Читать книгу The Female Physician онлайн

90 страница из 123

AND besides, this IMAGINATION hath not only such Power over the Body, but also over the very Soul of Man; which Power of the Soul, hath its respective Influence upon the Body: As Avicen remarkably describes a certain Man, who (when he pleas’d) could affect his Body with the Palsy.

IT is wonderfully related of Gallus Vibius, that he became Mad, not casually, but on purpose; for whilst he imitated Mad-Men, he so assimilated their Madness to himself by the Counterfeit, that he fell at last into real Madness.

St. AUSTIN mentions some Men, who could move their Ears; and others who could move the Crown of their Heads to their Foreheads, and replace them at Pleasure. He writes of Another also, who could sweat whenever he had a mind.

I have likewise known some Persons myself, who could weep and shed abundance of Tears at Will and Pleasure; others, who could bring up what they had swallow’d of any kind, as Gold, Silver, &c; and others again, who could so naturally imitate and express the Voices of Birds, Cattle, Dogs, &c; that they could not easily be distinguished.