The Anatomy of Melancholy

David, a man after God’s own heart, admits as much of himself, Psalm 37:21–22: “I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before you.” He condemns everyone as foolish in Psalms 93, 32:9, and 49:20, comparing them to beasts, horses, and mules without understanding. The apostle Paul accuses himself similarly, 2 Corinthians 11:21: “I wish you would bear with a little foolishness from me; I speak foolishly.” “The whole head is sick,” says Isaiah, “and the heart is heavy,” chapter 1:5. He makes less of them than of oxen and donkeys: “The ox knows its owner,” and so on. Read Deuteronomy 32:6, Jeremiah 4, Amos 3:1, Ephesians 5:6. “Do not be mad; do not be deceived. Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?” How often they are branded as mad and foolish! No word occurs more frequently among the Church Fathers and theologians; you can see their opinion of the world and their estimate of human conduct.

I know we think very differently. We generally consider those in authority—princes, magistrates, rich men—to be wise: they are born wise! All politicians and statesmen must be so, for who dares speak against them? On the other hand, our judgement is so corrupt that we consider wise and honest people fools. Democritus expressed this well in a letter to Hippocrates: “The people of Abdera consider virtue madness”—and so do most people alive.

Shall I tell you why? Fortune and Virtue once competed at the Olympic Games, with Wisdom and Folly as their seconds. Everyone thought Fortune and Folly would lose, and pitied them. But it turned out otherwise. Fortune was blind and cared neither where nor whom she struck, following no rules, “like blindfolded gladiators.” Folly, rash and thoughtless, cared as little what she said or did. Virtue and Wisdom gave way; the crowd hissed and jeered them off. Folly and Fortune were admired, as all their followers have been ever since: rogues and fools generally prosper most and, in worldly people’s eyes and opinions, deserve most.

Many good men fare no better in their own times. Achish, 1 Samuel 21:14, took David for a madman. Elisha and the others were regarded in the same way. David was mocked by the common people, Psalm 9:7: “I have become a monster to many.” Generally, we are considered fools for Christ, 1 Corinthians 14. “We fools thought his life madness, and his end without honour,” Wisdom 5:4. Christ and his apostles were judged similarly: John 10, Mark 3, Acts 26. So were all Christians in Pliny’s time: “There were others too with the same madness,” and so on. Not long afterwards they were called “followers of madness, destroyers of humankind, polluted innovators, fanatics, dogs, evildoers, poisoners, insignificant Galileans,” and so on.