should we not instantly
apply to reason, as if it were a kind of Socratic medicine to heal this
desire, the evil glides into our veins, and cleaves to our bowels, and
from thence proceeds a distemper or sickness, which, when it is of any
continuance, is incurable, and the name of this disease is covetousness.
It is the same with other diseases; as the desire of glory, a passion for
women, to which the Greeks give the name of {~GREEK SMALL LETTER PHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}; and thus all other
diseases and sicknesses are generated. But those feelings, which are the
contrary of these, are supposed to have fear for their foundation, as a
hatred of women, such as is displayed in the Woman-hater of Atilius: or
the hatred of the whole human species, as Timon is reported to have done,
whom they called the Misanthrope. Of the same kind is inhospitality; and
all these diseases proceed from a certain dread of such things as they
hate and avoid. But they define sickness of mind to be an overweening
opinion, and that fixed and deeply implanted in the heart, of something as
very desirable, which is by no means so. What proceeds from aversion, they
define thus: a vehement idea of something to be avoided, deeply implanted,
and inherent in our minds, when there is no reason for avoiding it; and
this kind of opinion is a deliberate belief that one understands things of
which one is wholly ignorant. Now, sickness of the mind has all these
subordinate divisions, avarice, ambition, fondness for women, obstinacy,
gluttony, drunkenness, covetousness, and other similar vices. But avarice
is a violent opinion about money, as if it were vehemently to be desired
and sought after, which opinion is deeply implanted and inherent in our
minds; and the definition of all the other similar feelings resembles
these. But the definitions of aversions are of this sort; inhospitality is
a vehement opinion, deeply implanted and inherent in your mind, that you
should avoid a stranger. Thus too the hatred of women, like that felt by
Hippolytus, is defined, and the hatred of the human species like that
displayed by Timon.

XII. But to come to the analogy of the state of body and mind, which I
shall sometimes make use of, though