Latin — 1533, repaired
Passionum autem animae, quando sensualem apprehensionem sequuntur, vim regitivam habet phantasia, seu virtus imaginativa. Haec enim de sua potentia iuxta passionum diversitatem, primo diversimode alterat et transmutat corpus proprium transmutatione sensibili, mutando accidentia in corpore, et movendo spiritum sursum vel deorsum, ad extra vel ad intra, et diversas qualitates producendo in membris. Sic in gaudio spiritus expelluntur, in timore retrahuntur, in verecundia moventur ad cerebrum. Sic in gaudio dilatatur cor ad extra paulatim, in tristitia constringitur paulatim ad intra. Simili modo in ira vel timore, sed subito. Rursus ira vel cupiditas vindictae producit calorem, rubedinem, amarum saporem, et alui fluxum. Timor inducit frigus, cordis trepidationem, vocis defectum, atque pallorem. Tristitia sudorem, et albedinem caeruleam. Misericordia etiam cum sit tristitia quaedam est, saepe miserantis corpus male afficit, ut alterius corpus videtur affectum. Palam quoque est inter amantes aliquos, tam fortem esse ligaturam amoris, ut quod patitur unus eorum, patiatur et alter. Anxietas etiam inducit siccitatem, et nigredinem: quantos etiam calores cupido amoris concitet, in hepate et in pulsu, noscunt medici, eo iudicio nomen amatae in passione heroica deprehendentes. Sic Naufistratus cognovit Antiochum amore Stratonices captum.
Manifestum est praeterea passiones eiusmodi, quando vehementissimae sunt, mortem posse inferre, et hoc apud vulgus palam est: nimia laetitia, tristitia, amore, odio, interdum mori homines, saepe etiam morbo levari. Sic legimus Sophoclem et Dionysium Siciliae tyrannum, utrunque accepto tragicae victoriae nuntio, subito mortuos. Sic mater viso filio e Cannensi proelio redeunte, repente obiit. Quid etiam tristitia possit, omnibus notum est. Scimus etiam canes nimia tristitia de morte dominorum suorum saepe mortuos fuisse.
Nonnunquam etiam ex huiusmodi passionibus morbi diuturni sequuntur, et quandoque curantur. Sic ex alto despicientes aliqui prae timore nimio contremiscunt, caligant, infirmantur, quandoque sensus amittunt. Sic singultus, febres, morbi comitiales quandoque sequuntur, quandoque vero recedunt, quandoque mirabiles quidam effectus proveniunt, ut in Croesi filio, quem genitrix mutum ediderat, metus vehemens aviditasque vocem excussit, quam natura diu negaverat. Sic repentino quodam casu affectu, saepe vita, sensus, motus, subito membra deserunt, ac saepe statim revertuntur. Quantum etiam coniuncta magnanimi audaciae vehemens ira faciat, ipse ostendit magnus Alexander, qui in India praelio circumventus, lumen et ignem ex se prodere visus est. Theodorici pater ignis scintillas ex toto corpore profudisse legitur, ita, ut scintillantes flammae hinc inde etiam cum sono prosilirent. Atque horum similia nonnunquam etiam in beluis apparent, sicut de Tiberii equo, quem ore flammigerasse proditum est.
Close translation
But of the passions of the soul, when they follow sensual apprehension, imagination, or the imaginative power, holds the ruling force. For this power, according to its own potency, following the diversity of the passions, first alters and transforms one's own body variously through sensible transformation, by changing the accidents in the body, and by moving the spirit upward or downward, outward or inward, and by producing diverse qualities in the members. Thus in joy the spirits are driven outward, in fear they are drawn back, in shame they are moved to the brain. Thus in joy the heart is gradually dilated outward, in sadness it is gradually constricted inward. In like manner in anger or fear, but suddenly. Again, anger or the desire for vengeance produces heat, redness, a bitter taste, and looseness of the bowels. Fear induces cold, trembling of the heart, failure of the voice, and pallor. Sadness produces sweat, and a bluish paleness. Pity too, since it is a kind of sadness, often afflicts the body of the one who pities, so that he seems affected by another's body. It is also plain that among certain lovers the binding of love is so strong that what one of them suffers, the other suffers too. Anxiety also induces dryness and blackness: and how great heats the desire of love stirs up in the liver and in the pulse, physicians know, discerning by that very sign the name of the beloved in the heroic passion. Thus Naufistratus discovered Antiochus captured by love of Stratonice.
It is manifest, further, that passions of this kind, when they are most vehement, can bring death, and this is plain among the common people: that men sometimes die of too much joy, sadness, love, hatred, and are often relieved of sickness too. Thus we read that Sophocles and Dionysius the tyrant of Sicily both died suddenly on receiving news of a tragic victory. Thus a mother, on seeing her son returning from the battle of Cannae, suddenly died. What sadness can do is also known to all. We know too that dogs have often died of excessive grief at the death of their masters.
Sometimes also lingering illnesses follow from passions of this kind, and are sometimes cured by them. Thus some, looking down from a height, tremble from excessive fear, grow dizzy, are weakened, and sometimes lose their senses. Thus hiccups, fevers, epileptic fits sometimes follow, and sometimes recede; and sometimes marvelous effects come about, as in the son of Croesus, whom his mother had borne mute, whose voice, which nature had long denied, was struck out by vehement fear and eagerness. Thus by some sudden event, life, sense, and motion often suddenly leave the limbs, and often return at once. How much, too, vehement anger joined to a great-souled boldness can do, great Alexander himself showed, who, surrounded in battle in India, was seen to give off light and fire from himself. Theodoric's father is recorded to have poured out sparks of fire from his whole body, so that flashing flames leapt out here and there, even with a sound. And things like these sometimes appear also in beasts, as with Tiberius's horse, which is reported to have breathed flame from its mouth.
Modern rendering
When the soul's passions follow what the senses take in, imagination — the imaginative power — is what steers them. Depending on which passion it is, imagination alters and transforms your own body in a way you can feel: it changes the body's states, moves the vital spirit up or down, outward or inward, and produces different qualities in the limbs. So in joy the spirits are pushed outward, in fear they're pulled back, in shame they move up toward the brain. In joy the heart gradually opens outward; in sadness it gradually closes inward. Anger and fear do the same thing, but suddenly. Anger or the urge for revenge brings on heat, redness, a bitter taste in the mouth, and loose bowels. Fear brings cold, a pounding heart, a failing voice, and paleness. Sadness brings sweating and a bluish pallor. Pity, being a kind of sadness itself, often affects the pitying person's body so that it seems to take on the other person's condition. It's also well known that among some lovers the bond is so strong that whatever one of them feels, the other feels too. Anxiety brings dryness and a darkened complexion; and physicians know how much heat the desire of love stirs in the liver and the pulse — they can even tell, from that sign alone, the name of the person someone is lovesick over. That's how Naufistratus discovered that Antiochus was consumed with love for Stratonice.
It's also clear that when passions like these run strong enough, they can kill — everyone knows this: people sometimes die from too much joy, sadness, love, or hatred, and are sometimes cured of sickness the same way. We read that Sophocles and Dionysius, the tyrant of Sicily, both dropped dead on hearing news of a tragic victory. A mother died on the spot at the sight of her son coming back from the battle of Cannae. What grief can do is common knowledge. We even know of dogs dying of grief over their masters' deaths.
Sometimes these passions also cause lasting illness, and sometimes they cure it. Some people, looking down from a height, shake with excessive fear, grow dizzy, weaken, and sometimes black out. Hiccups, fevers, and epileptic seizures sometimes follow, sometimes clear up, and sometimes something remarkable happens — as with the son of Croesus, born mute, whose voice, long denied him by nature, was jolted out of him by sudden terror and urgency. In the same way, a sudden shock can drain the life, feeling, and movement from the limbs all at once, and just as suddenly restore them. And how much a fierce anger joined to great boldness can do, Alexander the Great himself showed: surrounded in battle in India, he was seen giving off light and fire from his own body. Theodoric's father is said to have thrown off sparks of fire from his whole body, flashing flames leaping out with an audible crack. Similar things sometimes show up in animals too, as with Tiberius's horse, which reportedly breathed flame from its mouth.
Editorial flags — draft status
- uncertain: Proper name 'Naufistratus' for the physician who diagnosed Antiochus's love-sickness for Stratonice: the standard classical source names the physician Erasistratus. OCR form is consistent but likely itself a period corruption or Agrippa's own variant spelling rather than pure OCR damage; flagging for manual check against page image rather than silently normalizing to 'Erasistratus'.
- uncertain: 'in Crasi filio' / 'Crasinlio' reconstructed as 'Croesi filio' (son of Croesus) — morphologically plausible and matches the well-known Herodotus anecdote referenced, but restored across significant OCR damage.