The Anatomy of Melancholy

Charon in Lucian, as he wittily faigns, was conducted by Mercury to such a place, where he might see all the world at once: after he had sufficiently viewed, and looked about, Mercury would needs know of him what he had observed: He told him, that he saw a vast multitude, and a promiscuous, their habitations like mole-hils, the men as emmets, he could discern cities like so many hives of Bees, wherein every Bee had a sting, and they did nought else but sting one another, some domineering like Hornets bigger then the rest, some like filching Wasps, others as drones. Over their heads were hovering a confused companie of perturbations, hope, fear, anger, avarice, ignorance, &c. and a multitude of diseases hanging, which they still pulled on their pates. Some were Brawling, some fighting, riding, running, sollicite ambientes, callide litigantes, for toyes, and trifles, and such momentanie things.

There Towns and Provinces meer factions, rich against poor, poor against rich, nobles against artificers, they against nobles, and so the rest. In conclusion, he condemned them all for mad-men, fools, idiots, asses, O stulti, quænam hæc est amentia? O fools, O mad-men he exclaims, insana studia, insani labores, &c. Mad endeavors, mad actions, mad, mad, mad, O seclum insipiens & infacetum, a giddy-headed age.

Heraclitus the Philosopher, out of a serious meditation of mens lives, fell a weeping, and with continual tears bewailed their misery, madnes, and folly. Democritus on the other side burst out a laughing, their whole life seemed to him so ridiculous, & he was so far carried with this ironical passion, that the Citizens of Abdera took him to be mad, and sent therefore Embassadors to Hyppocrates the Physitian, that he would exercise his skill upon him. But the story is set down at large by Hyppocrates, in his epistle to Damagetus, which because it is not impertinent to this discourse, I will insert verbatim almost, as it is delivered by Hyppocrates himself, with all the circumstances belonging unto it.

When Hyppocrates was now come to Abdera, the people of the City came flocking about him, some weeping, some intreating of him, that he would do his best. After some little repast, he went to see Democritus, the people following him, whom he found (as before) in his garden in the suburbs all alone, sitting upon a stone under a plane tree, without hose or shoes, with a book on his knees, cutting up severall beasts, and busie at his study. The multitude stood gazing round about to see the congresse. Hyppocrates after a little pause, saluted him by his name, whom he resaluted, ashamed almost that he could not call him likewise by his, or that he had forgot it.

Hyppocrates demanded of him what he was doing: He told him that he was busie in cutting up several beasts, to finde out the cause of madness and melancholy. Hyppocrates commended his work, admiring his happinesse and leasure. And why, quoth Democritus, have not you that leasure? Because, replied Hyppocrates, domesticall affairs hinder, necessary to be done, for our selves, neighbors, friends; expenses, diseases, frailties and mortalities which happen; wife, children, servants, and such businesses which deprive us of our time. At this speech Democritus profusely laughed, (his friends and the people standing by, weeping in the mean time, and lamenting his madnes.)