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Robert Burton

The Anatomy of Melancholy

1651 English with a close modern English rendering

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The Anatomy of MelancholySubsection 2. the Definition, Number and Classification of Diseases.

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Facing Pages · Branch 134 of 1495

Subsection 2. the Definition, Number and Classification of Diseases.

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1651 English

7

If you require a more exact division of these ordinary Diseases which are incident to men, I refer you to Physicians; they will tell you of Acute and Chronick, First and Secundary, Lethales, Salutares, Errant, Fixed, Simple, Compound, Connexed, or Consequent, belonging to parts or the whole, in Habit or in Disposition, &c. My division at this time (as most befitting my purpose) shall be into those of the Body and Minde.

For them of the Body, a briefe Catalogue of which Fuschius hath made, Institut lib. 3. sect. 1. cap. 11. I refer you to the voluminous Tomes of Galen, Areteus, Rhasis, Avicenna, Alexander, Paulus Ætius, Gardonerius: And those exact Neotericks, Savanarola, Capivaccius, Donatus Altomarus, Hercules de Saxonia, Mercurialis, Victorius Faventinus, Wecker, Piso, &c. that have methodically and elaborately written of them all. Those of the minde and Head I will briefly handle, and apart.

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The Anatomy of Melancholy: Subsection 2. the Definition, Number and Classification of Diseases.

p. 134

If you want a more precise classification of the ordinary diseases to which people are subject, I refer you to physicians. They will tell you of acute and chronic diseases; primary and secondary; fatal and nonfatal; wandering and fixed; simple, compound, associated or consequent; affecting a part or the whole; established as a habit or present as a disposition, and so on. For now, the division best suited to my purpose is into diseases of the body and diseases of the mind.

For diseases of the body, briefly catalogued by Fuchs in his Institutes, book 3, section 1, chapter 11, I refer you to the massive volumes of Galen, Aretaeus, Rhazes, Avicenna, Alexander, Paulus, Aetius and Gardonerius; and to those meticulous modern writers Savonarola, Capivaccius, Donatus Altomarus, Hercules de Saxonia, Mercurialis, Victorius Faventinus, Wecker, Piso and others, who have treated them all systematically and at length. I shall deal briefly and separately with diseases of the mind and head.

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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.