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Robert Burton

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 MelancholyMember 3. Air Corrected. With a Digression on Air.

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Facing Pages · Branch 454 of 1495

Member 3. Air Corrected. With a Digression on Air.

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1651 English

243

I would examine the Caspian Sea, and see where and how it exonerates it self, after it hath taken in Volga, Iaxares, Oxus, and those great rivers; at the mouth of Oby, or where?

What vent the Mexican lake hath, the Titicacan in Peru, or that circular pool in the vale of Terapeia, of which Acosta l.3. c.16. hot in a cold country, the Spring of which boils up in the middle twenty foot square, and hath no vent but exhalation: and that of Mare mortuum in Palestina, of Thrasumene, at Peruzium in Italy;

the Mediterranean it self. For from the Ocean, at the Straights of Gibralter, there is a perpetuall current into the Levant, and so likewise by the Thracian Bosphorus out of the Euxine or black Sea, besides all those great rivers of Nilus, Padus, Rhodanus, &c. how is this water consumed, by the Sun, or otherwise?

I would find out with Trajan the fountains of Danubius, of Ganges, Oxus, see those Ægyptian Pyramids, Trajans bridge, Grotta de Sybilla, Lucullus Fish-ponds, the Temple of Nidrose, &c.

And, if I could, observe what becomes of Swallowes, Storks, Cranes, Cuckowes, Nightingales, Redstars, and many other kinde of singing birds, water-fowls, Hawks, &c. some of them are onely seen in Summer, some in Winter; some are observed in the snow, and at no other times, each have their seasons. In winter not a bird is in Muscovie to be found, but at the spring in an instant the woods and hedges are full of them, saith Herbastein: how comes it to pass?

Do they sleep in winter, like Gesners Alpine mice; or do they lye hid (as Olaus affirmes) in the bottome of lakes and rivers, spiritum continentes? often so found by Fishermen in Poland and Scandia, two together, mouth to mouth, wing to wing; and when the spring comes they revive again, or if they be brought into a stove, or to the fire side.

Or do they follow the Sun, as Peter Martyr legat. Babylonica l.2. manifestly evicts, out of his own knowledge: for when he was Embassadour in Ægypt, he saw Swallowes, Spanish Kites, and many such other European birds, in December and Ianuary very familiarly flying, and in great abundance, about Alexandria, ubi floridæ tunc arbores ac viridaria.

Or lye they hid in caves, rocks, and hollow trees, as most think, in deep Tin-mines or Sea-cliffes, as Mr Carew gives out? I conclude of them all, for my part, as Munster doth of Cranes and storks: whence they come, whither they goe, incompertum adhuc, as yet we know not. We see them here, some in summer, some in winter: Their comming and going is sure in the night: in the plaines of Asia (saith he) the storkes meet on such a set day, he that comes last is torn in peeces, and so they get them gon.

5351.BurtonPrinted page 243, margin z: “In campis Lovicen. solum visuntur in nive, & ubinam vere, æstate, autumno se occultant. Hermes Polit. l.1. Jul. Bellius.” “In the fields of Lovicen. they are seen only in the snow; and where do they hide themselves in spring, summer and autumn?” Hermes Politicus, book 1, Julius Bellius. The place-name is abbreviated in the source.

5352.BurtonPrinted page 243, margin p: “Statim ineunte vere sylvæ strepunt eorum cantilenis. Muscovit. comment.” “As soon as spring begins, the woods resound with their songs.” Commentary on Muscovy.

5354.BurtonPrinted page 243, margin q: “Immergunt se fluminibus, lacubusque per hyemem totam, &c.” “They immerse themselves in rivers and lakes throughout the winter,” and so on.

5356.BurtonPrinted page 243, margin t: “Cæterasque volucres Pontum hyeme adveniente è nostris regionibus Europeis transvolantes.” “And other birds flying across the Black Sea from our European regions as winter approaches.”

5358.BurtonPrinted page 243, asterisk: “Survay of Cornwall.” Survey of Cornwall.

5359.BurtonPrinted page 243, margin r: “Porro ciconiæ quonam è loco veniant, quò se conferant, incompertum adhuc, agmen venientium, descendentium, [ut gruum venisse cernimus,] nocturnis opinor temporibus. In patentibus Asiæ campis certo die congregant se, eam quæ novissimè advenit lacerant, inde avolant. Cosmog. l.4. c.126.” “Moreover, from what place storks come and where they go is still unknown; their flock arrives and descends [as we see cranes arriving], I think, at night. In the open plains of Asia they gather on a fixed day, tear apart the one that arrives last, and then fly away.” Cosmography, book 4, chapter 126. The bracketed wording is present in Burton’s margin. The elliptical clause about the flock is supplied with “arrives and descends” in translation. Nocturnis opinor temporibus means “at night, I think”; collation with Münster’s own text remains pending.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Member 3. Air Corrected. With a Digression on Air.

p. 454

I would examine the Caspian Sea and see where and how it discharges its water after receiving the Volga, Jaxartes, Oxus and those great rivers: at the mouth of the Ob, or where?

What outlet has the Mexican lake, or Lake Titicaca in Peru, or that circular pool in the valley of Terapeia mentioned by Acosta, book 3, chapter 16? It is hot in a cold country; its spring boils up in the middle over an area twenty feet square, and it has no outlet except evaporation. And what of the Dead Sea in Palestine, or Lake Trasimene by Perugia in Italy;

or the Mediterranean itself? For a perpetual current flows into the Levant from the ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar, and likewise through the Thracian Bosporus from the Euxine, or Black Sea, besides all those great rivers—the Nile, Po, Rhône and the rest. How is all this water used up: by the sun, or otherwise?

I would discover, with Trajan, the sources of the Danube, Ganges and Oxus; see the Egyptian pyramids, Trajan's bridge, the Sibyl's grotto, Lucullus's fishponds, the church of Nidaros, and so forth.

And, if I could, I would observe what becomes of swallows, storks, cranes, cuckoos, nightingales, redstarts and many other kinds of songbirds, waterfowl, hawks and so on. Some are seen only in summer, some in winter; some appear in the snow and at no other time: each has its season. In winter not a bird can be found in Muscovy, but in spring the woods and hedges are suddenly full of them, says Herberstein. How does this happen?

Do they sleep in winter like Gesner's Alpine mice? Or do they lie hidden, as Olaus asserts, at the bottom of lakes and rivers, “holding their breath”? Fishermen in Poland and Scandinavia often find them so, two together, mouth to mouth and wing to wing; and when spring comes they revive, or do so if brought into a heated room or beside the fire.

Or do they follow the sun, as Peter Martyr clearly establishes from his own experience in book 2 of his Babylonian Embassy? When he was ambassador in Egypt, he saw swallows, Spanish kites and many other European birds flying quite freely and in great numbers around Alexandria in December and January, “where the trees and gardens were then in bloom.”

Or do they hide in caves, rocks and hollow trees, as most people think; in deep tin mines or sea cliffs, as Mr Carew reports? For my part I conclude about them all as Münster does about cranes and storks: where they come from and where they go is “still undiscovered”—as yet we do not know. We see them here, some in summer and some in winter. They certainly come and go at night. In the plains of Asia, he says, storks gather on an appointed day; the last to arrive is torn to pieces, and then they depart.

5348.Burton asks after a supposed outlet from the Caspian and includes the Jaxartes and Oxus among its inflowing rivers. Those are the Syr Darya and Amu Darya; this geographical scheme should not be mistaken for their present drainage. The question and its proposed connection to the Ob are retained as historical conjecture.

5349.Vent means an outlet; exhalation here is evaporation. The Mexican lake is not more precisely identified in the text. The Acosta passage and the place-name Terapeia have not yet been collated; the dimensions and description remain Burton’s.

5350.Danubius is the Danube; the Oxus is the Amu Darya. Temple can mean a church: Nidrose is Nidaros, now Trondheim. The wording “with Trajan” is retained without claiming that Trajan reached all three river sources. The precise grotto and monument references still require collation.

5353.Redstars is rendered redstarts. Muscovy is the historical Russian realm. Burton cites Herberstein for the sweeping seasonal contrast, which is retained as a reported observation rather than a complete description of the region’s birdlife.

5355.The passage records the old belief that swallows pass the winter underwater. A stove here is a heated room, not necessarily the heating appliance itself. Burton presents this alongside other explanations before withholding a firm judgement. The alleged fishermen’s observations have not been verified.

5357.Evicts means demonstrates or establishes, not expels. Peter Martyr’s Babylonian Embassy concerns a mission to Egypt; “Babylonian” does not require the location to be the ancient Mesopotamian city. Burton appeals to personal observation reported by his source, while the exact passage remains uncollated.

5360.Burton’s Latin admission of uncertainty and his English gloss are both retained. The marginal Münster passage cautiously says “at night, I think,” whereas Burton says that coming and going certainly occurs at night. The story of the last stork being killed is likewise reported, not verified. The source’s bracketed comparison with cranes remains in the marginal note.

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.