The Anatomy of Melancholy

Name: The Anatomy of Melancholy
Author: Robert Burton

1651 English with a close modern English rendering

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The Anatomy of MelancholySubsection 2. the Power of Imagination.

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Facing Pages · Branch 248 of 1495

Subsection 2. the Power of Imagination.

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1651 English

Read more of this in Wierus l. 3. de Lamiis, c. 8, 9, 10. Franciscus Valesius med. controv. l. 5. cont. 6. Marcellus Donatus l. 2. c. 1. de hist. med. mirabil. Levinus Lemnius de occult. nat. mir. l. 1. c. 12. Cardan l. 18. de rerum var. Corn. Agrippa de occult. Philos. cap. 64, 65. Camerarius 1. Cent. cap. 54. horarum subcis. Nymannus morat. de Imag. Laurentius, and him that is instar omnium, Fienus, a famous Physitian of Antwerp, that wrote three books de viribus imaginationis.

I have thus far digressed, because this imagination is the medium deferens of passions, by whose means they work and produce many times prodigious effects; and as the phantasie is more or less intended or remitted, and their humours disposed, so do perturbations move more or less, and take deeper impression.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Subsection 2. the Power of Imagination.

p. 248

Read more about this in Weyer, On Witches, book 3, chapters 8, 9 and 10; Francisco Vallés, Medical Controversies, book 5, controversy 6; Marcello Donati, On Remarkable Medical Histories, book 2, chapter 1; Levinus Lemnius, On the Hidden Wonders of Nature, book 1, chapter 12; Cardan, On the Variety of Things, book 18; Cornelius Agrippa, Occult Philosophy, chapters 64 and 65; Camerarius, Leisure Hours, first hundred, chapter 54; Nymannus’s discourse On Imagination; Laurentius; and the man who “is worth all the rest,” Fienus, a famous physician of Antwerp who wrote three books On the Powers of Imagination.

I have digressed this far because imagination is the “conveying medium” of the passions: through it they work and often produce extraordinary effects. As imagination is more or less heightened or relaxed, and according to the disposition of the humours, so the passions act with greater or lesser force and make a deeper impression.

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.