Diseases of the Soul, Part 19
The Itch, or the Busy-body. Disease 17.
THe Itch is a scuruy disease; a man would not think the soule had any infirmity to sample it. You shall finde the humor of a Busie-body, a contentious intermeddler very like it. The Itch is a corrupt humour betweene the skin and the flesh, running with a serpedinous course, till it hath defiled the whole body. Thus caused.
Cause.
NAture being too strong for the euill humours in the body, packs them away to the vtter parts, to preserue the inner. If the humours be more rare and subtil, they are auoided by fumosities and sweat: if thicker, they turne to a scabious matter in the skin: some make this the effect of an inflamed liuer, &c.
Signes and Symptomes.
IF this Itching curiositie take him in the Cephalica veine, and possesse the vnderstanding part, l e mootes more questions in an houre, then the seuen Wise men could resolue in seuen yeeres. There is a kinde of downe or curdle on his wit, which is like a Gentle womans train, more then needes. Hee would sing well, but that he is so full of Crochets. His questions are like a plume of feathers, which fooles wil giuegive any thing for, wise-men nothing. He hath a greater desire to know where Hell is, then to scape it: to know what God did before he made the world, then what he will do with him when it is ended. For want of correcting the garden of his inuentions, the weedes choke the herbes; and he suffers the skinne of his braine to boile into the broth. He is a dangerous Prognosticator, and propounds desperate riddles; which he gathers from the coniunction of Planets, Saturne and Iupiter; from doubtfull Oracles out of the hollow vaults and predictions of Merlin. He dreames of a cruell Dragon, whose head must bee in England, and taile in Ireland; of a headlesse crosse, of a popish curse. And Our Lord lights in our Ladies lappe, and therefoee England must hauehave a clappe. But they hauehave broken day with their Creditors, and the Planets hauehave proued honester, then their reports gaue them. Thus as Bion said of Astronomers, he sees not the fishes swimming by him in the water, yet sees perfectly those shining in the Zodiacke. Thus if the Itch hold him in the theoricall part. If in the practicall;
His actions are polypragmaticall, his feete peripateticall. Erasmus pictures him to the life. He knowes what eueryevery Marchant got in his voyage, what plots are at Rome, what stratagems Enchirid. mil. Chan.with the Turke &c. Hee knowes strangers troubles, not the tumultuous fightings in his owne bosome, &c. His neighbours estate he knowes to a penny; and wherein he failes, he supplyes by intelligence from their flattered seruants: he would serue well for an Informer to the Subsidie-book. He delayes eueryevery passenger with inquiry of newes; and because the countrey cannot satiate him, hee trauels eueryevery terme to London for it: whence returning without his full lode, himself makes it vp by the way. He buyes letters from the great citie with Capons; which he weares out in three dayes, with perpetuall opening them to his companions. If he heares but a word of some State-act, he professeth to know it, & the intention, as if he had bene of the Counsell. He heares a lie in priuate, and hastes to publish it; so one knaue guls him, hee innumerable fooles, with the strange Fish at Yarmouth, or the Serpent in Sussex. Hee can keepe no secret in, without the hazzard of his button. He loues no man a moment longer, then either he will tell him, or hears of him newes. If the spirit of his tong be once raised, all the company cannot coniure it downe. He teaches his neighbor to work vnsent for, and tels him of some dangers without thankes. He comments vponupon eueryevery action, and answers a question ere it be halfe propounded. Alcibiades Laert. mille drachm.hauing purchasd a dog at an vnreasonable price, cut off his tayle, and let him run about Athens; whiles eueryevery man wondred at his intent, hee answered, that his intent was their wonder, for he did it onelyonly to be talk'd of. The same Authour reports the like of a gawish Traueller that came to Sparta, who standing in the presence of Lacon a long time vponupon one leg, that he might be obserued & admired, cryed at the last: Oh Lacon, thou canst not stand so long vponupon one legge. True, said Lacon, but euerie Goose can.
His state, belike, is too little to finde him worke; hence he busieth himselfe in other mens common wealths: as if he were Towne-taster: hee scalds his lips in eueryevery neighbours pottage. If this Itch proceed from some inflammation, his bleach is the breaking out of contention. Then he hath humorem in cerebro, in corde tumorem, rumorem in lingua. His braine is full of humour, his heart of tumour, his toung of rumour. He spits fire at eueryevery word, and doth what hee can to set the whole world in combustion. He whispers in his neighbours eare how such a man slandered him: and returnes to the accused party (with like secrecy) the others inuectiue. He is hated of all, as being indeed a friend to none, but Lawyers and the Diuell.
Cure.
FOr his Cure; if his Itch proceede from a Moone-sicke head, the chiefe intention is to settle his braines; lest Act. 26. 24 Deut. 29. 29too much learning make him madde: as Paul was wronged. GiueGive him this Electuary. That secret things belong to the Lord, and reuealed to vsus and our children for euer. That the Iudgements of God are, soepe secreta, semper iusta: and therefore it is better mirari, quam rimari. That in seeking to know more then he ought, he knows not what he should. That gazing at the starres, he is like to fall into the lowest pit.
If his Itch bee in his fingers, and that he growes like a Meddler in eueryevery bodies Orchyard, let him apply this vnction. That he meddle with his owne businesse. That he recall his prodigall eyes, like wandring Dinahs, home; and teach thē another while to looke inward. That he be busie in repairing his own hart; for of other meddling comes no rest.
If his disease proceed from a greater inflation or inflammation, thus sharpely scarifie him: That sowing discord among brethren, is that seuenth abomination to the Lord. That as Prou. 6. 19. Gen. 49. 7.troublesome men seeke faction, they shall meete with fraction; and as they hauehave a brotherhood in euill, so they shall bee Senee. de ira. lib. 2. cap. 3 4.deuided in Iacob, and scattered in Israel. That cum pare contendere, anceps est; cum superiore, furiosum: cum inferiore, sordidum. If thy enemy be equall, yet the victorie is doubtfull. If low, parce illi, it is no credit to conquer him. If great, parce tibi, fauour thy selfe, contend not. Serua parcem domi, pacem Domini. LoueLove peace, and the God of peace shall giuegive thee the peace of God, which passeth all vnderstanding.