Insanity is now generally divided into Mania and Melancholia, but formerly its distributions were more numerous. Paracelsus, speaking of this disease, says, "Vesaniae hujus genera quatuor existunt: primi _Lunatici_ vocantur: secundi _Insani_: tertii _Vesani_: quarti _Melancholici_, Lunatici sunt qui omnem suum morbum ex Luna accipiunt, et juxta eam sese gerunt ac moventur. Insani sunt, qui malum id ab utero materno hauserunt, veluti haereditarium, uno subinde insaniam in alterum transferente. Vesani sunt, qui a cibis ac potibus ita inficiuntur ac taminantur, ut ratione sensuque priventur. Melancholici sunt, qui ex intimae naturae vitio a ratione deturbantur, et ad vesaniam precipitantur." Paracelsus, however, thinks that a fifth genus may be added. "Ad quatuor hac genera genus insuper aliud quodammodo annumerari potest, videlicet _obsessi_, qui a diabolo variis modis occupari solent."--_Paracelsi Opera, folio, tom. i. fol. 572._ The idea of being besieged, beset, or possessed by the devil was formerly a very favourite notion, and is derived to us by an authority we are taught to reverence: indeed it is still the opinion of many harmless and believing persons, some of whom have bestowed considerable pains to convince me that the violent and mischievous maniacs in Bedlam were under the dominion of this insinuating spirit. They have employed one argument which would seem to have considerable weight, namely, that the most atrocious crimes are stated in our indictments (much to the credit of human nature) to have been committed by the instigation of the devil: and they have also endeavoured to explain, how a late and eminently successful practitioner, by an union of the holy office with consummate medical skill, was enabled to cure nine lunatics out of ten, which certainly has not hitherto been accounted for. Paracelsus, who contemplated this subject with uncommon gravity and solicitude, is of opinion that the devil enters us much in the same manner as a maggot gets into a filbert.--_Vide Fragmentum Libri Philosophiae de Daemoniacis et Obsessis, tom. ii. p. 460._ To conclude this part of the subject, and to exhibit the state of belief at that period, I shall take the liberty of extracting a portion from the 11th chapter of Dr. Andrewe Boord's Extravagantes, which "doth shewe of a Demoniacke person, the which is possessed of or with the devyll or devylls. "Demoniacus or Demoniaci be the Latin wordes. In Greke it is named Demonici. In Englyshe it is named he or they, the whiche be mad and possessed of the devyll or devils, and their propertie is to hurt and kyll them selfe, or els to hurt and kyll any other thynge, therfore let every man beware of them, and kepe them in a sure custody. _The cause of this Matter._