CENTURY VIIT. 383 



they see not well things afar off; those things that 

 they see near hand, they see out of their place ; and 

 sometimes they see things douhle. The cause of the 

 imagination that things turn round is, for that the spi 

 rits themselves turn, being compressed by the vapour 

 of the wine, for any liquid body upon compression 

 turneth, as we see in water, and it is all one to the 

 sight, whether the visual spirits move, or the object 

 moveth, or the medium moveth. And we see that 

 long turning round breedeth the same imagination. 

 The cause of the imagination that things come upon 

 them is, for that the spirits visual themselves draw 

 back ; which maketh the object seem to come on ; 

 and besides, when they see things turn round and 

 move, fear maketh them think they come upon them. 

 The cause that they cannot see things afar off, is the 

 weakness of the spirits ; for in every megrim or ver 

 tigo there is an obtenebration joined with a semblance 

 of turning round ; which we see also in the lighter 

 sort of swoonings. The cause of seeing things out of 

 their place, is the refraction of the spirits visual ; for 

 the vapour is as an unequal medium ; and it is as the 

 sight of things out of place in water. The cause of 

 seeing things double, is the swift and unquiet motion 

 of the spirits, being oppressed, to and fro ; for, as was 

 said before, the motion of the spirits visual, and the 

 motion of the object, make the same appearances ; 

 and for the swift motion of the object, we see that 

 if you fillip a lute-string, it sheweth double or treble. 

 726. Men are sooner drunk with small draughts 

 than with great. And again, wine sugared inebri- 



