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 4 How Mockery, Slander and Bitter Jokes Cause Melancholy

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1651 English Page · Branch 325 of 1495

Subsection 4 How Mockery, Slander and Bitter Jokes Cause Melancholy

Book Mode

1651 English

150–151

Many men are undone by this means, moped, & so dejected, that they are never to be recovered; and of all other men living, those which are actually melancholy, or inclined to it, are most sensible (as being suspitious, cholerick, apt to mistake, and impatient of an injury in that kinde: they aggravate, and so meditate continually of it, that it is a perpetual corrosive, not to be removed, till time wear it out.

Although they peradventure that so scoffe, do it alone in mirth and merriment, and hold it optimum alienâ frui insaniâ, an excellent thing to enjoy another mans madnesse; yet they must know, that it is a mortal sin (as Thomas holds) and as the Prophet David denounceth, they that use it, shall never dwell in Gods tabernacle.

Such scurrile jests, flouts, & sarcasmes therefore, ought not at all to be used; especially to our betters, to those that are in misery, or any way distressed: for to such, ærumnarum incrementa sunt, they multiply grief, and as he perceived, In multis pudor, in multis iracundia, &c. many are ashamed, many vexed, angred, and there is no greater cause or furtherer of melancholy.

Martin Cromerus in the 6. book of his history, hath a pretty story to this purpose, of Vladislaus the second king of Poland, and Peter Dunninus, Earle of Shrine; they had been hunting late, & were enforced to lodge in a poor Cottage. When they went to bed, Vladislaus told the Earle in jest, that his wife lay softer with the Abbot of Shrine; he not able to contain, replied, Et tua cum Dabesso, and yours with Dabessus; a gallant young Gentleman in the Court, whom Christina the Queen loved. Tetigit id dictum Principis animum, these words of his so galled the Prince, that he was long after tristis & cogitabundus, very sad & melancholy for many months: but they were the Earles utter undoing: for when Christina heard of it, she persecuted him to death.

Sophia the Empresse, Justinians wife, broke a bitter jest upon Narsetes the Eunuch, a famous Captain then disquieted for an overthrow which he lately had: that he was fitter for a distaffe and to keep women company, then to wield a sword, or to be General of an army: but it cost her dear, for he so far distasted it, that he went forthwith to the adverse part, much troubled in his thoughts, caused the Lumbards to rebell, and thence procured many miseries to the Common-wealth.

Tiberius the Emperor with-held a Legacy from the people of Rome, which his Predecessor Augustus had lately given, and perceiving a fellow round a dead corse in the eare, would needs know wherefore he did so; the fellow replied, that he wished the departed Soul to signifie to Augustus, the commons of Rome were yet unpaid; for this bitter jest the Emperor caused him forthwith to be slaine, and carry the news himselfe.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Subsection 4 How Mockery, Slander and Bitter Jokes Cause Melancholy

p. 325

Many people are ruined in this way, numbed and so cast down that they never recover. Of all living people, those who are already melancholy or inclined to it are most sensitive, being suspicious, irritable, prone to misunderstanding and unable to bear this kind of injury. They magnify it and dwell on it continually, until it becomes a perpetual corrosive that cannot be removed until time wears it away.

Even if those who mock do so only for fun and amusement, and consider it “an excellent thing to enjoy another’s madness,” an excellent thing to enjoy another man’s madness, they must know that it is a mortal sin, as Thomas holds. As the prophet David declares, those who practise it shall never dwell in God’s tabernacle.

Such coarse jokes, jeers and sarcasms should therefore never be used, especially against our superiors or those who are miserable or in any way distressed. For them, “they are additions to suffering”: they multiply grief. As that author recognized, “in many, shame; in many, anger,” and so on: many are ashamed, many vexed and angered, and there is no greater cause or aggravation of melancholy.

Marcin Kromer, in book 6 of his history, has a telling story about this, concerning Vladislaus II, king of Poland, and Peter Dunninus, earl of Shrine. They had been hunting late and were forced to stay in a poor cottage. As they went to bed, Vladislaus joked that the earl’s wife was lying more comfortably with the abbot of Shrine. Unable to restrain himself, the earl replied, “And yours with Dabessus”—and yours with Dabessus, a handsome young gentleman at court whom Queen Christina loved. “The saying struck the prince’s mind”: these words so wounded him that he remained “sad and brooding,” very sad and melancholy, for many months. But they utterly ruined the earl, for when Christina heard of them, she pursued him to his death.

The empress Sophia, Justinian’s wife, made a bitter joke at the expense of Narses the eunuch, a famous commander then distressed by a recent defeat: he was better suited to a distaff and women’s company than to wielding a sword or commanding an army. But it cost her dearly. He resented it so deeply that, greatly troubled in mind, he immediately went over to the opposing side, caused the Lombards to rebel, and so brought many miseries upon the commonwealth.

The emperor Tiberius withheld from the people of Rome a bequest that his predecessor Augustus had recently left them. Seeing a man whisper into a corpse’s ear, he insisted on knowing why. The man replied that he was asking the departed soul to tell Augustus that the people of Rome had still not been paid. For this bitter joke, the emperor had him killed immediately, to carry the news himself.

3776.Sensible means sensitive; cholerick means irritable or prone to anger. Corrosive is a substance that eats away at something, transferred to persistent mental pain. The opening parenthesis in the source is not closed; the modernization regularizes the punctuation without changing the argument.

3779.Thomas is Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae II–II, question 75, especially article 2. Aquinas distinguishes degrees and intentions of derision; contempt for the person can make it a mortal sin. Burton compresses that distinction. Psalm 15:1–3 joins dwelling in God’s tabernacle with refraining from slander and injury. The repeated English phrase preserves Burton’s translation after the Latin.

3781.Castilio is Baldassare Castiglione, The Courtier, book 2. Betters means social superiors. Burton’s warning also protects people already distressed; the Latin phrases and his English restatements are separately retained. Exact collation of the cited edition remains pending.

3782.Cromerus is Marcin Kromer. Burton’s names, titles and the place Shrine are retained as printed. The story’s identification, including the names Vladislaus, Peter Dunninus, Christina and Dabessus, requires comparison with book 6 of Kromer’s history; the translation does not silently repair them from later retellings.

3783.Paul the Deacon, History of the Lombards 2.5, gives the insult and Narses’s alleged retaliation. The consulted Latin itself calls Sophia’s husband Iustinianus, though 2.4 has just recorded Justinian’s death and Justin the Younger’s succession. Sophia was Justin II’s wife. Burton’s Justinian is retained, with the correction here; the confusion is already present in this historical tradition. A distaff holds fibres for spinning. The account establishes a tradition, not the truth of every alleged event.

3784.Round in the ear means whisper. Compare Suetonius, Tiberius 57.2: his version has the man call out to a passing corpse; Tiberius pays the man his share, then has him killed to deliver the message. Burton shortens and alters that account.

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.