The anatomy of melancholy : what it is, with all the kinds auses, symptomes, prognostickes, & seuerall cures of it, in three partitions, with their severall sections, members, & subsections, philosophically, medicinally, historically opened & cut up / By Democritus Junior [i.e. Robert Burton]. With a satyricall preface conducing to the following discourse.

  • Robert Burton
Date:
1676
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The anatomy of melancholy : what it is, with all the kinds auses, symptomes, prognostickes, & seuerall cures of it, in three partitions, with their severall sections, members, & subsections, philosophically, medicinally, historically opened & cut up / By Democritus Junior [i.e. Robert Burton]. With a satyricall preface conducing to the following discourse. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Democritus to ^Htc inim, qiiodSemca de Ponto, bos herbam, ckonU la- rlfm-,ca.nis leporenif virgo flo- rem Ug^t. a Pet, Nm- nins not. in Hor. b iVw hie colonns do- micilinm hnbeo, fed topiarii in moremfhinc inde florem vellico, ut can is Ni- lum lam- bens, c Supra his mile nota- biles erro- res Laiiren- tii demon-‘ jiraviy&c. d rkilo de Con. eVirg, an Orator requires, but to exprefs. my felf rea¬ dily and plainly as it happens. So that-as a River runs fometimes precipitate and fwift, then dull and flow ^ now dired, then fer ambages • now deep, then fhallow • now muddy, then clear • now broad, then narrow •, doth my ftylc flow : now ferious^ then light 5 now comical, then fatyrical; now more elabdrate, then re- mifs, as the prefent fubjed required, or as at that time I was afFeded. And if thou vouchfafe to read this Treatife, it fhall feem nq other wife to thee, than the way to an ordinary Traveller, fometimes fair, fometimes foul ^ here champi-^ on, there inclofed • barren in one place, better foil in another; by woods, groves, hills, daks, plains, crc. I If all xhet pr ardHamonti- um^ er liihrica vallinm^ efr rofeida cefpitumy *glehofa camporim, through variety of objeds, that which thou (halt like, and furely diflike. For the matter it felf or method, if it be faulty, confider I pray you that of ColumeU la^ Nihil perfeBam, am d fngtdari confim- matum induflrid , no man can obferve all, much is defedive no doubt, may be juftly tax¬ ed, altered, and avoided mGalen, tiArifiotky thofe great Mailers. Boni Venator is (Pone holds) plures feras cupercy nonomries-y He is a good Kuntfman can catch fome, not all: I have done my endeavour. Befides, I dwell not in this ftudy, Non hie fulcos dmimus, non hoc puhere defadamasy I am but a fmatterer, I confefs, a llranger , ^ here and there I pull a flower •, I do eaflly grant, if a rigid cenfurer fhould criticize on this which I have writ, he fliould not find three foie faults, as Scaligex mTerenccyhat three hundred, fo many as he hath done in Cardans fubletics, as many nota¬ ble errors as GhL Lauremhergius , a late Profeflbr of Bafiockoy difeovers in that anato¬ my of Laurentmsy or Barocius the Venetian m Sacrobofciis, And although this beafixth Edition, in which I fhould have been more accurate, correded all thofe former efcapes, yet it was magni lahoris opus , fo difficult and tedious, that as Carpenters do find out of experience , Tis much better build a new fometimes, than repair an old houfe ^ I could as I’oon write as much more, as alter that which is written. If ought therefore be amifs, ( as I grant there k ) J require a friendly ad¬ monition, no bitter invedive, , Sint mufis focii Charites-yFnriaomnis aheflo. Otherwife as in ordinary controverfies, fnnem contentionis neBamuSy fed cm bono ? We may con-end, and likely mif-ufe each other, but to what purpofe ? We are both fcholars, fay, -^ <iyircades amboy Ft cant are pareSj ^ re [ponder e paratii if we do wrangle, what lhall we get by it ? Trouble and wrong cur felves, make fport to others. If I be convid of an error, I will yield, I will amend. Si quid bonis gnoribmy fi quid veritati dijfentaneawy in facrisvel hutnanis lu teris d me diBum[ty idnec diBnm efio. In the mean time! require a favourable cenfure of all faults omitted, harfh compofitions, pleonafmes of words, tautological repetitions(though Sene-- ca bear me out, nmquam nimis dicitury quod nunquam fatis dicitur ) perturbations of tenfes, 1 numbers, Printers faults, 0 c. My tranflations are fometimes rather paraphrafes, than inter¬ pretations, non ad verbumy but as an Author, I ufe more liberty, and that's only taken, which was to my purpofe: Quotations are often in¬ ferred in the Text, which make the ftyle more harfh, or in the Margent as it hapned. Greeks Authors, ^latOy Blmarchy ^thenausy &c, I have cited out of their interpreters, bccaufe the original was not fo ready. I have mingled facra prophanisy but I hope not prophaned, and in repetition of Authors names, ranked them per accidenSy not according to Chronology ; fometimes Neotericks before Antients, as my memory fuggefled. Some things are here alte¬ red, expunged in this fixth Edition, others amended^ much added , becaufe many good ^ vumhe- ^ Authors in all kinds are come to my hands fe^tiusy Sen-' fince, and 'tis no prejudice, no fuch or overfight. ’ f Nunquam ita quicquam bene fubducia raiibne ad vitam f A- fuity ■ . . ^in res, cetas, ufus, femper aliquid apportent nm, A liquid moneant, utilla qua feire ie credas, nefeias, Et qua tibi putaris prima, in exercendo ut repudias, Ne’re was ought yet at firft contriv’d fo fit, But ufe, age, or fornething would alter it j Advife thee better, and, upon perufe. Make thee not fay, and what thou tak’ll, refufe. But I am now refolved never to put this Trea¬ tife out again, Ne quidnimisy I will not heneaf- ter add, alter, or retrad, I have done. Thelaft and greateft exception is, that I being a Divine, have medled with Phyfick, . -g tantumneefl abre tadotii tibi, Aliena, ut cureSyCaque nihil qua ad te attinent f [ Which Menedemus oh']c6ted to.Chremes • have I fo much leifure, or little bufinefs of mine own, as to look after other mens matters, which concern me not ? What have I to do with Phyfick ? quod medicorum efl fromit- tant medici, The^ were once in eounfel about State-matters, a debauched fel¬ low fpake excellent well, and to the purpofe,his fpeech was generally approved: A grave Se¬ nator fteps up, and by all means would have it repealed, though good, becaufe dehonefla- batur pejfmo authorey it had no better an Au¬ thor j let fome good man relate the fame, and then it fhould pafs. This eounfel was em¬ braced, faBumefly and it was rcgiflred forth¬ with, Et fic bona fententia manflt, malus au~ thor mutatus efl. Thou fayeft as much of me, llomachous as thou art, and grantefl perad- venturc this which I have written in Phyfick, not to be amifs, had another done it, apro- fefled Phyfitian, or fo *, but why fhould I med¬ dle with this Trad: ? Hear me fpeak : There be many other fubjeds , 1 do eafily grant, both in Humanity and Divinity , fit to be treated of , of which had I written ad oflentationem only, to fhew my felf, I fhould have rather chofen , and in which I have been more conyerfant , I could have more willingly luxuriated, and better fatisfied my
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