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Robert Burton

The Anatomy of Melancholy

Name: The Anatomy of Melancholy
Author: Robert Burton

1651 English with a close modern English rendering

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The Anatomy of MelancholyCauses of Despair: The Devil, Melancholy, Meditation, Distrust, Weakness Of…

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Causes of Despair: The Devil, Melancholy, Meditation, Distrust, Weakness Of…

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1651 English

700

Kennetus King of Scotland, when he had murdered his Nephew Malcolme King Duffes son, Prince of Cumberland, and with counterfeit tears and protestations dissembled the matter a long time, at last his conscience accused him, his unquiet soul could not rest day or night, he was terrified with fearful dreams, visions, and so miserably tormented all his life.

It is strange to read what Cominæus hath written of Lewes the 11. that French King, of Charles the 8. of Alphonsus King of Naples, in the fury of his passion how he came into Sicily, and what pranks he plaid.

Guicciardine a man most unapt to believe lyes, relates how that Ferdinand his fathers ghost who before had died for grief, came and told him, that he could not resist the French King, he thought every man cried France, France;

the reason of it (saith Cominæus) was because he was a vile tyrant, a murderer, an oppressour of his subjects, he bought up all commodities, and sold them at his own price, sold Abbies to Jews and Falkoners; both Ferdinand his father, and he himself, never made conscience of any committed sin; and to conclude saith he, it was impossible to do worse then they did.

Why was Pausanias the Spartan Tyrant, Nero, Otho, Galba, so persecuted with spirits in every house they came, but for their murders which they had committed? Why doth the divel haunt many mens houses after their deaths, appear to them living, and take possession of their habitations, as it were, of their palaces, but because of their several villanies?

why had Richard the 3 such fearful dreams, saith Polydor, but for his frequent murders? Why was Herod so tortured in his mind? because he had made away Mariamne his wife. Why was Theodoricus the King of the Gothes so suspicious, and so affrighted with a fish head alone, but that he had murdered Symmachus, and Boethius his son in law, those worthy Romans? Cælius lib. 27. cap. 22.

See more in Plutarch, in his tract De his qui sero a Numine puniuntur, and in his book De tranquillitate animi, &c. Yea, and sometimes GOD himself hath a hand in it, to shew his power, humiliate, exercise, and to try their faith, (divine temptation Perkins cals it, Cas. cons. lib. 1. cap. 8. sect. 1.) to punish them for their sins.

God the avenger, as David terms him, ultor a tergo Deus, his wrath is apprehended of a guilty soul, as by Saul and Judas, which the Poets expressed by Adrastia, or Nemesis:

Assequitur Nemesisq; virûm vestigia servat, Ne malè quid facias. ———

12987.BurtonSource page 700, a: “Puchanan. lib. 6. Hist. Scot.” “Buchanan, Scottish History, book 6.”

12988.BurtonSource page 700, b: “Animus conscientia sceleris inquietus nullum admisit gaudium, sed semper vexatus noctu & interdiu per somnium visis horrore pœnis perterrefactus, &c.” “His mind, troubled by consciousness of his crime, admitted no joy, but was continually harassed, terrified by day and night by dream-visions full of horror,” and so on.

12990.BurtonSource page 700, p: “De bello Neapol.” “On the Neapolitan War.”

12994.BurtonSource page 700, q: “Thireus de locis infestis, part. 1. cap. 2. Nero’s mother was still in his eyes.” “Thyraeus, On Haunted Places, part 1, chapter 2.” Nero’s mother was constantly before his eyes.

12998.BurtonSource page 700, r: “Psal. 44. 1.” “Psalm 44:1.”

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Causes of Despair: The Devil, Melancholy, Meditation, Distrust, Weakness Of…

p. 1036

Kenneth, King of Scotland, after murdering his nephew Malcolm, King Duff’s son and Prince of Cumberland, concealed the matter for a long time with false tears and solemn declarations. At last his conscience accused him. His troubled soul could find no rest by day or night; terrifying dreams and visions frightened him, and he was miserably tormented throughout his life.

It is extraordinary to read what Commynes writes of Louis XI, that French king; of Charles VIII; and of Alfonso, King of Naples—how, in the frenzy of his passion, he came to Sicily, and what wild acts he committed.

Guicciardini, a man very unlikely to believe falsehoods, relates how the ghost of his father Ferdinand, who had earlier died of grief, came and told him that he could not resist the French king. He thought everyone was crying, France, France!

The reason, says Commynes, was that he was a vile tyrant, a murderer and an oppressor of his subjects. He bought up all goods and sold them at prices he set himself; he sold abbeys to Jews and falconers. Neither his father Ferdinand nor he himself ever felt any scruple about a sin they committed. In conclusion, he says, it was impossible to act worse than they did.

Why were Pausanias, the Spartan tyrant, Nero, Otho and Galba so pursued by spirits in every house they entered, if not because of the murders they had committed? Why does the devil haunt many people’s houses after their deaths, appear to them while they are alive and seem to take possession of their homes and palaces, if not because of their various crimes?

Why did Richard III have such terrifying dreams, asks Polydore, if not because of his many murders? Why was Herod so tormented in mind? Because he had killed his wife Mariamne. Why was Theodoric, King of the Goths, so suspicious and so frightened by a mere fish’s head, if not because he had murdered those worthy Romans, Symmachus and his son-in-law Boethius? Caelius, book 27, chapter 22.

See further examples in Plutarch’s treatise On Those Who Are Punished Late by Divine Power, and in his book On Tranquillity of Mind, and so on. Indeed, sometimes God himself has a hand in it: to show his power, humble and discipline them, test their faith—Perkins calls it divine testing in his Cases of Conscience, book 1, chapter 8, section 1—and punish them for their sins.

God the avenger, as David calls him—God pursuing from behind in vengeance: a guilty soul feels his wrath, as Saul and Judas did. The poets expressed this through Adrastia, or Nemesis:

Nemesis follows and watches people’s footsteps, So that you do no wrong. ———

12989.The margin prints Puchanan for George Buchanan’s Scottish history, book 6. Its faint word after horrore is provisionally read pœnis; the translation tentatively takes the intended reading as plenis, full of. This reading requires collation. The names, kinship and narrative are preserved as Burton transmits them; they remain to be checked against Buchanan and the historical succession. Protestations are solemn declarations, not public demonstrations.

12991.Cominæus is Philippe de Commynes. The final clause concerns Alfonso of Naples. Pranks here means wild or extravagant acts; the exact passages and Burton’s relation to their wording remain for collation.

12992.Burton treats the chronicler’s reputation as support for the apparition story. The supernatural event remains an attributed report. His father and him refer to Ferdinand and Alfonso respectively; the precise transmission through Guicciardini and Commynes remains unresolved.

12993.The accusations belong to Burton’s cited account. The reference to Jews and falconers presents the disposal of ecclesiastical property as scandalous within that account; it is not an editorial judgement about those groups.

12995.Burton’s rhetorical questions assert a connection between wrongdoing and hauntings. Plutarch’s On the Delay of Divine Justice relates Pausanias’s killing of Cleonice and the disturbing apparition that follows; it does not establish all the claims in Burton’s grouped list.

12996.Polydor is Polydore Vergil. Procopius, Wars 5.1.32–39 (Gothic War 1.1), tells how Theodoric saw the slain Symmachus in a fish’s head and regretted killing him and Boethius, his son-in-law. This earlier narrative was compared in Dewing’s English translation; it does not verify the events or Burton’s immediate source. The printed Caelius locator is book 27, not the OCR’s book 7; that passage remains uncollated.

12997.The first Plutarch title is commonly rendered On the Delay of Divine Justice. Exercise means discipline or put through trials. Perkins, Cases of Conscience (1606), I.8, opening and section 1, p. 106 onward, describes divine temptation as conflict with God, experienced as signs of wrath; Job and David exemplify it. Burton’s term thus concerns trial of faith, distinct from enticement to wrongdoing. His edition remains unidentified.

12999.The margin prints Psalm 44:1; the corresponding appeal to the God of vengeance is Psalm 94:1. The Latin phrase also occurs in Seneca, Hercules Furens 385, concerning a god pursuing the proud. Burton places the classical phrase beside the biblical one. Both printed locator and wording are retained. Adrastia and Nemesis name the personification of retribution.

13000.The lines adapt Andrea Alciato’s emblem Nec verbo nec facto quenquam lædendum, numbered 27 in Mason Tung’s variorum. Burton joins material from its first and third lines, omitting the intervening line and ending early. His two-line arrangement and omission mark are preserved.

About This Reading Edition

Robert Burton’s Anatomy ranges across medicine, philosophy, poetry, religion, and everyday life in its inquiry into melancholy. This complete parallel edition pairs the 1651 English text with a close modern English rendering, preserving the three Partitions, Democritus Junior’s address to the reader, verse, and the historical index.

Historical Text and Translation

The historical text follows the sixth edition, printed at Oxford for Henry Cripps in 1651, using the McGill University Library copy. The supplied edition documents missing printed pages 98–99 supplied from another 1651 copy at the Bavarian State Library. Historical folio labels and their irregularities remain visible; web reader numbers identify reflowed passages and do not claim to reproduce PDF pagination.

About Diotimos Editions

Diotimos Editions prepared the close modern English rendering and editorial matter. All 8,755 original and modern passage pairs remain aligned, with verse breaks, italics, continuations, and linked annotations preserved. Burton’s 6,781 historical notes retain their attribution; 6,895 editorial notes remain distinct. The introduction, Note on the Text, contextual lexicon, indexes, source documentation, and bibliography are included. The engraved frontispiece remains available in the original downloads.

Rights

Burton’s historical text is in the public domain. The modern English rendering, introduction, notes, and editorial matter are © 2026 Diotimos Editions and appear with the site owner’s permission. The complete supplied PDF, EPUB, Word, and Markdown files remain available unchanged. The PDF and Word edition preserve the original parallel page layout.