The anatomy of melancholy vvhat it is. VVith all the kindes, causes, symptomes, prognostickes, and seuerall cures of it. In three maine partitions with their seuerall sections, members, and subsections. Philosophically, medicinally, historically, opened and cut vp. By Democritus Iunior. With a satyricall preface, conducing to the following discourse.

SVBSEC. 4. Starres a cause. Figures from Phisiognomy, Meto∣poscopi, Chiromancy.

NAturall causes, are either Primary and Vniversall, or Secundary and more Particular. Primary causes are the Heauens, Planets, Starres, &c. by their influence, as our A∣strologers hold, producing this and such like effects. I will not heere stand to discusse obitèr, whether Starres be causes, or signes, or to apologize f••r Iudiciall Astrology. If either Sextus Empericus, Picus Mirandula, Sextus ab Heminga, Pe∣rerius,

Erastus, Chambers, &c. haue so farre prevailed with a∣ny man, that hee will attribute no vertue at all to the Hea∣vens, or to Sunne and Moone, more then he doth to their signes, at an In-keepers post, or Tradesmans shoppe, or ge∣nerally condemne all such Astrologicall Aphorismes, appro∣ved by experience, I referre him to Bellantius, Pirouanus, Ma∣rascallerus, Goclenius, S^r Christopher Heydon &c. If thou shalt aske me what I thinke. I muste l answere, they doe incline, but not compell; no necessitie at all: m Agunt, non cogunt: and so gently incline, that a wise man may resist them; sapiens domi∣nabitur astris: they rule vs, but God rules them. All this mee thinkes n Iohan. de Iudagine hath comprised in briefe. Quaeris à me quantum in nobis operantur astra? &c. Wilt thou know how farre the starres worke vpon vs? I say they doe but incline vs, and that so gently, that if we will be ruled by reason, they haue no power ouer vs; but if we follow our owne nature, and be led by sence, they doe as much in vs, as in brute beasts, and we are no better. So that I hope I may iustly conclude with o Caretan, that Caelum is vehiculum divinae virtutis &c. that the Heauen is Gods Instrument, by mediation of which, he governes & disposeth these elementary bodies, or a great booke, as one cals it, wherein are written many strange things, for such as can reade, p or an excellent harpe, made by an eminent worke∣man, of which he that can but play, will make most admirable musicke. But to the purpose.

qParacelsus is of opinion, that a Physitian, without the knowledge of starres, can neither vnderstand the cause, or cure of any disease, either of this, or goute, no not so much as tooth-ache: Except he see the peculiar geniture & Scheame of the party af∣fected. And for this proper Malady, he will haue the princi∣pall and primary cause of it proceede from the Heauen, ascri∣bing more to sta••res then humors, r and that the constellation

alone many times produceth melancholy, all other causes set a∣part. He giues instance in Lunatick persons, that are depraved of their wits by the Moones motion; and in another place, referres all to the Ascendent, and will haue the true & chiefe cause of it to be sought from the Starres. And t'is not his opi∣nion onely, but many Galenists & Philosophers, though they not so stifly & peremptorily, maintaine as much. This variety of melancholy-symptomes, proceede from the starres, saith s Me∣lancthon. The most generous melancholy, as that of Augustus comes from the coniunction of Saturne and Iupiter in Libra: the bad, as that of Catilines from the meeting of Saturne and the Moone in Scorpio. Iouianus Pontanus in his 10. booke, and 13. Chap. de rebus caelestibus, discourseth to this purpose at large. Ex atrâ bile varij generantur morbi &c. t many diseases proceede from blacke choler, as it shall be hote or cold: & though it be cold in his owne Nature, yet it is apt to be heated, as water may be made to boyle, and burne as bad as fire: and made as Ice, and thence proceed such variety of symptomes, some madde, some solitary, some laugh, some rage &c. The cause of all which in∣temperance, he will haue chiefly and primarily to proceede from the Heauens, u from the position of Mars, Saturne, and Mercury. His Aphorismes be these: x Mercury in any geni∣ture, if he shall be found in Virgo, or Pisces his opposite signe, and that in the Horoscope, irradiated by those quartile aspects of Saturne or Mars, the childe shall be mad or melancholy. Again, y He that shall haue Saturne or Mars, the one culminating, the other in the 4. house, when he shall be borne, shall be melancholy, of which he shall be cured in time, if Mercury behold them. z If the Moone be in coniunction or opposition at the birth-time, with the Sunne, or Saturne, or Mars, or a quartile aspect with them, (è malo caeli loco, Leouîtius addes) many diseases are signified,

especially the Head and Braine is like to be mis-affected with pernicious humors, to be melancholy, lunaticke, or mad. Cardan addes quartâ lunâ natos, Eclipses, Earthquakes. Garceus and Leovitius wil haue the chiefe Iudgment to be taken from the Lord of the Geniture, or when there is no aspect betwixt the Moone and Mercury, and neither behold the Horoscope: or Saturne and Mars shall be Lord of the precedent coniuncti∣on or opposition in Sagittary, or Pisces, of the Sunne or Moone, such persons are commonly Epilepticke, dote, Dae∣moniacall, Melancholy: but see more of these Aphorismes in the aboue-named Pontanus. Garceus cap. 23. de Iud. genitur. Sconer. lib. 1. cap. 8. which he hath gathered out of a Ptolomy, Albubater, and some other Arabians, Iunctine, Ranzovius, Lindhout, Origan &c. but these men you will reiect perad∣venture, as Astrologers, and therefore partiall Judges: but heare the Testimony of Physitians, Galenists themselues. b Crato confesseth the influence of starres to haue a great hand in this Disease, so doth Iason Pratensis, Lonicerus praefat. de Apoplexiâ, Ficinus, Fernelius, &c. c P. Cnemander acknow∣ledgeth the starres an vniversall cause, the particular from pa∣rents, from the vse of these 6. non-naturall things. Baptista Portae mag. lib. 1. cap. 10.11.15. will haue them causes to every particular individuum. Instances and examples to evince the truth of these Aphorismes, are common amongst those Astro∣logian Treatises. Cardan in his 37. geniture, giues instance in Math. Bologinus. Camerarius hor. natalit. centur. ••. genit. 6, & 7. of Daniel Gare, and others: but see Garceus cap. 33. Luc. Gauricus Tract. 6. de Azemenis, &c. The time of this Melancholy is, when the significators in any geniture are di∣rected according to Art, as the Hor: moone, Hylech &c. to the hostile beames or termes of ♄ and ♂ especially, or any fixed starre of their nature, or if ♄ by his revolution, or transitus, shall offend any of those radicall promissors in the geniture.

Other signes there are taken from Phisiognomy, Meto∣poscopy, Chiromancy, which because Iohn de Indagine, and Rotman, the Landsgraue of Hassia his Mathematician, not

long since in his Chiromancy; Baptista Porta in his coelestial Physiognomy, haue proved to haue great affinity with Astro∣logy: to satisfie the curious, I am more willing to insert. The generall notions d Physiognomers giue, be these: Blacke color argues naturall melancholy: so doth leannesse, hirsutnesse, broade veines, much haire on the browes, saith e Gratanorolus cap, 7. & a little head, out of Aristotle, high sanguine, red color, argues head melancholy: those that stutter, and are balde, will be soonest melancholy, as Avicenna supposeth, by reason of the drinesse of their braines: but he that will know more of the severall signes of humors, and wits out of Physiognomy, let him consult with Antony Zara, anat. ingeniorum. sec. 1. memb. 13. & 14. Chiromancy hath these Aphorismes to foretell me∣lancholy. Tasneir lib. 5. cap. 2. who hath comprehended the summe of Iohn de Indagine: Tricassus, Coruinus and others in his booke, thus hath it: f The Saturnine line going from the Rascetta, through the hand, to Saturnes mount, and there in∣tersected by certaine little lines, argues melancholy: so if the Vi∣tall and Naturall make an acute angle. Aphoris. 100. The Sa∣turnine Epaticke, and Naturall lines, making a grosse triangle in the hand, argue as much: which Goclenius cap. 5. Chiros. re∣peates verbatim out of him. Ingenerally they conclude all, that if Saturnes mount be full of many small lines and interse∣ctions, g such men are most part melancholy, miserable, and full of disquietnesse, care, and trouble, continually vexed with anxious & bitter thoughts, alway sorrowful, fearefull, suspitious, they de∣light in husbadry, buildings, pooles, marshes, springs woods, walks &c. Thaddeus Haggesius in his Metoposcophia, hath certaine Aphorismes derived from Saturnes lines in the fore-head, by which he collects a melancholy disposition: & h Baptista Por∣ta makes observations from those other parts of the body, as if a spot be ouer the splene; i or in the nailes, if it appeare black, it signifies much care, contention, griefe, and melancholy: The

reason, he referres to the humours, and giues instance in him∣selfe, that for seuen yeares space, had such continuall blacke spots in his nailes, and all that while was in perpetuall Law∣sutes, controuersies for his inheritance, feare, losse, of honour, banishment, griefe, care &c. and when his miseries ended, the blacke spots vanished. Cardan in his booke de libris proprijs, tels such another story of his owne person, that a little before his Sonnes death, he had a blacke spot which appeared in one of his nailes, which dilated it selfe, as hee came neerer to his end. But I am ouer tedious in these toyes, which howsoeuer in some mens too severe censures, they may be held absurde and ridiculous, I am the bolder to insert, as not borrowed of circumforanean roagues and Gipsies, but out of the writings of worthy Philosophers, and Phisitians, yet liuing some of them, & Regious Professors in famous Vniversities, who are able to patronize that which they haue said••, and vindicate themselues from all cavillers and ignorant persons.

Notes

• l

  Cum illo di∣cam, doctis hisce erroribus versa∣tus sum.
• m

  Astra regunt homines, & regit astra Deus.
• n

  Chirom. lib. 5. Quaeris à me quantum operan∣tur astra, dico in nos nihil astra vrgere, sed ani∣mum proclives trahere, qui sic tamen liberi sunt, vt si ducem sequantur ratio∣nem, nihil effici∣ent, sin vero na∣turam, id agere quod in brutis ferè.
• o

  Caelum vehi culum divinae virtutis, euius mediante motu, lumine, & influ∣entià, Deus ele∣mentaria corpo∣ra ordinat & disponit. Th. de Veio Caietanus in Psal. 104.
• p

  Mundus iste quasi lyra ab excel∣lentissimo quodam artifice concinnata, quē qui norit, mirabiles eliciet harmonias. I. D••e Aphorismo 11.
• q

  Medicus sine caeli peritiá nihil est, &c, nisi genesim sciverit, ne tantillum poterit. Lib. de podagrâ.
• r

  Constellatio in causa est: & influentia caeli morbum hunc movet, interdum omnibus alijs amotis. Et alibi. Origo eius à caelo petenda est. Tr. de morbis amentium.
• s

  Lib. de anima cap. de humorib. Ea varietas in Melancholia, ha∣bet caelestes cau∣sas.
• ☌♄ & ♃ in ♎.
• ☌, ♂ & ☽ in ♏.
• t

  Ex atrâ bile varij generantur morbi, per inde vt ipse multum cali∣di aut frigidi in se babuerit, quum vtri{que} suscipiendo quā aptissima sit, tamet si suâpte naturâ frigida sit. An non aqua sic afficitur à ca∣lore vtardeat, •• à frigore, vt in glaciem concres∣cat, & haec vari∣etas distinctio∣num alij flent, rident, &c.
• u

  Hanc ad in∣temperantiam gignendam plu∣rimum confert ♂ & ♄ positio ☿ &c.
• x

  ☿ Quoties alicuius geniturâ in ♍ & ♓ adverso signo positut horoscopum portilitèr tenuerit, at{que} etiam à ♂ vel ♄ □ radio percussus fuerit, natus ab insaniâ vexabitur.
• y

  Qui ♄ & ♂ habent, alterum in culmine, alterum imo caelo, cum in lu∣cem venerit melancholicus erit, à quâ sanabitur, si ☿ illos irradiarit.
• z

  Hâc configuratione natus, aut lunaticus, autmente captus.
• a

  Ptolomeus cen∣tiloquio, & qua∣dripartito tribu∣it omnia me∣lancholicorum symptomata syde∣rum influentijs.
• b

  Arte Medicâ, accedunt ad has causas affectio∣nes syderum. Plurimum inci∣tant & provo∣cant influentiae caelestes. Velcurio lib. 4. cap. 15.
• c

  Hildesheim spicel. 2. de Mel.
• d

  Polemus. Adamantus. Io de Indag. c. 9. Montaltus c. 22.
• e

  Caput paruum qui habent, cere∣brum habent & spiritus plerum{que} angustos, facilè incidunt in Me∣lancholiam rubi∣cundi, Aetius. Idem Montaltus cap. 22. è Galeno.
• f

  Saturnina à Rascetta per mediam manum decurrens, vsq ad radicem montis Saturni, à parvi•• lineis intersecta, arguit Melan∣cholicos. Aphoris. 78.
• g

  Agitantur mi∣serijs, continuis inquiet udinibus, ne{que} vnquam à solitudine liberi sunt, auxiè affli∣guntur amarissi∣mis intra cogita∣tionibus semper tristes, suspitiosi, meticulosi, cogitationes sunt velle agrum colere, stagna amant & paludes &c. Io. de Indagine lib. 1.
• h

  Caelestis Physiog. lib. 10.
• i

  Cap. 14. lib. 5. Idem, maculae in vn∣••••lu nigrae, lites, rixas, melancholiam significant ab humore in corde tali.