The Anatomy of Melancholy Part 31

Unlawful means forbidden,

_Memb. 1._ From the devil, magicians, witches, &c., by charms, spells, incantations, &c.

_Quest. 1._ Whether they can cure this, or other such like diseases?

_Quest. 2._ Whether, if they can so cure, it be lawful to seek to them for help?

or Lawful means, which are

_Memb. 2._ Immediately from G.o.d, _a Jove principium_ by prayer &c.

_Memb. 3. Quest. 1._ Whether saints and their relics can help this infirmity?

_Quest. 2._ Whether it be lawful to sue to them for aid.

or _Memb. 4._ Mediately by Nature which concerns and works by _Subsect. 1._ Physician, in whom is required science, confidence, honesty, &c.

_Subsect. 2._ Patient, in whom is required obedience, constancy, willingness, patience, confidence, bounty, &c., not to practise on himself.

_Subsect. 3._ Physic, which consists of Dietetical [Symbol: Aries]

Pharmaceutical [Symbol: Taurus]

Chirurgical [Symbol: Gemini]

or Particular to the three distinct species, [Symbol: Cancer] [Symbol: Leo] [Symbol: Virgo]

[Symbol: Aries] _Sect. 2._ Dietetical, which consists in reforming those six non-natural things, as in

Diet rectified _1. Memb._

Matter and quality _1 Subs._ Such meats as are easy of digestion, well-dressed, hot, sod, &c., young, moist, of good nourishment, &c.

Bread of pure wheat, well-baked.

Water clear from the fountain.

Wine and drink not too strong, &c.

Flesh Mountain birds, partridge, pheasant, quails, &c. Hen, capon, mutton, veal, kid, rabbit, &c.

Fish That live in gravelly waters, as pike, perch, trout, sea-fish, solid, white, &c.

Herbs Borage, bugloss, balm, succory, endive, violets, in broth, not raw, &c.

Fruits and roots.

Raisins of the sun, apples corrected for wind, oranges, &c., parsnips, potatoes, &c.

or _Subs. 2._ Quant.i.ty.

At seasonable and unusual times of repast, in good order, not before the first be concocted, sparing, not overmuch of one dish.

_Memb. 2._ Rectification of retention and evacuation, as costiveness, venery, bleeding at nose, months stopped, baths, &c.

_Memb. 3._ Air rectified, with a digression of the air Naturally in the choice and site of our country, dwelling-place, to be hot and moist, light, wholesome, pleasant &c.

Artificially, by often change of air, avoiding winds, fogs, tempests, opening windows, perfumes, &c.

_Memb. 4._ Exercise Of body and mind, but moderate, as hawking, hunting, riding, shooting, bowling, fis.h.i.+ng, fowling, walking in fair fields, galleries, tennis, bar.

Of mind, as chess, cards, tables &c., to see plays, masks, &c., serious studies, business, all honest recreations.

_Memb. 5._ Rectification of waking and terrible dreams, &c.

_Memb. 6._ Rectification of pa.s.sions and perturbations of the mind.

[Symbol: Libra]

_Memb. 6._ Pa.s.sions and perturbations of the mind rectified.

From himself _Subsect. 1._ By using all good means of help, confessing to a friend, &c.

Avoiding all occasions of his infirmity.

Not giving way to pa.s.sions, but resisting to his utmost.

or from his friends.

_Subsect. 2._ By fair and foul means, counsel, comfort, good persuasion, witty devices, fictions, and, if it be possible, to satisfy his mind.

_Subsect. 3._ Music of all sorts aptly applied.

_Subsect. 4._ Mirth and merry company.

_Sect. 3._ A consolatory digression, containing remedies to all discontents and pa.s.sions of the mind.

_Memb. 1._ General discontents and grievances satisfied.

_Memb. 2._ Particular discontents, as deformity of body, sickness, baseness of birth, &c.

_Memb. 3._ Poverty and want, such calamites and adversities.

_Memb. 4._ Against servitude, loss of liberty, imprisonment, banishment, &c.

_Memb. 5._ Against vain fears, sorrows for death of friends, or otherwise.

_Memb. 6._ Against envy, livor, hatred, malice, emulation, ambition, and self-love, &c.

_Memb. 7._ Against repulses, abuses, injuries, contempts, disgraces, contumelies, slanders, and scoffs, &c.

_Memb. 8._ Against all other grievous and ordinary symptoms of this disease of melancholy.

[Symbol: Taurus] _Sect. 4._ Pharmaceutics, or Physic which cureth with medicines, with a digression of this kind of physic, is either _Memb. 1.

Subsect. 1._

General to all

Alterative

Simples altering melancholy, with a digression of exotic simples _2. Subs._ Herbs. _3. Subs._ To the heart; borage, bugloss, scorzonera, &c.

To the head; balm, hops, nenuphar, &c.

Liver; eupatory, artemisia, &c.

Stomach; wormwood, centaury, pennyroyal.

Spleen; ceterache, ash, tamarisk.

To Purify the blood; endive, succory, &c.

Against wind; origan, fennel, aniseed, &c.

_4. Subs_ Precious stones; as smaragdes, chelidonies, &c.

Minerals;

or compounds altering melancholy, with a digression of compounds.

_5. Subs._

Inwardly taken

Liquid fluid Wines; as of h.e.l.lebore, bugloss, tamarisk, &c.

Syrups of borage, bugloss, hops, epithyme, endive, succory, &c.

or consisting.

Conserves of violets, maidenhair, borage, bugloss, roses, &c.

Confections; treacle, mithridate, eclegms or linctures.