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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 MelancholyContextual Lexicon

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English Introduction · Branch 1189 of 1495

Contextual Lexicon

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Contextual Lexicon

p. 1189

alienate his mind — Remedy by diversion.

alterative — Alteratives.

alteratives — Alteratives.

ambodexters — Ambodexter.

ambulones — Demonic apparitions.

an. — Apothecaries measures.

anachorites — Anchorite.

anatomies — Anatomy.

anger — Anger.

animal faculties — Animal faculties.

animal spirits — Spirits.

antick — Antick.

antick picture — Antick.

anticks — Antick.

apologize — Apologize.

apophlegmatisms — Apophlegmatisms.

appetite — Appetite.

apprehensions — Apprehension.

apprehensive — Apprehension.

aquavitæ — Aqua vitae.

art — Art.

artificial — Artificial.

artificial malady — Artificial.

artificiall wildernesses — Artificial.

asininam melancholiam — Melancholy.

aspera arteria — Anatomical arteries.

assation — Concoction.

assurances — Legal evidence.

atra bilis — Melancholy.

aurum potabile — Aurum potabile.

bad ayr — Air.

baffled — Baffle.

bafled — Baffle.

bawd — Bawd.

bewray — Bewray.

bile — Bile and boil.

black choler — Choler.

blazing stars — Meteors.

body politick — Commonwealth.

bowels — Bowels.

brave — Brave.

brave array — Brave.

bravery — Brave.

bugbears — Bugbear.

buggery — Sodomy.

bumbast — Fustian and bombast.

by consent — Consent and essence.

by essence — Consent and essence.

cacexia — Plethora and repletion.

cachexia — Plethora and repletion.

cacochymia — Plethora and repletion.

calentures — Calenture and ague.

calling — Calling.

callings — Calling.

cambium — Radical moisture.

carefull — Careful.

cariages — Carriage.

carnall presumption — Carnal presumption.

carotides — Anatomical arteries.

cast a nativity — Geniture.

casting a nativity — Geniture.

casuists — Casuists.

catoptricks — Catoptrics and perspectives.

cauterized consciences — Cautery.

cautery — Cautery.

censure — Censure.

censured — Censure.

censures — Censure.

cent. — Century.

cento — Cento.

character — Characters.

characters — Characters.

charity — Charity.

cheiromancy — Divination.

chilus — Chyle.

chiromancy — Divination.

chirurgicall — Chirurgery.

choler adust — Adust.

cholerick — Choler.

christian professors — Professor.

church-chopping — Church patronage.

chylus — Chyle.

clarkes — Clerk.

clister — Clister.

clisters — Clister.

clowns — Clown.

clysters — Clister.

cogging — Collogue.

cogitative — Faculty.

cold and dry — Humoral qualities.

colloging — Collogue.

collogue — Collogue.

collogueing — Collogue.

colloguing — Collogue.

combust — Astrological significators.

comfortable speeches — Comfortable.

commodious — Commodity.

commoditie — Commodity.

commodity — Commodity.

common sense — Common sense.

common-wealth — Commonwealth.

complement — Complement.

complexion — Complexion and temperament.

conceipt — Conceit.

conceipted — Conceit.

conceit — Conceit.

conceited — Conceit.

conceited in discourse — Conceit.

conceits — Conceit.

concent — Music and harmony.

conclusions — Experimental.

concoction — Concoction.

concupiscence — Concupiscence.

concupiscible — Concupiscible and irascible.

confection — Confection.

confections — Confection.

confer — Confer and conference.

conference — Confer and conference.

consanguinitie — Affinity and consanguinity.

consanguinity — Affinity and consanguinity.

conscience — Conscience.

consent — Consent and essence.

constancy — Constancy.

constantly — Constancy.

contain — Continence.

continency — Continence.

continent causes — Cause.

contingence — Contingence.

conversation — Conversation.

converse — Conversation.

cordial — Cordial.

cordolium — Heart and cordolium.

corrected — Corrected medicines.

corrosive — Corrosive.

corruption — Generation and corruption.

corsives — Corrosive.

costiveness — Costiveness.

costivenesse — Costiveness.

counterfeit — Counterfeit.

counterfeit crank — Abraham men.

counterfeit cranks — Abraham men.

crased — Crased.

crasie — Crased.

crasis — Complexion and temperament.

crazed — Crased.

creek — Ventricle.

crudities — Concoction.

crudity — Concoction.

cure — Cure.

curiosity — Curiosity.

curious — Curiosity.

curious wroks — Curiosity.

curiously — Curiosity.

debt — Venery.

decoction — Decoction.

defecate — Defecate.

depraved phantasie — Maternal impressions.

despair — Despair.

desperate — Desperate.

diapason — Music and harmony.

dictamen rationis — Synderesis.

diet — Diet and regimen.

dilection — Love.

discipline — Custom and education.

discoursing — Intellect.

dispatch himself — Make away.

disposition — Habit and disposition.

1189

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.