DiotimosReading Desk

Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Parallel Edition

Robert Burton

The Anatomy of Melancholy

1651 English with a close modern English rendering

Explore the Lexicon
The Anatomy of MelancholyL

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

1651 English Page · Branch 1080 of 1495

L

Book Mode

1651 English

unnumbered Table

L

Labour, business, cure of love mel. 553

Lapis Armenius, his vertues against melancholy 379

Lascivious meats to be avoided 460,546

Laurel a purge for mel. 376

Laws against Adultery 612

Leo decimus the Popes riot 70 his scoffing tricks 149

Leoline Prince of Wales his submission 353

Leucata petra the cure of love-sick persons 573

Liberty of Princes and great men, how abused 607

Libraries commended 282

Liver his site, 16. cause of mel. distempers, if hot or cold 174

Loss of liberty cause of mel. 150. servitude, imprisonment, cause of mel. 152

Losses in general how they offend 164 cause of despair, 541. how eased 344

Love of gaming and pleasures, immoderate cause of mel. 117

Love of learning, over-much study cause of mel. 127

Loves beginning, object, definition, division, 411,422. love made the world, 416 love’s power, 435. in vegetals, 436. in sensible creatures, 437. loves power in Divels and Spirits, 438. in men, 440 love a disease, 538.596. a fire, 516. loves passions, 512. phrases of lovers, 522 their vain wishes and attempts, 529 lovers impudent, 529. couragious, 527 wise, valiant, free, 533. neat in Apparel, 535. Poets, Musitians, Dancers, 535. loves effects, 549. love lost revived by sight, 550. love cannot be compelled 579

Love and hate symptomes of religious melancholy 660,661

Lycanthropia described 9

unnumbered Table

The Anatomy of Melancholy: L

p. 1080

L

Labour and occupation as a cure for love melancholy. 553

Armenian stone: its properties against melancholy. 379

Foods that provoke lust are to be avoided. 460,546

Laurel as a purge for melancholy. 376

Laws against adultery. 612

The extravagance of Pope Leo X, 70; his mocking tricks, 149.

The submission of Llywelyn, prince of Wales. 353

The Leucadian rock as a cure for the lovesick. 573

How princes and great men abuse their freedom. 607

Libraries commended. 282

The liver’s position, 16; its disorders as causes of melancholy when it is hot or cold, 174.

Loss of liberty as a cause of melancholy, 150; servitude and imprisonment as causes of melancholy, 152.

How losses generally cause distress, 164; as a cause of despair, 541; how they are alleviated, 344.

Excessive love of gambling and pleasures as a cause of melancholy. 117

Love of learning and excessive study as causes of melancholy. 127

Love: its origin, object, definition and classification, 411,422. Love created the world, 416. Its power, 435; in plants, 436; in sentient creatures, 437; in devils and spirits, 438; in humans, 440. Love as a disease, 538,596; a fire, 516. The passions of love, 512; lovers’ expressions, 522; their futile wishes and attempts, 529. Lovers are shameless, 529; courageous, 527; wise, valiant and generous, 533; carefully dressed, 535; poets, musicians and dancers, 535. The effects of love, 549; lost love revived by sight, 550. Love cannot be compelled, 579.

Love and hatred as symptoms of religious melancholy. 660,661

Lycanthropy described. 9

1080

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.