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Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Parallel Edition

Robert Burton

The Anatomy of Melancholy

1651 English with a close modern English rendering

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The Anatomy of MelancholyTo the Reader

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Facing Pages · Branch 1093 of 1495

To the Reader

Book Mode

1651 English

unnumbered Table and closing notice

To the Reader.

Be pleased to know (Courteous Reader) that since the last Impression of this Book, the ingenuous Author of it is deceased, leaving a Copy of it exactly corrected, with severall considerable Additions by his own hand; This Copy he committed to my care and custody, with directions to have those Additions inserted in the next Edition; which in order to his command, and the Publike Good, is faithfully performed in this last Impression.

H. C.

Printed by R. W. for Henry Cripps of Oxford, and are to be sold by Andrew Crook in Pauls Church-yard, and by Henry Cripps and Lodowick Lloyd in Popes-head Ally. 1651.

unnumbered Table and closing notice

The Anatomy of Melancholy: To the Reader

p. 1093

To the Reader

Please know, courteous reader, that since the previous printing of this book its gifted author has died, leaving a carefully corrected copy with several substantial additions in his own hand. He entrusted this copy to my care and keeping, with instructions to have those additions inserted in the next edition. In obedience to his wishes, and for the public good, this has been faithfully carried out in the present printing.

H. C.

Printed by R. W. for Henry Cripps of Oxford, and sold by Andrew Crook in St Paul’s Churchyard, and by Henry Cripps and Lodowick Lloyd in Pope’s Head Alley. 1651.

1093

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.