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 MelancholySubsection 5 Bad Air as a Cause of Melancholy

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Modern English Page · Branch 233 of 1495

Subsection 5 Bad Air as a Cause of Melancholy

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1651 English

To such as are melancholy therefore, Montanus, consil. 24. will have tempestuous and rough air to be avoided, and consil. 27. all night air, and would not have them to walk abroad, but in a pleasant day. Lemnius, l. 3. c. 3. discommends the South and Eastern winds, commends the North. Montanus, consil. 31. Will not any windows to be opened in the night. Consil. 229. & consil. 230. he discommends especially the South wind, and nocturnal air:

So doth Plutarch, The night and darkness makes men sad, the like do all subterranean vaults, dark houses in caves and rocks, desert places cause melancholy in an instant, especially such as have not been used to it, or otherwise accustomed. Read more of air in Hippocrates, Ætius, l. 3. à c. 171. ad 175. Oribasius, à c. 1. ad 22. Avicen. l. 1. can. Fen. 2. doc. 2. Fen. 1. c. 123. to the 12, &c.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Subsection 5 Bad Air as a Cause of Melancholy

p. 233

Montanus therefore advises melancholy people, in consultation 24, to avoid rough and stormy air; in consultation 27, all night air; and to walk outdoors only on a pleasant day. Lemnius, book 3, chapter 3, disapproves of south and east winds and commends the north. Montanus, consultation 31, will have no windows opened at night. In consultations 229 and 230 he particularly disapproves of the south wind and night air.

So does Plutarch: night and darkness make people sad; so do underground vaults and dark dwellings in caves and rocks. Deserted places cause melancholy in an instant, especially in those unused to them. Read further about air in Hippocrates; Aëtius, book 3, chapters 171–175; Oribasius, chapters 1–22; and Avicenna, Canon, book 1, fen 2, doctrine 2, fen 1, “chapter 123 to the 12,” and so forth.

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.

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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.