that are hot or inflamed. And so of spices, they
alone, as I have showed, cause head-melancholy themselves, they must not
use wine as an [4321]ordinary drink, or in their diet. But to determine
with Laurentius, _c. 8. de melan._ wine is bad for madmen, and such as are
troubled with heat in their inner parts or brains; but to melancholy, which
is cold (as most is), wine, soberly used, may be very good.

I may say the same of the decoction of China roots, sassafras,
sarsaparilla, guaiacum: China, saith Manardus, makes a good colour in the
face, takes away melancholy, and all infirmities proceeding from cold, even
so sarsaparilla provokes sweat mightily, guaiacum dries, Claudinus,
_consult. 89. & 46._ Montanus, Capivaccius, _consult. 188. Scoltzii_, make
frequent and good use of guaiacum and China, [4322]"so that the liver be
not incensed," good for such as are cold, as most melancholy men are, but
by no means to be mentioned in hot.

The Turks have a drink called coffee (for they use no wine), so named of a
berry as black as soot, and as bitter, (like that black drink which was in
use amongst the Lacedaemonians, and perhaps the same,) which they sip still
of, and sup as warm as they can suffer; they spend much time in those
coffeehouses, which are somewhat like our alehouses or taverns, and there
they sit chatting and drinking to drive away the time, and to be merry
together, because they find by experience that kind of drink, so used,
helpeth digestion, and procureth alacrity. Some of them take opium to this
purpose.

Borage, balm, saffron, gold, I have spoken of; Montaltus, _c. 23._ commends
scorzonera roots condite. Garcius ab Horto, _plant. hist. lib. 2. cap. 25._
makes mention of an herb called datura, [4323]"which, if it be eaten for
twenty-four hours following, takes away all sense of grief, makes them
incline to laughter and mirth:" and another called bauge, like in effect to
opium, "which puts them for a time into a kind of ecstasy," and makes them
gently to laugh. One of the Roman emperors had a seed, which he did
ordinarily eat to exhilarate himself. [4324]Christophorus Ayrerus prefers
bezoar stone, and the confection of alkermes, before other cordials, and
amber in some cases. [4325]"Alkermes comforts the inner parts;" and bezoar
stone hath an especial virtue against all melancholy affections, [4326]"it
refresheth the heart, and corroborates the whole body." [4327]Amber
provokes urine, helps the body, breaks