The Anatomy of Melancholy

The places. Burton identifies his profession. (p. 3; DJR-002-01.) Divine praises Seneca. (p. 5; DJR-003-05.) Divines names the distressed clergy. (p. 135; DJR-048-01.)

In this edition. “a Divine” → “a theologian” (DJR-002-01); “divine Seneca” → “divine Seneca” (DJR-003-05); “our Divines” → “our clergy” (DJR-048-01). Theologian and clergy specify the noun’s institutional senses. The adjective remains, with its rhetorical sense explained by the note.

See also. Casuists; Schoolmen; Professor; Humane learning.

Dotage

Source forms: dotage; dote; still dotage

The word. Dotage can name delusion or disordered reasoning; to dote can mean to lose reason or become delirious. It need not imply old age. Still dotage means quiet mental derangement, with still describing its subdued character.

In Burton. The prefatory catalogue includes dotage among the many literal and figurative senses gathered under melancholy. A reported case concerns a young man who suddenly loses his reason. In another definition, still dotage accompanies sorrow and bodily pain that come and go in fits.

The places. Dotage appears in the broad catalogue of melancholy. (p. 18; DJR-007-08.) A young man is said to begin to dote. (p. 56; DJR-031-53.) Still dotage belongs to an intermittent condition. (p. 202; DJR-062-32.)

In this edition. “dotage” → “delusion” (DJR-007-08); “began to dote on a sudden” → “he suddenly lost his reason” (DJR-031-53); “still dotage” → “quiet mental derangement” (DJR-062-32). The renderings distinguish delusion, an abrupt loss of reason and a quiet disturbance. They avoid making advanced age part of each occurrence.

See also. Madness; Silly.

Dowry and jointure

Source forms: dowers; portion; indotatus; joynters

The word. A dowry or marriage portion is property brought into a marriage. Jointure names property or income settled for a wife, especially for her widowhood. Dowers in the cited proposal means dowries; the local sense should not be replaced by the distinct legal sense of a widow’s dower.

In Burton. Burton’s imagined social order regulates marriage payments, while his account of household burdens lists jointures among financial obligations. The poverty of learning receives two marriage metaphors: the Muses lack portions, and an unappointed scholar is indotatus, without a dowry—that is, without money to secure advancement.

The places. The proposed commonwealth regulates dowries. (p. 66; DJR-017-05.) Jointures appear among charges on a household. (p. 69; DJR-017-32.) The Muses lack marriage portions. (p. 133; DJR-047-27.) An impoverished scholar is called indotatus. (p. 142 [printed 128]; DJR-049-28.)

In this edition. “great dowers” → “large dowries” (DJR-017-05); “joynters” → “jointures” (DJR-017-32); “no portion” → “no dowries” (DJR-047-27); “indotatus” → “without a dowry” (DJR-049-28). Dowry clarifies both the financial arrangement and the satire. Jointure remains as the more specific provision and is explained locally.

See also. Affinity and consanguinity; Venery; Suit; Mistress; Legal evidence.

Eclegme

Source forms: eclegmes

The word. An eclegme is a medicine taken by licking, also called a lincture or linctus. The name identifies a form of administration within the list of prepared medicines.

In Burton. The synopsis places eclegmes among compounds taken internally. They occur with theriac and mithridate under confections in the thicker branch of liquid preparations. Their position in the scheme helps explain why a general word such as medicine alone would lose useful information.

The places. Eclegmes occur in the synopsis of compound medicines. (scan p. 324; DJR-067-15.)

In this edition. “Eclegmes or Linctures” → “medicines taken by licking, or linctuses” (DJR-067-15). The modern wording gives both the action and a related technical term, allowing the reader to follow the classification.

See also. Receipt.

Ecstasy

Source forms: extasies; Extasie; Extasis