Ephialtes, which the Phisitions call the Maare, is a disease of the stomacke, concerning which, reade Paulus Aegineta li.3.cap.6. Many which are taken with this disease, imagine that a man of monstrous stature sitteth on them, which with his hands violently stoppeth their mouth, that they can by no meanes cry out, and they striue with their armes and hands to driue him away, but all in vain. Some led with vaine fantasie, thinke him who oppresseth them, to créepe vp by little and little on the bed, as it were to deceiue them, and anon to runne downe. They séeme also to themselues to heare him. This disease is called by an other name πνιγαλίον and πνιγἁμων.
Madmen.
Madde men which haue vtterly lost the vse of reason, or are vexed by Gods permission, with a Diuell, whome the Gospell calleth δαιμονιζομἁνους, doo maruellous thinges, talke of many visions and diuers other matters. Their sight deceiueth them, in so much as they mistake one man for another: which thing we sée by experience, in Bedleme houses where madde and frantike men are kept. We read that Aiax tooke the matter so gréeuously, when Achilles armour was adiudged vnto Vlisses, that becomming mad through griefe, and drawing out his sworde, he set vpon herds of swine, supposing that he fought with the whole army of the Grecians. Afterwards hanging vp two of the greatest of them on postes, with rayling words he whipped them, thinking one of them to be Agamemnon, the other Vlisses, of whom with the first he was angry as an euil iudge, with the other bicause he was by him vanquished in iudgement. But afterwards when he came againe to himselfe, for very shame he slew himselfe. It hath many times chaunced in battaile, that the souldiers falling into great fury, their captaines haue bene forced to take away their armour, because by rage they tooke their own felowes for enemies, and began to set on them violently.
Tertullian.
Tertullianus saith thus: Those which are mad sée one man in an other, as Orestes sawe his mother in his sister, Aiax beheld Vlisses in an heard of swine, Athamas and Agaue wilde beastes in their owne children, &c.
CHAP. III.
Fearefull men, imagine that they see and heare straunge things.