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 5. Causes of Melancholy Arising From the Whole Body.

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

Modern English Page · Branch 364 of 1495

Subsection 5. Causes of Melancholy Arising From the Whole Body.

Book Mode

1651 English

178

SUBSECT. 5. Causes of Melancholy from the whole Body.

As before, the cause of this kind of Melancholy is inward or outward. Inward, when the liver is apt to ingender such an humour, or the spleen weak by nature, and not able to discharge his office. A melancholy temperature, retention of Hæmrods, monthly issues, bleeding at nose, long diseases, agues, and all those six non-naturall things increase it.

But especially bad dyet, as Piso thinks, pulse, salt meat, shell-fish, cheese, black wine, &c. Mercurialis out of Averroes and Avicenna condemns all herbs: Galen. lib. 3. de loc. affect. cap. 7. especially Cabbage. So likewise fear, sorrow, discontents, &c. but of these before. And thus in brief you have had the generall and particular causes of Melancholy.

Now go and brag of thy present happinesse, whosoever thou art, brag of thy temperature, of thy good parts, insult, triumph, & boast; thou seest in what a brittle state thou art, how soon thou maist be dejected, how many severall waies, by bad diet, bad ayre, a small loss, a little sorrow or discontent, an ague, &c. how many sudden accidents may procure thy ruine, what a small tenure of happinesse thou hast in this life, how weak and silly a creature thou art.

Humble thy self therefore under the mighty hand of God · 1 Pet. 5.6. know thy self, acknowledge thy present misery, and make right use of it. Qui stat videat ne cadat.

Thou dost now flourish, and hast bona animi, corporis, & fortunæ, goods of body, mind and fortune, nescis quid serus secum vesper ferat, thou knowest not what storms and tempests the late evening may bring with it.

Be not secure then, be sober and watch, fortunam reverenter habe, if fortunate and rich: if sick and poor, moderate thy self. I have said.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Subsection 5. Causes of Melancholy Arising From the Whole Body.

p. 364

Subsection 5. Causes of melancholy arising from the whole body.

As before, the cause of this kind of melancholy is internal or external. Internal: when the liver is prone to generate such a humour, or the spleen is naturally weak and unable to perform its function. A melancholic temperament, suppression of haemorrhoidal bleeding, menstrual flow and nosebleeds, long illnesses, fevers and all those six non-natural things increase it.

But especially bad diet, as Piso thinks: pulses, salted meat, shellfish, cheese, dark wine, and so on. Mercurialis, citing Averroes and Avicenna, condemns all herbs; Galen, in book 3, chapter 7 on affected parts, especially cabbage. So likewise fear, sorrow, discontents and so on—but these have been discussed before. Thus, in brief, you have had the general and particular causes of melancholy.

Now go and brag of your present happiness, whoever you are! Brag of your constitution, of your good qualities; exult, triumph and boast! You see how fragile your condition is, how soon you may be brought low, in how many different ways: by bad diet, bad air, a small loss, a little sorrow or discontent, a fever, and so on. How many sudden events may bring about your ruin, how slight your hold on happiness in this life, how weak and helpless a creature you are!

“Humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God,” 1 Peter 5:6. Know yourself, acknowledge your present misery and put that knowledge to proper use. “Let whoever stands take care not to fall.”

You flourish now and possess “the goods of mind, body and fortune”—goods of body, mind and fortune. “You do not know what late evening may bring with it”: you do not know what storms and tempests the late evening may bring.

Do not be complacent, then; “be sober and watch.” “Treat fortune with respect,” if you are fortunate and rich; if sick and poor, govern yourself with moderation. I have said my say.

4303.“Retention” governs haemorrhoidal bleeding, monthly discharges and nosebleeds: their suppression is intended, rather than the bleeding itself. “Temperature” means bodily temperament. This third kind is attributed to the body’s overall humoral state.

4305.“Pulse” means peas, beans, lentils and similar edible seeds; “salt meat,” preserved meat; “black wine,” dark-coloured wine. “Herbs” is broader than modern culinary seasonings and can include green vegetables. Burton reports the dietary judgements of his authorities.

4306.“Insult” here means exult or vaunt oneself; “good parts” means good qualities or abilities; “silly” means weak or helpless in this context. The medical catalogue turns into direct moral address, exposing the precariousness of the reader’s apparent good fortune.

4307.The first quotation is 1 Peter 5:6. Qui stat videat ne cadat abbreviates 1 Corinthians 10:12, which warns the person who thinks he stands to take care lest he fall. Burton applies the scriptural warning to confidence in health and worldly success.

4308.The Latin lists mind, body and fortune; Burton’s English reverses the first two, and both orders are preserved. The evening proverb resembles the title of Varro’s Menippean satire quoted in Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 13.11.1, Nescis quid vesper serus vehat. Burton adds storms and tempests in his English expansion.

4310.“Be sober and watch” recalls 1 Peter 5:8. Ausonius, Epigrams 2.7–8 in Evelyn-White’s numbering, advises respect for fortune after recounting how King Agathocles remembered his humble origin. “Secure” means overconfident or complacent. “I have said” closes the section on causes, before Section 3 turns to symptoms.

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.