that it cherished the viscera and members by its
heat, and lastly, that it concreted and grew cold in death.

But nothing in this whole discourse is so much worthy of our serious
attention as these words, with which he closes it. _The dust returns
to the earth, such as it had been; and the spirit returns to God, who
gave it._ For by these words his intention seems plainly to have been,
to refute the ignorant notions of those, who thought that the soul
perished with the body, and to assert its immortality.

CHAPTER VII.

_The disease of king Nebuchadnezzar._

Those things, which are related of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,
appear so surprizing and contrary to nature, that some interpreters
have imagined that he was really transformed into a beast. For "being
driven from the company of men for seven years, his dwelling was with
the beasts of the field, he fed on grass as oxen; his body was wetted
with the dew of heaven; his hair and nails were grown like those of
birds. At length at the end of that space of time, his understanding
was restored to him, and he was established in his kingdom, and
excellent majesty was added unto him. Now his crime was pride and the
contempt of God[83]."

[83] _See Daniel, Chap. iv. and v._

All these circumstances agree so perfectly well with hypochondriacal
madness, that to me it appears evident, that Nebuchadnezzar was seized
with this distemper, and under its influence ran wild into the fields:
and that, fancying himself transformed into an ox, he fed on grass in
the manner of cattle. For every sort of madness is, as I shall specify
more particularly hereafter[84], a disease of a disturbed imagination;
which this unhappy man laboured under full seven years. And thro'
neglect of taking proper care of himself, his hair and nails grew to
an excessive length; whereby the latter growing thicker and crooked,
resembled the claws of birds. Now, the ancients called persons
affected with this species of madness [Greek: lykanthropoi] or [Greek:
kynanthropoi]; because they went abroad in the night, imitating wolves
or dogs; particularly intent upon opening the sepulchres of the dead,
and had their legs much ulcerated either by frequent falls, or the
bites of[85] dogs. In like manner are the daughters of Proetus related
to have been mad, who, as Virgil says,

--_Implerunt falsis mugitibus agros._[86]

--With mimick'd mooings fill'd the fields.

[84] _See Chap. ix.