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 Melancholy♊ Religious Melancholy. Section 4

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Facing Pages · Branch 667 of 1495

♊ Religious Melancholy. Section 4

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1651 English

unnumbered [405]

♊ Religious melancholy. Sect. 4.

In excess of such as do, that which is not required. Med. 1. A proof that there is such a species of Melancholy, Name, Object God, what his beauty is, how it allureth, Part and parties affected, superstitious, Idolaters, Prophets, Hereticks, &c. Sub. 1.

Causes Sub. 2. From others The divels allurements, false miracles, Priests for their gain. Politicians to keep men in obedience, Bad instructors, blind Guides. Or from themselves Simplicity, fear, ignorance, solitariness, Melancholy, curiosity, pride, vain glory, decayed Image of God.

Symptomes Subs. 3. General Zeal without knowledge, obstinacy, superstition, strange devotion, stupidity, confidence, stiffe defence of their tenents, mutual love & hate of other sects, belief of incredibilities, impossibilities Or Particular. Of Hereticks, pride, contumacy, contempt of others, wilfulness, vain-glory, singularity, prodigious paradoxes.

In superstitious blind zeale, obedience, strange works, fasting, sacrifices, oblations, prayers, vows, pseudo-martyrdome, mad and ridiculous customes, ceremonies, observations. In Pseudo-prophets, visions, revelations, dreams, prophecies, new doctrines, &c. of Jews, Gentiles, Mahometans, &c.

Prognosticks. Subs. 4. New doctrines, paradoxes, blasphemies, madness, stupidity, despair, damnation. Cures. Subs. 5. By Physick if need be, conference, good counsel, perswasion, compulsion, correction, punishment. Quæritur an cogi debent? Affir.

In defect, as Me. 2. Secure void of grace and fears. Epicures, Atheists Magitians, Hypocrites, such as have cauterised consciences, or else are in a reprobate sense, worldly-secure, some Philosophers, impenitent sinners. Subs. 1.

Or Distrustful, or too timorous, as desperat. In despair consider, Causes Subs. 2. The divel and his allurements, Rigid Preachers, that wound their consciences, Melancholy, contemplation, solitariness How melancholy & dispair differ. Distrust, weakness of faith. Guilty conscience for offence committed, misunderstanding Scr.

Symptomes Subs. 3. Fear, sorrow, anguish of mind, extream tortures and horror of conscience, fearful dreams, conceits, visions, &c. Prognosticks; Blasphemy, violent death. Subs. 4. Cures S. 5. Physick as occasion serves, conference, not to be idle or alone Good counsel, good company, all comforts & contents &c.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: ♊ Religious Melancholy. Section 4

p. 667

♊ Religious melancholy. Section 4

In excess: among those who do what is not required. Member 1. Proof that there is such a kind of melancholy; its name; God as its object; what his beauty is and how it attracts; the part and people affected—the superstitious, idolaters, prophets, heretics and so on. Subsection 1.

Causes. Subsection 2. From others: The devil’s enticements, false miracles, priests seeking profit; politicians seeking to keep people obedient; bad teachers and blind guides. Or from themselves: Naivety, fear, ignorance, solitude, melancholy, prying curiosity, pride, vanity, the impaired image of God.

Symptoms. Subsection 3. General: Zeal without knowledge, obstinacy, superstition, strange devotion, mental dullness, self-assurance, stubborn defence of their beliefs, love among themselves and hatred of other sects, belief in incredible and impossible things. Or particular: Among heretics: pride, defiance, contempt for others, wilfulness, vanity, insistence on being different, extraordinary paradoxes.

Among the superstitious: blind zeal, obedience, strange works, fasting, sacrifices, offerings, prayers, vows, false martyrdom, mad and ridiculous customs, ceremonies and observances. Among false prophets: visions, revelations, dreams, prophecies, new doctrines and so forth—among Jews, Gentiles, Muslims and others.

Prognosis. Subsection 4. New doctrines, paradoxes, blasphemies, madness, mental dullness, despair, damnation. Treatments. Subsection 5. Medicine if necessary, discussion, good counsel, persuasion, compulsion, correction, punishment. Question: Should they be coerced? Affirmative.

In deficiency, as in Member 2. Complacent, without grace or fear: Epicureans, atheists, magicians, hypocrites, those with seared consciences or depraved understanding, secure in worldly things, some philosophers, unrepentant sinners. Subsection 1.

Or distrustful, or excessively fearful, as those in despair. Despair, Subsection 2. In despair consider: Causes. Subsection 3. The devil and his enticements; harsh preachers who wound their consciences; melancholy, contemplation, solitude. How melancholy and despair differ; distrust, weakness of faith. A guilty conscience for an offence committed; misunderstanding Scripture.

Symptoms. Subsection 4. Fear, sorrow, mental anguish, extreme torment and horror of conscience, frightening dreams, imaginings, visions and so on. Prognosis: blasphemy, violent death. Subsection 5. Treatments. Subsection 6. Medicine as needed, discussion, avoiding idleness and solitude. Good counsel, good company, every comfort and source of contentment, and so on.

8126.The outline prints “Med. 1,” rendered as Member 1 in context. Excess means religious practice beyond what Burton regards as required; deficiency means too little or impaired religious assurance. These are the author’s theological classifications.

8127.“Gentiles” here denotes non-Jewish peoples, especially pagans; “Mahometans” is rendered Muslims. Burton groups these communities under his own polemical categories. “Observations” means observances.

8128.“Secure” means complacently free from spiritual fear. “Epicures” is the polemical label for people governed by pleasure, not a precise account of Epicurus’ philosophy. “Cauterised” conscience evokes 1 Timothy 4:2; a “reprobate” understanding evokes Romans 1:28. In the following despair branch, the body gives definition as 3.4.2.2, causes as 3.4.2.3, symptoms as 3.4.2.4, prognosis as 3.4.2.5 and treatment as 3.4.2.6. The modern outline supplies the definition’s locator and adjusts the remaining numbers to match; the source outline’s 2–5 sequence remains on the left.

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.