Chapter 50

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Fascination is a binding, which travels from the spirit of the one fascinating, through the eyes of the one fascinated, arriving at his very heart. The instrument of fascination, moreover, is spirit — that is, a certain pure, lucid, subtle vapor, generated by the heat of the heart from the purer blood: this always emits rays like itself through the eyes: these emitted rays carry the spiritual vapor along with them, and that vapor carries blood, as appears in bleary and reddened eyes — when its ray, sent all the way to the eyes of the onlooker facing it, draws with itself the vapor of corrupted blood, by whose contagion it compels the onlooker's eyes to suffer a like disorder. An eye thus made ready, and intent upon someone with strong imagination, hurls itself, by way of the points of its own rays — which are the vehicles of the spirit — straight into the opposing eyes: and this languid spirit of the one fascinated, diverting the eyes, when it is roused by the heart of the one striking, having struck the breast, as though having found its own proper region, wounds the heart, and this foreign spirit infects the spirit within. Whence Apuleius: 'Those eyes of yours,' he says, 'sliding through my own eyes to my inmost breast, stir up a most fierce fire in my very marrow.' Know, then, that people are most fascinated when, with a most frequent gaze, directing sight to sight, they gape reciprocally with their eyes, ray is coupled to ray, and light is joined to light: then spirit is joined to spirit, and fixes its sparks. Thus the strongest bindings, thus the fiercest loves, are kindled by the rays of the eyes alone — even suddenly, by one single gaze, as though a body were pierced clean through by a dart or a blow: whence then the spirit and amorous blood, thus wounded, behave in the lover and the one who fascinates no differently than the blood and avenging spirit of someone struck down flows back upon the one who struck him: whence Lucretius sang of these amatory fascinations —

'And the body seeks that from which the mind is wounded with love, For nearly all fall, most often, into the wound, and toward That part the blood leaps from which we are struck by the blow, And if the enemy is near at hand, the red humor seizes him.'

(verse, summarized — see flag)

So great is the power of fascination, especially when the vapors of the eyes are subservient to the passion. For this reason those who fascinate make use of eye-salves, unguents, bindings, and the like, to affect and strengthen the spirit in one way or another. Thus, to induce love, they use Venereal eye-salves, made from hippomanes, the blood of doves or sparrows, and the like. To induce fear, they use Martial eye-salves, such as from the eyes of wolves, of the hyena, and the like. For calamity or sickness, they use Saturnine ones.

A similar reasoning is to be had for each of the rest.

Modern rendering

Fascination is a kind of binding that travels from the fascinator's spirit, through the eyes of the person fascinated, straight to that person's heart. What carries it is spirit itself — a pure, bright, fine vapor generated by the heart's warmth out of the purer part of the blood. This vapor is always sending out rays like itself through the eyes, and those rays carry the vapor with them — and that vapor carries blood, as you can see in bloodshot, inflamed eyes: when its ray reaches all the way to the onlooker's eyes, it drags along the vapor of corrupted blood, and by contagion forces the onlooker's own eyes into the same disorder. An eye made ready this way, fixed on someone with strong feeling behind it, shoots itself — by means of its rays, which carry the spirit like little darts — straight into the eyes facing it. That sluggish spirit of the person being fascinated, its eyes now diverted, gets stirred up by the heart of the one striking it; once it strikes the chest, as if finding its rightful home there, it wounds the heart, and this foreign spirit infects the native one. Hence Apuleius: 'Those eyes of yours,' he says, 'sliding through my own eyes into my innermost chest, stir up a fierce fire in my very marrow.' So people are most susceptible to fascination when, gazing very frequently and steadily into each other's eyes, they stare back and forth at one another — ray meeting ray, light joining light. Then spirit joins spirit, and the sparks catch. That's how the strongest bonds, the fiercest loves, get lit by nothing but the rays of the eyes — sometimes instantly, in a single glance, as if the whole body were run through by a dart or a blow. From that point the spirit and the lover's blood, wounded this way, behave in the lover and the one doing the fascinating exactly the way the blood and vengeful spirit of a slain man are said to flow back onto his killer. That's what Lucretius meant in his lines on these amorous fascinations —

(verse, summarized — see flag: Lucretius on how the body strains toward what wounded the mind with love, how a wound draws the blood toward it, and how, at close range, an enemy's blood rushes to meet the blow.)

That's how great the power of fascination is, especially once the eyes' vapors are put fully in the service of the underlying feeling. That's why those who practice fascination use eye-salves, ointments, amulets bound on the body, and the like, to shape and strengthen the spirit in one direction or another. To induce love, they use Venus-associated salves — made from hippomanes, the blood of doves or sparrows, and similar things. To induce fear, they use Mars-associated salves, such as from the eyes of wolves, hyenas, and the like. For misfortune or sickness, they use Saturn-associated ones.

The same reasoning applies, case by case, to the rest.