Part 6 (1/2)
[104] _See Matthew, Ch. viii. v. 28. Mark, Ch. v. v. 2. and Luke, Chap. viii. v. 27._
[105] _Mark, Chap. i. v. 23-26._
[106] _Luke, Chap. iv. v. 33-35._
These are all actions of madmen; but the dispute is, whether they were wrought by devils, or by the violence of the disease. Thus much is certain, that in those times it was a common opinion among the jews, that evil spirits frequently took possession of people, and tortured them in so surprizing a manner, as if they were agitated by furies.
For in the whole catalogue of diseases, which afflict mankind, there is no other, that seems so much to surpa.s.s the force of nature, as this, in wretchedly tormenting the patient by fierce distractions of the mind, and excessively strong, tho' involuntary, motions of the body. But most certainly we find nothing sacred in all this, nothing but what may arise from a natural indisposition of body. And in order to place this my opinion in the stronger light, it may not be improper to give a short discourse on madness; not indeed on that species, which comes on in an acute fever, and goes off with it, which is called a phrenzy, and is always of short duration; but that other sort, which is rivetted in the body, and const.i.tutes a chronical disease.
Wherefore all madness is a disease of an injured imagination, which derives its origin from the mind, having been too long a time fixed on any one object. Hence proceed uneasiness and anxieties of mind concerning the event. And by how much the things, whose images incessantly occur to the imagination, are of greater moment in life, the more violently they disturb the person; examples of which we see particularly in love and religion, wherein hope, fear, despair, and other contrary pa.s.sions, succeeding each other by turns, drag the person different ways. That this is the case, will not be doubted by any one, who recollects, that a madman often has a good memory; manages his affairs, except when some vain ideas come across his mind, with tolerable prudence, nay sometimes with more than ordinary cunning; and that he ofttimes recovers the intire and permanent use of his reason, by a course of proper medicines. Therefore in this disorder the person is first over-whelmed by terrifying ideas, which are followed by wrath and fury, as attendants on anxiety: whence he threatens and attempts to do acts of the utmost cruelty to those who approach him, and thro' excess of anguish, frequently lays violent hands even on himself: then he grows again melancholic; and thus rage and dejection of spirits affect him alternately: moreover it is no uncommon thing to see a person under these circ.u.mstances, especially when the disease has taken deep root by length of time, seeking unfrequented and solitary places, in order to avoid the conversation of his fellow creatures,
_Ipse suum cor edens, hominum vestigia vitans._[107]
Gnawing his heart, shunning the steps of men.
[107] _Cicero, Tuscul. Disp. Lib. iii. 26. who has turn'd into Latin this verse of Homer:_ ”?? ???? ?at?d??, p?t??
?????p?? ??ee????.” _Il. Z. v. 202._
Now, people afflicted with this disorder, often live a long time. For all mad folks in general bear hunger, cold, and any other inclemency of the weather; in short, all bodily inconveniencies, with surprizing ease; as they enjoy a strength of const.i.tution superior to what might be easily imagined. Likewise it frequently happens, that an epilepsy comes on madness of a long standing. For these diseases are nearly related; and in this case, we know by experience, that there remain not the least hopes of recovery. Lastly it is to be observed, that the patient is either frantic or melancholic, according as his habit of body is disposed to receive this or that injury.
But that the casting out of devils, is nothing more than the removal of madness, many do not believe, upon this account, that those things which happen to persons thus affected, seem to them impossible to be done by the force of nature. But certainly these gentlemen are too much strangers to physic, and have not sufficiently attended to phnomena no less surprizing, which daily occur in other diseases. Do we not often see that violent affections of the mind are the cause of death? A sudden fright has destroyed many, and even excessive joy has been fatal. A dangerous distemper sometimes pa.s.ses from one part of the body to another, in the twinkling of an eye. The venom thrown into the ma.s.s of blood by the bite of a mad dog, generally lies still a good while; and at the end of some weeks, sometimes months, exerting its strength, it produces symptoms not inferior to those, which are said to be produced by devils. What is more surprizing than some things which fall out in pregnancies? If a pregnant woman happens to have an eager desire for any thing, and is disappointed, she sometimes marks the ftus with the figure or likeness of the object longed for, on this or that part of the body. And, what is still more, and approaches to a prodigy, upon the mother being terrified by a sudden injury done to any one part, that very part in the child suffers the same evil, and decays for want of nourishment. I know that the truth of stories of this kind, is called in doubt by some physicians; because they cannot conceive, how such things can happen. But many examples, of which I have been an eye-witness, have freed my mind of all scruples on this head. Now, the power of the imaginative faculty is so stupendous, that the mind is not less affected by false, than by true images, when daily subjected to them. This we find by experience in those women, who are called witches, who, being under the influence of such an error of the mind, frequently imagine that they not only converse with devils, but also have enter'd into compacts with them; and persist in these notions with such obstinacy, that, when they are brought to a trial, they confess themselves guilty of wickednesses, which they never perpetrated, though they know that they must suffer death for their confession. Moreover, every body knows how wonderfully the mind is disturbed in melancholies. One of them thinks his head is made of gla.s.s, and is afraid of stirring abroad, for fear of having it broken: another believes himself to be actually dead, and refuses food, because the dead ought not to eat. There are a thousand stories of this kind. I remember, a man of letters, with whom I was well acquainted, who positively a.s.serted that he was big with child, and was vastly anxious for a happy delivery. I saw two others, who, when alone, fancied they heard the words of people whispering them in the ear. Nor is their case different, in my opinion, who persuade themselves that they see ghosts and hobgoblins. For deliriums are a kind of dreams of people awake; and the mind in both cases affects the body differently, according to the nature of its objects.
From what we have said, it manifestly appears, how many different ways the lessons of imagination, when they are confirm'd by long habit, are capable of affecting a man, and entirely ruining his whole frame. But every body knows, that the human mind is disturbed by nothing more than by fear; the cause of which is self-love ingrafted in all men.
Whereas then, as Cicero very justly observes, _there is no nation so savage, no man so rude, as not to have some notion of the G.o.ds_;[108]
it is no wonder, that men conscious of wicked deeds, should be struck with the fear of G.o.d, whose empire over all created things they acknowledged. For, as they attributed every good thing, every benefit of this life, to the G.o.ds; so they were of opinion, that evils and calamities were sent down by them in punishment of crimes. Now, idolatry, as I said above,[109] had its origin among the Chaldeans; and at first it consisted in the wors.h.i.+p of the sun and moon, but afterwards it was extended to the adoration of daemons.[110] But these were believed to be divine ministers; and that they were originally the souls of heroes and great men, who were wors.h.i.+pped for services done to mankind in general, or to their native country in particular.
And this daemoniac religion being propagated from the Chaldaeans to the Phnicians, then to the Egyptians, came afterwards to the Greeks, thence to the Romans, and in progress of time to the other nations.
[108] _Tusc. quaest. Lib. i. 13._
[109] _Cap. i. p. 5._
[110] _See Sir Isaac Newton's Chronology, p. 160._
But the jews, accustomed to ascribe every uncommon or wonderful work of nature to the agency of angels, as ministers of the supreme deity, could easily work up their minds to believe, that some dreadful diseases, which injured the mind and body together, the causes whereof they could not investigate, arose from the operation of evil angels.
For we learn from Philo Judaeus,[111] with whom Josephus also agrees in opinion, _that they believed there were bad as well as good angels; that the good executed the commands of G.o.d on men, that they were irreprehensible and beneficent; but the bad execrable, and every way mischievous_.[112] But a more ill.u.s.trious example of this matter cannot be given, than in the narrative of Saul's disease,[113] of which I have already treated.[114] Nor were madness and the epilepsy the only diseases, which they imputed to devils. When Jesus had restored speech to the _furious dumb man_, he is said to have done it by _casting out a devil_.[115] And when he had cured another furious person, who was _blind and dumb_, the pharisees reproached him _with casting out devils by beelzebub the prince of the devils_.[116] In fine, Christ himself uses this common way of expression, on occasion of the _woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, whom he freed from that infirmity_; by saying, that _satan had held her bound these eighteen years_.[117]
[111] _Lib. de gigantibus._
[112] _De bello judaico, Lib. vii. Cap. 6._
[113] _See Samuel (or Kings) Book i. Chap. xvi._
[114] _Chap. iii. page 28, &c._
[115] _Matthew, Chap. ix. Verse 32._
[116] _Ib. Chap. xii. Verse 22._