Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Parallel Edition

Robert Burton

The Anatomy of Melancholy

Name: The Anatomy of Melancholy
Author: Robert Burton

1651 English with a close modern English rendering

Explore the Lexicon

The Anatomy of MelancholyMember 2 Subsection 1 Human Love, Which Varies With Its Objects: The Useful…

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

1651 English Page · Branch 682 of 1495

Member 2 Subsection 1 Human Love, Which Varies With Its Objects: The Useful…

Book Mode

1651 English

417–418

MEMB. 2. SUBSETC. 1. Love of men, which varies as his objects, profitable, pleasant, honest.

Valesius lib. 3. contr. 13. defines this love which is in men, to be an affection of both powers, Appetite, and Reason. The rational resides in the Brain, the other in the Liver (as before hath been said out of Plato and others) the heart is diversly affected of both, and carried a thousand waies by consent. The sensitive faculty most part over-rules reason, the Soul is carried hood-winkt, and the understanding captive like a beast.

The heart is variously inclin’d, sometimes they are merry, sometimes sad, and from love arise Hope and Fear, Jealousie, Fury, Desperation. Now this love of men is divers, and varies, as the object varies, by which they are enticed, as vertue, wisdome, eloquence, profit, wealth, money, fame, honour, or comeliness of person, &c.

Leon Hebreus in his first Dialogue, reduceth them all to these three, Utile, Jucundum, Honestum, Profitable, Pleasant, Honest; (out of Aristotle belike 8. moral.) of which he discourseth at large, and whatsoever is beautifull and fair, is referred to them, or any way to be desired. To profitable, is ascribed health, wealth, honour, &c. which is rather Ambition, Desire, Covetousness, then Love: Friends, Children, love of women, all delightfull and pleasant objects, are referred to the second.

The love of honest things, consists in vertue and wisdome, and is preferred before that which is profitable and pleasant: Intellectuall, about that which is honest. St. Austin calls profitable, worldly; pleasant, carnal; honest, spirituall. Of and from all three, result Charity, Friendship, and true love, which respects God and our neighbour. Of each of these I will briefly dilate, and shew in what sort they cause melancholy.

Amongst all these fair entising objects, which procure Love, and bewitch the Soul of man, there is none so moving, so forcible as profit, and that which carrieth with it a shew of commodity. Health indeed is a pretious thing, to recover and preserve which we will undergo any misery, drink bitter potions, freely give our goods: restore a man to his health, his purse lies open to thee, bountifull he is, thankfull and beholding to thee;

but give him wealth and honour, give him gold, or what shall be for his advantage and preferment, and thou shalt command his affections, oblige him eternally to thee, heart, hand, life and all is at thy service, thou art his dear and loving friend, good and gracious Lord and Master, his Mæcenas; he is thy slave, thy vassall, most devote, affectioned, and bound in all duty: tell him good tydings in this kinde, there spoke an Angel, a blessed hour that brings in gain, he is thy creature, and thou his creator, he hugges and admires thee; he is thine for ever.

No Loadstone so attractive as that of profit, no so fair an object as this of gold: nothing wins a man sooner then a good turn; bounty and liberality command body and soul:

Munera (crede mihi) placant hominesq; deosque; Placatur donis Jupiter ipse datis.Good turns do pacifie both God and men, And Jupiter himself is won by them.

8292.BurtonPrinted page 417, g: “Affectus nunc appetitivæ potentiæ, nunc rationalis, alter cerebro residet, alter hepate, corde, &c.” “An affection now of the appetitive faculty, now of the rational; one resides in the brain, the other in the liver, heart, and so on.” The body separately describes the heart as affected by both.

8294.BurtonPrinted page 417, h: “Cor varie inclinatur, nunc gaudens, nunc mœrens; statim ex timore nascitur Zelotypia, furor, spes, desperatio.” “The heart inclines in different ways, now rejoicing, now grieving; immediately from fear arise jealousy, fury, hope and despair.” The margin has fear where the body has love.

8295.BurtonPrinted page 417, i: “Ad utile sanitas refertur; utilium est ambitio, cupido, desiderium potius quam amor excessus avaritia.” “Health belongs to the useful; in useful things there is ambition, appetite and desire rather than love; excess is avarice.” The compressed Latin is punctuated here for sense.

8296.BurtonPrinted page 417, k: “Picolom. grad. 7. Cap. 1.” Piccolomini, grade 7, chapter 1.

8298.BurtonPrinted page 417, l: “Lib. de amicit. utile mundanum, carnale jucundum, Spirituale honestum.” Book On Friendship: “The useful is worldly, the pleasant carnal, the honourable spiritual.”

8299.BurtonPrinted page 417, m: “Ex singulis tribus fit charitas & amicitia, quæ respicit deum & proximum.” “From each of the three come charity and friendship, which look to God and our neighbour.”

8302.BurtonPrinted page 417, n: “Benefactores præcipue amamus. Vives 3. de anima.” “We particularly love our benefactors.” Vives, On the Soul, book 3.

The Anatomy of Melancholy: Member 2 Subsection 1 Human Love, Which Varies With Its Objects: The Useful…

p. 682

MEMBER 2 SUBSECTION 1 Human love, which varies with its objects: the useful, the pleasant and the honourable

Valesius, in book 3, controversy 13, defines human love as “an affection of both faculties, appetite and reason.” The rational faculty resides in the brain, the other in the liver, as has already been said on the authority of Plato and others. Both affect the heart in different ways and carry it in a thousand directions through their mutual connection. The sensitive faculty generally overrules reason; the soul is led blindfold, and the understanding is taken captive like an animal.

“The heart inclines in different directions: sometimes people are cheerful, sometimes sad; and from love arise hope and fear, jealousy, fury and despair.” Human love thus takes different forms and varies with the object that attracts people: virtue, wisdom, eloquence, advantage, wealth, money, fame, honour or personal beauty, and so on.

In his first dialogue Leone Ebreo reduces them all to three: “the useful, the pleasant and the honourable”—probably following Aristotle’s Ethics, book 8. He discusses these at length, and assigns to them everything beautiful and fair, or desirable in any way. “Health, wealth, honour and so on belong to the useful; this is ambition, desire or greed rather than love.” Friends, children, love of women, and all delightful and pleasant objects belong to the second category.

Love of honourable things consists in virtue and wisdom, and takes precedence over love of the useful and pleasant. Intellectual love concerns what is honourable. Saint Augustine calls “the useful worldly, the pleasant carnal, and the honourable spiritual.” “From all three arise charity, friendship and true love, directed towards God and our neighbour.” I shall briefly discuss each and show how it causes melancholy.

Among all these beautiful, enticing objects that awaken love and bewitch the human soul, none is so moving or powerful as profit, or anything that promises advantage. Health is indeed precious: to recover and preserve it we will undergo any suffering, drink bitter potions and freely give our possessions. Restore someone’s health, and his purse lies open to you; he is generous, grateful and in your debt.

But give him wealth and honour, give him gold or anything that advances his interests and position, and you will command his affections and bind him to you for ever. Heart, hand, life and everything are at your service. You are his dear and loving friend, his good and gracious lord and master, his Maecenas. He is your slave, your vassal, utterly devoted, affectionate and bound by every duty. Tell him good news of this kind, and an angel has spoken; blessed is the hour that brings gain. He is your creature, and you his creator; he embraces and admires you; he is yours for ever.

No lodestone attracts like profit; no object is so beautiful as gold. Nothing wins someone over sooner than a good turn; bounty and generosity command body and soul:

Gifts, believe me, appease both men and gods; Jupiter himself is appeased by gifts bestowed.

Good turns appease both God and men, And Jupiter himself is won by them.

8293.The placement of reason in the brain and appetite in the liver belongs to the inherited account of the faculties. “Consent” means their mutual sympathy or connection. The margin’s compressed reference to the heart differs from the body’s explanation. “Hood-winkt” means blindfolded.

8297.Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 8.2–3, distinguishes the good, the pleasant and the useful as objects of affection. Burton’s “honest” means morally honourable; “profitable” means useful or advantageous. His wording and his placement of friends, children and women under pleasure are retained. Margin h says passions arise from fear, while the body says from love.

8300.The margin cites On Friendship for the attribution to Augustine; its authorship and exact passage remain to be established. Charity means love directed towards God and one’s neighbour. The body’s “all three” and the margin’s “each of the three” are translated separately.

8301.Maecenas, the Roman patron of poets, stands for a generous patron. “Commodity” here means material advantage or self-interest; “preferment” means advancement in position. “Creature” is a person dependent on a patron. Burton’s praise becomes deliberately extravagant as he depicts the power of wealth.

8303.Ovid, Ars Amatoria 3.653–654. The Latin text consulted has capiunt, “win over,” where Burton prints placant, “appease.” Burton’s own English couplet also changes “gifts” to “good turns” and “gods” to “God”; both Latin and English are preserved and modernized separately.

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.