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 MelancholyPersistence and Opportunity of Time and Place; Meetings, Conversation…

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Persistence and Opportunity of Time and Place; Meetings, Conversation…

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1651 English

481–482–482

But when as I say, nox, vinum, & adolescentia, youth, wine, and night, shall concur, nox amoris & quietis conscia, ’tis a wonder they be not all plunged over head and ears in love; for youth is benigna in amorem, & prona materies, a very combustible matter, Napthe it self, the fuell of loves fire, and most apt to kindle it. If there be seven servants in an ordinary house, you shall have three couple in some good liking at least, and amongst idle persons how should it be otherwise?

Living at Rome, saith Aratines Lucretia, in the flowre of my fortunes, rich, fair, young, and so well brought up, my conversation, age, beauty, fortune, made all the world admire and love me. Night alone, that one occasion is enough to set all on fire, and they are so cunning in great houses, that they make their best advantage of it: Many a Gentlewoman, that is guilty to her self of her imperfections, paintings, impostures, will not willingly be seen by day, but as Castilio noteth, in the night. Diem ut glis odit, tædarum lucem super omnia mavult, She hates the day like a dor-mouse, and above all things loves torches and candle-light, and if she must come abroad in the day, she covets, as in a Mercers shop, a very obfuscate and obscure light. And good reason she hath for it: Nocte latent mendæ, and many an amorous gull is fetched over by that means.

Gomesius lib. 3. de sale gen. c. 22. gives instance in a Florentine Gentleman, that was so deceived with a wife, she was so radiently set out with rings and jewels, lawns, scarfs, laces, gold, spangles, and gaudy devices, that the young man took her to be a goddess (for he never saw her but by torchlight) but after the wedding solemnities, when as he viewed her the next morning without her tires, and in a clear day, she was so deformed, a lean, yellow, riveld, &c. such a beastly creature in his eyes, that he could not endure to look upon her.

Such matches are frequently made in Italy, where they have no other opportunity to wooe but when they go to Church, or, as in Turkie, see them at a distance, they must enterchange few or no words, till such time they come to be married, and then as Sardus lib. 1. cap. 3. de morb. gent. and Bohemus relate of those old Lacedemonians, the Bride is brought into the chamber, with her hair girt about her, the Bridegroom comes in, and unties the knot, and must not see her at all by day-light, till such time as he is made a father by her.

In those hotter countries these are ordinary practises at this day; but in our Northern parts amongst Germans, Danes, French, and Britaines, the continent of Scandia and the rest, we assume more liberty in such causes; we allow them, as Bohemus saith, to kiss coming and going, & modo absit lascivia, in cauponam ducere, to talk merrily, sport, play, sing, and dance, so that it be modestly done, go to the Ale-house and Tavern together. And ’tis not amiss, though Chrysostome, Cyprian, Hierome, and some other of the Fathers speak bitterly against it: but that is the abuse which is commonly seen at some drunken matches, dissolute meetings, or great unruly feasts.

9418.BurtonPrinted page 482, dagger: “Romæ vivens flore fortunæ, & opulentiæ meæ, ætas, forma, gratia conversationis, maxime me fecerunt expetibilem, &c.” “Living in Rome at the height of my fortune and wealth, my age, beauty and charm in company made me exceedingly desirable,” and so on.

9419.BurtonPrinted page 482, e: “De Aulic. l. 1. fol. 63.” The Courtier, book 1, folio 63.

9420.BurtonPrinted page 482, dagger: “Ut adulterini mercatorum panni.” “Like the merchants’ adulterated cloth.”

9423.BurtonPrinted page 482, f: “Busbeq. epist.” Busbecq, Letters.

9424.BurtonPrinted page 482, g: “Paranympha in cubiculum adducta capillos ad cutim resecebat; sponsus inde ad eam ingressus cingulum solvebat, nec prius sponsam aspexit interdiu quam ex illa factus esset pater.” “The bridal attendant, [the bride] having been brought into the chamber, cut her hair down to the skin; the bridegroom then entered and loosened her girdle, and did not see his bride by daylight until he had become a father by her.”

9426.BurtonPrinted page 482, h: “Serm. cont. concub.” Sermon against cohabitation.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Persistence and Opportunity of Time and Place; Meetings, Conversation…

p. 759

But when, as I say, “night, wine and youth”—youth, wine and night—come together—“night, the confidante of love and rest”—it is a wonder they are not all plunged head over heels in love. Youth is “material favourable and inclined to love,” highly combustible matter: naphtha itself, the fuel of love’s fire, ready to kindle it. If an ordinary household has seven servants, you will find at least three couples with some liking for one another. Among idle people, how could it be otherwise?

“Living in Rome,” says Aretino’s Lucretia, “at the height of my fortunes—rich, beautiful, young and so well brought up—my social graces, age, beauty and fortune made the whole world admire and love me.” Night alone is enough to set everything on fire. People in great households are so cunning that they make the most of it. Many a gentlewoman, conscious of her imperfections, cosmetics and deceptions, is unwilling to be seen by day; as Castiglione observes, she prefers the night. “She hates daylight like a dormouse and prefers torchlight above everything.” She hates the day like a dormouse and loves torches and candlelight best; if she must go out by day, she wants a very dim, obscure light, like that in a cloth merchant’s shop. She has good reason: “faults lie hidden at night,” and many a lovesick fool is taken in that way.

Gomesius, in On Salt, book 3, chapter 22, gives the example of a Florentine gentleman deceived in his choice of wife. She was so brilliantly decked out in rings and jewels, fine linen, scarves, lace, gold, spangles and showy ornaments that the young man took her for a goddess: he had only ever seen her by torchlight. But the morning after the wedding, when he saw her without her finery in clear daylight, she was so ugly—lean, yellow, wrinkled and so on—such a beastly creature in his eyes, that he could not bear to look at her.

Such matches are often made in Italy, where people have no opportunity to court except on going to church; or, as in Turkey, they see one another from a distance and must exchange few words, if any, until they marry. Then, as Sardus in On the Customs of Nations, book 1, chapter 3, and Boemus relate of the ancient Spartans, the bride is brought into the chamber with her hair bound about her; the bridegroom enters and unties the knot, and must not see her at all by daylight until he has fathered a child by her.

These practices are common in those hotter countries today. But in our northern regions—among Germans, Danes, French and Britons, in mainland Scandinavia and elsewhere—we take greater liberties in such matters. As Boemus says, we allow them to kiss on meeting and parting, “provided there is no lewdness, to take one another to a tavern,” to talk merrily, amuse themselves, play, sing and dance, so long as it is done modestly, and to visit alehouses and taverns together. There is nothing wrong with this, although Chrysostom, Cyprian, Jerome and some other Fathers speak bitterly against it. They condemn the abuse commonly seen at drunken gatherings, dissolute meetings and great unruly feasts.

9417.Naphtha is a readily combustible substance, used here as an image for youth’s susceptibility. The seven-servant example is Burton’s rhetorical illustration, not a statistical finding. The short Latin tags are translated in place; their exact sources remain to be identified.

9421.Aratine is Aretino; Castilio is Castiglione, whose Courtier is cited in the margin. Their exact passages remain for collation. Ovid, Ars amatoria 1.249, supplies “faults lie hidden at night.” A mercer sells textiles; fetched over means deceived. Burton’s Latin and English dormouse comparison are both retained.

9422.Lawns are fine linens; tires are ornaments or finery; riveld means wrinkled. De sale is translated as On Salt, while Burton’s abbreviated gen. remains unexpanded. The exact Gomesius work, edition and anecdote require collation. The harsh description reports the deceived husband’s judgement.

9425.Lacedemonians are Spartans; Bohemus is Boemus, and Busbeq. refers to Busbecq. De morb. gent. is understood as an abbreviation for a work on national customs. Burton’s English says the bride’s hair is bound and a knot untied; the Latin margin instead has hair cut to the skin and a girdle loosened. Neither version is silently substituted for the other.

9427.Burton permits sociable courtship when conducted modestly, interpreting the Fathers’ strictures as directed at abuse. His broad contrasts between northern and southern countries are those of his sources and argument. Scandia is Scandinavia; matches here means gatherings or parties. The precise Boemus and patristic passages remain for collation.

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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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.