Mediaeval Lore from Bartholomew Anglicus — John Shaqi
Mediaeval Lore from Bartholomew AnglicusBartholomaeus, Anglicus, active 13th century
History
Mediaeval Lore from Bartholomew Anglicus
Bartholomaeus, Anglicus, active 13th century
Civilization, Medieval; Science, Medieval
These be the signs of frenzy, woodness and continual waking, moving
and casting about the eyes, raging, stretching, and casting out of
hands, moving and wagging of the head, grinding and gnashing together
of the teeth; always they will arise out of their bed, now they sing,
now they weep, and they bite gladly and rend their keeper and their
leech: seldom be they still, but cry much. And these be most
perilously sick, and yet they wot not then that they be sick. Then
they must be soon holpen lest they perish, and that both in diet and
in medicine. The diet shall be full scarce, as crumbs of bread, which
must many times be wet in water. The medicine is, that in the
beginning the patient's head be shaven, and washed in lukewarm
vinegar, and that he be well kept or bound in a dark place. Diverse
shapes of faces and semblance of painting shall not be shewed tofore
him, lest he be tarred with woodness. All that be about him shall be
commanded to be still and in silence; men shall not answer to his nice
words. In the beginning of medicine he shall be let blood in a vein of
the forehead, and bled as much as will fill an egg-shell. Afore all
things (if virtue and age suffereth) he shall bleed in the head vein.
Over all things, with ointments and balming men shall labour to bring
him asleep. The head that is shaven shall be plastered with lungs of a
swine, or of a wether, or of a sheep; the temples and forehead shall
be anointed with the juice of lettuce, or of poppy. If after these
medicines are laid thus to, the woodness dureth three days without
sleep, there is no hope of recovery.
Madness is infection of the foremost cell of the head, with privation
of imagination, like as melancholy is the infection of the middle cell
of the head, with privation of reason.
Madness cometh sometime of passions of the soul, as of business and of
great thoughts, of sorrow and of too great study, and of dread:
sometime of the biting of a wood hound, or some other venomous beast:
sometime of melancholy meats, and sometime of drink of strong wine.
And as the causes be diverse, the tokens and signs be diverse. For
some cry and leap and hurt and wound themselves and other men, and
darken and hide themselves in privy and secret places. The medicine of
them is, that they be bound, that they hurt not themselves and other
men. And namely, such shall be refreshed, and comforted, and withdrawn
from cause and matter of dread and busy thoughts. And they must be
gladded with instruments of music, and somedeal be occupied.
Our Lord set a token in Cain, that was quaking of head, as Strabus
saith in the gloss: "Every man (saith Strabus) that findeth me, by
quaking of head and moving of wood heart, shall know that I am guilty
to die."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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