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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 MelancholySource Record

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English Introduction · Branch 1212 of 1495

Source Record

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Source Record

p. 1212

Scan 404; printed 292 [296]; sequence 304; image block84-source-404.png. Printed 292 in error between 295 and 297; recorded as 292 [296]. All body and five margins z,dagger Nisi prius,asterisk E graeco,a,b. Displayed three-line Latin adaptation retained. Final which continues was no Indian plant on 405; footer was is catchword.

Scan 405; printed 297; sequence 305; image block84-source-405.png. All body and eleven margins dagger Lib.12,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,k,l,m. The initial dagger belongs to Cicero letters, not Julian. Final rational continues Physick on 406; footer Physick is catchword. Marginal afflictus and inprimit retained with explanation.

Scan 406; printed 298; sequence 306; image block84-source-406.png. Opening continuation through I read a multitude of examples, of melancholy men cured by such artificial inventions. All eight margins dagger Platter,n,o,p,q,r,s,t belong to this block. Subsection 3 Musick a remedy and its following paragraph are reserved for 085. That new body ends Wine and musick; footer rejoyce is catchword.

Opening words: Subsect. 2. Help from friends by counsell, comfort, fair and foul means, witty devices, satisfaction, alteration of his course of life, removing objects, &c.

Closing words: I read a multitude of examples, of melancholy men cured by such artificial inventions.

Passages DJR-085-01 to DJR-085-43

Source page labels: 298–303 (sequence 306–311). Scan pages: 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411.

Scan 406; printed 298; sequence 306; image block84-source-406.png. Begin Subsection 3 heading Musick a remedy and following body Many and sundry are the means. Earlier body and every margin on this page belong to 084. Final Wine and musick continues rejoyce the heart on 407; footer rejoyce is a catchword.

Scan 407; printed 299; sequence 307; image block84-source-407.png. All body and eleven margins u,x,y,z,a,b,c,d,dagger Lib.de Natali,e,dagger Arbores, including both footer continuations. Final as common experience evinceth continues are much affected on 408; footer are is a catchword. Quæ à spiritus and cruentum sævitiam retained as printed.

Scan 408; printed 300; sequence 308; image block84-source-408.png. All body and twelve margins f,g,h,i,k,l,m,n,o,asterisk Libro9,p,dagger Ista. Full dagger continuation across page foot directly checked: tripudiaturum, not tripudiantium. Final Lucian in his continues book de saltatione on 409; footer book is a catchword.

Scan 409; printed 301; sequence 309; image block85-source-409.png. All body and eight margins q,asterisk3.Delegibus,r,s,t,u,x,y, including full footer continuations. Completes Subsection3 and begins Subsection4. Marginal ve retained without supplying l. Final and continues well they deserve it on 410; footer well is a catchword.

Scan 410; printed 302; sequence 310; image block85-source-410.png. All body and fifteen margins z,a,b,c,dagger Homericum,asteriskPlaut,d,e,f,g,daggerPar5,h,i,daggerDypnosoph,asteriskUt, including footer continuations f,g. Two-line Plautus adaptation displayed. Final wench that continues could play on 411; footer could is a catchword.

Scan 411; printed 303; sequence 311; image block85-source-411.png. Opening continuation through as we do sauce to our meats. First three margins asteriskTom2,daggerEpistfam,eValerMax included. One-line Horace reed-riding fragment included. Next So did Scipio and Lælius, with following Latin/English four-line verse and Horace asterisk and all later margins, reserved for086. Running head incorrectly gives Member2 instead ofMember6.

Opening words: Subsect. 3. Musick a remedy.

Closing words: as we do sauce to our meats.

Passages DJR-086-01 to DJR-086-47

Source page labels: 303–308 (sequence 311–316). Scan pages: 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416.

Scan 411; printed 303; sequence 311; image block85-source-411.png. Begin So did Scipio and Lælius and continue to page end. Seven margins: asterisk Horace, f,g,h,dagger Ecclesiastes,i,k. Body reference to John of Salisbury is printed h but corresponds to margin g. Earlier body and first three margins belong to085. Four-line Latin verse and separate four-line Burton English retained. Final epigram introduction continues with Moll on412; footer Moll is a catchword. Running head incorrectly says Member2 instead of6.

1212

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.