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Robert Burton

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 MelancholyMember 3 Against Poverty and Want and Other Such Adversities

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Modern English Page · Branch 553 of 1495

Member 3 Against Poverty and Want and Other Such Adversities

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1651 English

320

MEMB. 3. Against poverty and want, with such other adversities.

One of the greatest miseries that can befal a man, in the worlds esteem, is poverty or want, which makes men steal, bear false witness, swear, forswear, contend, murder and rebel, which breaketh sleep, & causeth death it self. οὐδὲν πενίας βαρύτερόν ἐστι φορτίον, no burden (saith Menander) so intolerable as poverty: it makes men desperate, it erects and dejects, census honores, census amicitias; mony makes, but poverty mars, &c. and all this in the worlds esteem:

yet if considered aright, it is a great blessing in it self, an happy estate, and yields no such cause of discontent, or that men should therefore account themselves vile, hated of God, forsaken, miserable, unfortunate. Christ himself was poor, born in a manger, and had not a house to hide his head in all his life, lest any man should make poverty a judgement of God, or an odious estate.

And as he was himself, so he informed his Apostles and Disciples, they were all poor, Prophets poor, Apostles poor (Act. 3. Silver and gold have I none) As sorrowing (saith Paul) and yet alway rejoycing, as having nothing, and yet possessing all things, 1 Cor. 6.10.

Your great Philosophers have been voluntarily poor, not only Christians, but many others. Crates Thebanus was adored for a god in Athens, a noble man by birth, many servants he had, an honourable attendance, much wealth, many Manors, fine apparel; but when he saw this, that all the wealth of the world was but brittle, uncertain, and no whit availing to live well, he flung his burden into the sea, and renounced his estate.

Those Curii and Fabritii will be ever renowned for contempt of these fopperies, wherewith the world is so much affected. Amongst Christians I could reckon up many Kings and Queens, that have forsaken their crowns and fortunes, and wilfully abdicated themselves from these so much esteemed toyes, many that have refused honours, titles, and all this vain pomp and happiness, which others so ambitiously seek, and carefully study to compass and attain.

Riches I deny not are Gods good gifts, and blessings, and honor est in honorante, honours are from God; both rewards of vertue, and fit to be sought after, sued for, and may well be possessed; yet no such great happiness in having, or misery in wanting of them.

Dantur quidem bonis, saith Austin, ne quis mala æstimet: malis autem ne quis nimis bona, good men have wealth that we should not think it evil; and bad men that they should not rely on or hold it so good; as the rain fals on both sorts, so are riches given to good and bad, sed bonis in bonum, but they are good only to the godly.

But conferre both estates, for natural parts they are not unlike; and a beggars child, as Cardan well observes, is no whit inferior to a Princes, most part better; and for those accidents of fortune, it will easily appear there is no such odds, no such extraordinary happiness in the one, or misery in the other.

6611.BurtonPrinted page 320, n: “Nullum paupertate gravius onus.” No burden is heavier than poverty.

6613.BurtonPrinted page 320, o: “Ne quis iræ divinæ judicium putaret, aut paupertas exosa foret. Gualt. in cap. 2. ver. 18. Lucæ.” Lest anyone think it a judgement of divine wrath, or poverty become hateful. Gualther on Luke, chapter 2, verse 18, as printed; the precise commentary passage remains uncollated.

6616.BurtonPrinted page 320, p: “Inter proceres Thebanos numeratus, lectum habuit genus, frequens famulitium, domus amplas, &c. Apuleius Florid. l. 4.” Counted among the foremost Thebans, he had distinguished ancestry, a numerous household of servants, spacious houses, etc. Apuleius, Florida, book 4; compare section 22. The body’s marker resembles q, while the margin is p.

6618.BurtonPrinted page 320, q: “P. Blesensis ep. 72. & 232. oblatos respui honores ex onere metiens; motus ambitiosos rogatus non ivi, &c.” Peter of Blois, letters 72 and 232: I rejected the honours offered to me, judging them by their burden; “ambitious impulses ... when invited I did not go,” etc. The final Latin is irregular and its wording and references require collation.

6622.BurtonPrinted page 320, r: “Sudat pauper foras in opere, dives in cogitatione; hic os aperit oscitatione, ille ructatione; gravius ille fastidio, quam hic inedia cruciatur. Ber. ser.” The poor man sweats outside at work, the rich man in thought; the former opens his mouth in yawning, the latter in belching; the rich man is more severely tormented by surfeit than the poor man by hunger. Bernard, sermon; no number is supplied.

6623.BurtonPrinted page 320, dagger: “In Hyperchen. Natura æqua est, puerosque videmus mendicorum nulla ex parte regum filiis dissimiles, plerumque saniores.” In Hyperchen, as abbreviated: nature is equal, and we see beggars’ children in no respect unlike kings’ sons, and generally healthier. The work title remains unresolved.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Member 3 Against Poverty and Want and Other Such Adversities

p. 553

Member 3 Against poverty and want and other such adversities

One of the greatest miseries that can befall a man, in the world’s estimation, is poverty or want. It makes men steal, bear false witness, swear, perjure themselves, quarrel, murder, and rebel; it breaks their sleep and causes death itself. “No burden is heavier than poverty”: no burden, says Menander, is so intolerable as poverty. It makes men desperate; it raises and casts down. “Wealth brings honours, wealth brings friendships”: money makes, but poverty mars, and so on—and all this in the world’s estimation.

Yet rightly considered, poverty is a great blessing in itself, a happy condition. It gives no such cause for discontent, or for people to reckon themselves worthless, hated by God, abandoned, miserable, or unfortunate. Christ himself was poor, born in a manger, and had no house to shelter his head throughout his life, lest anyone regard poverty as a judgement of God or a hateful condition.

And as he was himself, so he shaped his apostles and disciples: they were all poor, prophets poor, apostles poor—“Silver and gold have I none,” Acts 3. “As sorrowing,” says Paul, “and yet always rejoicing; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things,” 1 Corinthians 6:10.

Great philosophers have chosen poverty, not only Christians but many others. Crates of Thebes was revered as a god in Athens. Noble by birth, he had many servants, a distinguished retinue, great wealth, many estates, and fine clothes. But when he saw that all the world’s wealth was fragile, uncertain, and of no help in living well, he flung his burden into the sea and renounced his property.

Those Curii and Fabricii will always be renowned for despising these foolish trifles with which the world is so taken. Among Christians I could list many kings and queens who have abandoned their crowns and fortunes, and willingly relinquished these highly prized toys; many who have refused honours, titles, and all this empty pomp and happiness, which others seek so ambitiously and scheme so anxiously to obtain.

I do not deny that riches are God’s good gifts and blessings, and “honour lies in the one who confers it”: honours come from God. Both are rewards of virtue, fit to be sought and petitioned for, and may rightly be possessed. Yet there is no such great happiness in having them, or misery in lacking them.

“They are given to the good,” says Augustine, “so that no one should think them evil; and to the bad, so that no one should think them too good.” Good men have wealth so that we should not think it evil, and bad men so that they should not rely on it or esteem it so highly. As rain falls on both sorts, riches are given to good and bad, “but to the good for good”: they are good only to the godly.

But compare the two conditions: in natural abilities they are not unlike. A beggar’s child, as Cardano aptly observes, is in no way inferior to a prince’s, and is usually better. As for those accidents of fortune, it will readily appear that there is no such great difference, no extraordinary happiness in one condition or misery in the other.

6612.The Greek maxim attributed to Menander means “No burden is heavier than poverty”; its exact textual source remains uncollated. The Latin fragment recalls Ovid, Fasti 1.217–218. Burton repeatedly qualifies this account of poverty as the world’s judgement before reversing it in the next paragraph.

6614.Burton is making a Christian consolatory argument about poverty, drawing on Christ’s birth and lack of a settled home. The original’s sweeping formulation is preserved. The marginal Gualther reference, including the printed Luke 2:18, needs comparison with the commentary.

6615.“Informed” means formed or instructed. The first quotation is Acts 3:6. The second is 2 Corinthians 6:10, although Burton prints 1 Corinthians; his citation is retained in the modern column and corrected here.

6617.Apuleius, Florida 22, describes Crates’s former wealth and the reverence paid to him at Athens. The consulted passage breaks off after declaring wealth useless for living well; it does not contain the act of throwing his possessions into the sea. That added tradition remains to be traced.

6619.The Curii and Fabricii are exemplary Roman names invoked for austere conduct. “Fopperies” and “toys” belittle wealth and honours; “wilfully” means deliberately or willingly. The Peter of Blois quotation is retained, including its awkward final clause, pending comparison with the cited letters.

6620.Honor est in honorante means honour resides in the person who gives it. Burton joins this maxim to the claim that honours come from God. His concession is that wealth and rank can be legitimate goods, while their possession does not guarantee happiness.

6621.Compare Augustine, Sermon 105/A.1: riches are given to good people so they will not be thought evil, and to bad people so they will not be thought a great good. Burton’s Latin and his separate English explanation are both preserved.

6624.“Confer” means compare; “parts” means abilities or endowments; “accidents” are outward circumstances rather than inherent qualities. The Cardano margin says beggars’ children are generally healthier, while Burton’s body says generally better. The difference is retained; the abbreviated title remains unresolved.

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.