The passions of the soule in three books the first, treating of the passions in generall, and occasionally of the whole nature of man. The second, of the number, and order of the passions, and the explication of the six primitive ones. The third, of particular passions. By R. des Cartes. And translated out of French into English.

The 130. Article. How that which hurts the eye, excites it to weep.

ANd I can see but two causes that make the vapours issuing from the eyes to change into teares. The first is, when the figure of the pores, through which they passe, is changed by any accident whatsoever; for that, retarding the motion of these vapours, and altering their order, may cause them to convert into water. So, there needs only a straw in the eye, to draw out some teares: by reason that exciting paine in it, it altars the disposition of the pores; so that some becoming more narrow, the small parts of the vapours passe lesse quickly through it; and whereas formerly they issued out equally distant the one from the other, and so were separated, They come to meet because the order of these pores is molested, by which meanes they joyn together, and so convertinto teares.