Middle English Literature

glutinum aspalti is so hard that it may nought be todeled
32
with watir nothir with irne, and if the blood menstrualis touchith, that glutinum
aspalti al tofalleth anon, as Isidir seith. This blood is bred in wymmennes
bodyes of superfluite of moisture and feblenes of hete. And for it schulde
not greve kinde, it is igedred into the modir as filthe into a goter. If it is
iput out therof in dwe maner, it clensith and releveth al the body, and
clensith the modir also, and disposith and maketh able to conceyve . . .
The superfluyte of [flegm] is knowen, as Constantinus seith, be thise signes
and tokens: for a verray fleumatik man is in the body lustles, hevy, and slowgh;
dul of wit and of thought, forgeteful; neissche of fleissche and quavy,
33
bloo
of colour, whitliche in face, ferdeful of herte; ful of spittinge, snyvel, and
rokeinge;
34
ful of slouthe and of slepinge; of a litil appetite and of litil thurst
but if the flewme be salt, for than for mellinge
35
of hote humour he felith
salt savour in his mouthe; neische, yelowh, and streit of here; neische, grete,
and slough of puls. His urine is white and thicke, rawe and evel icoloured.
He is fat and greet and schort; and his skin is pleyn and smethe, [bare
withouten eer].
36
He metith
37
and hath swevenes
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of grete watris and
26
madness.
27
Pseudo-Hippocrates (Gariopontus, d. ca. 1050), Passionarius, here attributed to Galen.
28
iron.
29
corroded.
30
mad.
31
called.
32
mixed.
33
soft, flabby.
34
spitting, vomiting? (obscure).
35
mixing.
36
hair.
37
dreams.
38
dreams.

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snowe and reyne and of seilynge on coolde watir and of swymmynge therinne.
Men of that complexioun hath often coolde yveles and beith itravayled
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therwith and nameliche in wintir, for thanne the qualitees of fleume, coolde
and moist, beth istrengthid. So seith Constantin . . .
Thenne this kyndeliche colera, if it passe noght the boundis of kynde, it
maketh othir humours sotile, and comfortith digestioun, and clensith drasten
40
and corrupcioun, and maketh the body to strecche in lengthe, brede, and
thickenesse, and bredith boldenes and hardynes and mevynge and lightnes
and wrethe
41
and appetite of wreche
42
and also of the werkes of Venus, and
helpith the vertu explusive,
43
and clerith thicke matere and maketh it meve
from the middel to the uttir parties, and chaungith the uttir parties in
colour of citrine
44
and blak. And so colerik men beth generalliche wratheful,
hardy, unmeke, light,
45
unstable, inpetuous; in body long, sklendre, and
lene; in colour broun; in eer blak and crips, [hard] and stif; in touche hoot;
in puls strong and swifte. The urine of hem is thinne in substaunce and
subtile, in colour fury,
46
schinynge, and clere . . .
If this humour [melancholy] have maistrye in any body, thyse beth the
signes and tokenes. First, the colour of the skyn chaungith into the blake or
into bloo colour; sour savour and sharp and erthey is ifeled in the mouth
by the qualite of the humour; the pacient is faynt and ferdful in herte with-
oute cause. Galien seith if the dredes of suche endureth withouten cause,
his passioun is melencolia. And so al that hath this passioun withouten cause
beth often dredeful and sory, and that for the melencolif humour constreyneth
and closith the herte. And so if men asketh of suche what they drede and
wherfore thei beth sory, they haveth none answere. Somme weneth that
they schullen dye anon unresonabliche. Somme dredith enemyte of som
oon. Som loveth and desireth deth. In libro passionum Galien seith no
wondir though he that soffreth coleram nigram be sorry and have suspeccioun
of deth, for no thing is more dredeful outward in the body than derknes.
And so whanne any derk thinge heleth the brayn as malincolie flewme, it
nedith that the pacyent drede, for he bereth with hym the cause why he
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belabored.
40
dregs.
41
wrath.
42
vengeance.
43
“vertu explusive” is a Galenic faculty, dealing with elimination of wastes.
44
yellowish or yellow-red.
45
cheerful.
46
fiery.
Humors
19

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20
Conventions and Institutions
schulde drede. And therfore he meteth dredeful swevenes and of derknes,
griselych to se, and stinkinge of smelle, and soure in savour.
Of alle thise cometh passio melancolya. Also, it cometh of [mania,]
“madnes,” and of disposicioun of melancolie whanne suche hath likinge
and laugheth of sorewful thinges and maketh sorowe and dool for joyeful
thingis. Also, suche holdeth here pes whanne they schulde speke and speke
to moche whanne they schulde be stille and holde here pees. Also somme
trowith that they beth erthene vessellis and dredeth to be touchid lest they
beth ibroke. And somme weneth that they closeth and conteyneth the
world in here fist and alle thingis in here hondes, and therfore they putte
noght here hond to take mete; they dredeth that the worlde schulde tofalle
and be lost if they streight out here hondes. Also somme weneth that an
aungel holdeth up the worlde and wolde forwery
47
late the worlde falle, and
therfore they heveth up here hondes and schuldres to holde up the worlde
that hem semeth is in point to falle and breideth
48
strongliche and streyneth
if fisicians maketh hem holde doun here hondes. Also somme weneth that
they have none heedes, and somme that they have leden hedes or asse hedis
or som othir weyes evel ischape. Also somme, if they here the kockes crowe,
they rereth up here armes and crowith, and trowith that hemsilf be kockes,
and at the laste they ben hoos
49
for grete cryenge and doumbith. Also
somme falleth into wel evel suspicions withouten recovere, and therfore
they hatith and blameth and schendith hire frendes and somtyme smytith
and sleeth hem.
Melencolik men fallith into thise and many othir wondirful passiouns, as
Galien seith and Alisaundir
50
and many othir auctours, the which passiouns
it were to longe to rekene al on rowe. And this we seeth alday with oure
eighen, as it fel late of a nobleman that fel into suche a madnes of melancolye
that he in alle wise trowed that he himsilf was a catte, and therfore he wolde
nowher reste but undir beddes there cattis waitid aftir myse.
51
And in cas in
wreche of his synnes Nabugodonosor was ipunyschid with suche a payne,
for it is iwriten in stories that seven yere hym semed that he was a best
thurough divers schappis: lyoun, egle, and ox.
52
47
wearily.
48
start.
49
hoarse.
50
Alexander of Tralles (d. 605).
51
mice.
52
Daniel 4.25–34.

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