The Anatomy of Melancholy

The word. Secure can mean safe, confidently untroubled, or heedlessly complacent; as a verb it can mean protect. Security can be welcome freedom from anxiety or an unwarranted sense of spiritual safety.

In Burton. The satire attacks confident ridicule and the counsel against complacency urges vigilance. A medical prognosis instead uses secure comparatively for a less dangerous condition. The Solomonic-book story condemns confidence in remedies that displaces religious duty, while consolation for lost wealth praises freedom from care. In religious controversy and counsel, security again means complacency. Betony is finally said to secure, or protect, places.

The places. Securely describes uncritical confidence in ridiculing others. (p. 40; DJR-011-24.) Be not secure warns against complacency. (p. 178; DJR-057-51.) Most secure describes a comparatively safe form of illness. (p. 212; DJR-065-06.) Trust in remedies is said to make people complacent. (p. 223; DJR-068-17.) Security names freedom from anxiety after loss. (p. 335; DJR-092-53.) Secure is a polemical label for spiritual complacency. (p. 638; DJR-152-21.) Mercy without judgement is said to produce complacency. (p. 698; DJR-164-34.) Secure is the protective action attributed to betony. (p. 721; DJR-169-09.)

In this edition. “securely deride” → “confidently ridicule” (DJR-011-24); “Be not secure” → “Do not be complacent” (DJR-057-51); “most secure” → “the safest” (DJR-065-06); “made the people secure” → “made the people complacent” (DJR-068-17); “Security succeeds” → “Freedom from anxiety follows” (DJR-092-53); “worldly, secure” → “worldly, complacent” (DJR-152-21); “the other security” → “the other complacency” (DJR-164-34); “did secure such places” → “protecting the places” (DJR-169-09). Context determines whether freedom from fear is praised, blamed or merely described. No single equivalent replaces all eight uses.

See also. Faith and assurance; Desperate; Plausible.

Seed

Source forms: spermatical; Seed-veins; seed

The word. Seed can mean semen or generative material. Spermatical parts are parts said to derive from seed; seed-veins are seminal vessels in the older anatomical vocabulary.

In Burton. The division of uniform bodily parts distinguishes those supposedly derived from seed from fleshy parts. The account of melancholy then attributes illness to retained or altered reproductive matter, including semen and menstrual blood. Both belong to historical theories of bodily formation and nourishment.

The places. Spermatical names one class of uniform bodily parts. (p. 15; DJR-023-38.) Seed-veins and retained seed enter the proposed explanation of melancholy. (p. 175; DJR-057-11.)

In this edition. “Spermatical” → “derive from seed” (DJR-023-38); “Seed-veins” → “seminal vessels” (DJR-057-11); “seed too long detained” → “semen retained too long” (DJR-057-11). The anatomical phrase is modernized to seminal vessels; semen clarifies seed in the causal claim. Melancholy in the same sentence can mean the supposed morbid humour.

See also. Maternal impressions; Venery.

Self love

Source forms: Philautia

The word. Philautia means self-love. In this subsection it belongs to the cluster of pride, vainglory and excessive delight in praise rather than a neutral recommendation of care for oneself.

In Burton. The heading lists self-love among possible causes of melancholy. The later example exposes the paradox of being proud of one’s humility: apparent contempt for public praise can become inward self-congratulation.

The places. Philautia introduces the subsection on self-love and praise. (p. 121; DJR-045-11.) Pride in humility illustrates self-regard surviving its apparent rejection. (p. 124; DJR-045-46.)

In this edition. “Philautia, or Self-love” → “Self-love” (DJR-045-11); “self-conceit of sanctity” → “a conceit of holiness” (DJR-045-46). Self-love states the Greek term’s meaning directly. The related example explains the subsection’s moral concern without repeating philautia.

See also. Love.

Sensible

Source forms: sensibles; sensitive; sensible soul; sensible