7. Excerpt from The Game of Chess, by Jacobus de Cessolis, trans. William Caxton (1474)

[One of the more obscure dangers alluded to in Cymbeline is the potential deadliness of severe shock; King Cymbeline seems to be in especial danger, as at 1.1.11 and 1.2.69, where characters imply that he is prone to being so upset by events that it could prove fatal. This is not considered an unusual reaction to shock in the period; works such as The Game of Chess record multiple examples of people dying after being profoundly surprised and were used as evidence of the necessity of preparing people gently for such mental trauma. Notably, good news as well as bad news was considered potentially lethal if the shock was great enough. The fact that the (spurious) etymology of "mollis aer" which appears in the play's final scene is present here as well, offering justification for why women might be more prone to such an emotional response, is also notable.]

They ought to make their plasters{bandages treated with an adhesive, often medicinal, substance} according to the wounds or sores: if the wound be round, the emplaster must be round; and if it{the wound} be long, it{the emplaster} must be long.

And otherwhile{sometimes} it must be cured by his contrary, like as it appertaineth to physic{is appropriate for medicine}, for the heat is cured by cold, and the cold by heat; and joy by sorrow, and sorrow by joy. And it happeth ofttimes that much people be in great peril in taking{experiencing} too much joy and lose her members{become deprived of feeling in their limbs} and become half benumben{benumbed} in the sudden joy.

And joy is a repletion{surfeiting} of [a] thing that is delectable{full of delight}, spread abroad in all the members with right great gladness, and all men intend and desire to have the said right great joy naturally, but they know not what may ensue and come thereof. And this joy cometh otherwhile{sometimes} of virtue of conscience, and the wise man is not without this joy. And this joy is never interrupt ne in default{interrupted nor incomplete} at no time, for it cometh of nature, and fortune may not take away that nature giveth. And Martial saith that joys fugitive abide not long but flee away anon{at once}.

And Valerian rehearseth{reports} that he that hath force and strength reasonable hath it of very matter of complexion, and that cometh of love, and this joy hath as much power to depart the soul from the body as hath the thunder, whereof it happened that there was a woman named Lyna which had her husband in the war in the ships of the Romans, and she supposed verily that he was dead. But it happened that he came again home, and as he entered into his gate, his wife met with him suddenly, not warned of his coming, which was so glad and joyous that in embracing him she fell down dead.

Also of another woman to whom was reported by a false messenger that her son was dead, which went home sorrowfully to her house, and afterward, when her son came to her, as soon as she saw him, she was so emoved with joy that she died tofore{before; in front of} him.

But this is not so great marvel of women as is of the men, for the women ben{are} likened unto soft wax or soft air, and therefore she is called mulier, which is as much to say in Latin as "mollis aer," and in English, "soft air." And it happeth ofttimes that the nature of them that ben{are} soft and moll{effeminate} taketh sooner impression than the nature of men that is{are} rude{robust} and strong.

Valerius{Valerius Maximus} rehearseth and saith that a knight of Rome named Instaulosus{given in Valerius's text as Juventius Thalna} that had newly conquered and subjuged{subdued} the isle of Corsica, and as he sacrificed{to} his gods, he received letters from the Senate of Rome in which were contained divers supplications{thanksgivings to the gods}, the which when he understood he was so glad and so enterprised{overwhelmed} with joy that he knew not what to do. And then a great fumee or smoke issued out of the fire in which he disappeared{or despaired?} and fell into the fire where he was anon dead.

And also it is said that Philomenus laughed so sore and distemperately that he died all laughing.

And we read that Hippocrates the physician found remedy for this joy, for when he had long dwelled out of his country for to learn cunning and wisdom and should return unto his parents and friends, when he approached nigh them, he sent a messenger tofore{ahead} for to tell to them his coming and commanded him to say that he came, for they had not long tofore{before} seen him and that{so that} they should attemper{moderate} them in that joy ere they should see him.