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 6 Against Envy, Spite, Rivalry, Hatred, Ambition, Self-Love and All…

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Member 6 Against Envy, Spite, Rivalry, Hatred, Ambition, Self-Love and All…

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1651 English

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I was once so mad to bussell abroad, and seek about for preferment, tyre my self, and trouble all my friends, sed nihil labor tantus profecit; nam dum alios amicorum mors avocat, aliis ignotus sum, his invisus, alii largè promittunt, intercedunt illi mecum soliciti, hi vanâ spe lactant; dum alios ambio, hos capto, illis innotesco, ætas perit, anni defluunt, amici fatigantur, ego deseror, & jam, mundi tæsus, humanæque satur infidelitatis acquiesco.

And so I say still; although I may not deny, but that I have had some bountifull patrons, and noble benefactors, ne sim interim ingratus, and I do thankfully acknowledge it, I have received some kindness, quod Deus illis beneficium rependat, si non pro votis, fortasse pro meritis, more peradventure then I deserve, though not to my desire; more of them then I did expect, yet not of others to my desert; neither am I ambitious or covetous, all this while, or a Suffenus to my self: what I have said, without prejudice or alteration shall stand.

And now as a mired horse that struggles at first with all his might and main to get out, but when he sees no remedy, that his beating will not serve, lies still, I have laboured in vain, rest satisfied, and if I may usurpe that of Prudentius,

Inveni portum, spes & fortuna valete, Nil mihi vobiscum, ludite nunc alios.Mine haven’s found, fortune and hope adieu, Mock others now, for I have done with you.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Member 6 Against Envy, Spite, Rivalry, Hatred, Ambition, Self-Love and All…

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I was once foolish enough to bustle abroad, seek advancement everywhere, exhaust myself and trouble all my friends. “But all that labour achieved nothing. For while death calls away some of my friends, to others I am unknown, to others unwelcome. Some promise generously; others anxiously intercede with me; others feed me empty hopes. While I solicit some, court others and make myself known to others, my life slips away, the years flow past, my friends grow weary, I am abandoned; and now, tired of the world and sated with human faithlessness, I settle down.”

And I still say so, although I cannot deny that I have had generous patrons and noble benefactors—“lest I meanwhile prove ungrateful”—and I thankfully acknowledge it. I have received some kindness—“may God repay them for that benefit”—“if not according to my wishes, perhaps according to my merits”: perhaps more than I deserve, though less than I desire; more from them than I expected, yet less from others than I deserved. All this while I am neither ambitious nor greedy, nor a Suffenus in my own estimation. What I have said shall stand, without qualification or alteration.

And now, like a horse stuck in the mud, which at first struggles with all its strength to get out but lies still when it sees there is no remedy and its flailing will do no good, I have laboured in vain and rest content; and, if I may borrow those words of Prudentius:

I have found harbour; hope and fortune, farewell. I have nothing more to do with you; make sport of others now.

My haven is found; fortune and hope, farewell. Mock others now, for I have done with you.

7157.Burton turns from general advice to his own frustrated search for advancement. His Latin is translated in full. The printed intercedunt illi mecum, literally “those men intercede with me”, is awkward in context; it is retained rather than silently changed to “for me”. A specific borrowed source for this Latin passage has not been established.

7159.Suffenus, in Catullus 22, is a writer delighted by his own bad verse, and here signifies self-flattery. Burton acknowledges patrons yet continues to weigh what he received against what he wanted or deserved. The margin names Lady Francis, dowager Countess of Exeter, and Lord Berkley; fuller biographical identification is deferred.

7161.Usurpe here means appropriate or borrow. Burton attributes the couplet to Prudentius and supplies a Greek derivation and a tomb inscription in the margin. Its transmission and attribution require further collation: this draft does not certify it as a work of Prudentius. Both the fresh translation and Burton’s English couplet are retained.

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.