the black death and the dancing mania-第23节

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es。　　A　third　was　named　〃Cinque　tempi：〃　a　fourth　〃Moresca；〃　which　was　played　to　a　Moorish　dance；　a　fifth；　〃Catena；〃　and　a　sixth；　with　a　very　appropriate　designation；　〃Spallata；〃　as　if　it　were　only　fit　to　be　played　to　dancers　who　were　lame　in　the　shoulder。　　This　was　the　slowest　and　least　in　vogue　of　all。　　For　those　who　loved　water　they　took　care　to　select　love　songs；　which　were　sung　to　corresponding　music；　and　such　persons　delighted　in　hearing　of　gushing　springs　and　rushing　cascades　and　streams。　　It　is　to　be　regretted　that　on　this　subject　we　are　unable　to　give　any　further　information；　for　only　small　fragments　of　songs；　and　a　very　few　tarantellas；　have　been　preserved　which　belong　to　a　period　so　remote　as　the　beginning　of　the　seventeenth；　or　at　furthest　the　end　of　the　sixteenth　century。

The　music　was　almost　wholly　in　the　Turkish　style　（aria　Turchesca）；　and　the　ancient　songs　of　the　peasantry　of　Apulia；　which　increased　in　number　annually；　were　well　suited　to　the　abrupt　and　lively　notes　of　the　Turkish　drum　and　the　shepherd's　pipe。　　These　two　instruments　were　the　favourites　in　the　country；　but　others　of　all　kinds　were　played　in　towns　and　villages；　as　an　accompaniment　to　the　dances　of　the　patients　and　the　songs　of　the　spectators。　　If　any　particular　melody　was　disliked　by　those　affected；　they　indicated　their　displeasure　by　violent　gestures　expressive　of　aversion。　　They　could　not　endure　false　notes；　and　it　is　remarkable　that　uneducated　boors；　who　had　never　in　their　lives　manifested　any　perception　of　the　enchanting　power　of　harmony；　acquired；　in　this　respect；　an　extremely　refined　sense　of　hearing；　as　if　they　had　been　initiated　into　the　profoundest　secrets　of　the　musical　art。　It　was　a　matter　of　every　day's　experience；　that　patients　showed　a　predilection　for　certain　tarantellas；　in　preference　to　others；　which　gave　rise　to　the　composition　of　a　great　variety　of　these　dances。　　They　were　likewise　very　capricious　in　their　partialities　for　particular　instruments；　so　that　some　longed　for　the　shrill　notes　of　the　trumpet；　others　for　the　softest　music　produced　by　the　vibration　of　strings。

Tarantism　was　at　its　greatest　height　in　Italy　in　the　seventeenth　century；　long　after　the　St。　Vitus's　Dance　of　Germany　had　disappeared。　　It　was　not　the　natives　of　the　country　only　who　were　attacked　by　this　complaint。　　Foreigners　of　every　colour　and　of　every　race；　negroes；　gipsies；　Spaniards；　Albanians；　were　in　like　manner　affected　by　it。　　Against　the　effects　produced　by　the　tarantula's　bite；　or　by　the　sight　of　the　sufferers；　neither　youth　nor　age　afforded　any　protection；　so　that　even　old　men　of　ninety　threw　aside　their　crutches　at　the　sound　of　the　tarantella；　and；　as　if　some　magic　potion；　restorative　of　youth　and　vigour；　were　flowing　through　their　veins；　joined　the　most　extravagant　dancers。　Ferdinando　saw　a　boy　five　years　old　seized　with　the　dancing　mania；　in　consequence　of　the　bite　of　a　tarantula；　and；　what　is　almost　past　belief；　were　it　not　supported　by　the　testimony　of　so　credible　an　eye…witness；　even　deaf　people　were　not　exempt　from　this　disorder；　so　potent　in　its　effect　was　the　very　sight　of　those　affected；　even　without　the　exhilarating　emotions　caused　by　music。

Subordinate　nervous　attacks　were　much　more　frequent　during　this　century　than　at　any　former　period；　and　an　extraordinary　icy　coldness　was　observed　in　those　who　were　the　subject　of　them；　so　that　they　did　not　recover　their　natural　heat　until　they　had　engaged　in　violent　dancing。　　Their　anguish　and　sense　of　oppression　forced　from　them　a　cold　perspiration；　the　secretion　from　the　kidneys　was　pale；　and　they　had　so　great　a　dislike　to　everything　cold；　that　when　water　was　offered　them　they　pushed　it　away　with　abhorrence。　　Wine；　on　the　contrary；　they　all　drank　willingly；　without　being　heated　by　it；　or　in　the　slightest　degree　intoxicated。　　During　the　whole　period　of　the　attack　they　suffered　from　spasms　in　the　stomach；　and　felt　a　disinclination　to　take　food　of　any　kind。　　They　used　to　abstain　some　time　before　the　expected　seizures　from　meat　and　from　snails；　which　they　thought　rendered　them　more　severe；　and　their　great　thirst　for　wine　may　therefore　in　some　measure　be　attributable　to　the　want　of　a　more　nutritious　diet；　yet　the　disorder　of　the　nerves　was　evidently　its　chief　cause；　and　the　loss　of　appetite；　as　well　as　the　necessity　for　support　by　wine；　were　its　effects。　　Loss　of　voice；　occasional　blindness；　vertigo；　complete　insanity；　with　sleeplessness；　frequent　weeping　without　any　ostensible　cause；　were　all　usual　symptoms。　　Many　patients　found　relief　from　being　placed　in　swings　or　rocked　in　cradles；　others　required　to　be　roused　from　their　state　of　suffering　by　severe　blows　on　the　soles　of　their　feet；　others　beat　themselves；　without　any　intention　of　making　a　display；　but　solely　for　the　purpose　of　allaying　the　intense　nervous　irritation　which　they　felt；　and　a　considerable　number　were　seen　with　their　bellies　swollen；　like　those　of　the　St。　John's　dancers；　while　the　violence　of　the　intestinal　disorder　was　indicated　in　others　by　obstinate　constipation　or　diarrhoea　and　vomiting。　　These　pitiable　objects　gradually　lost　their　strength　and　their　colour；　and　creeping　about　with　injected　eyes；　jaundiced　complexions；　and　inflated　bowels；　soon　fell　into　a　state　of　profound　melancholy；　which　found　food　and　solace　in　the　solemn　tolling　of　the　funeral　bell；　and　in　an　abode　among　the　tombs　of　cemeteries；　as　is　related　of　the　Lycanthropes　of　former　times。

The　persuasion　of　the　inevitable　consequences　of　being　bitten　by　the　tarantula；　exercised　a　dominion　over　men's　minds　which　even　the　healthiest　and　strongest　could　not　shake　off。　　So　late　as　the　middle　of　the　sixteenth　century；　the　celebrated　Fracastoro　found　the　robust　bailiff　of　his　landed　estate　groaning；　and；　with　the　aspect　of　a　person　in　the　extremity　of　despair；　suffering　the　very　agonies　of　death　from　a　sting　in　the　neck；　inflicted　by　an　insect　which　was　believed　to　be　a　tarantula。　　He　kindly　administered　without　delay　a　potion　of　vinegar　and　Armenian　bole；　the　great　remedy　of　those　days　for　the　plague　of　all　kinds　of　animal　poisons；　and　the　dying　man　was；　as　if　by　a　miracle；　restored　to　life　and　the　power　of　speech。　　Now；　since　it　is　quite　out　of　the　question　that　the　bole　could　have　anything　to　do　with　the　result　in　this　case；　notwithstanding　Fracastoro's　belief　in　its　virtues；　we　can　only　account　for　the　cure　by　supposing；　that　a　confidence　in　so　great　a　physician　prevailed　over　this　fatal　disease　of　the　imagination；　which　would　otherwise　have　yielded　to　scarcely　any　other　remedy　except　the　tarantella。　　Ferdinando　was　acquainted　with　women　who；　for　thirty　years　in　succession；　had　overcome　the　attacks　of　this　disorder　by　a　renewal　of　their　annual　danceso　long　did　they　maintain　their　belief　in　the　yet　undestroyed　poison　of　the　tarantula's　bite；　and　so　long　did　that　mental　affection　continue　to　exist；　after　it　had　ceased　to　depend　on　any　corporeal　excitement。

Wherever　we　turn；　we　find　that　this　morbid　state　of　mind　prevailed；　and　was　so　supported　by　the　opinions　of　the　age；　that　it　needed　only　a　stimulus　in　the　bite　of　the　tarantula；　and　the　supposed　certainty　of　its　very　disastrous　consequences；　to　originate　this　violent　nervous　disorder。　　Even　in　Ferdinando's　time　there　were　many　who　altogether　denied　the　poisonous　effects　of　the　tarantula's　bite；　whilst　they　considered　the　disorder；　which　annually　set　Italy　in　commotion；　to　be　a　melancholy　depending　on　the　imagination。　　They　dearly　expiated　this　scepticism；　however；　when　they　were　led；　with　an　inconsiderate　hardihood；　to　test　their　opinions　by　experiment；　for　many　of　them　became　the　subjects　of　severe　tarantism；　and　even　a　distinguished　prelate；　Jo。　Baptist　Quinzato；　Bishop　of　Foligno；　having　allowed　himself；　by　way　of　a　joke；　to　be　bitten　by　a　tarantula；　could　obtain　a　cure　in　no　other　way　than　by　being；　through　the　influence　of　the　tarantella；　compelled　to　dance。　　Others　among　the　clergy；　who　wished　to　shut　their　ears　against　music；　because　they　considered　dancing　derogatory　to　their　station；　fell　into　a　dangerous　state　of　illness　by　thus　delaying　the　crisis　of　the　malady；　and　were　obliged　at　last　to　save　themselves　from　a　miserable　death　by　submitting　to　the　unwelcome　but　sole　means　of　cure。　　Thus　it　appears　that　the　age　was　so　little　favourable　to　freedom　of　thought；　that　even　the　most　decided　sceptics；　incapable　of　guarding　themselves　against　the　recollection　of　what　had　been　presented　to　the　eye；　were　subdued　by　a　poison；　the　powers　of　which　they　had　ridiculed；　and　which　was　in　itself　inert　in　its　effect。


SECT。　5HYSTERIA


Different　characteristics　of　the　morbidly　excited　vitality　having　been　rendered　prominent　by　tarantism　in　different　individuals；　it　could　not　but　happen　that　other　derangements　of　the　nerves　would　assume　the　form　of　this　whenever　circumstances　favoured　such　a　transition。　　This　was　more　especially　the　case　with　hysteria；　that　proteiform　and　mutable　disorder；　in　which　the　imaginations；　the　superstitions；　and　the　follies　of　all　ages　have　been　evidently　reflected。　　The　〃Carnevaletto　delle　Donne〃　appeared　most　opportunely　for　those　who　were　hysterical。　　Their　disease　received　from　it；　as　it　had　at　other　times　from　other　extraordinary　customs；　a　peculiar　direction；　so　that；　whether　bitten　by　the　tar