of the imagination; as is plain by the continual variety of dreams and other fancies, wherein this faculty is the principal worker. The next thing is the latitude of working, in framing of objects, wherein it hath a property of boldness. beyond other faculties. For reason, and all other powers, have their fixed and determinate limits in nature; and therefore they always frame themselves to the truth of things, yielding assent to nothing but what they find: but imagination is a faculty boundless, and impatient of any imposed limits, save those which itself maketh. And hence it is, that in matter of persuasion and insinuation, poetry, mythology, and eloquence, (the arts of rational fancy) have ever (as was observed) been more forcible than those which have been rigorously grounded on nature and reason: it being (as Scaliger observes) the natural infiniteness of man's soul, "Aspernari certorum finium præscriptionem," to disdain any bounds and confines in her operations.

Now the liberty of the imagination in this particular is threefold; creation, as I may so speak, and new making of objects; composition, or new mixing them; and translation, or new placing them: unto some of which three, will be reduced all poetical fictions, fabulous transmutations, high metaphors, and rhetorical allegories, things of excellent use and ornament in speech.

Now for the corruptions and diseases of this faculty, I conceive the principal to be these three, error, levity, and dull fixedness. The error of the imagination may be taken both actively and passively; the error which it produceth, and the error which it suffereth. That the fancy is fruitful in producing error, is as manifest as it is difficult to show the manner how it doth it. Hence those strange, and yet strong, delusions, whereby the minds of melancholy men (in whom this faculty hath the most deep and piercing operation) hath been peremptorily possessed. Hence those vanishing and shadowy assurances, hopes, fears, joys, visions, which the dreams of men (the immediate issues of this faculty) do produce. Hence those ghastly apparitions, dreadful sounds, black thoughts, tremblings and horrors, which the strong working of imagination doth present unto, or produce in

men, disquieted either with the ugliness of their sins, or heaviness of their natures, making them to fear where no fear is which, whether it be done by affecting only the fancy, or by the impression of such forms and shapes upon the spirits, which go unto the outward senses, as may thereby affect them with the same images, (not by reception from without, but by impression and transfusion from within) it is manifest, not only by various relations, but by continual experience, what strong and strange effects those distempers have produced.

Neither are we to conceive this impossible, when we see as admirable effects in another kind, wrought by the same faculty, and, as is probable, by the same means; I mean, the impression of likeness of an infant in the womb, unto the parents, or some other, who shall work a stronger conceit in the fancy P. Or if this be not ascribed unto the working of this power, but rather by a secret real virtue intrinsecal unto the seed of the parents, (as many do affirm) yet that other effect of stamping on the body the images and colours of some things, which had made any strong and violent immutation on the fancy, must needs be hereunto ascribed: as we see cometh often to pass in the longing of women; and in her, who having the picture of an Ethiopian in her chamber, brought forth a black child: and in the course which Jacob took, in putting speckled rods before the cattle', when they were to conceive, that the fancy of them might make their lambs to be ring-streaked and speckled.

The errors which are in the fancy, are usually of the same nature with those that are wrought by it. Such was the error of that man, which would not be persuaded but that he had on his head a great pair of horns; and for that reason would not move forth, nor uncover his face to any. And the causes of these errors are, by Francis Mirandula ascribed, first, to the variety of tempers in the body, with the predominancy of those humours which give complexion thereunto. Secondly, to the imposture of the senses. Thirdly, to the government of the will: (though that, as is granted,

q Peucer. de te

s Vid. Gifanium in Arist. Eth. 24, 25, 26. et l. 3. c. 21. Fran.

P Arist. Prob. sect. 10. Paraph. 12. Plin. 1. 7. c. 12. nas. copia. Aug. in Gen. qu. 93. 1. 7. c. 5. et Wier. de Præstig. Dæm. 1. 2. c. Mirand. 1. de Imag. c. 8.

hath least power over this faculty.) And lastly, to the ministry of evil angels", who can easily cast into the fancy strange and false species, with such subtilty, as shall easily gain them plausible credit and admittance. And of this we find an express example (as I conceive) in that evil spirit, who promised to be a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets. For the visions of such men being, for the most part, imaginary, the impression of that lying and deceitful persuasion was, in all probability, made upon the imagination. For notwithstanding I confess, that prophets had events, by divers means, revealed unto them, as by true voices, by real access of angels, and by immediate illapse of truth into the understanding; yet because those two ways, by visions and by dreams, were (for aught can be observed) the most usual means of revelation, it is not unlikely, that the devil (who, in such thing, strives for the better advancement of his own ends, to imitate God's manner of working) did, by this manner of imposture on the imagination, seek to possess the false prophets, and to delude the king.

And here, by the way, from the three former, we may take occasion to observe the misery of man's corrupted nature, wherein those faculties, which were originally ordained for mutual assistance, do now exercise a mutual imposture and as man did join with a fellow-creature to dishonour, and, if it had been possible, to deceive his Maker; so in the faculties of man, we may discover a joint conspiracy in the working of their own overthrow and reproach, and a secret joy in one to be deluded by another.

The next corruption which I observed, is the levity, and too much volubility of this power, proceeding from the overhasty obtrusion of the species. For, notwithstanding I grant the quickness of its operations to be one principal part of the excellency thereof; yet I thereby understand the power, not the infirmity; the nature, not the disease of that faculty; the ability of having speedy recourse unto variety of objects treasured up in the memory; or of apprehending new with dexterity; not that floating and inconstant humour, whereby it makes many needless excursions upon impertinent things,

"Aug. de Civ. Dei, 1. 18. c. 18. De divin. Dæmon, c. 5, 6. xii. 6. Joel ii. 28.

x Numb.

and thereby interrupteth the course of the more needful and present operation of the soul. For since it may fall out, that unto the same faculty, from diversity of occasions, contrary operations may prove arguments of worth; a restraint unto one manner of working, is an argument of weakness and defect, in that it straiteneth and defraudeth the power of those advantages, which it might receive by a timely application of the other. There may be a time, when the fancy may have a liberty to expatiate; but again, some object will require a more fixed and permanent act. And therefore, to have a vanishing and lightening fancy, that knoweth not how to stay and fasten upon any particular, but, as a hanging of divers colours shall, in one view, present unto the understanding a heap of species, and so distracts its intention, argues not sufficiency, but weakness and distemper in this faculty.

The last corruption observed, is in the other extreme; I mean, that heaviness and sluggish fixedness, whereby it is disabled from being serviceable to the understanding, in those actions which require despatch, variety, and suddenness of execution. From which peremptory adhesion, and too violent intention of the fancy on some particular objects, doth many times arise not only a dulness of mind, a syncope, and kind of benumbedness of the soul, but oftentimes madness, distraction, and torment: many examples of which kind of depravation of the phantasy in melancholy men, we every where meet withal'; some thinking themselves turned into wolves, horses, or other beasts; others pleasing themselves with conceits of great wealth and principalities; some framing to themselves fears, and others hopes; being all but the delusions and waking dreams of a distempered fancy.

"His ego sæpe lupum fieri, et se condere silvis

Morin, sæpe animas imis excire sepulcris,
Atque satas alio vidi traducere messes.”

Here often have I seen this Moris work
Himself into a wolf, and in woods lurk;

Arist. Prob. Sect. 29.

z Lucian, in Lucio sive Asino. Apul. in Asino. Plin. 1. 7. c. 22. Olav. Magnus de Region. Septentrion. 1. 18. c. 45, 46, 47. Wierus de Præstig. 1. 3. c. 21. Thrasylaus omnes, ad littus Pyræum appellentes, naves suas credidit; apud Athen.

Oft have I seen him raise up ghosts from hell,

And growing corn translate by magic spell.-Virg. Eclog. 8. And upon this over-strong working and stay of the fancy upon some one or other object, it hath oftentimes come to pass, that some men, out of depth of contemplation on some difficulties of learning, (as is reported of Aristotle, in his meditation on the cause of the ebbing and flowing of the sea) others, out of some strong and predominant passion, as love, fear, despair, drawing all the intention of the mind unto them, have attempted such strange practises on themselves and others, as could not proceed but from a smothered and entangled reason. And thus much briefly shall suffice, touching the honour of man's common and inferior faculties.

CHAP. V.

Of Passions, their nature, and distribution; of the motions of natural creatures guided by a knowledge without them; and of rational creatures, guided by a knowledge within them : of passions mental, sensitive, and rational.

I Now proceed unto the soul of man: of which I must speak in a double reference, either according to its motions and impressions which it makes on the body, and receiveth from it; or according to those more eminent perfections which it hath within itself. Under the former of these, come to be considered the passions of man's mind, with the more notable perfections and corruptions (as far as my weakness can discover) which the soul and body contracteth from them.

Passions are nothing else, but those natural, perfective, and unstrained motions of the creatures unto that advancement of their natures, which they are, by the wisdom, power, and providence of their Creator, in their own several spheres, and according to the proportion of their capacities, ordained to receive, by a regular inclination to those objects, whose goodness beareth a natural convenience or virtue of satisfaction unto them;-or by an antipathy and aversation from those, which bearing a contrariety to the good they desire, must needs be noxious and destructive, and, by consequent,