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The word. Soul can name the principle of life, perception and understanding, or life itself. Latin anima can also mean breath, allowing wordplay that requires different English equivalents within one passage.
In Burton. The philosophical definition unites three faculties in one rational soul that acts through organs while remaining incorporeal. The marriage satire uses soul for a husband’s life. A later Latin joke about wives’ breath is followed by Burton’s moralizing gloss about deformed souls.
The places. The rational soul contains the other faculties and works through bodily organs. (p. 27; DJR-026-22.) Ransoming the husband’s soul means saving his life. (p. 606; DJR-146-53.) Anima supports a breath/soul play between the Latin and Burton’s gloss. (p. 629; DJR-150-55.)
In this edition. “Reasonable Soul” → “rational soul” (DJR-026-22); “whose soul they would not ransome” → “they would not ransom his life” (DJR-146-53); “animæ uxorum pessime olent” → “Wives’ breaths smell very foul” (DJR-150-55); “deformed souls” → “ugly souls” (DJR-150-55). The philosophical sense remains soul; life and breaths follow the local meanings. Translating the Latin joke separately from Burton’s gloss preserves their difference.
See also. Animal and vegetal; Actuality; Matter; Metempsychosis; Ex traduce; Microcosm.
Species in perception
Source forms: species; species of objects; Species
The word. Species in the theory of perception are forms, impressions or representations through which objects are apprehended. The word does not here classify biological kinds.
In Burton. An imagined instrument multiplies sensory impressions, while melancholy imagination retains and enlarges mental images. Descriptions of an unseen beloved likewise convey images through language. The account of the sensitive soul compares their reception and retention with a seal’s impression in wax.
The places. The imagined instrument amplifies sensory impressions. (p. 39; DJR-011-16.) Imagination retains and magnifies the representations of objects. (p. 93; DJR-039-08.) A description conveys images of love without direct sight. (p. 452; DJR-117-07.) Sensory forms are received and retained like a seal in wax. (p. 21–22; DJR-025-03.)
In this edition. “multiply species” → “amplified impressions” (DJR-011-16); “species of objects” → “mental images of objects” (DJR-039-08); “species of love” → “images of love” (DJR-117-07); “Species of sensible things” → “sensory forms of things” (DJR-025-03). Impressions, mental images and sensory forms preserve the representational sense while following each passage’s emphasis. The related physical and psychological models remain historical explanations.
See also. Imagination; Catoptrics and perspectives; Sensible.
Spirits
Source forms: animal spirits; spirits
The word. Animal spirits are subtle bodily agents thought to carry sensation and movement. Spirits can also express vitality or courage, as in martial spirit; animal does not mean belonging to nonhuman animals here.
In Burton. The discussion of exercise and digestion makes corrupted bodily material disrupt the animal spirits. The polemic against excessive study connects bodily weakness, dulled spirits and reduced military courage. The physiological and figurative senses overlap without being identical.
The places. Animal spirits are disturbed in the historical account of ill-timed exercise. (p. 84–85; DJR-037-17.) Dulled spirits and martial spirits connect study with lost vigour and courage. (p. 127; DJR-046-18.)
In this edition. “animal spirits” → “animal spirits” (DJR-037-17); “dulls the spirits” → “dulls their spirits” (DJR-046-18); “martiall spirits” → “martial spirit” (DJR-046-18). The technical phrase remains with explanation. The later military expression becomes singular martial spirit, making the collective courage sense natural in modern English.
See also. Hypochondria.
Spleen
Source forms: Splenitick; Splenatick
The word. Splenitic or splenatic means associated with the spleen or suffering from a disorder attributed to it. In these passages the adjective is anatomical and medical, rather than simply a description of ill temper.
In Burton. Laurentius’s classification names a form of melancholy after the spleen, alongside liver and mesentery. The treatment passage then discusses apples in disorders of that organ and in the form of melancholy under consideration, with their supposed humoral qualities to be corrected.
The places. Splenitic melancholy is one of the forms named after an organ. (p. 177; DJR-057-39.) Splenatic describes a spleen disorder in the discussion of apples. (p. 399; DJR-106-27.)
In this edition. “Splenitick” → “splenic” (DJR-057-39); “in Splenatick” → “in disorders of the spleen” (DJR-106-27). Splenic gives the corresponding adjective; disorders of the spleen makes the compressed second construction explicit. These are historical disease classifications.
See also. Hypochondria.
Stibium
The word. Stibium is the name paired with antimony in Burton’s discussion of chemical medicines. The passage distinguishes administering the material itself from an infusion.
In Burton. Burton introduces a substance highly praised by chemical physicians and frequently prescribed for melancholy. Mattioli’s claim and examples supply the reported justification. The vocabulary belongs to that therapeutic controversy and its historical account of black bile.
The places. Antimony or stibium is introduced as a remedy praised by chemical physicians. (p. 377; DJR-102-01.)
In this edition. “Antimony or Stibium” → “Antimony, or stibium” (DJR-102-01); “in substance or infusion” → “as the substance itself or as an infusion” (DJR-102-01). The material’s two names remain together. The modern text explicitly attributes the therapeutic claims to Mattioli rather than adopting them.
See also. Receipt.
Still
Source forms: still; still running
The word. Still can mean continually or always, but it can also mean silent. The latter sense survives in still rhetoric, eloquence that works without speech.
In Burton. The imagined frogs croak continually; rivers run continuously even where navigation is obstructed; the lover’s heart is always with the beloved. Beauty’s still rhetoric instead persuades silently. Temporal persistence and absence of sound must remain distinct.
The places. Still crying describes continual imagined croaking. (p. 6; DJR-003-09.) Still running describes the rivers’ continued flow. (p. 52; DJR-014-05.) Still rhetoric is persuasion without speech. (p. 454–455; DJR-117-30.) The lover’s heart is always with the beloved. (p. 529; DJR-131-08.)
In this edition. “still crying” → “continually crying” (DJR-003-09); “still running rivers” → “ever-flowing rivers” (DJR-014-05); “still rhetorick” → “silent rhetoric” (DJR-117-30); “his heart is still with her” → “his heart is always with her” (DJR-131-08). Continually, ever-flowing and always express duration; silent identifies the separate sense. Obstructed rivers do not become motionless merely because Burton criticizes their lost usefulness for transport.
See also. Waking; Present; Happily.
Strangury
The word. Strangury means difficult and painful passage of urine. It is a historical disease term whose range should not be assumed identical to one present diagnostic category.
In Burton. Burton includes strangury in a catalogue of conditions physicians allegedly cannot cure. The term identifies the complaint, while the categorical claim about incurability belongs to his debate over medical skill.
The places. Strangury appears among the conditions claimed to resist cure. (p. 364; DJR-099-17.)