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 MelancholyIn Considering Diseases: Section 1, Member 1.

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1651 English Page · Branch 119 of 1495

In Considering Diseases: Section 1, Member 1.

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1651 English

In diseases consider Sect. 1. Memb. 1.

Their Causes. Subs. 1. Impulsive; sinne, concupiscence, &c. Instrumentall; intemperance, all second causes, &c.

Or Definition, Member, Division, Subsect. 2. Of the body 300. which are Epidemicall; as Plague, Plica, &c. Or Particular; as Gout, Dropsie, &c.

Or of the head or minde. Subs. 3. In disposition; as all perturbations, evil affection, &c.

Or Habits, as Subs. 4. Dotage. Phrensie. Madnesse. Extasie. Lycanthropia. Chorus sancti Viti. Hydrophobia. Possession or obsession of Devils. Melancholy. See ♈

The Anatomy of Melancholy: In Considering Diseases: Section 1, Member 1.

p. 119

In considering diseases: Section 1, Member 1.

Their causes. Subsection 1. Impelling causes: sin, disordered desire, etc. Instrumental causes: intemperance and all secondary causes, etc.

Or their definition, number, and classification. Subsection 2. Of the body, 300 diseases, which are: Epidemic, such as plague, plica, etc. Or particular, such as gout, dropsy, etc.

Or of the head or mind. Subsection 3. As a passing disposition: all disturbances, harmful affections, etc.

Or as settled conditions. Subsection 4. Mental decay. Frenzy. Madness. Trance. Lycanthropy. St Vitus’s dance. Hydrophobia. Possession or harassment by devils. Melancholy: see the outline below.

1324.“Impulsive” names the prompting cause; “instrumental” names the means through which an effect occurs. The distinction links sin to the subsequent account of bodily and environmental causes. Concupiscence is disordered desire, broader than sexual desire alone.

1325.The synopsis prints “Definition, Member, Division.” The modern “number” is an editorial emendation supported by the corresponding chapter heading, “The Definition Number Division of Diseases,” in Part 1, Section 1, Member 1, Subsection 2 (printed p. 6; PDF p. 106). The left column preserves Member.

1326.Plica is the disorder associated with matted or felted hair, often called Polish plait. Dropsy names swelling through accumulated fluid. These are historical groupings within Burton’s outline; “300” is his stated count of bodily diseases.

1327.“Disposition” is contrasted with “habit”: a passing state against an established condition. “Affection” means a state or disturbance affecting body or mind, not specifically fondness.

1328.These historical labels do not map neatly onto current diagnoses. Lycanthropy concerns imagining oneself a wolf; Chorus sancti Viti is St Vitus’s dance; hydrophobia literally means fear of water. “Obsession” means an external assault or harassment by devils, distinguished here from possession.

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.