Tufc.qu.li.s. Infania is alfo defcribed by Tully (upon the judgment of the Authors of the 12. Tables) to be inconftantia fanitate vacans, quæ tamen poffit tueri officium vitæ communis, & cultum ufitatum; A kind of Inconftancy void in deed of perfect foundnefs of mind, yet fuch, as that he which hath it can obferve and do the common offices of this life among men, in some reasonable and tollerable fort: fuch be all they, whom commonly we term either frantick, brainfick, crack'd-witted, cock-brains, or harebrained men, being not altogether unapt for civil focieties, or void of understanding, to perceive what they fay or do, or what is faid unto them: albeit they have many ftrange conceits, toying fancies, and perform fundry, rafh, undifcreet, mad, and foolish parts. Many examples of these three degrees, much differing one from another, may be obferved in our daily experience, and in hiftories of all ages.

Afranius.

Fatuitas is the want of wit and underftanding, wherewith natural fools are poffeffed: But Stultitia is that folly which is feen in fuch, as albeit they be but fimple and grofs-witted, yet are not to be accounted very Idiots, or Naturals. Therefore one fpeaking modeftly of himself, said thus: Ego ftultum me existimo, fatuum effe non opinor. I take my felf to be but a fimple Man, yet (I hope) no stark Idiot.

A

A Lethargy is a notable forgetfulness of all things almoft, that heretofore a man hath known, or of their names: fo that fuch one oftentimes forgetteth alfo his own name, calleth any thing by a wrong name; and beginning to fpeak, forgetteth what he had faid afore, and what he meant to fay after This diftemperature and weakness cometh by fome blow, fickness, or age.

Delirium is that weaknefs of conceit and confideration, which we call dotage: when a man, through age or infirmity, falleth to be a child again in difcretion: albeit he understand what is faid, and can happily fpeak fomewhat pertinently unto fundry matters.

If a man, whiles he is troubled with either of the first two infirmities, fhall commit any thing, which in his own nature is criminal, all good laws do rather pity his cafe, than punish him, albeit, in the reft it be not abfolutely fo observed: for voluntas non actus, affectus non effectus diftinguunt maleficia: we are not in punishing offenders, fo much to respect the event, and what is done, as with what purpose, mind, and affection the thing is done. But such as be furious, and diftracted of their wits, are intended (whiles that paffion lafteth) to have no will, to know or perceive nothing, and therefore not to give confent to any D. de in1. 17. filio. thing they do or fay. In which refpects jurijs L. 2. they are compared in law, to men abfent, finali D. and utterly ignorant of any thing done by $ de jure Cothemselves, on in their prefence. T 3

Now

dicillorum.

Now then, to examine these three persons by that which hath been faid: It may be yielded, that their imaginations, purposes, plots, and defignments, refpecting the weightiness of the end and weakness of the means, were fantastical, unadvised, and most fond and unlikely, yet none otherwife than may be alfo truly faid for the most part of all fuch fanatical fantasticks, schifmaticks, hereticks, or malecontented treasonable confpirators whatsoever. But cannot (truly or with any colour of probability) be affirmed, that any of them were mad, besides themselves, and out of their wits, as not knowing and perceiving what they did or faid, or what others faid or did unto them.

i

Firft concerning Arthington, I have not heard fo much as any doubt at all of Madnefs to have been made by any man that converfed, or had to deal with him, either in or after this action. But because Coppinger hath been fuppofed by many (after the time of his firft examination) to have fallen into stark madness, let us a little look back, and briefly recapitulate fome points, that have been afore touched concerning him, to fee, if any fuch distraction of mind could also be noted in him, by the carriage of this action, before his apprehenfion. Yet I do know, that it hath been doubted (upon fome good ground) by wife men, whether he were indeed mad, even at any time after he was apprehended, as he made shew, or

whether

·

whether it were only fained by him. For a mad man may, and often times doth, for two or three days together, eat no meat, nor happely drinks not at all. But when the humours of his ftomach are fully concocted and put over, fo that for want of food, it beginneth naturally to fuck back the blood and nourishment, diftributed afore into the veins and parts, which breedeth hunger then will a madman (moft commonly) very greedily and ravenously, even by courfe of nature, fall to his meat, if it be fhewed him, and cannot abftain, because he cannot diffemble this appetite, in the time of his fury. But Coppinger is faid to have forborn and abftained from meat and drink (though they were offered unto him) by the fpace of eight whole days: whereby he grew fo weak, as that it may feem, he died for want of Suftenance. Such refolution or obduration of mind, can hardly fo long together remain with him, that is mad indeed, and knoweth not what he doth. Howfoever it were after, it is fure, that before their Pageant was plaid, ( wherein matters profpered not as they expected) the whole courfe of his fpeeches, writings, and other dealings were fuch, as do argue no defect at all of reafon, memory, wit, or understanding, fetting afide the abfurdity and folly of the fancy, wherewith he was led.

;

For when he firft had taken apprehenfion of fuch extraordinary calling, he yielded not ftraightway and unadvisedly unto it, but after long and deliberate debating with himfelf: his care was great, and course (as in fuch a matter) was confiderate, in feeking to be refolved by fuch, as he both then, and afore held, to be beft able to judge of his gifts and calling: The queftions that he framed were very pertinent to that purpose, and orderly penned: His Letters and speeches to T. C. to Eg. to Ch. to Vd. to Lan, to Wig. to P. W. to Į. T. and others, and to them of forreign Churches, were (for that matter) well and advisedly endited: His cunning was not fmall, to keep the very particular way of effecting that which he defired, from thofe he dealt with, because himself knew it a dangerous fecret, and a course not justifiable, unless it came by extraordinary motion, and fpecial œconomy from God, and therefore he defired to have it allowed fo to be: His pretence of entertaining intelligence (touching fome important fervice to the State of the Realm, whereof he pretended to have an inkling, but no full and particular knowledg) was none unadvised or simple reach of policy, in him. For if in platting of his purposes, and dealing in the principal action, any thing of doubtful acceptance, fhould happen to have been after discovered, then might he well and with good colour, have pretended, that he did it but in way of attaining to intelligence of thofe dangers,

whereof