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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 MelancholyBy Counsel and Persuasion, the Foulness of the Deed, the Faults of Men And…

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By Counsel and Persuasion, the Foulness of the Deed, the Faults of Men And…

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1651 English

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All gifts and invitations cease, no friend will esteem thee, and thou shalt be compelled to lament thy misery, and make thy mone with Bartholomæus Scheræus, that famous Poet Laureat, and professor of Hebrew in Witenberge: I had finished this work long since, but that inter alia dura & tristia quæ misero mihi pene tergum fregerunt (I use his own words) amongst many miseries which almost broke my back, συζυγία ob Xantipismum, a shrew to my wife, tormented my minde above measure, and beyond the rest.

So shalt thou be compelled to complain, and to cry out at last, with Phoroneus the lawyer, How happy had I been, if I had wanted a wife!

If this which I have said will not suffice, see more in Lemnius lib. 4. cap. 13. de occult. nat. mir. Espensæus de continentia. lib. 6. cap. 8. Kornman de virginitate, Platina in Amor. dial. Practica artis amandi, Barbarus de re uxoria. Arnisæus in polit. cap. 3. and him that is instar omnium, Nevisanus the Lawyer, Sylva nuptial. almost in every page.

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The Anatomy of Melancholy: By Counsel and Persuasion, the Foulness of the Deed, the Faults of Men And…

p. 865

All gifts and invitations cease; no friend will value you, and you will be forced to lament your misery and make your complaint with Bartholomaeus Scheraeus, that famous poet laureate and professor of Hebrew at Wittenberg: “I would have finished this work long ago, except that, among other hard and grievous things that almost broke my miserable back”—I use his own words—among many miseries that almost broke my back, “marriage, through Xanthippe-like behaviour,” a shrew for my wife, tormented my mind beyond measure and more than all the rest.

So you too will be forced to complain and cry out at last, with Phoroneus the lawyer, “How happy I would have been if I had had no wife!”

If what I have said does not suffice, see more in Lemnius, On the Hidden Wonders of Nature, book 4, chapter 13; Espensaeus, On Continence, book 6, chapter 8; Kornmann, On Virginity; Platina’s Dialogue on Love; The Practice of the Art of Loving; Barbaro, On Marriage; Arnisaeus, Politics, chapter 3; and the one who is “a match for them all,” Nevisanus the lawyer, in almost every page of his Marriage Miscellany.

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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.