Three Books of Occult Philosophy/Book 1/Chapter 63
CHAP. LXIII.
How the passions of the mind change the proper body, by changing the Accidents, and moving the spirit.
THe Phantafie, or imaginative power hath a ruling power over the passions of the soul, when they sollow the sensuall apprehension. For this doth of its own power, according to the diversity of the Passions, First of all change the proper body with a sensible transmutation, by changing the Accidents in the body, and by moving the spirit upward or downward, inward, or outward, and by producing divers qualities in the members. So in joy, the spirits are driven outward, in fear, drawn back, in bashfulness, are moved to the brain, So in joy, the heart is dilated outward, by little, and little, in sadness, is constringed by little, and little inward. After the same manner in anger or fear, but suddenly. Again anger, or desire of revenge produceth heat, redness, a bitter tast, and a loosness. Fear induceth cold, trembling of the heart, speechlesness, and paleness. Sadness causeth sweat, and a blewish whiteness. Pitty, which is a kind of sadness, doth osten ill affect the body of him that takes pitty, that it seems to be the body of another man affected. Also it is manisest, that amongst some lovers there is such a strong tye of love, that what the one suffers, the other suffers. Anxiety induceth dryness, and blackness. And how great heats love stirs up in the Liver, and pulse, Physitians know, discerning by that kind of judgement the name of her that is beloved, in an Heroick Passion. So Naustratus knew that Antiochus was taken with the love of Stratonica. It is also manisest that such like Passions, when they are most vehement, may cause death. And this is manisest to all men, that with too much joy, sadness, love, hatred, men many times dye, and are sometimes sreed srom a disease. So we read, that Sophocles, and Dionysius the Sicilian Tyrant, did both suddenly dye at the news of a Tragicall victory. So a certain woman seeing her son returning srom the Canensian battle, dyed suddenly. Now what sadness can do, is known to all. We know that Dogs oftentimes dye with sadness for the death of their masters. Sometimes also by reason of these like Passions, long diseases follow, and are sometimes cured. So also some men looking from an high place, by reason of great fear, tremble, are dim-sighted, and weakened, and sometimes loose their senses. So fears, and falling-sickness, sometimes sollow sobbing. Sometimes wonderfull essects are produced, as in the son of Crasus, whom his mother brought forth dumb, yet a vehement fear, and ardent affection made him speak, which naturally he could never do. So with a suddain fall ostentimes lise, sense, motion on a suddain leave the members, and presently again are sometimes returned. And how much vehement anger, joyned with great audacity, can do, Alexander the great shews, who being circumvented with a battle in India, was seen to send forth from himself lightening and fire. The Father of Theodoricus is said to have sent forth out of his body, sparks of fire; so that sparkling flames did leap out with a noyse. And such like things sometimes appear in beasts, as in Tiberius his horse, which is said to send forth a flame out of his mouth.