The Anatomy of Melancholy

In Burton. Burton reports the definition of soul as the first act of an organized body capable of life, then develops it in his account of the rational soul. Much later, the distinction between power and act becomes a consolatory analogy: a child has rational capacity before exercising it, as a troubled person may desire repentance before accomplishing it. The shared vocabulary connects different arguments without making them identical.

The places. The Aristotelian definition of soul as first actuality. (p. 19–20; DJR-024-21.) The rational soul includes the powers of the other faculties. (p. 27; DJR-026-22.) Potential and exercise illustrate delayed repentance. (p. 710; DJR-167-08.)

In this edition. “first act” → “first actuality” (DJR-024-21); “first substantial act” → “first substantial actuality” (DJR-026-22); “rational in power, not in act” → “rational in potential, though not in its exercise” (DJR-167-08). The modern text uses “exercise” in the consolatory comparison and “actuality” in the philosophical definitions.

See also. Soul; Inseparable and individual; Intellect.

Admire

Source forms: admired

The word. Admire can mean to wonder at or find astonishing, without implying approval. Its past tense admired is the attested form here.

In Burton. Burton describes elaborate cookery and reports Adrian VI’s reaction to the accounts of his predecessor Leo X. The surrounding language condemns excessive luxury and expense. Taking admired as appreciative praise would obscure the astonishment that the context supplies.

The places. Adrian is astonished by the accounts of elaborate dishes. (p. 72; DJR-034-46.)

In this edition. “so much admired” → “found so astonishing” (DJR-034-46). The rendering conveys wonder while leaving the passage’s judgment of extravagance explicit.

See also. Art; Antick.

Adust

Source forms: adust; choler adust; adustion

The word. Adust describes a humour supposedly scorched or burnt by excessive internal heat. Adustion names that process of alteration in historical humoral explanation.

In Burton. The synopsis lists an adust humour among the inward causes of head melancholy. In the discussion of demonic causation, Burton reports a model in which even a supernatural cause operates through altered bodily humour. His later account of symptoms varies their character according to which humour has been scorched. The term therefore concerns a proposed material transformation and its effects.

The places. A scorched humour appears in the causal synopsis. (p. 98; DJR-020-31.) Burnt choler mediates the reported account of demonic causation. (p. 52–53; DJR-031-16.) Different scorched humours supposedly produce different symptoms. (p. 191; DJR-060-15.)

In this edition. “adust” → “scorched” (DJR-020-31); “choler adust” → “burnt choler” (DJR-031-16); “adustion” → “scorched” (DJR-060-15). “Scorched” and “burnt” retain the physical image underlying the theory.

See also. Melancholy.

Adventitious

Source forms: adventious; adventitious

The word. Adventitious means coming from outside or acquired rather than innate. Burton’s shorter form adventious belongs to the same contextual family.

In Burton. At the transition from external to internal causes, the hunter’s circuit of the forest becomes a figure for surveying outward adventious causes. Later, the contrasts applied to the humours include innate and adventitious. The first usage concerns the origin of a cause; the second concerns the acquisition of a bodily condition.

The places. The survey moves from external causes to internal ones. (p. 172; DJR-056-40.) Acquired humours are distinguished from innate ones. (p. 190 [second occurrence]; DJR-060-09.)

In this edition. “outward adventious causes” → “external, adventitious causes” (DJR-056-40); “innate or adventitious” → “innate or acquired” (DJR-060-09). The retained term in the first passage is clarified by “external”; the second passage makes the innate/acquired contrast explicit.

See also. Cause; Artificial.

Affection

Source forms: Affection