Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A00777
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Diseases of the soule a discourse diuine, morall, and physicall. By Tho. Adams.
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Adams, Thomas, fl. 1612-1653.
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1616
(1616)
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STC 109; ESTC S100388
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50,627
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84
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the animall spirits hence the braine staggers with giddinesse This spirituall Inconstancie ariseth from like causes If it be in religion it proceeds from cloudy imaginations fancies fictions and forced dreames which keepe the mind from a sober and peacefull consideratenesse Multitude of opinions like foggy vapours mist the intellectuall faculty and like reuerberated blastes whirle about the spirits Hee sees some Ceremoniall deuisions in our Church and therefore dares not stedfastly embrace that truth which both parts without contention teach and obserue So leaues the blessing of his mother because hee beholds his brethren quarrelling whiles he sees the vnreconcileable opposition of Rome and vs which he fondly labours to atone he forsakes both and will now be a Church alone Thus his brest is full of secret combates contradictions affirmations negatiues and whiles he refuseth to ioine with others he is diuided in himselfe And yet will rather search excuses for his vnstayednesse then ground for his rest He lothes Manna after two dayes feeding and is almost weary of the Sunne for perpetuall shining If the Temple pauements be euer worne with his visitant feete hee will runne farre to a new Teacher and rather then be bound to his owne parish he will turne Recusant He will admire a new Preacher till a quarter of the sand is out but if the Church dores bee not locked vp he cannot stay out the houre what he promiseth to a Collection to day he forgets or at least denies the next morning His best dwelling would be his confined chamber where his irresolution might trouble nothing but his pillow In humane matters the cause of his variablenesse is not varied but the object Hee is transformable to all qualities a temperd lumpe of waxe to receiue any forme yet no impression stickes long vpon him he holds it the quicknesse of his wit to be voluble Signes and Symptomes THe signes of this disease in the body are a mist and darkenesse comming vpon euery light occasion If hee see a wheele turning round or a whirle-poole or any such circular motion he is affected with giddinesse The Symptomes of the Spirituall Staggers are semblable Hee turnes with those that turne and is his neighbours Chameleon He hates staiednesse as an earthen dulnesse He prosecutes a businesse without feare or wit and reiecting the patience to consult falls vpon it with a peremptory heat but like water once hot is soonest frozen and instantly he must shift his time and his place neither is hee so weary of euery place as cuery place is weary of him He affects an obiect with dotage and as superstitiously courts as an Idolator his guilded block but it is a wonder if his passionate loue out-liue the age of a wonder 9. daies He respects in all things noueltie aboue goodnesse and the childe of his owne braines within a weeke hee is ready to iudge a Bastard Hee salutes his wits after some inuented toy as a Seruing-man kisseth his hand when instantly on another plots arising hee kickes the former out of dores He puls downe this day what hee builded the other now disliking the site now the fashion and sets men on worke to his owne vndoing Hee is in his owne house as his thoughts in his owne braine transient guests like a Haggard you know not where to take him He hunts well for a gird but is soone at a losse If hee giues any profession a winters entertainment yet hee is whether for a penny the next Spring He is full of businesse at Church a stranger at home a Scepticke abroad an obseruer in the street euery where a foole To conclude their owne vnfaithfulnesse making the Inconstant thus sick there is an accession of the Lords plague he addes dotage as a punishment of wilfull dotage The Lord hath mingled a peruerse spirit in the midst thereof and they haue caused Egypt to erre in euery worke thereof as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit Cure FOr the curing of this bodily infirmity many remedies are prescribed odoriferous smels in weaknesse the opening of a veine in better strength cupping glasses applyed to the hinder part of the head with scarification gargarismes and sternutatory things together with setting the feet in hot bathes c. To cure this Spirituall Staggers let the Patient bee purged with Repentance for his former vnsetlednesse let him take an ounce of Faith to firme his braines let his repose be on the Scriptures and thence fetch decision of all doubts let a skilfull Physician order him a good Minister Let him stop his eares to rumours and fixe his eyes on Heauen to bee kept from distracting obiects Let him keepe the continuall dyet of Prayer for the Spirit of illumination and thus he may be recouered Madnesse and Anger Disease 3. THe next disease I would describe is Phrenzy or Madnesse Now though Physicians do clearly distinguish betwixt these two Phrenzy and Madnesse calling Phrenzy an inflammation of the braine without a Feuer or an impostumation bred and ingendred in the pellicles of the braine or pia mater and Mania or Madnesse an infection of the former cell of the head without a Feuer the one abusing the imagination the other rauishing the memory I list not to dispute or determine That which serues my intention is to conferre either of these passions with a Spirituall disease of like nature Anger Irafuror breuis It is a madnesse I am sure I am not sure how short I doe not ask for men passionlesse this is hominem de homine tollere Giue them leaue to be men not mad men Iraoptimo loco donum Dei magna est ars irasciverbis praemeditatis tempore opportuno Anger in the best sense is the gift of God and it is no small art to expresse anger with premeditated termes and on seasonable occasion God placed Anger amongst the affections ingraffed in nature gaue it a seate fitted it with instruments ministred it matter whence it might proceed prouided humours whereby it is nourished It is to the Soule as a nerue to the body The Philosopher cals it the Whetstone to fortitude a spurre intended to set forward Vertue This is simply rather a propassion then a passion But there is a vicious impetuous franticke anger earnest for priuate and personall grudges not like a medicine to cleare the eye but to put it out This pernicious disease of the Soule hath degrees 1. It is inhumane Tygers deuoure not Tygers this rageth against kind and kindred 2. Impious it rageth often against God as that Pope vpon a field lost against the Frenchmen Sic esto nunc Gallicus So turne French now c. 3. Mad for it often rageth against vnreasonable creatures as Balaam striking his Asse how much is such a man more irrationall and bestiall then the Beast he malignes 4. It is more then mad striking at insensible things as Xerxes wrote a defying letter to Athos a Thracian mountaine Mischieuous Athos lifted vp to heauen make
light he cannot endure for his braine is too light already He presumes that his head containes more knowledge then tenne Bishops and wonders that the Church was so ouerseene as to forget him when offices were disposing or places a dealing and because he can get none railes at all for Antichristian He is the only wise man if he might teach all men to iudge him as he iudgeth himselfe and no starre should shine in our Orbe without borrowing some of his light Hee offers to reforme that man that would informe him and presumes of so much light that if himselfe were set our world would be left without a Sunne 3. Wine he hates specially when it is powred into his wounds as the Fathers interpret the Samaritans wine to the wounded man to clense and purge him Reproofe and hee are vtter enemies no man is good enough to chide him wholsome counsell which is indeed Wine to a weake soule he accounts Vineger nothing so pleaseth him as his owne Lees. Opinion hath brewed him ill and he is like water scared out of the wits 4. He must not bee moued nor remoued from what hee holdes his will is like the Persian law vnalterable You may moue him to choler not to knowledge his braine is turned like a Bell rung too deepe and cannot be fetcht backe againe His owne affectation is his pully that can moue him no engine else stirres him A man may like him at first as one that neuer heard musick doth the Tinkers note on his kettle but after a while they are both alike tedious There is no helpe for his auditour by by any excuses to shift him off if he haue not the patience to endure an impertinent discourse hee must venter the censure of his manners and run away His discourse is so full of parentheses as if he were troubled with the rhume and could not spette He is euer tying hard knots and vntying them as if no body had hired him and therefore he must finde himselfe worke If hee light on the sacred Writ he conceitedly allegorizes on the plainest subiect and makes the Scripture no more like it selfe then Michols Image in the bed vpon a pillow of Goates haire was like Dauid He carries bread at his backe and feedes vpon stones Like a full fedde Dogge he leaues the soft meate to lye gnawing vpon bones that wee may say of him this man hath a strong wit as wee say that dogge hath good teeth Curation THe way to cure the Migram is diuers according to the cause either by cutting a veine purging revulsiue or locall remedies But the sanation of this Brainsicke malady is very difficult insomuch that Salomon sayth There is more hope of a foole then of one wise in his owne conceit For he imagines the whole world to be sick and himselfe only sound I might prescribe him the opening of a veine which feedes this disease that is affectation the itching bloud of singularity let out would much ease him Or a good purge of humility to take him down a little because he stands so high in his owne imagination and full vessels to preuent their bursting must haue timely vent Or a little opium of sequestring him from businesse and confining him that hee might take some sleepe for his braines want rest Or a little Euphorbium of sound admonition and fit reproofe dropped into his eare warme Some Euphrasia or Eye-bright would do well Vnctions if lenifying will do no good nor any of the former I doubt except a strong pill of Discipline goe with them The speciallest remedy is Discipline as the Father sayd when hee heard his sonne complaine of his head my head my head commanded a seruant Carry him to his Mother so for these men so troubled with the Head-ach deliuer them to their mother let the Church censure them Inconstancie a kinde of staggers Disease 2. THere is a Disease in the Soule called Inconstancie not vnfitly shadowed to vs by a bodily infirmity possessing the superiour part of man vertigo a swimming in the head a giddinesse or the Staggers The disease in the body is described to bee an astonishing and dusking of the eyes and spirits that the Patient thinkes all that he seeth to turne round and is sodainly compassed with darknes The paralel to it in the Soule is Inconstancie a motion without rule a various aspect a diuersifying intention The Inconstant man is like a Pour contrell if hee should change his apparell so fast as his thought how often in a day would he shift himselfe He would be a Proteus too and vary kinds The reflection of euery news melts him whereof he is as soone glutted As he is a Noune hee is only adiectiue depending on euery nouel perswasion as a Verbe he knowes only the Present Tense To day hee goes to the Key to bee shipped for Rome but before the Tyde come his tyde is turn'd One party thinke him theirs the aduerse theirs he is with both with neither not an howre with himselfe Because the Birds Beasts be at controuersie he will be a Batte and get him both wings and teeth He would come to heauen but for his halting two opinions like two Water-men almost pul him a-pieces when he resolues to put his iudgement into a Boat and goe somewhither presently he steps backe and goes with neither It is a wonder if his affections being but a little luke-warme water do not make his religion stomack-sicke Indifferencie is his ballast and Opinion his sayle he resolues not to resolue He knowes not what he should hold hee knowes not what hee doth hold He opens his mind to receiue motions as one opens his palme to take a handful of water he hath very much if he could hold it He is sure to dye but not what religion to dye in he demurres like a posed Lawyer as if delay could remoue some impediments He is drunk when he riseth and reeles in a morning fasting He knowes not whether he should say his Pater noster in Latine or English and so leaues it and his prayers vnsayd Hee makes himselfe ready for an appointed feast by the way hee heares of a Sermon he turnes thitherward yet betwixt the Church gate and Church dore hee thinkes of businesse and retires home againe In a controuerted point hee holdes with the last reasoner hee either heard or read the next diuerts him and his opinion dwels with him perhaps so long as the teacher of it is in his sight He will rather take drosse for gold then trie it in the fornace Hee receiues many iudgements retaines none embracing so many faiths that he is little better then an Infidell Causes THey giue a double cause of this disease in the bodie either the distemperature and euil affectednesse of the braine or an offence giuen to it from the mouth of the stomack vapours grosse and tough humours or windy exhalations either lodging in the braine or sent thither from the stomack turning about