of his idol by some slight within the body thereof
publicly to shake. Plautus, in his Asinaria,
declareth likewise, that Saurias, whithersoever he
walked, like one quite distracted of his wits kept
such a furious lolling and mad-like shaking of his
head, that he commonly affrighted those who casually
met with him in his way. The said author in another
place, showing a reason why Charmides shook and brangled
his head, assevered that he was transported and in
an ecstasy. Catullus after the same manner maketh
mention, in his Berecynthia and Atys, of the place
wherein the Menades, Bacchical women, she-priests
of the Lyaean god, and demented prophetesses, carrying
ivy boughs in their hands, did shake their heads.
As in the like case, amongst the Galli, the gelded
priests of Cybele were wont to do in the celebrating
of their festivals. Whence, too, according to
the sense of the ancient theologues, she herself has
her denomination, for kubistan signifieth to turn
round, whirl about, shake the head, and play the part
of one that is wry-necked.
Semblably Titus Livius writeth that, in the solemnization
time of the Bacchanalian holidays at Rome, both men
and women seemed to prophetize and vaticinate, because
of an affected kind of wagging of the head, shrugging
of the shoulders, and jectigation of the whole body,
which they used then most punctually. For the
common voice of the philosophers, together with the
opinion of the people, asserteth for an irrefragable
truth that vaticination is seldom by the heavens bestowed
on any without the concomitancy of a little frenzy
and a head-shaking, not only when the said presaging
virtue is infused, but when the person also therewith
inspired declareth and manifesteth it unto others.
The learned lawyer Julian, being asked on a time
if that slave might be truly esteemed to be healthful
and in a good plight who had not only conversed with
some furious, maniac, and enraged people, but in their
company had also prophesied, yet without a noddle-shaking
concussion, answered that, seeing there was no head-wagging
at the time of his predictions, he might be held for
sound and compotent enough. Is it not daily
seen how schoolmasters, teachers, tutors, and instructors
of children shake the heads of their disciples, as
one would do a pot in holding it by the lugs, that
by this erection, vellication, stretching, and pulling
their ears, which, according to the doctrine of the
sage Egyptians, is a member consecrated to the memory,
they may stir them up to recollect their scattered
thoughts, bring home those fancies of theirs which
perhaps have been extravagantly roaming abroad upon
strange and uncouth objects, and totally range their
judgments, which possibly by disordinate affections
have been made wild, to the rule and pattern of a
wise, discreet, virtuous, and philosophical discipline.
All which Virgil acknowledgeth to be true, in the
branglement of Apollo Cynthius.
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