The Anatomy of Melancholy

Name: The Anatomy of Melancholy
Author: Robert Burton

1651 English with a close modern English rendering

Explore the Lexicon

The Anatomy of MelancholyAn Explanation of the Frontispiece.

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

1651 English Page · Branch 12 of 1495

An Explanation of the Frontispiece.

Book Mode

1651 English

The Argument of the Frontispiece.

Ten distinct Squares here seen apart, Are joyn’d in one by Cutters art.1Old Democritus under a tree, Sits on a stone with book on knee; About him hang there many features, Of Cats, Dogs and such like creatures; Of which he makes Anatomy, The seat of black choler to see. Over his head appears the skie, And Saturn Lord of melancholy.2To th’ left a landskip of Jealousie, Presents it self unto thine eye. A Kingfisher, a Swan, an Hern, Two fighting Cocks you may discern, Two roaring Bulls each other hie, To assault concerning Venery. Symboles are these; I say no more, Conceive the rest by that’s afore.3The next of Solitariness, A portraiture doth well express, By sleeping dog, cat: Buck and Do, Hares, Conies in the desart go: Bats, Owls the shady bowers over, In melancholy darkness hover. Mark well: If ’t be not as’t should be, Blame the bad Cutter, and not me.4Ith’ under Columne there doth stand Inamorato with folded hand; Down hangs his head, terse and polite, Some dittie sure he doth indite. His lute and books about him lie, As symptomes of his vanity. If this do not enough disclose, To paint him, take thy self by th’ nose.5Hypocondriacus leans on his arm, Winde in his side doth him much harm, And troubles him full sore God knows, Much pain he hath and many woes. About him pots and glasses lie, Newly brought from’s Apothecary. This Saturn’s aspects signifie, You see them portraid in the skie.6Beneath them kneeling on his knee, A Superstitious man you see: He fasts, prays, on his Idol fixt, Tormented hope and fear betwixt. For hell perhaps he takes more pain, Then thou dost Heaven it self to gain. Alas poor Soul, I pitie thee, What stars incline thee so to be?7But see the Madman rage down right With furious looks, a gastly sight. Naked in chains bound doth he lie, And roars amain he knows not why? Observe him; for as in a glass, Thine angry portraiture it was. His picture keep still in thy presence, Twixt him and thee, ther’s no difference.8 9Borage and Hellebor fill two scenes, Soveraign plants to purge the veins Of melancholy, and chear the heart, Of those black fumes which make it smart; To clear the Brain of misty fogs, Which dull our senses, and Soul clogs. The best medicine that ere God made For this malady, if well assaid.10Now last of all to fill a place, Presented is the Authors face; And in that habit which he wears, His Image to the world appears. His minde no art can well express, That by his writings you may guess. It was not pride, nor yet vain glory, (Though others do it commonly)Made him do this: if you must know, The Printer would needs have it so. Then do not frown or scoffe at it, Deride not, or detract a whit. For surely as thou dost by him, He will do the same again. Then look upon’t, behold and see, As thou lik’st it, so it likes thee.And I for it will stand in view, Thine to command, Reader Adiew.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: An Explanation of the Frontispiece.

p. 12

An Explanation of the Frontispiece.

Ten separate panels you see here Are joined as one by the engraver’s art.

1Old Democritus, beneath a tree, Sits on a stone, a book upon his knee; Around him hang the bodies Of cats, dogs and similar creatures, Which he dissects To find the seat of black bile. Above his head appears the sky, And Saturn, lord of melancholy.

2On the left, a landscape of jealousy Presents itself to your eye. A kingfisher, a swan, a heron, And two fighting cocks can be seen; Two roaring bulls rush at each other, To fight over mating. These are symbols; I say no more. Infer the rest from what came before.

3The next gives a clear picture Of solitude: A sleeping dog and cat; buck and doe, Hares and rabbits roam the wilderness; Bats and owls above the shaded bowers Hover in melancholy darkness. Look carefully: if it is not as it should be, Blame the poor engraver, not me.

4In the panel below there stands The lover, with his hands folded; His head droops, neat and elegant; Surely he is composing some song. His lute and books lie around him, Signs of his foolishness. If this does not reveal enough To picture him, take yourself by the nose.

5The sufferer from hypochondriac melancholy leans on his arm; Wind in his side does him much harm, And troubles him severely, God knows. He has much pain and many sorrows. Around him lie pots and glass vessels, Newly brought from his apothecary. Saturn’s aspects signify this; You see them depicted in the sky.

6Beneath them, kneeling, You see a superstitious man: He fasts and prays, intent upon his idol, Tormented between hope and fear. Perhaps he takes more trouble to reach hell Than you take to gain heaven itself. Alas, poor soul, I pity you: What stars incline you to be this way?

7But see the madman rage outright, With furious looks, a ghastly sight. He lies naked, bound in chains, And roars loudly, though he knows not why. Observe him: as in a mirror, There was your own angry portrait. Keep his picture always before you; There is no difference between him and you.

8 9Borage and hellebore fill two scenes: Supreme plants for purging the veins Of melancholy and cheering the heart, Clearing the black fumes that make it ache; For clearing the brain of misty fogs That dull our senses and clog the soul. The best medicine God ever made For this illness, if properly applied.

10Last of all, to fill a space, The author’s face is presented; In the clothing that he wears, His image appears before the world. No art can properly express his mind; You may judge that from his writings. It was neither pride nor vanity (Though others commonly act from those)

That made him do this: if you must know, The printer insisted on it. So do not frown or scoff at it; Do not mock or belittle it at all. For however you treat him, He will surely treat you in return. Look at it, then; look closely and see: As you like it, so it likes you.

And I will stand here on its behalf, At your command. Reader, farewell.

31.Argument means an account of the subject. The numbered verses explain the ten panels of the engraved title on the following leaf. That leaf is reproduced with the preliminary matter in this edition. Verse lines are retained; the modern version does not impose new rhyme.

32.Features here means bodily forms. The scene presents the story of Democritus dissecting animals to locate black bile, the humour associated with melancholy. Saturn’s place above him supplies the corresponding astrological influence; the poem itself identifies it.

33.Hern is heron; hie means hurry. Venery here means sexual activity, not hunting. The landscape gathers animal emblems of jealousy and rivalry; the verse leaves their fuller application to the reader.

34.Conies are rabbits. Desart means an uninhabited or deserted place, not necessarily an arid landscape. The dog is sleeping in this printing, despite errors in the scan’s text extraction.

35.Inamorato is a man in love. Terse and polite means trim and polished in appearance. The final gesture turns the portrait back upon the reader: you may supply the example yourself.

36.Hypocondriacus denotes the bodily and mental disorder Burton associates with the region beneath the ribs, including digestive disturbance and wind. It should not be reduced to the modern sense of anxiety about illness. Aspects are astrological relationships between heavenly bodies, marked by the symbols above the figure.

37.The description combines Burton’s religious judgment with an astrological question. The claimed destination of this worship is part of the poem’s polemical voice.

38.Glass means mirror. Burton again implicates the reader: ordinary anger is made to resemble the violent condition displayed in the panel. The historical label and image are retained as part of his argument.

39.Melancholy here includes the supposed material humour, black bile. Assaid means tried or put to use. The praise of these plants belongs to Burton’s historical account of treatment.

40.Habit means clothing. The stanza continues in the next unit; the gap between these groups of lines is present in the source.

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.