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

Robert Burton

The Anatomy of Melancholy

1651 English with a close modern English rendering

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The Anatomy of MelancholySubsection 8. Rivalry, Hatred, Faction and the Desire for Revenge as Causes.

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1651 English Page · Branch 260 of 1495

Subsection 8. Rivalry, Hatred, Faction and the Desire for Revenge as Causes.

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1651 English

104

How happy might we be, and end our time with blessed days, and sweet content, if we could contain our selves, and as we ought to do, put up injuries, learn humility, meekness, patience, forget and forgive, as in Gods word we are injoyned, compose such final controversies amongst our selves, moderate our passions in this kinde, and think better of others, as Paul would have us, then of our selves: Be of like affection one towards another, and not avenge our selves, but have peace with all men. But being that we are so peevish and perverse, insolent and proud, so factious and seditious, so malicious and envious; we do invicem angariare, maul and vex one another, torture, disquiet, and precipitate our selves into that gulf of woes and cares, aggravate our misery, and melancholy, heap upon us hell and eternal damnation.

104

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Subsection 8. Rivalry, Hatred, Faction and the Desire for Revenge as Causes.

p. 260

How happy we might be, ending our lives in blessed days and sweet contentment, if we could restrain ourselves; bear injuries as we ought; learn humility, meekness and patience; forget and forgive as God’s word commands; settle such final disputes among ourselves; moderate these passions; and think better of others than of ourselves, as Paul would have us. Be of one mind towards one another; do not avenge yourselves, but live in peace with everyone. Yet because we are so ill-tempered and perverse, insolent and proud, so factious and rebellious, so malicious and envious, we “oppress one another”: we batter and vex each other, torment and disturb one another, and plunge ourselves into that gulf of woes and cares. We aggravate our misery and melancholy, and heap hell and eternal damnation upon ourselves.

260

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.