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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 MelancholyS

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Modern English Page · Branch 1087 of 1495

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Book Mode

1651 English

unnumbered Table and closing notice

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Saints aid rejected in mel. 224

Sallets censured 67

Sanguine mel. signs 191

Scilla or Sea Onyon, a purger of mel. 376

Scipio’s continency 551

Scoffes, calumnies, bitter jests, how they cause mel. 148. their Antidote 359

Scholars miseries 129

Scripture misconstrued cause of religious mel. 713. cure of mel. 284

Scorzonera good against mel. 368

Sea sick good physick for mel. 369

Self-love cause of mel. his effects 121

Sensible soul and his parts 22

Senses why and how deluded in mel. 210

Sentences selected out of humane Authors 359

Servitude cause of mel. 152. it and imprisonment eased 338

Several mens delights and recreations 264

Severe Tutors and Guardians causes of melancholy 144

Shame and disgrace how causes of melancholy, their effects 99

Sickness for our good 313

Sighs and tears sympt. of love-mel. 503

Sight a principal cause of love-mel. 452

Signs of honest love 623

Simples censured proper to mel. 366. fit to be known 367. purging mel. upward 376. downward purging simples 378

Similar parts of the body 15

Singing a symptome of lovers, 532. cause of love-mel. 484

Sin the impulsive cause of mans misery 2

Single life and virginity commended 570 their prerogatives ibid.

Slavery of lovers 523

Sleep and waking causes of melanch. 88 by what means procured, helped 396

Small bodies have greatest wits 313

Smelling what 23

Smiling a cause of love-mel. 471

Sodomy 441

Soldiers most part lascivious 603

Solitariness cause of mel. 87. coact, voluntary, how good 88. sign of mel. 188

Sorrow his effect 96. a cause of mel. 96, a sympt. of mel. 183. eased by counsel 340

Soul defined, his faculties, 20. ex traduce as some hold 26

Spleen his site, 17. how mis-affected cause of mel. 174

Spices how causes of mel. 70

Spirits in the body what 14,15

Spirits and Divels their orders, kinds, power, &c. 43

Spots in the Sun 257

Spruceness a symptome of lovers 534

Stars how causes or signs of mel. 57. of love mel. 443. of jealousie 596

Step-mother her mischiefes 169

Stomack distempered cause of mel. 174

Stones like birds, beasts, fishes, &c. 244

Stewes why allowed 634

Strange Nurses when best 143

Study over-much cause of mel. 125. why & how 126,193,207. study good against melanch. 278,279

Subterranean Divels 50

Supernatural causes of mel. 37

Suspition and jealousie sympt. of mel. 185 how caused 206

Superstitious effects, symptomes 665 how it domineers 640,667

Surfetting and drunkenness taxed 72

Swallows, Cuckows, &c. where are they in winter 242

Sweet tunes and singing causes of love-melancholy 484

Symptomes or signs of mel. in the body 178. mind 180. from starrs, members, 190. from education, custom, continuance of time, mixt with other diseases 194. Symptomes of head-mel. 198. of hypocondriacal mel. 199. of the whole body, 201. Symptomes of Nuns, Maids, Widows, mel. 202. immediate causes of mel. symptomes, 205. Symptomes of love mel. 503. cause of these symptomes, 299. symptomes of a lover pleased, 511. dejected, ibid. of a great man in love 36. symptomes of Jealousie, 608. of Religious mel. 660. of despair. 701

The Anatomy of Melancholy: S

p. 1087

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The aid of saints rejected in treating melancholy. 224

Salads criticized. 67

Signs of sanguine melancholy. 191

Squill, or sea onion, as a purge for melancholy. 376

Scipio’s sexual self-restraint. 551

How mockery, slander and bitter jokes cause melancholy, 148; their antidote, 359.

The miseries of scholars. 129

Scripture misunderstood as a cause of religious melancholy, 713; Scripture as a cure for melancholy, 284.

Scorzonera as a remedy for melancholy. 368

Seasickness as beneficial treatment for melancholy. 369

Self-love as a cause of melancholy; its effects. 121

The sensitive soul and its parts. 22

Why and how the senses are deceived in melancholy. 210

Maxims selected from secular authors. 359

Servitude as a cause of melancholy, 152; servitude and imprisonment alleviated, 338.

The pleasures and recreations of different people. 264

Harsh tutors and guardians as causes of melancholy. 144

How shame and disgrace cause melancholy; their effects. 99

Sickness as a means to our good. 313

Sighs and tears as symptoms of love melancholy. 503

Sight as a principal cause of love melancholy. 452

Signs of honourable love. 623

Simple medicines for melancholy evaluated, 366; those worth knowing, 367; medicines that purge melancholy upwards, 376; simple medicines that purge downwards, 378.

The body’s uniform parts. 15

Singing as a symptom of being in love, 532; as a cause of love melancholy, 484.

Sin as the impelling cause of human misery. 2

The single life and virginity commended, 570; their advantages, same page.

The slavery of lovers. 523

Sleep and wakefulness as causes of melancholy, 88; ways of inducing sleep and relieving sleeplessness, 396.

Small bodies have the greatest intelligence. 313

What smell is. 23

Smiling as a cause of love melancholy. 471

Sodomy. 441

Soldiers are mostly lustful. 603

Solitude as a cause of melancholy, 87; forced and voluntary solitude, and how it is beneficial, 88; as a sign of melancholy, 188.

Sorrow: its effect, 96; a cause of melancholy, 96; a symptom of melancholy, 183; relieved by counsel, 340.

The soul defined; its faculties, 20; transmitted through generation, as some maintain, 26.

The spleen’s position, 17; how its disorders cause melancholy, 174.

How spices cause melancholy. 70

What the bodily spirits are. 14,15

Spirits and devils: their orders, kinds, power and so forth. 43

Spots on the sun. 257

Smartness of dress as a symptom of being in love. 534

How the stars are causes or signs of melancholy, 57; of love melancholy, 443; of jealousy, 596.

The harm caused by a stepmother. 169

A disordered stomach as a cause of melancholy. 174

Stones resembling birds, beasts, fish and so forth. 244

Why brothels are permitted. 634

When nurses from outside the family are best. 143

Excessive study as a cause of melancholy, 125; why and how, 126,193,207. Study as a remedy for melancholy, 278,279.

Subterranean devils. 50

Supernatural causes of melancholy. 37

Suspicion and jealousy as symptoms of melancholy, 185; how they are caused, 206.

The effects and symptoms of superstition, 665; how it dominates, 640,667.

Overeating and drunkenness criticized. 72

Where swallows, cuckoos and other birds are in winter. 242

Sweet melodies and singing as causes of love melancholy. 484

Symptoms or signs of melancholy in the body, 178; in the mind, 180; from the stars and bodily parts, 190; from upbringing, habit and the passage of time, mixed with other diseases, 194. Symptoms of melancholy of the head, 198; hypochondriacal melancholy, 199; melancholy throughout the body, 201. Symptoms of melancholy in nuns, unmarried women and widows, 202; immediate causes of melancholic symptoms, 205. Symptoms of love melancholy, 503; causes of these symptoms, 299; symptoms of a happy lover, 511; of a dejected lover, same page; of a great man in love, 36; symptoms of jealousy, 608; of religious melancholy, 660; of despair, 701.

13348.Similar parts are bodily materials understood as uniform throughout, such as flesh or bone, in contrast to organs composed of several kinds of material. The distinction appears in the anatomical survey.

13349.Ex traduce means derived or propagated through generation. Burton is reporting the view that the soul is transmitted from the parents, a disputed question which he distinguishes from the description of its faculties.

13350.Bodily spirits are the subtle physiological agents of older medicine. They are distinct from the supernatural spirits and devils in the following entry.

13351.Several locators in this composite entry are doubtful, notably 299 for causes of the symptoms of love melancholy and 36 for a great man in love. These destinations remain unresolved and unlinked; both numbers are unchanged in the parallel columns. Hypochondriacal melancholy here refers to Burton’s bodily and humoral category, not simply anxiety about illness.

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.