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Robert Burton

The Anatomy of Melancholy

1651 English with a close modern English rendering

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The Anatomy of MelancholyD

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1651 English

unnumbered Table

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Dancing, masking, mumming censured, approved 491.493.494, their effects, how they cause love-melan. 492. how symptomes of lovers 535

Deformity of body no misery 312

Death foretold by spirits 48

Death of friends cause of melanch. 162 other effects ibid. how cured 337. death advantageous 344

Despair, equivocations 693. causes 695. symptomes 701. Prognosticks 704. Cure 705

Diet what and how causeth melanch. 64 quantity 72. diet of divers nations 75.

Diet how rectified to cure 231. In quantity 234

Diet a cause of love mel. 450 a cure, 552

Digression against all manner of discontents, 307 digression of ayre, 240. of Anatomie, 13. of devils and spirits, 39

Discommodities of unequall matches, 628

Discontents, cares, miseries, causes of mel. 105. how repelled and cured by good counsel 293.307

Diseases why inflicted upon us, 3. Their number, definition, division, 6. diseases of the head, 7. diseases of the mind more grievous then those of the body 216

Disgrace a cause of mel. 99.169. qualified by counsel 363

Dissimilar parts of the body 16

Distemper of particular parts, causes of mel. and how 174

Divels how they cause melancholy, 41.42. their beginning, nature, conditions, ibid. feel pain: swift in motion, mortal, 40 their orders, 43. power, 51. how they cause religious melancholy, 642. how despair, 695. Divels are often in love 437. shall be saved, as some hold 716

Divine sentences 359

Divines miseries, 135. with the causes of their miseries 136,137

Divers accidents causing mel. 163

Dreams and their kinds 24

Dreams troublesome, how to be amended 289

Drunkards children often mel. 61

Drunkenness taxed 73.305

Dowry and money main causes of love-melancholy 478

Dotage what 8

Dotage of lovers 519

unnumbered Table

The Anatomy of Melancholy: D

p. 1073

D

Dancing, masquerading and mumming criticized and approved, 491,493,494; their effects and how they cause love melancholy, 492; how they are symptoms of being in love, 535.

Bodily deformity is no misery. 312

Death foretold by spirits. 48

The death of friends as a cause of melancholy, 162; other effects, same page; how grief is cured, 337. The advantages of death, 344.

Despair: its different meanings, 693; causes, 695; symptoms, 701; prognosis, 704; cure, 705.

Diet: what it is and how it causes melancholy, 64; quantity, 72; the diets of different nations, 75.

How diet is regulated to cure melancholy, 231; in quantity, 234.

Diet as a cause of love melancholy, 450; as a cure, 552.

Digression against every kind of discontent, 307; digression on air, 240; on anatomy, 13; on devils and spirits, 39.

The disadvantages of unequal marriages. 628

Discontent, worries and miseries as causes of melancholy, 105; how they are countered and cured by good counsel, 293,307.

Why diseases are inflicted upon us, 3; their number, definition and classification, 6; diseases of the head, 7. Diseases of the mind are more grievous than those of the body, 216.

Disgrace as a cause of melancholy, 99,169; alleviated by counsel, 363.

The body’s composite parts. 16

Disorders of particular organs as causes of melancholy, and how they cause it. 174

How devils cause melancholy, 41,42; their origin, nature and attributes, same pages. They feel pain, move swiftly and are mortal, 40. Their orders, 43; power, 51; how they cause religious melancholy, 642; despair, 695. Devils are often in love, 437; will be saved, according to some, 716.

Religious maxims. 359

The miseries of theologians and clergy, 135; the causes of those miseries, 136,137.

Various misfortunes that cause melancholy. 163

Dreams and their kinds. 24

How to remedy disturbing dreams. 289

The children of drunkards are often melancholic. 61

Drunkenness criticized. 73,305

Dowries and money as principal causes of love melancholy. 478

What mental derangement is. 8

The infatuation of lovers. 519

1073

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.