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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 3 Music as a Remedy

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Modern English Page · Branch 528 of 1495

Subsection 3 Music as a Remedy

Book Mode

1651 English

301

Otherwise, saith Plutarch, Musica magis dementat quam vinum; Musick makes some men mad as a tygre; like Astolphos horn in Ariosto: or Mercuries golden wand in Homer, that made some wake, others sleep, it hath divers effects: and Theophrastus right well prophesied, that diseases were either procured by Musick, or mitigated.

301

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Subsection 3 Music as a Remedy

p. 528

Otherwise, as Plutarch says, “music drives people out of their senses more than wine.” Music makes some people as wild as a tiger. Like Astolfo’s horn in Ariosto, or Mercury’s golden wand in Homer, which wakes some and sends others to sleep, it has different effects. Theophrastus rightly foretold that illnesses could either be brought on by music or relieved by it.

528

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.