the black death and the dancing mania-第21节

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wounded　themselves　and　others；　so　that　it　became　necessary　carefully　to　secure　them。　　They　imagined　that　they　heard　voices　and　various　kinds　of　sounds；　and　if；　during　this　state　of　illusion；　the　tones　of　a　favourite　instrument　happened　to　catch　their　ear；　they　commenced　a　spasmodic　dance；　or　ran　with　the　utmost　energy　which　they　could　muster　until　they　were　totally　exhausted。　　These　dangerous　maniacs；　who；　it　would　seem；　appeared　in　considerable　numbers；　were　looked　upon　as　a　legion　of　devils；　but　on　the　causes　of　their　malady　this　obscure　writer　adds　nothing　further　than　that　he　believes　（oddly　enough）　that　it　may　sometimes　be　excited　by　the　bite　of　a　mad　dog。　　He　calls　the　disease　Anteneasmus；　by　which　is　meant　no　doubt　the　Enthusiasmus　of　the　Greek　physicians。　　We　cite　this　phenomenon　as　an　important　forerunner　of　tarantism；　under　the　conviction　that　we　have　thus　added　to　the　evidence　that　the　development　of　this　latter　must　have　been　founded　on　circumstances　which　existed　from　the　twelfth　to　the　end　of　the　fourteenth　century；　for　the　origin　of　tarantism　itself　is　referable；　with　the　utmost　probability；　to　a　period　between　the　middle　and　the　end　of　this　century；　and　is　consequently　contemporaneous　with　that　of　the　St。　Vitus's　dance　（1374）。　　The　influence　of　the　Roman　Catholic　religion；　connected　as　this　was；　in　the　middle　ages；　with　the　pomp　of　processions；　with　public　exercises　of　penance；　and　with　innumerable　practices　which　strongly　excited　the　imaginations　of　its　votaries；　certainly　brought　the　mind　to　a　very　favourable　state　for　the　reception　of　a　nervous　disorder。　　Accordingly；　so　long　as　the　doctrines　of　Christianity　were　blended　with　so　much　mysticism；　these　unhallowed　disorders　prevailed　to　an　important　extent；　and　even　in　our　own　days　we　find　them　propagated　with　the　greatest　facility　where　the　existence　of　superstition　produces　the　same　effect；　in　more　limited　districts；　as　it　once　did　among　whole　nations。　　But　this　is　not　all。　　Every　country　in　Europe；　and　Italy　perhaps　more　than　any　other；　was　visited　during　the　middle　ages　by　frightful　plagues；　which　followed　each　other　in　such　quick　succession　that　they　gave　the　exhausted　people　scarcely　any　time　for　recovery。　The　Oriental　bubo…plague　ravaged　Italy　sixteen　times　between　the　years　1119　and　1340。　　Small…pox　and　measles　were　still　more　destructive　than　in　modern　times；　and　recurred　as　frequently。　　St。　Anthony's　fire　was　the　dread　of　town　and　country；　and　that　disgusting　disease；　the　leprosy；　which；　in　consequence　of　the　Crusades；　spread　its　insinuating　poison　in　all　directions；　snatched　from　the　paternal　hearth　innumerable　victims　who；　banished　from　human　society；　pined　away　in　lonely　huts；　whither　they　were　accompanied　only　by　the　pity　of　the　benevolent　and　their　own　despair。　　All　these　calamities；　of　which　the　moderns　have　scarcely　retained　any　recollection；　were　heightened　to　an　incredible　degree　by　the　Black　Death；　which　spread　boundless　devastation　and　misery　over　Italy。　　Men's　minds　were　everywhere　morbidly　sensitive；　and　as　it　happened　with　individuals　whose　senses；　when　they　are　suffering　under　anxiety；　become　more　irritable；　so　that　trifles　are　magnified　into　objects　of　great　alarm；　and　slight　shocks；　which　would　scarcely　affect　the　spirits　when　in　health；　gave　rise　in　them　to　severe　diseases；　so　was　it　with　this　whole　nation；　at　all　times　so　alive　to　emotions；　and　at　that　period　so　sorely　oppressed　with　the　horrors　of　death。

The　bite　of　venomous　spiders；　or　rather　the　unreasonable　fear　of　its　consequences；　excited　at　such　a　juncture；　though　it　could　not　have　done　so　at　an　earlier　period；　a　violent　nervous　disorder；　which；　like　St。　Vitus's　dance　in　Germany；　spread　by　sympathy；　increasing　in　severity　as　it　took　a　wider　range；　and　still　further　extending　its　ravages　from　its　long　continuance。　　Thus；　from　the　middle　of　the　fourteenth　century；　the　furies　of　THE　DANCE　brandished　their　scourge　over　afflicted　mortals；　and　music；　for　which　the　inhabitants　of　Italy；　now　probably　for　the　first　time；　manifested　susceptibility　and　talent；　became　capable　of　exciting　ecstatic　attacks　in　those　affected；　and　then　furnished　the　magical　means　of　exorcising　their　melancholy。


SECT。　3INCREASE


At　the　close　of　the　fifteenth　century　we　find　that　tarantism　had　spread　beyond　the　boundaries　of　Apulia；　and　that　the　fear　of　being　bitten　by　venomous　spiders　had　increased。　　Nothing　short　of　death　itself　was　expected　from　the　wound　which　these　insects　inflicted；　and　if　those　who　were　bitten　escaped　with　their　lives；　they　were　said　to　be　seen　pining　away　in　a　desponding　state　of　lassitude。　Many　became　weak…sighted　or　hard　of　hearing；　some　lost　the　power　of　speech；　and　all　were　insensible　to　ordinary　causes　of　excitement。　　Nothing　but　the　flute　or　the　cithern　afforded　them　relief。　　At　the　sound　of　these　instruments　they　awoke　as　it　were　by　enchantment；　opened　their　eyes；　and　moving　slowly　at　first；　according　to　the　measure　of　the　music；　were；　as　the　time　quickened；　gradually　hurried　on　to　the　most　passionate　dance。　　It　was　generally　observable　that　country　people；　who　were　rude；　and　ignorant　of　music；　evinced　on　these　occasions　an　unusual　degree　of　grace；　as　if　they　had　been　well　practised　in　elegant　movements　of　the　body；　for　it　is　a　peculiarity　in　nervous　disorders　of　this　kind；　that　the　organs　of　motion　are　in　an　altered　condition；　and　are　completely　under　the　control　of　the　over…strained　spirits。　Cities　and　villages　alike　resounded　throughout　the　summer　season　with　the　notes　of　fifes；　clarinets；　and　Turkish　drums；　and　patients　were　everywhere　to　be　met　with　who　looked　to　dancing　as　their　only　remedy。　　Alexander　ab　Alexandro；　who　gives　this　account；　saw　a　young　man　in　a　remote　village　who　was　seized　with　a　violent　attack　of　tarantism。　　He　listened　with　eagerness　and　a　fixed　stare　to　the　sound　of　a　drum；　and　his　graceful　movements　gradually　became　more　and　more　violent；　until　his　dancing　was　converted　into　a　succession　of　frantic　leaps；　which　required　the　utmost　exertion　of　his　whole　strength。　　In　the　midst　of　this　over…　strained　exertion　of　mind　and　body　the　music　suddenly　ceased；　and　he　immediately　fell　powerless　to　the　ground；　where　he　lay　senseless　and　motionless　until　its　magical　effect　again　aroused　him　to　a　renewal　of　his　impassioned　performances。

At　the　period　of　which　we　are　treating　there　was　a　general　conviction；　that　by　music　and　dancing　the　poison　of　the　tarantula　was　distributed　over　the　whole　body；　and　expelled　through　the　skin；　but　that　if　there　remained　the　slightest　vestige　of　it　in　the　vessels；　this　became　a　permanent　germ　of　the　disorder；　so　that　the　dancing　fits　might　again　and　again　be　excited　ad　infinitum　by　music。　　This　belief；　which　resembled　the　delusion　of　those　insane　persons　who；　being　by　artful　management　freed　from　the　imagined　causes　of　their　sufferings；　are　but　for　a　short　time　released　from　their　false　notions；　was　attended　with　the　most　injurious　effects：　for　in　consequence　of　it　those　affected　necessarily　became　by　degrees　convinced　of　the　incurable　nature　of　their　disorder。　　They　expected　relief；　indeed；　but　not　a　cure；　from　music；　and　when　the　heat　of　summer　awakened　a　recollection　of　the　dances　of　the　preceding　year；　they；　like　the　St。　Vitus's　dancers　of　the　same　period　before　St。　Vitus's　day；　again　grew　dejected　and　misanthropic；　until；　by　music　and　dancing；　they　dispelled　the　melancholy　which　had　become　with　them　a　kind　of　sensual　enjoyment。

Under　such　favourable　circumstances；　it　is　clear　that　tarantism　must　every　year　have　made　further　progress。　　The　number　of　those　affected　by　it　increased　beyond　all　belief；　for　whoever　had　either　actually　been；　or　even　fancied　that　he　had　been；　once　bitten　by　a　poisonous　spider　or　scorpion；　made　his　appearance　annually　wherever　the　merry　notes　of　the　tarantella　resounded。　　Inquisitive　females　joined　the　throng　and　caught　the　disease；　not　indeed　from　the　poison　of　the　spider；　but　from　the　mental　poison　which　they　eagerly　received　through　the　eye；　and　thus　the　cure　of　the　tarantati　gradually　became　established　as　a　regular　festival　of　the　populace；　which　was　anticipated　with　impatient　delight。

Without　attributing　more　to　deception　and　fraud　than　to　the　peculiar　nature　of　a　progressive　mental　malady；　it　may　readily　be　conceived　that　the　cases　of　this　strange　disorder　now　grew　more　frequent。　　The　celebrated　Matthioli；　who　is　worthy　of　entire　confidence；　gives　his　account　as　an　eye…witness。　　He　saw　the　same　extraordinary　effects　produced　by　music　as　Alexandro；　for；　however　tortured　with　pain；　however　hopeless　of　relief　the　patients　appeared；　as　they　lay　stretched　on　the　couch　of　sickness；　at　the　very　first　sounds　of　those　melodies　which　made　an　impression　on　thembut　this　was　the　case　only　with　the　tarantellas　composed　expressly　for　the　purposethey　sprang　up　as　if　inspired　with　new　life　and　spirit；　and；　unmindful　of　their　disorder；　began　to　move　in　measured　gestures；　dancing　for　hour　together　without　fatigue；　until；　covered　with　a　kindly　perspiration；　they　felt　a　salutary　degree　of　lassitude；　which　relieved　them　for　a　time　at　least；　perhaps　even　for　a　whole　year；　from　their　defection　and　oppressive　feeling　of　general　indisposition。　　Alexandro's　experience　of　the　injurious　effects　resulting　from　a　sudden