Chapter 45

Eye-salves, ointments, and love-potions: what they can do.
De collyriis, unctionibus, philtris, eorumque virtutibus.
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Latin — 1533, repaired

Collyria etiam et unguenta naturalium caelestiumque vires conspirantia circa spiritum nostrum, possunt eum multiplicare, transmutare, transfigurare, transformare, alias aliter: iam vero et transpositionem inducere potentiarum illarum, quae sibi insunt, ut iam non solum possit in proprium corpus agere, sed etiam in propinquum, atque illud per radios visuales, per fascinationes, perque contactus quadam simili afficere qualitate: spiritus autem noster, quia vapor est sanguinis subtilis, purus, lucidus, aereus, atque unctuosus, idcirco conducit collyria ex similibus vaporibus conficere, quae cum spiritu nostro magis consonant in substantia, tum propter similitudinem magis alliciunt, attrahunt spiritumque transformant. Similes virtutes unguenta quaedam et aliae confectiones possident: hinc per contactus quandoque aegritudines, veneficia vel amores inducuntur, quibusdam rebus manibus vel vestibus inunctis: similiter per oscula quibusdam rebus in ore retentis amores inducuntur, ut apud Vergilium legimus Venerem Cupidini precatam esse: 'Ut cum te gremio accipiet laetissima Dido, / regales inter mensas, laticemque Lyaeum, / et dabit amplexus, atque oscula dulcia figet, / occultum inspires ignem, fallasque veneno.' Visus autem quia est purus, et reliquis sensibus clarius sentiens, acutiusque ac altius nobis rerum notas infigens, maxime ac plus aliis convenit cum spiritu phantastico, quod apparet in somniis, ubi saepius nobis visa se se offerunt quam audita, vel reliquae sensationes. Idcirco collyria, quando visuales spiritus transformant, spiritus ille imaginationem facile afficit, quae quidem diversis speciebus ac formis affecta, ipsas per eundem spiritum transmittit ad sensum exteriorem visus, quo casu causatur in eo talium specierum ac formarum sensatio suo modo, ac si ab exteris obiectis moveretur, ut putet se videre imagines terribiles, daemones, et similia: sic fiunt collyria facientia nos daemonum umbras in aere vel alibi protinus aspicere, quale ego novi ex felle hominis, coculis catti nigri, et ex quibusdam aliis rebus conficere. Simile huic etiam ex sanguine upupae, vespertilionis et hirci conficitur: et dicunt, si inungatur speculum chalybeum cum succo artemisiae, et fumigetur, facit in eo videre invocatos spiritus. Sic fiunt etiam quaedam suffumigationes vel inunctiones, quae faciant dormientes loqui, ambulare et exercere opera vigilantium, atque etiam quandoque quae vigilantes vix possint oculis clausis. Quaedam nos faciunt audire sonos horrendos, vel delectabiles, nusquam praesentes, et consimiles. Haec eadem causa est cur maniaci ac melancholici credunt se ea videre vel audire extrinsecus, quae non nisi intrinsecus imaginatio phantasticatur, hinc timent non timenda, et in suspiciones mirabiles, ac falsissimas incidunt, et fugiunt nemine persequente, irascuntur et luctantur nemine praesente, timent ubi non est timor: cuiusmodi passiones etiam magicae confectiones inducere possunt, per suffumigationes, per collyria, per unguenta, per potiones, per veneficia, per lampades et lumina, per specula, per imagines, incantamenta et carmina, per sonos et concentus, ex certorum animalium nervis certa harmonia constantibus, etiam per varios ritus, observationes, ceremonias, religiones, et superstitiones, sicut haec suis locis tractabuntur. Neque solum his artificiis eiusmodi passiones, apparitiones et imaginationes inducuntur, sed etiam res ipsae atque homines revera permutantur et in varias formas transfigurantur, sicut de Proteo, Periclymeno, Acheloo et Metra Erysichthonis filia narrat poeta: sic Circe socios mutavit Ulyssis. Et quondam in Iovis Lycaei sacris gustatis sacrificiorum extis, homines in lupos vertebantur, quod dicit Plinius accidisse cuidam Demarcho, ut narrat Augustinus. Narrat etiam se, dum esset in Italia, accepisse quasdam feminas, dato viatoribus veneficio in caseo, eos in iumenta vertisse, rursusque cum portassent quae voluissent onera, in homines restituisse, idque patri cuidam Praestantii nomine tunc accidisse: et ipsae sacrae litterae testantur magos Pharaonis mutasse virgas suas in dracones, et aquam in sanguinem, et alia quaedam.

Close translation

Eye-salves too, and ointments in which the powers of natural and celestial things conspire together around our spirit, can multiply it, transmute it, transfigure it, transform it — one in one way, another in another: indeed they can even induce a transposition of those powers that are within it, so that it can now act not only upon its own body, but even upon one nearby, and affect that one, through the visual rays, through fascinations, and through contacts, with a like quality: our spirit, however, since it is a subtle vapor of the blood, pure, lucid, airy, and unctuous, it is therefore fitting to compound eye-salves from similar vapors, which, being more in accord with our spirit in substance, both by that likeness attract more, and draw and transform the spirit. Certain ointments and other confections possess similar powers: hence, through contact, sometimes sicknesses, poisonings, or loves are induced, when certain things are rubbed on the hands or garments: likewise, through kisses, with certain things kept in the mouth, loves are induced, as we read in Virgil that Venus made this request of Cupid: 'That when in her lap most joyful Dido shall receive you, amid the royal feast and the wine of Lyaeus, and shall give embraces, and press sweet kisses upon you, you may breathe in a hidden fire, and deceive her with poison.' Sight, however, because it is pure, and perceives more clearly than the remaining senses, and impresses the marks of things upon us more sharply and more deeply, agrees most, and more than the others, with the phantastic spirit that appears in dreams, where things seen offer themselves to us more often than things heard, or the remaining sensations. Therefore, when eye-salves transform the visual spirits, that spirit easily affects the imagination, which, being affected by diverse appearances and forms, transmits these same, through that same spirit, to the outer sense of sight — in which case there is caused in it a sensation of such appearances and forms in its own manner, just as if it were being moved by outward objects, so that one supposes oneself to see terrible images, demons, and the like: thus are made eye-salves that cause us to see, at once, the shadows of demons in the air or elsewhere — of a kind that I know how to compound from human gall, the eyes of a black cat, and from certain other things. Similar to this is also compounded from the blood of hoopoe, bat, and he-goat: and they say, if a steel mirror is anointed with the juice of mugwort, and fumigated, it makes one see, in it, the spirits invoked. Thus certain suffumigations or unctions are also made which cause the sleeping to speak, to walk, and to carry out the works of those awake, and even, at times, what the waking can scarcely do with eyes closed. Certain ones make us hear horrendous sounds, or delightful ones, present nowhere, and the like. This is the same cause why maniacs and melancholics believe they see or hear, from outside, those things which only the imagination within fashions after its own fancy — hence they fear things not to be feared, and fall into astonishing and utterly false suspicions, and flee with no one pursuing, and grow angry and struggle with no one present, and are afraid where there is no fear: passions of this kind, magical confections can also induce, through suffumigations, through eye-salves, through unguents, through potions, through poisonings, through lamps and lights, through mirrors, through images, incantations and charms, through sounds and harmonies composed from the sinews of certain animals in a fixed harmony, also through various rites, observances, ceremonies, religions, and superstitions, as these will be treated in their own places. Nor is it only by these artifices that passions, apparitions, and imaginings of this kind are induced, but even things themselves, and men, are truly changed and transfigured into various forms, as the poet tells of Proteus, Periclymenus, Achelous, and Mestra the daughter of Erysichthon: thus Circe changed the companions of Ulysses. And once, in the sacred rites of Jupiter Lycaeus, upon tasting the entrails of the sacrifices, men were turned into wolves — which Pliny says happened to a certain Demarchus, as Augustine relates. He relates also that he himself, while he was in Italy, learned that certain women, having given travelers a poison in cheese, turned them into pack-animals, and that after they had carried whatever burdens were wanted, they were restored again into men — and that this happened to a certain father, Praestantius by name, at that time: and the sacred writings themselves attest that the magi of Pharaoh changed their rods into serpents, and water into blood, and certain other things.

Modern rendering

Eye-salves and ointments, in which the powers of natural and celestial things work together on our spirit, can multiply it, change it, reshape it, transform it — differently in different cases: they can even shift around the powers already present in it, so that the spirit can act not only on its own body but on someone nearby, affecting that person, through the rays of sight, through fascination, and through touch, with a similar quality. Since our spirit is a fine vapor of the blood — pure, clear, airy, and oily — it makes sense to compound eye-salves from similar vapors: because they match our spirit's substance more closely, that likeness both draws it in more and pulls at and reshapes the spirit. Certain ointments and other preparations have similar effects: this is why, through touch alone, sicknesses, poisonings, or attractions are sometimes brought on, when certain substances are rubbed onto the hands or clothing; likewise, attraction can be induced through kisses, by holding certain substances in the mouth — as we read in Virgil, where Venus asks this of Cupid: that when joyful Dido takes him into her lap at the royal banquet, among the wine, and gives him embraces and presses sweet kisses on him, he should breathe a hidden fire into her and deceive her with poison. Sight is especially suited to work with the imaginative spirit that shows itself in dreams — because sight is the clearest of the senses, cuts its impressions into us more sharply and deeply than the rest, and in dreams we more often see things than hear them or sense them some other way. So when an eye-salve alters the visual spirit, that spirit readily works on the imagination; and the imagination, taking on different shapes and forms, passes these back out through that same spirit to the outward sense of sight — producing in it a perception of those shapes and forms just as though it were being triggered by real outside objects, so the person believes he is seeing terrifying images, demons, and the like. This is how eye-salves are made that let us see the shadows of demons in the air or elsewhere at once — a kind I know how to make from human bile, the eyes of a black cat, and certain other materials. A similar one is made from the blood of hoopoe, bat, and billy-goat: and it is said that if a steel mirror is coated with mugwort juice and fumigated, it will let you see invoked spirits in it. In the same way, certain fumigations or ointments are made that cause sleeping people to talk, walk, and do the things a waking person does — sometimes things a waking person could hardly manage even with eyes shut. Others make us hear terrifying or pleasant sounds that are not actually there, and so on. This is the same reason the manic and the melancholic believe they see or hear, from outside, things that their own imagination is really conjuring inside — so they fear what needs no fearing, fall into wild, baseless suspicions, run when no one is chasing them, grow angry and struggle when no one is there, and are afraid where there is nothing to fear. Magical preparations can bring on the same kinds of states — through fumigations, eye-salves, ointments, potions, poisonings, lamps and lights, mirrors, images, spells and charms, sounds and music made from the strings of certain animals' sinews tuned to a set harmony, and also through various rites, observances, ceremonies, religious practices, and superstitions — these will be dealt with in their proper places. And it isn't only through these techniques that such states, apparitions, and imaginings are produced — actual objects and people are genuinely changed and turned into other forms, as the poet tells of Proteus, Periclymenus, Achelous, and Mestra, the daughter of Erysichthon; Circe likewise transformed the companions of Ulysses. Once, too, in the sacred rites of Jupiter Lycaeus, after tasting the entrails of the sacrificial victims, men were turned into wolves — Pliny says this happened to a certain Demarchus, as Augustine reports. Augustine also reports that while he was in Italy he heard that certain women, having given travelers a poisoned substance in cheese, turned them into pack animals, and that once these had carried whatever loads were wanted, the women turned them back into men — and that this happened to a certain man's father, named Praestantius, at that time. And Scripture itself attests that Pharaoh's magicians turned their rods into serpents, and water into blood, and did certain other things.

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