WE call that Depraved motion, when Voluntary Motions especially, are exercised either Immo∣derately, or unseasonably, or otherwise undecently; as it comes to pass when the Members that perform those Motions are Restless or Cramped, or Tremble, or Be•••• or are Shaken by a Rigor, or are Extended by re•••••• and yawning, or otherwise moved by twink∣ling.
The Members are said to be Restless when they are acted too much, * 1.1 and rest not, as when men besides themselves, mad men, and phrenitical, do exercise such various and violent motions, and angry, furious folks do things so headlongly, but chiefly those who labor of that disease called Vitus his Dance, do tire their Feet with Run∣ning and Jumping beyond measure, of whom we have spoken in an Alienation of the mind. Those also that lie by it, in other Diseases both Waking and Sleeping are somtimes very unquiet, and it is properly called Inquietude, and he that is sick of it, is called Assodis, it is a Symptom of many Diseases, that overthrows the strength, with which they that are affected, somtimes toss their body variously hither and thither, whence they have called it jactation, and some Jectigation, somtimes they often raise themselves up, somtimes continually exercise their hands and feet, retract them, change them. Somtimes they rowl to the Feet, which in acute Diseases (with which this is a familiar acci∣dent) Hippocrates reckons it amongst the deadly signs; in the healthful also such like restlessness is wont to be troublesome both to them Waking and Sleeping whether also may be referd that unseasonable Night∣walking in Dreams of which hath been spoken in Watching.
The Members are said to be con∣velled, * 1.2 when they exercise those inor∣dinate Motions, as hath been said in a general Convulsion or Epilepsie, and it happens also in a particular Spasm, especially in that Species, in which the Members are yet agitated, and their motion is not yet stopt, they being attracted by a Convulsion, as in that called a Convulsive Palpitation, hath been shown in a particular Cramp.
The Members are said to tremble, when they are stirred upwards or down∣wards with an inequal motion, * 1.3 and it is called Trembling, which then is caused chiefly, when we would use them, which sometimes tremble more somtimes less, which often happens in the Hands when somwhat is to be laid hold on: and sometimes in the Feet which tremble as they stand: and sometimes in the Head, which continually is moved hither and thi∣ther: somtimes the lower Jaw becomes tremulous, the which often happens before Vomiting which it presa∣geth, we have seen a Citizen of ours Tremble in all the parts together even from his birth unto his old age, with his Arms, Hands, Fingers, Feet, with which he danced as it were while he went, with his head also which he shaked, and with his Jaw with which he che∣wed as it were.
The Members are said to beat or pant, not when they are shaken, * 1.4 being about to do somthing, as in a trembling, but when they are somwhat attracted involuntarily, and are again re∣laxt as in Convulsive Palpitation, we have formerly said, it doth come to pass after the same manner, which Palpitation may be referred to that Species which they call the flatulent Spasm, having almost the same cause, as shal be said, and therefore it may be called a flatu∣lent Palpitation, yet more gently exercising the Mem∣bers rather than strongly drawing them, as the other doth; seeing the Members are properly said to palpi∣tate, when the Muscles and the Skin over them are somwhat lifted up, and sink again, and that with pain for the most Part and trouble, the Members in the inte∣rim not being attracted or very little.
We say the Members are shaken by a Rigor, * 1.5 when there is a certain Convulsion of the whol body, or of its parts, almost as it befalls those that tremble, but with a certain sense of cold and involuntarily, whence it is called a Rigor, as in the beginning of the Fits of intermitting Feavers, the whole body by this means is extended, bowed, shaken, oftentimes so strongly, that the Teeth knocking together make a Noise, which they call the Gnashing of the Teeth and continual Feavers also do invade with the like Rigor, and somtimes when a Cri∣sis is at hand, it is a foreteller of it; at other times the Agitation is lighter and then it is called Horror or shivering in which a greater sense of cold runs through the body, * 1.6 and the hairs stand upright and the pores bound up make the Skin rough: and somtimes Cold only doth molest a man as hath been said in Feavers: but also out of Diseases a Rigor or Horror, like unto these doth somwhat shake the Body from External cold, Fear, and sometimes a Rigor ariseth from external Causes without Cold.
In that called Reaching, the Arms espe∣cially with the back are very much exten∣ded, * 1.7 and bowed with a vehement open∣ing or drawing asunder of the Mouth which they call Gaping, the which also may be caused apart; these two if they trouble often without occasion, do presage Diseases or are Prefaces to the Fits of Feavers beginning: but otherwise out of Diseases they are signs of sloth, or they arise from some Imagination as shal be said.
We call that Nyctation when the Eyes are forced to twinkle, * 1.8 that is the Eyelids fall down, and they are coverd with them and can hardly be kept open, as it happens in the slothful when they are full and heavy to sleep, somtimes also it hap∣pens in Diseases.