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 MelancholyResist the Beginnings, Avoid Occasions, Change One’s Location; Fair and Foul…

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1651 English Page · Branch 842 of 1495

Resist the Beginnings, Avoid Occasions, Change One’s Location; Fair and Foul…

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1651 English

553–554

Saint Hierome lib. 2. epist. 16. to Rusticus the Monk, hath an instance of a yong man of Greece, that lived in a Monastery in Ægypt, that by no labour, no continence, no perswasion could be diverted, but at last by this trick he was delivered. The Abbot sets one of his covent to quarrel with him, and with some scandalous reproach or other to defame him before company, and then to come and complain first, the witnesses were likewise suborned for the plaintiffe. The yong man wept, and when all were against him, the Abbot cunningly took his part, least he should be overcome with immoderate grief: but what need many words? By this invention he was cured, and alienated from his pristine love-thoughts.

—— Injuries, slanders, contempts, disgraces,

—— spretæque injuria formæ,

are very forcible means to withdraw mens affections, contumelia affecti amatores amare desinunt, as Lucian saith, Lovers reviled or neglected, contemned or misused, turn Love to hate; redeam? Non si me obsecret, I’le never love thee more. Egone illam, quæ illum, quæ me, quæ non?

So Zephyrus hated Hyacinthus because he scorned him, and preferred his corrival Apollo (Palephætus fab. Nar.) he will not come again though he be invited.

Tell him but how he was scoffed at behind his back, (’tis the councel of Avicenna) that his Love is false, and entertains another, rejects him, cares not for him, or that she is a fool, a nasty quean, a slut, a fixen, a scold, a divel, or which Italians commonly do, that he or she hath some loathsome filthy disease, gout, stone, strangury, falling-sickness, and they are hereditary, not to be avoided, he is subject to a consumption, hath the Pox, that he hath three or four incurable tetters, issues: that she is bald, her breath stinks, she is mad by inheritance, and so are all the kinred, an hair-brain, with many other secret infirmities, which I will not so much as name, belonging to women.

That he is an Hermaphrodite, an Eunuch, imperfect, impotent, a spend-thrift, a gamester, a fool, a gull, a begger, a whoremaster, far in debt, and not able to maintain her, a common drunkard, his mother was a Witch, his father hang’d, that he hath a wolfe in his bosome, a sore leg, he is a leper, hath some incurable disease, that he will surely beat her, he cannot hold his water, that he cries out or walks in the night, will stab his bed-fellow, tell all his secrets in his sleep, and that no body dare lie with him, his house is haunted with spirits, with such fearfull and tragicall things, able to avert and terrifie any man or woman living.

Gordonius cap. 20. part. 2. hunc in modum consulit;

10640.BurtonPrinted page 553, d: “Adolescens Græcus erat in Ægypti cœnobio qui nulla operis magnitudine, nulla persuasione flammam poterat sedare: monasterii pater hac arte servavit. Imperat cuidam è sociis, &c. Flebat ille, omnes adversabantur; solus pater callidè opponere, ne abundantia tristitiæ absorberetur, quid multa? hoc invento curatus est, & à cogitationibus pristinis avocatus.” “There was a young Greek in a monastery in Egypt who could calm the flame by no amount of work or persuasion. The father of the monastery saved him by this device. He ordered one of the brethren, etc. The young man wept; all opposed him. Only the father cunningly took the other side, lest he be swallowed up by excessive sorrow. Why say more? By this device he was cured and drawn away from his former thoughts.”

10643.BurtonPrinted page 553, e: “Tom. 4.”

10644.BurtonPrinted page 553, f: “Ter.”

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Resist the Beginnings, Avoid Occasions, Change One’s Location; Fair and Foul…

p. 842

Saint Jerome, book 2, letter 16, to the monk Rusticus, gives the example of a young Greek living in a monastery in Egypt, whom no labour, abstinence or persuasion could divert, but who was finally delivered by this trick. The abbot set one of his community to quarrel with him, defame him before others with some scandalous accusation, and then be the first to lodge a complaint. Witnesses were also bribed or induced to give false evidence for the complainant. The young man wept; when everyone was against him, the abbot cunningly took his side, lest he be overwhelmed by excessive grief. But why prolong the story? By this device he was cured and drawn away from his former thoughts of love.

Injuries, slanders, contempt, disgrace,

and the insult of beauty scorned,

are very powerful ways to turn people’s affections aside. As Lucian says, “lovers subjected to insult cease to love.” Lovers abused or neglected, despised or mistreated, turn love to hatred. “Shall I return? Not if she begs me!” “I’ll never love you more.” “What, I love her—who loves him, who treats me—who does not—?”

So Zephyrus hated Hyacinthus because he scorned him and preferred his rival Apollo: Palaephatus, Fabulous Narratives. Such a lover will not come again even when invited.

Just tell him how he was mocked behind his back—this is Avicenna’s advice—that his love is unfaithful, entertains another, rejects him or cares nothing for him; or that she is a fool, a filthy whore, a sloven, a vixen, a scold or a devil. Or, as Italians commonly do, say that he or she has some disgusting, filthy disease: gout, stone, painful dribbling urination or epilepsy, and that these are hereditary and unavoidable; that he is prone to wasting disease, has the pox or three or four incurable skin eruptions or draining sores; that she is bald, her breath stinks, she is mad by inheritance, as are all her relatives, and is scatterbrained, with many other hidden ailments belonging to women which I will not even name.

Say that he is a hermaphrodite, a eunuch, physically defective or impotent; a spendthrift, gambler, fool, dupe, beggar or whoremonger, deeply in debt and unable to support her; a habitual drunkard whose mother was a witch and whose father was hanged; that he has an ulcer in his breast, a sore leg, leprosy or some incurable disease; that he will certainly beat her, cannot hold his urine, cries out or walks at night, will stab his bedfellow or reveal all his secrets in his sleep, so that nobody dares sleep beside him; that his house is haunted by spirits. Use such frightening and tragic things as could repel and terrify any man or woman alive.

Gordonius, part 2, chapter 20, advises in this manner:

10641.Jerome, Letter 125.13 to Rusticus in the consulted numbering, rather than Burton’s book 2, letter 16. Jerome makes the process last a year; Burton compresses that interval away. “Covent” means the monastic community, “suborned” induced to give false evidence, and “pristine” former. The narrative explicitly depends on deliberate mistreatment and false accusation.

10642.Virgil, Aeneid 1.27, on Juno’s resentment at the judgment of Paris. Burton reuses the insult to rejected beauty as an example of what can turn affection into hatred.

10645.Terence, Eunuchus 49 and 65. The first line voices Phaedria’s defiance; the second reproduces his broken, angry syntax. The supplied verbs in the modern rendering make that elliptical sense readable while retaining its interruptions. Lucian’s volume reference is too broad to identify the exact passage without further collation.

10646.“Corrival” means rival. Burton cites Palaephatus for the myth of Zephyrus’s jealousy of Apollo over Hyacinthus; the abbreviated title and the specific version remain uncollated. The closing refusal resumes the general description of the rejected lover.

10647.This catalogue consists of allegations to be made about the beloved. “Quean” is a sexual insult; “slut” can mean a slovenly woman; “fixen” is vixen. Stone denotes urinary calculi, strangury painful or difficult urination, falling-sickness epilepsy, and consumption a wasting disease. Pox here has a venereal implication. “Tetters” are skin eruptions and “issues” draining sores or openings. These historical terms do not establish diagnoses or inheritance patterns.

10648.The historical label “hermaphrodite” is retained because it functions here as a stigmatizing allegation; it does not map neatly onto modern descriptions of sex characteristics. A “gull” is a dupe, and “maintain” means support financially. A “wolf” can mean an eating ulcer or similar destructive sore; that sense is used here. The whole list, including disability, disease and family disgrace, belongs to Burton’s proposed campaign of disparagement.

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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