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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 MelancholyP

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Facing Pages · Branch 1084 of 1495

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1651 English

unnumbered Table and closing notice

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Paleness and leanness, symptomes of love-melancholy 503

Papists religious symptomes 671

Paracelsus defence of Minerals 372

Parents how they wrong their children 578. how they cause mel. by propagation 61. how by remisness and indulgence 145

Passions and perturbations causes of mel. 89. how they work on the body 90. their divisions 97. how rectified and eased 289

Particular cures of all three kinds of melancholy 482

Particular parts distempered, how they cause melanch. 174

Parties affected in religious melan. 641

Passions of lovers 418,419

Patience a cure of misery 352

Patient, his conditions that would be cured 228. patience, confidence, liberality, not to practice on himself 230, what he must do himself 291. reveal his grief to a friend 293

Parænetical discourse to such as are troubled in mind 706

Penirial good against mel. 378

Perswasion a means to cure love mel. 564 other mel. 296

Perjury of lovers 501. pardoned 496

Perversness and pride of lovers 581

Phantasie what 24

Philippus Bonus how he used a Countrey fellow 278

Philosophers censured 122. their errors, ib.

Philters cause of love mel. 498 how they cure melancholy 572

Phlebotomy cause of mel. 80. how to be used, when, in melancholy 393. in head mel. 397

Phrensies description 8

Physitians miseries 133. his qualities if he be good 227

Physick censured 359. commended 364 when to be used ibid.

Physiognomicall signs of mel. 59

Pictures good against mel. 279. cause love mel. 494

Planets inhabited 253

Plagues effects 4

Playes more famous 274

Pleasant Palaces 267

Pleasant objects of love 419

Pleasing tone and voyce a cause of love-melancholy 492

Poets why poor 132

Poetry a symptome of lovers 539

Poëtical cures of love melanch. 577

Poor mens miseries 157. their happiness 337. they are dear to God 343

Politicians pranks 647

Pork a melancholy meat 66

Pope Leo Decimus his scoffing 149

Possession of Divels 10

Power of spirits 50

Poverty and want causes of melan. their effects 154 no such misery to be poor 319

Preparatives and purgers for mel. 385

Predestination misconstrued, a cause of despair 713

Priests how they cause religious mel. 649

Princes discontents 110

Pride and praise causes of Melanch. 121

Preventions to the cure of jealousie 623

Progress of love-mel. exemplified 487

Prognosticks or events of love mel. 549 of despair 630. of jealousie 616. of melancholy 212

Precedency what stirs it causeth 102

Precious stones, metals, altering mel. 370

Prospect good against mel. 262

Prosperity a cause of misery 347

Profitable objects of love 417

Protestations and deceitful promises of lovers 496

Pseudoprophets their pranks, 653. Their symptomes 672

Pulse, pease, beanes, cause of mel. 68

Pulse of mel. men how ’tis affected 179

Pulse a sign of love mel. 505

Purgers and preparatives to head mel. 385

Purging simples upward 376. downward 378

Purging how cause of mel. 79

unnumbered Table and closing notice

The Anatomy of Melancholy: P

p. 1084

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Pallor and thinness as symptoms of love melancholy. 503

The religious symptoms of papists. 671

Paracelsus’s defence of mineral medicines. 372

How parents wrong their children, 578; how they cause melancholy through generation, 61; through laxity and indulgence, 145.

Passions and emotional disturbances as causes of melancholy, 89; how they affect the body, 90; their classifications, 97; how they are regulated and relieved, 289.

Particular cures for all three kinds of melancholy. 482

How disorders in particular organs cause melancholy. 174

People affected by religious melancholy. 641

The passions of lovers. 418,419

Patience as a cure for misery. 352

The qualities required of a patient who wishes to be cured, 228: patience, confidence and generosity; he should not prescribe for himself, 230. What he must do himself, 291; disclose his grief to a friend, 293.

An exhortatory address to those troubled in mind. 706

Pennyroyal as a remedy for melancholy. 378

Persuasion as a means of curing love melancholy, 564; other melancholy, 296.

Lovers’ perjury, 501; forgiven, 496.

The perversity and pride of lovers. 581

What imagination is. 24

How Philip the Good treated a countryman. 278

Philosophers criticized, 122; their errors, same page.

Love potions as a cause of love melancholy, 498; how they cure melancholy, 572.

Bloodletting as a cause of melancholy, 80; how and when it should be used for melancholy, 393; for melancholy of the head, 397.

Frenzy described. 8

The physician’s miseries, 133; the qualities of a good physician, 227.

Medicine criticized, 359; commended, 364; when it should be used, same page.

Signs of melancholy in bodily appearance. 59

Pictures as remedies for melancholy, 279; as causes of love melancholy, 494.

The planets inhabited. 253

The effects of plague. 4

Notable plays and public spectacles. 274

Pleasant palaces. 267

Pleasant objects of love. 419

A pleasing tone and voice as a cause of love melancholy. 492

Why poets are poor. 132

Poetry as a symptom of being in love. 539

Poetic cures for love melancholy. 577

The miseries of the poor, 157; their happiness, 337; they are dear to God, 343.

Politicians’ tricks. 647

Pork as a food that produces melancholy. 66

The mockery of Pope Leo X. 149

Possession by devils. 10

The power of spirits. 50

Poverty and want as causes of melancholy; their effects, 154. Being poor is no great misery, 319.

Preparatory medicines and purges for melancholy. 385

Predestination misunderstood as a cause of despair. 713

How priests cause religious melancholy. 649

The discontents of princes. 110

Pride and praise as causes of melancholy. 121

Preventive measures in treating jealousy. 623

The progress of love melancholy illustrated. 487

Prognoses or outcomes of love melancholy, 549; of despair, 630; of jealousy, 616; of melancholy, 212.

The disturbances caused by precedence. 102

Precious stones and metals as alteratives for melancholy. 370

A view as a remedy for melancholy. 262

Prosperity as a cause of misery. 347

Profitable objects of love. 417

Lovers’ declarations and deceptive promises. 496

False prophets: their tricks, 653; their symptoms, 672.

Pulses, peas and beans as causes of melancholy. 68

How the pulse is affected in melancholic people. 179

The pulse as a sign of love melancholy. 505

Purges and preparatory medicines for melancholy of the head. 385

Simple medicines that purge upwards, 376; downwards, 378.

How purging causes melancholy. 79

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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.