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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 MelancholySubsection 2. Divisions of the Body, Humours and Spirits.

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Facing Pages · Branch 145 of 1495

Subsection 2. Divisions of the Body, Humours and Spirits.

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1651 English

15

Of these spirits there be three kinds, according to the three principall parts, Brain, Heart, Liver; Natural, Vital, Animal. The Natural are begotten in the Liver, and thence dispersed through the Veins, to perform those natural actions. The Vital Spirits are made in the Heart of the Natural, which by the Arteries are transported to all the other parts: if these Spirits cease, then life ceaseth, as in a Syncope or Swouning. The Animal spirits formed of the Vital, brought up to the Brain, and diffused by the Nerves, to the subordinate Members, give sense and motion to them all.

15

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Subsection 2. Divisions of the Body, Humours and Spirits.

p. 145

There are three kinds of spirit, corresponding to the three principal organs—the brain, heart and liver: natural, vital and animal. Natural spirits are generated in the liver and distributed through the veins to carry out the natural functions. Vital spirits are made in the heart from the natural spirits and conveyed through the arteries to all the other parts. If these spirits cease, life ceases, as in syncope or fainting. Animal spirits, formed from the vital spirits, are carried up to the brain and distributed through the nerves to the parts under its control, giving sensation and movement to them all.

145

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.