, doth conduce, and the suppression of the Malancholy humor accustomed to be evacuated by the Haemor∣rhoides, courses, and stooles.
But he acquires a Phlegmaricke temper whosoever useth cold & moist nourishment, * 1.9