Archimedes Texts

7
certain Herbs, which the Soldiers eating for
want of Bread, grew besotted, and employed
themselves in nothing but digging Stones out
of the Ground, till their Choler being stirred
they fell down dead; nor was any Remedy
found against this Plague, as we are informed
by Plutarch, but drinking of Wine; these
Things are commonly known. But good
Heavens! what shall we say to what has hap
pened in our own Days in Apulia in Italy;
what incredible Effects of Poison have we seen
there! the Bite of a small Earth Spider, com
monly called a Tarantula, throwing Men into
various Kinds of Madness, and even Fury; a
Thing strange to be told. No Swelling, no
livid Spot appearing in any Part of the Body
from the sharp Bite or Sting of the venomous
Beast; but suddenly losing their Senses, they
fall piteously to bewail themselves, and if no
Assistance is given them they die. They cure
this Distemper with Theophrastus's Remedy,
who says, that Persons bit by Vipers used to
be cured by the Sound of Pipes. The Musi
cians therefore with different Kinds of Har
mony try to asswage the Pain, and when they
hit upon the Kind proper to the Patient, im
mediately, as if he were suddenly awakened,
he starts up, and transported with Joy, falls to
bestirring himself to the Musick with all his
Strength, in whatever his Fancy prompts him
to. Some that are thus bit, you shall see ex
ercise themselves in Dancing, others in Singing,
and others stirring in other Motions, just as
their Inclination or Madness guides them, till
through mere Weariness they are forced to
give over. And thus without giving them
selves the least Rest, they will sweat themselves
for some Days, and so recover their Health
merely by their Madness having quite spent it
self. We read too of something like this that
happened among the Albanians, who sought
against Pompey with such a Power of Horse;
that there was a Sort of Cobweb among them,
which whoever touched surely died, some
Laughing, and others on the contrary Weeping.

Nor are those Things alone sufficient for
the chusing of the Region, which are
obvious and manifest of themselves; but we
must weigh every Circumstance, and consider
the most occult Tokens. Thus it will be a
good Sign of an excelient Air and of good Wa
ter, if the Country produces Plenty of good
Fruits, if it fosters a good Number of Men of
a good old Age, if it abounds with lusty hand
some Youth, if the People are fruitful, and if
the Births are natural and never monstrous. I
have myself seen some Cities, which out of Re
spect to the Times I forbear to name, where
there is scarce a Woman, but what sees herself
at the same Instant, the Mother both of a Man
and of a Monster. Another City I know in
Italy, where there are so many People Hump
backed, Squint-eyed, Crooked and Lame, that
there is scarce a Family, but what has Some
body in it defective or distorted. And cer
tainly, where we see such frequent and great
Inequalities of Pody to Body, and Member to
Member; we may well conclude, that it pro
ceeds from some Defect in the Climate or Air,
or from some more hidden Cause of the Cor
ruption of Nature. Nor is it foreign to our
Purpose what has been observed, that in a gross
Air we are more inclined to Hunger, and in a
thin One to Thirst: and we may not impro
bably draw some Conjectures from the Shape
and Looks of other Animals, what Constituti
ons the Men will have in the same Place; for
if the Cattle look lively, fat and large, you
may not unreasonably hope to have Children
that will be so too. Neither will it be amiss to
gather Notice of the Air and Winds, even
from other Bodies not endued with animal
Life; thus if the Walls of the neighbouring
Buildings are grown rusty and rugged, it shews
that some malignant Influence has Power
there. The Trees too bending all one Way,
as if by general Consent, shew that they have
suffered the Force of high rough Winds; and
the very Stones, whether growing in their na
tive Seats, or placed in Buildings, if their Tops
are any thing considerably rotted, shew the
Intemperature of the Air, sometimes too hot
and sometimes over cold. A Region so ex
posed to the furious Assaults of Tempests is to
be avoided, as the very worst of all; for if the
Bodies of Men are seized with too excessive
Cold or Heat, the whole Frame and Contex