The Anatomy of Melancholy

The word. Common sense is an internal faculty that receives and combines what the separate senses perceive. In this technical usage it does not mean ordinary practical judgment.

In Burton. Burton’s account of the brain assigns common sense to the ventricles associated with animal spirits, sensation and movement. His fuller definition calls it the judge or governor of the other senses: it compares sounds, colours and other sensory forms. The phrase names a particular power within a system of faculties, with a proposed bodily seat.

The places. The ventricles are identified as the seat of common sense. (p. 19; DJR-024-18.) Common sense judges the evidence brought by the separate senses. (p. 23; DJR-025-17.)

In this edition. “seat of the common sense” → “seat of the common sense” (DJR-024-18); “Judge or Moderator” → “judge or governor” (DJR-025-17). The phrase remains unchanged because it is the name of a faculty; the lexicon supplies the distinction from its familiar everyday sense.

See also. Faculty; Sensible.

Commonwealth

Source forms: body politick; common-wealth

The word. Commonwealth names a political community, including a monarchy. Body politic presents that community as an organized body whose parts can suffer disorder.

In Burton. Burton explicitly extends the language of disease to kingdoms, provinces and political bodies. The analogy compares bodily humours with the disorders of a commonwealth. His subsequent list of public grievances includes oppression, broken privileges and unfit magistrates. These examples make government and social organization part of the book’s enlarged anatomy of illness.

The places. Kingdoms and other political communities are compared with diseased bodies. (p. 46; DJR-013-01.) Public grievances harm the political body. (p. 47; DJR-013-10.)

In this edition. “common-wealth” → “commonwealth” (DJR-013-01); “body politick” → “political body” (DJR-013-10). Commonwealth is retained without narrowing it to a republican constitution. Political body preserves the governing bodily analogy.

See also. Policy; Estate; Calling; Custom and education; Manure.

Complement

Source forms: complement; vulgar complement

The word. Complement can name a courtesy or social observance; it can also mean completion or fulfilment. The spelling alone does not decide between these senses.

In Burton. In the symptom catalogue, an omitted small complement can be felt as contempt, while another passage describes reluctance to perform vulgar complement, ordinary courtesies. In the discussion of charity, works of mercy are the complement of love: they bring love into fulfilment through action. The later theological use must remain distinct from the social formality.

The places. An omitted courtesy is interpreted as neglect. (p. 185; DJR-059-15.) Ordinary courtesies are avoided. (p. 185–186; DJR-059-24.) Works of mercy complete the exercise of love. (p. 637; DJR-152-12.)

In this edition. “small complement” → “small courtesy” (DJR-059-15); “vulgar complement” → “ordinary courtesies” (DJR-059-24); “complement of Love” → “completion of love” (DJR-152-12). Courtesy and completion keep the two senses separate; vulgar here means ordinary.

See also. Conversation; Charity.

Complexion and temperament

Source forms: temperature; temperament; complexion; distemperature; Crasis; temperatures; temper

The word. Complexion, temperament, temperature and crasis can name bodily constitution or a mixture and balance of qualities. Distemperature denotes a disordered state. Temper can also describe the inherent constitution of something other than a human body.