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 MelancholyDemocritus Junior to the Reader

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Facing Pages · Branch 65 of 1495

Democritus Junior to the Reader

Book Mode

1651 English

37–38

To see a man were his brains in his belly, his guts in is head, an hundred oaks on his back, to devour 100 oxen at a meal, nay more, to devour houses and towns, or as those Anthropophagi, to eat one another. To see a man roll himself up like a snow ball, from base beggery to right worshipfull and right honourable titles, injustly to screw himself into honours and offices; another to starve his genius, damn his soul to gather wealth which he shall not enjoy, which his prodigall son melts and consumes in an instant.

To see the κακοζηλίαν of our times, a man bend all his forces, means, time, fortunes, to be a favorites, favorites, favorite, &c. a parasites, parasites, parasite, that may scorn the servile world as having enough already.

To see an hirsute beggars brat, that lately fed on scraps, crept and whin’d, crying to all, and for an old jerkin ran of errands, now ruffle in silk and satten, bravely mounted, jovial and polite, now scorn his old friends and familiars, neglect his kindred, insult over his betters, domineer over all.

To see a scholar crouch and creep to an illiterate pesant for a meals meat; a scrivener better paid for an obligation; a faulkner receive greater wages then a student: a lawyer get more in a day then a philosopher in a year, better reward for an hour, then a scholar for a twelve moneths studie; him that can paint Thais, play on a fiddle, curl hair, &c. sooner get preferment then a philologer or a poet.

To see a fond mother like Æsops ape, hug her child to death, a wittal wink at his wives honesty, and too perspicuous in all other affairs; one stumble at a straw, and leap over a block; rob Peter, and pay Paul; scrape unjust sums with one hand, purchase great Mannors by corruption, fraud and cozenage, and liberally to distribute to the poor with the other, give a remnant to pious uses, &c. Peny wise, pound foolish; Blind men judge of colours; wise men silent, fools talk; finde fault with others, and do worse themselves; denounce that in publike which he doth in secret; and which Aurelius Victor gives out of Augustus, severely censure that in a third, of which he is most guilty himself.

To see a poor fellow, or an hired servant venture his life for his new Master that will scarce give him his wages at years end; A country colone toil and moil, till and drudg for a prodigal idle drone, that devours all the gain, or lasciviously consumes with phantastical expences; A noble man in a bravado to encounter death, and for a small flash of honor to cast away himself: A worldling tremble at an Executor, and yet not fear hel-fire; To wish and hope for immortality, desire to be happy, and yet by all means avoyd death, a necessary passage to bring him to it.

663.Burton[p. 37, m] Agrippa ep. 28. l. 7. Quorum cerebrum est in ventre, ingenium in patinis. Editor: “Whose brain is in their belly, whose intelligence is in their dishes.” Agrippa, Letters, book 7, letter 28, as Burton cites it; the passage has not been independently located.

664.Burton[p. 37, n] Psal. They eat up my people as bread. Editor: Compare Psalms 14:4 and 53:4. The biblical image makes social exploitation a form of cannibalism.

665.Burton[p. 37, o] Absumit hæres cæcuba dignior servata centum clavibus, & mero distinguet pavimentis superbo, pontificum potiore cœnis. Hor. Editor: Horace, Odes 2.14.25–28: an heir more worthy of the Caecuban wine will consume what was kept under a hundred locks and splash the floor with wine finer than that at the pontiffs’ banquets. This gives the sense of the Horatian passage; the note’s altered and grammatically irregular wording, including Absumit and distinguet pavimentis, is retained above.

669.Burton[p. 38, first *] Qui Thaidem pingere, inflare tibiam, crispare crines. Editor: “[One who can] paint Thais, blow the flute, curl hair.” Thais is a conventional courtesan’s name. Burton’s body substitutes a fiddle for the flute. No author is named.

671.Burton[p. 38, s] Doctus spectare lacunar. Editor: “Skilled at looking at the ceiling.” Juvenal, Satires 1.56: the man profits by pretending not to see adultery.

672.Burton[p. 38, t] Tullius. Est enim proprium stultitiæ aliorum cernere vitia, oblivisci suorum. Idem Aristippus Charidemo apud Lucianum. Omnino stultitiæ cujusdam esse puto, &c. Editor: “Cicero: for it is characteristic of folly to see others’ faults and forget one’s own. Likewise Aristippus to Charidemus in Lucian: I consider it altogether a kind of folly, etc.” The first sentence is Cicero, Tusculan Disputations 3.73. The Lucian attribution has not been securely located.

673.Burton[p. 38, second *] Execrari publice quod occultè agat. Salvianus lib. de pro. acres ulciscendis vitiis quibus ipsi vehementer indulgent. Editor: “To denounce publicly what one does secretly”; “zealous in punishing vices in which they themselves eagerly indulge.” Burton cites Salvian with an abbreviated title; the exact passage remains unlocated.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Democritus Junior to the Reader

p. 65

To see a man wear his brains in his belly, his guts in his head, a hundred oaks on his back; devour a hundred oxen at a meal, or more—devour houses and towns, or, like those “man-eaters,” eat other people. To see a man swell like a rolling snowball from abject poverty into worshipful and honourable titles, forcing his way unjustly into honours and offices; another deny himself every pleasure and damn his soul to accumulate wealth he will never enjoy, only for his wasteful son to dissolve and consume it in an instant.

To see the “misguided imitation” of our times: a man bending all his strength, resources, time, and fortune to become a favourite’s favourite’s favourite, and so on—a flatterer’s flatterer’s flatterer—so that, having enough already, he can scorn the servile world.

To see a shaggy beggar’s child, who lately lived on scraps, crawled and whined, begged from everyone, and ran errands for an old jacket, now swagger in silk and satin, splendidly mounted, jovial and polished; now scorn his old friends and companions, neglect his relatives, lord it over his betters, and domineer over everyone.

To see a scholar cringe and crawl to an illiterate peasant for a meal; a clerk paid better for drawing up a bond; a falconer earning more than a scholar; a lawyer making more in a day than a philosopher in a year, better rewarded for an hour than a scholar for twelve months’ study; someone who can paint Thais, play the fiddle, curl hair, and so on, advancing sooner than a student of literature or a poet.

To see a foolishly doting mother, like Aesop’s ape, hug her child to death; a willing cuckold turn a blind eye to his wife’s chastity while being all too sharp-sighted in everything else; someone stumble over a straw and leap over a block; rob Peter to pay Paul; rake in ill-gotten money with one hand, acquiring great estates through corruption, fraud, and cheating, while giving generously to the poor with the other, setting aside a remnant for pious purposes, and so on. Penny wise, pound foolish; blind men judging colours; wise men silent, fools talking; people finding fault with others while doing worse themselves; publicly denouncing what they do in secret; and, as Aurelius Victor says of Augustus, severely condemning in a third party what they themselves are most guilty of.

To see a poor fellow or hired servant risk his life for a new master who will scarcely pay his wages at the year’s end; a country tenant toil and sweat, plough and drudge for a wasteful, idle drone who devours all the profit or dissipates it in extravagant pleasures; a nobleman defy death in a show of bravado and throw his life away for a brief flash of honour; a worldly man tremble at an executor, yet have no fear of hellfire; someone wish and hope for immortality and happiness, yet do everything to avoid death, the necessary passage to it.

666.The left preserves were for “wear” and the printed “his guts in is head,” understood as “his guts in his head”; the second possessive lacks its initial h. The hundred oaks suggest woodland wealth spent on clothing; eating houses and towns turns consumption into ruinous expenditure or exploitation. To “starve his genius” is to deny his own appetite or pleasure. “Worshipful” and “honourable” are ranks of address, not guarantees of virtue.

667.The Greek κακοζηλίαν (kakozēlian) denotes misguided or perverse emulation. The repeated possessives make a chain of dependence: one hopes to become the favourite of someone who is himself another person’s favourite.

668.Hirsute means hairy or shaggy; a jerkin is a short jacket; to ruffle is to swagger. “Polite” means polished in manners. The ascent from begging to display exposes ingratitude and domination in Burton’s account.

670.An obligation is a written bond or formal acknowledgement of debt. A philologer studies language and literature. “Paint Thais” may refer to portraying or cosmetically adorning a courtesan; the wording does not settle which. The list contrasts useful or fashionable services with poorly rewarded scholarship.

674.A wittal knows and tolerates his wife’s adultery; “honesty” here means sexual fidelity. The doting ape and the proverbial contrasts expose affection or convenience overriding judgement. Burton’s particular Aurelius Victor reference about Augustus remains to be located.

675.Colone means a tenant farmer or cultivator. The worldly man’s fear of an executor invokes the prospect of death and the administration of his estate; the capital letter is retained in the original. Burton contrasts immediate worldly fears with professed belief in an afterlife.

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.

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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.