THEImaginationis the strongest and most efficacious of all theSenses; for theVivacityof all theothers(mention’d in Sect. I. Chap. 5.) in some measure, depend upon it.
ITworks upon, and affects,othersas well asourselves, and operates in the verySoul, as well asBodyof Man; moving the Powers of all thePassionsof the Mind.
ASit happens frequently by reason of theSimilitudeof things; that byseeingorimaginingOneto eat some sharp or sour Matter, orhearingit only mention’d,Another’sTeethmay be set on edge, and hisTonguewax tart; so by seeingOnegape,Anotheroften falls a yawning. In like manner, as thesightof anyfilthyThing causethNauseousness; so thesightof Man’sBlood, makes many Persons fall a-swooning.
GUILLAUMEde Pariswrites, that he saw a Man, who at theSIGHTof aMedicine, went toStoolas oft as he pleas’d, tho’ it neither inSubstance,Odour, orTaste, did affect him; but only by anApprehensionof a kind ofResemblance. Which is much the same Case of one in aDream, who thinks heburnsand is in aFire,or as much tormented, as if he didreally burn, tho’ far enough from any Substance ofFire; only because of aResemblanceapprehended by the Strength ofIMAGINATION.
ANDbesides, thisIMAGINATIONhath not only such Power over theBody, but also over the verySoulof Man; which Power of theSoul, hath its respectiveInfluenceupon theBody: AsAvicenremarkably describes a certainMan, who (when he pleas’d) could affect hisBodywith thePalsy.
ITis wonderfully related ofGallus Vibius, that he becameMad, not casually, but on purpose; for whilst he imitated Mad-Men, he so assimilated theirMadnessto himself by theCounterfeit, that he fell at last intorealMadness.
St.AUSTINmentionssome Men, who could move theirEars; andotherswho could move theCrownof their Heads to theirForeheads, andreplacethem at Pleasure. He writes ofAnotheralso, who could sweat whenever he had a mind.
I have likewise known somePersonsmyself, who could weep and shed abundance ofTearsat Will and Pleasure;others, who could bring up what they hadswallow’dof any kind, asGold,Silver, &c; andothersagain, who could so naturallyimitateand express theVoicesofBirds,Cattle,Dogs, &c; that they could not easily be distinguished.
YEA, and farther yet, manyLearned Authors[43]testify by divers Examples (ofCajetava,Æmilia, &c.) thatWomenhave been turn’d intoMen: Which some would persuade us to believe, to be anEffectof the Force of a vehementIMAGINATION, acting upon theSoul, with which it is of a nearAffinity, beyond all the Power ofSense.
ASto this Point, I am no ways to question theVeracityof what so many excellent Men have confirmed; but (granting it to be so) I think we may find more probableReasonsfor it, than all thePowersofIMAGINATION, how great soever and marvellous they may be: Whereof I shall mentionThat, which seems to be the mostrational Cause; viz. An extinguish’d or latentforming Faculty[44], which (however) sometimes hasexerteditself again, like theBlazingof a raked or resuscitatedFire.
FORas ourTeethtake their BeginningintheWomb, but are perfectedwithout, asBartholomæus Eustachiusteacheth; and as theTeeth, call’dDentes sapientiæ, are generated, and break out, even after the 30th Year of our Age: So it may be, that thevirile Genitalshave been imperfectly begun in theWomb, and that thisforming Facultyhas only perfected them by little and little; so that at last they have sprung forth and appear’d, after shaking off thePudendum. And consequently suchWomenasThose(uponDancing-Bouts, or the like, when theBloodandnatural Heathad been strongly exagitated) have turned intoMen.
HOWEVERThatbe, I very well know that when theSoulis elevated and inflam’d with a ferventIMAGINATION, it may not onlyaffectits own properBody, but alsoThatofAnother.
FORtheLongingof aWomanthat has conceiv’d, acts apparently uponAnother’s Body, when itmarkstheInfantin herWombwith theFigureorMarkof theThing long’d for: Besides, who knows not thatone Bodymay be easily affected with theVapoursofanotherdiseased Body? As is plain in Cases ofPlague,Leprosy, and several otherDistempers. Thus also in theEffluvia’sorVapoursof theEyes, there is so great aPower, that they can bewitch and infect theBeholdersabout them; as the monstrousCatoblepas, andCockatriceorBasilisk, kill People with their veryLooks[45]. So in like mannerWitchesby their intent Desire tohurt, have been thought to bewitch Persons most perniciously by their steady maliciousLooksonly, directed and inforc’d byIMAGINATION.
NOWthis Force ofIMAGINATIONaffecting otherBodies, holds good even amongBrute-Creatures; as One bit by aMad Dog, presently falls a-raging, and theLikenessofDogsis clearly impressed upon hisUrine. Moreover, byIMAGINATIONin time ofcopulating,Peacocksand otherBirds, impress a particularColourupon theWings, &c. of their Brood; and from hence it is, that the Curious may have store ofwhite young-ones, by hanging thePlaceswhere theycouplewith whiteLinnen-Cloths,Papers, &c: As inSnowyMountainous Countries we find alwayswhite Peacocks,Quails,Wolves,Hares, and otherCreatures.
ANDThisholyJacob[46]was not ignorant of, when he used that ingenious subtileStratagemof placingwhite-streaked RodsbeforeLaban’sFlocks; which also answer’d effectually, in theCattle’s producing theirspeckled and white spotted Young. In like manner by the sameExperiment, the curious Admirers may be supply’d with Variety ofspotted Birds,speckled Horses,Dogs, &c.
THEMindalso being inflam’d with a vehementIMAGINATION, may affect both theSoulandBodyofAnother: Which we need not wonder at, considering how much more powerful, fervent, and prevalent theMindis in itsMotion, than any exhalingVapours; and that it does not want its proper and peculiarMediumsby which it may operate.
THIS(I think) is also evidently shewn from the manyMiracles, which we find have been done byProphets,Apostles, and otherHoly Men; (not to mention thoseWondersofPythagoras,Apollonius,Empedocles, &c.which cannot come in Competition with theOthers, being ascrib’d toNatural Causes): WhoseMindsbeing firmly fix’d uponGod, with full Intent forGood, affected both theSoulsandBodiesofothers, as well asThemselves, with whatDivine Gifts, or otherBlessings, they wanted.
HENCEit is thatPhilosophersadvise, to shun theSocietyof wicked and impious Men; because theirSouls, being full (as it were) of perniciousRays, infect them who arenear, with aresembling Contagion: As they enjoin likewise on the other hand, to keep and frequent theFellowshipof good and fortunate Men; because (by such aProximity) they are diffusive of their ownGood, and infuse it intoThoseabout them. For asBadof somethingbad, soGoodof somethinggood, always descends and adheres to thenighest; which virtually (like theSmell of Musk, orAssa-Fœtida) continues a long time its lastingImpression.
HEREmight be indeed a great deal said upon theEfficacyof theConstancy of the Mind; but because I’ve already been too prolix on thisHead, I shall only observe, that in all ourBusinessandApplications, a strongIMAGINATION, zealousAffection, firmHope, and stedfastBelief, are great Advantages, and necessary Helps. As some most excellentPhysicianshave experimentally verified this Notion, that a strongBelief, and constantHope, together with theLoveandConfidenceof thePatienttowards thePhysician, conduce very much to the Recovery ofHealth, and sometimes perhaps more than theMedicineitself: Because the firmIMAGINATIONof the honestPhysicianconcurring (in effect) with theMedicine, and strongly hoping it will do himGood, he thereby influentially changes theSymptoms, and virtually alters theQualitiesin theBodyof theSick; especially if thePatientreposes anentire Confidencein him, by which means he becomes mutually disposed to receive theVirtueof thePhysician, as well asThatof thePhysick.
THE[47]Arabian Philosophersjoin’d in this Opinion, establishing it for aFundamental Maximamong them; thatwhatever the constant Mindaffectedwith a fervent Desire,would beeffected: As in the Case of the MIND ofHim, who is vehemently inLove, whatever itaffects, has anEfficacyto causeLove; and so in other such like Cases.
BUThowever, to come closer to theIMAGINATIONof the PregnantWoman, who knows not that itaffectstheInfantin theWomb? Whence is it then that we have so manydeform’d Persons,crooked Bodies,ugly Aspects,distorted Mouths,wry Noses, and the like, in all Countries; but from theIMAGINATIONof theMother; while she either conceives such shapelessPhantasmsin herMind, or while she frequently and intently fixes herEyesupon suchdeform’d Personsor disagreeableOBJECTS? Wherefore it is very wrong, and highly imprudent inWomenthat have conceived, to please themselves so much in playing withDogs,Squirrels,Apes, &c. carrying them in theirLapsorBosoms, and feeding, kissing, or hugging them, as I have both often heard, and seen with my own Eyes.
ANDbesides, the same is the Case, when theNatural Facultiesare all at work informing, or ripening theFœtus; for if theWomanbesurpriz’dat any sudden Evil, orfrightedat any unseemly Sight, theHumoursandSpiritspresently retire downwards, and (as it were) abscond themselves in theRecessof theWomb: From whence immediately a strongIMAGINATIONof the disagreeableThing(whetherseenorheardonly) seizes herMind; and theForming Faculty(going on in theInterim) quickly impresses theImaginary IdeaofThatthing heard off, or theShapeandFormofThatthing seen, upon theFœtus. The same is theReason, that if aMouse,Rat,Weazel,Cat, or the like, leaps suddenlyupon aWomanthat has conceived, or if anApple,Pear,Plum,Cherry, &c. fall upon any part of herBody; theMARKof the thing (be what it will) is instantlyimprinted, and will manifestly appear on the samePart, orMemberof theCHILD: unless theWoman(in that very Moment) wipeThat PartorMember, and move herHandto some more remote, private, or convenientPlaceof theBody: which done, theMARKis actually averted, or at least stamped upon theother Parttouch’d, where the deepImpressionof theMind, directs, and fixes theIMAGINATION; and whither theForming Faculty(not so much by anyVirtueof the simpleTouch, as byForceof the strongIMAGINATION) infallibly converts it.
INfine, having thus briefly defin’d, and variously described thePowersofIMAGINATION, I come in the next Place, more particularly, to treat of the Reasons ofSimilitudeinChildren.