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

Robert Burton

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 MelancholySubsection 7. a Collection of Other Events That Cause Melancholy: The Death Of…

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

Modern English Page · Branch 349 of 1495

Subsection 7. a Collection of Other Events That Cause Melancholy: The Death Of…

Book Mode

1651 English

168–169

Amongst these passions and irksome Accidents, unfortunate marriage may be ranked: a condition of life appointed by God himself in Paradise, an honourable and happy estate, and as great a felicity as can befall a man in this world, if the parties can agree as they ought, and live as Seneca lived with his Paulina: but if they be unequally matched, or at discord, a greater misery cannot be expected, to have a scold, a slut, an harlot, a fool, a fury or a fiend, there can be no such plague.

Eccles.26.14. He that hath her is as if he held a Scorpion, &26.25. a wicked wife makes a sorry countenance, an heavy heart, and he had rather dwell with a Lyon, then keep house with such a wife. Her properties Jovianus Pontanus hath described at large, Ant.dial.Tom.2. under the name of Euphorbia.

Or if they be not equal in years, the like mischief happens. Cecilius in Agellius lib.2.cap.23. complains much of an old wife, dum ejus morti inhio, egomet mortuus vivo inter vivos, whilest I gape after her death, I live a dead man amongst the living, or if they dislike upon any occasion,

Judge who that are unfortunately wed What ’tis to come into a loathed bed.

The same inconvenience befals women.

At vos ô duri miseram lugete parentes, Si ferro aut laqueo læva hac me exsolvere sorte Sustineo: ——Hard hearted parents both lament my fate, If self I kill or hang, to ease my state.

A young Gentlewoman in Basil, was married, saith Felix Plater, observat. l.1. to an ancient man against her will, whom she could not affect, she was continually melancholy, and pined away for grief; and though her husband did all he could possibly to give her content, in a discontented humor at length she hanged her self. Many other stories he relates in this kinde.

Thus men are plagued with women; they again with men, when they are of divers humors and conditions; he a spendthrift, she sparing; one honest, the other dishonest, &c. Parents many times disquiet their children, and they their parents. A foolish son is an heaviness to his mother. Injusta noverca:

A step-mother often vexeth a whole family, is matter of repentance, exercise of patience, fuel of dissention, which made Cato’s son expostulate with his father, why he should offer to marry his client Solinius daughter, a young wench, Cujus causa novercam induceret; what offence had he done, that he should marry again?

4125.BurtonPrinted page 168, unlettered heading: “Unfortunate marriage.” Unhappy marriage.

4126.BurtonPrinted page 168, l: “A vertuous woman is the crown of her husband. Prov.12.4. but she &c.” A virtuous woman is her husband’s crown, Proverbs 12:4; the verse continues by contrasting a wife who brings shame.

4127.BurtonPrinted page 168, m: “Lib.17.epist.105.” Book 17, letter 105. The loving account of Paulina is in Seneca, Moral Letters 104.1–5 in the numbering consulted; the printed reference is retained.

4129.BurtonPrinted page 168, n: “Tittonatur, candelabratur. &c.” Tittonatur remains a provisional reading of this scan. Pontano’s corresponding comic verbs are reported as titionatur and candelabratur; see the Editor’s note for their context. The marginal spelling has not been silently emended.

4132.BurtonPrinted page 168, dagger: “Daniel in Rosamund.” Samuel Daniel, The Complaint of Rosamond.

4134.BurtonPrinted page 168, dagger: “Chalinorus lib.9.de repub. Angl.” Thomas Chaloner, On the English Commonwealth, book 9; precise passage remains uncollated.

4136.BurtonPrinted page 168, o: “Elegans virgo invita cuidam è nostratibus nupsit, &c.” A beautiful young woman unwillingly married one of our countrymen, and so on.

4138.BurtonPrinted page 169, p in the body: “p” The body has a reference mark p before Thus; no corresponding marginal text is visible on this page. The orphaned marker is recorded here without supplying missing words.

4139.BurtonPrinted page 169, q: “Prov.” Proverbs; the quotation is from 10:1.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Subsection 7. a Collection of Other Events That Cause Melancholy: The Death Of…

p. 349

Among these passions and distressing circumstances we may rank an unhappy marriage. Marriage is a condition of life ordained by God himself in Paradise, an honourable and happy state, and as great a blessing as can befall a man in this world, if the partners can agree as they should and live as Seneca lived with his Paulina. But if they are ill matched or at odds, no greater misery can be imagined: to have a shrew, a slattern, a whore, a fool, a fury or a fiend—there can be no affliction like it.

Ecclesiasticus 26:14: “He who has her is as though he held a scorpion”; and 26:25: “A wicked wife makes a sorrowful face and a heavy heart”; and he would rather live with a lion than keep house with such a wife. Giovanni Pontano has described her characteristics at length, under the name Euphorbia, in his dialogue Antonius, volume 2.

Or, if they are unequal in age, the same trouble arises. Caecilius, in Aulus Gellius, book 2, chapter 23, complains bitterly of an old wife: “While I long for her death, I myself live dead among the living.” While I eagerly await her death, I live a dead man among the living. Or if they take a dislike to each other for any reason:

Judge, you who are unhappily married, What it is to come to a bed you loathe.

The same misfortune befalls women.

But you, hard-hearted parents, mourn your wretched daughter, If I bring myself, by the blade or the noose, to release myself From this unhappy fate.

Hard-hearted parents, both lament my fate, If I kill or hang myself to ease my plight.

A young gentlewoman in Basel, says Felix Platter in Observations, book 1, was married against her will to an elderly man whom she could not love. She was continually melancholy and wasted away with grief; and although her husband did everything he possibly could to please her, in her unhappiness she eventually hanged herself. He relates many other stories of this kind.

Thus men are afflicted by women, and women in turn by men, when their temperaments and characters differ: he a spendthrift, she thrifty; one honest, the other dishonest, and so on. Parents often distress their children, and children their parents. “A foolish son is a grief to his mother.” “The unjust stepmother”:

A stepmother often troubles an entire family, provides grounds for regret, tests patience and fuels discord. This made Cato’s son remonstrate with his father when he proposed to marry the young daughter of his client Salonius: “For what reason was he bringing in a stepmother?” What offence had the son committed, that his father should marry again?

4128.Burton frames marriage through Genesis 2 and Proverbs 12:4, then gives a conventional hostile catalogue of wives before turning to women’s suffering. Slut here chiefly means a slovenly woman; harlot carries the sexual accusation separately. Compare Seneca, Moral Letters 104.1–5, for his loving concern for Paulina; the margin prints 105.

4130.The Ecclesiasticus passages are 26:7, 25:23 and 25:16 in King James numbering, differing from Burton’s references. Pontano’s Antonius depicts Euphorbia attacking household utensils. Shephard’s study locates it at Opera (1501), signature i ii v, and explains the verbs as using pokers and throwing candlesticks. Sabbadini prints titionatur, candelabratur. These establish context through later witnesses; Burton’s exact edition and the provisional marginal spelling still need direct collation.

4131.Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 2.23, compares Caecilius Statius with Menander. Burton’s Latin slightly recasts the husband’s complaint in Caecilius’s Plocium (2.23.10), changing mortem to morti and rearranging vivo mortuus. Agellius is an older form for Aulus Gellius; affect later in the passage means love.

4133.Samuel Daniel, The Complaint of Rosamond, lines 440–441 in the 1592 transcription consulted: “Iudge they who are vnfortunately wed” and “What tis to come vnto a loathed bed.” Burton varies both lines slightly. Rosamond speaks of unwanted sexual intimacy; the comparison to unhappy marriage comes from her complaint.

4135.Thomas Chaloner’s Latin verse, as attributed by Burton. The construction means “if I bring myself to release myself from this adverse fate,” with by the blade or noose specifying the means. Burton’s own English couplet follows separately; it is not replaced by the fresh translation.

4137.Felix Platter’s Observations, book 1, as cited by Burton; the case has not yet been checked in Platter’s original edition. Basil is Basel; ancient means elderly. The report illustrates coerced marriage and distress; Burton’s assertion of the husband’s efforts is part of the reported narrative.

4140.Humors and conditions here means dispositions and characters. Proverbs 10:1 contrasts a wise son with a foolish one. Injusta noverca invokes the conventional hostile stepmother of ancient literature; it is not a neutral generalization about families. The orphaned p marker is retained in a Burton note.

4141.Plutarch, Life of Cato the Elder 24.2–5: Cato proposes to the daughter of Salonius, his former secretary and client, and his son asks whether he has given offence. The base prints Solinius; the modern column uses Salonius. Wench here simply means a young woman. Burton omits Cato’s affectionate answer.

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.