Anatomy of Melancholy, by Robert Burton

Advertisement to the Last London Edition.

Account of the Author.

Democritus Junior Ad Librum Suum.

Democritus Junior to His Book

Frontispiece to the Original Edition

The Argument of the Frontispiece.

The Author's Abstract of Melancholy.

Democritus Junior to the Reader.

The First Partition.

• THE FIRST SECTION.
  • THE FIRST MEMBER.
    1. Man's Excellency, Fall, Miseries, Infirmities; The causes of them.
    2. The Definition, Number, Division of Diseases.
    3. Division of the Diseases of the Head.
    4. Dotage, Frenzy, Madness, Hydrophobia, Lycanthropia, Chorus sancti Viti, Extasis.
    5. Melancholy in Disposition, improperly so called, Equivocations.
  • MEMB. II.
    1. Digression of Anatomy.
    2. Division of the Body, Humours, Spirits.
    3. Similar Parts.
    4. Dissimilar Parts.
    5. Of the Soul and her Faculties.
    6. Of the sensible Soul.
    7. Of the Inward Senses.
    8. Of the Moving Faculty.
    9. Of the Rational Soul.
    10. Of the Understanding.
    11. Of the Will.
  • MEMB. III.
    1. Definition of Melancholy, Name, Difference.
    2. Of the part affected. Affection. Parties affected.
    3. Of the Matter of Melancholy.
    4. Of the species or kinds of Melancholy.
• SECT. II.
  • MEMB. I.
    1. Causes of Melancholy. God a cause.
    2. A Digression of the nature of Spirits, bad Angels, or Devils, and how they cause Melancholy.
    3. Of Witches and Magicians, how they cause Melancholy.
    4. Stars a cause. Signs from Physiognomy, Metoposcopy, Chiromancy.
    5. Old age a cause.
    6. Parents a cause by Propagation.
  • MEMB. II.
    1. Bad Diet a cause. Substance. Quality of Meats.
    2. Quantity of Diet a Cause.
    3. Custom of Diet, Delight, Appetite, Necessity, how they cause or hinder.
    4. Retention and Evacuation a cause, and how.
    5. Bad Air, a cause of Melancholy.
    6. Immoderate Exercise a cause, and how. Solitariness, Idleness.
    7. Sleeping and Waking, Causes.
  • MEMB. III.
    1. Passions and Perturbations of the Mind, how they cause Melancholy.
    2. Of the Force of Imagination.
    3. Division of Perturbations.
    4. Sorrow a Cause of Melancholy.
    5. Fear, a Cause.
    6. Shame and Disgrace, Causes.
    7. Envy, Malice, Hatred, Causes.
    8. Emulation, Hatred, Faction, Desire of Revenge, Causes.
    9. Anger, a Cause.
    10. Discontents, Cares, Miseries, &c. Causes.
    11. Concupiscible Appetite, as Desires, Ambition, Causes.
    12. Φιλαργυρία, Covetousness, a Cause.
    13. Love of Gaming, &c. and pleasures immoderate; Causes.
    14. Philautia, or Self-love, Vainglory, Praise, Honour, Immoderate Applause, Pride, overmuch Joy, &c., Causes.
    15. Love of Learning, or overmuch study. With a Digression of the misery of Scholars, and why the Muses are Melancholy.
  • MEMB. IV.
    1. Non-necessary, remote, outward, adventitious, or accidental causes: as first from the Nurse.
    2. Education a Cause of Melancholy.
    3. Terrors and Affrights, Causes of Melancholy.
    4. Scoffs, Calumnies, bitter Jests, how they cause Melancholy.
    5. Loss of Liberty, Servitude, Imprisonment, how they cause Melancholy.
    6. Poverty and Want, Causes of Melancholy.
    7. A heap of other Accidents causing Melancholy, Death of Friends, Losses, &c.
  • MEMB. V.
    1. Continent, inward, antecedent, next causes and how the body works on the mind.
    2. Distemperature of particular Parts, causes.
    3. Causes of Head-Melancholy.
    4. Causes of Hypochondriacal, or Windy Melancholy.
    5. Causes of Melancholy from the whole Body.
• SECT. III.
  • MEMB. I.
    1. Symptoms, or Signs of Melancholy in the Body.
    2. Symptoms or Signs in the Mind.
    3. Particular Symptoms from the influence of Stars, parts of the Body, and Humours.
    4. Symptoms from Education, Custom, continuance of Time, our Condition, mixed with other Diseases, by Fits, Inclination, &c.
  • MEMB. II.
    1. Symptoms of Head-Melancholy.
    2. Symptoms of windy Hypochondriacal Melancholy.
    3. Symptoms of Melancholy abounding in the whole body.
    4. Symptoms of Maids, Nuns, and Widows' Melancholy.
  • MEMB. III.
    1. Immediate cause of these precedent Symptoms.
• SECT. IV.
  • MEMB. I.
    1. Prognostics of Melancholy.

The Second Partition.

The Cure of Melancholy.

• THE FIRST SECTION.
  • THE FIRST MEMBER.
    1. Unlawful Cures rejected.
  • MEMB. II.
    1. Lawful Cures, first from God.
  • MEMB. III.
    1. Whether it be lawful to seek to Saints for Aid in this Disease.
  • MEMB. IV.
    1. Physician, Patient, Physic.
    2. Concerning the Patient.
    3. Concerning Physic.
• SECT. II.
  • MEMB. I.
    1. Diet rectified in substance.
    2. Diet rectified in quantity.
  • MEMB. II.
    1. Retention and Evacuation rectified.
  • MEMB. III.
    1. Air rectified. With a digression of the Air.
  • MEMB. IV.
    1. Exercise rectified of Body and Mind.
  • MEMB. V.
    1. Waking and terrible Dreams rectified.
  • MEMB. VI.
    1. Perturbations of the mind rectified. From himself, by resisting to the utmost, confessing his grief to a friend, &c.
    2. Help from friends by counsel, comfort, fair and foul means, witty devices, satisfaction, alteration of his course of life, removing objects, &c.
    3. Music a remedy.
    4. Mirth and merry company, fair objects, remedies.
• SECT. III.
  • MEMB. I.
    1. A Consolatory Digression, containing the Remedies of all manner of Discontents.
  • MEMB. II.
    1. Deformity of body, sickness, baseness of birth, peculiar discontents.
  • MEMB. III.
    1. Against Poverty and Want, with such other Adversities.
  • MEMB. IV.
    1. Against Servitude, Loss of Liberty, Imprisonment, Banishment.
  • MEMB. V.
    1. Against Sorrow for Death of Friends or otherwise, vain Fear, &c.
  • MEMB. VI.
    1. Against Envy, Livor, Emulation, Hatred, Ambition, Self-love, and all other Affections.
  • MEMB. VII.
    1. Against Repulse, Abuses, Injuries, Contempts, Disgraces, Contumelies, Slanders, Scoffs, &c.
  • MEMB. VIII.
    1. Against Melancholy itself.
• SECT. IV.
  • MEMB. I.
    1. Of Physic which cureth with Medicines.
    2. Simples proper to Melancholy, against Exotic Simples.
    3. Alteratives, Herbs, other Vegetables, &c.
    4. Precious Stones, Metals, Minerals, Alteratives.
    5. Compound Alteratives; censure of Compounds, and mixed Physic.
  • MEMB. II.
    1. Purging Simples upward.
    2. Simples purging Melancholy downward.
    3. Compound Purgers.
  • MEMB. III.
    1. Chirurgical Remedies.
• SECT. V.
  • MEMB. I.
    1. Particular Cure of the three several Kinds; of Head Melancholy.
    2. Bloodletting.
    3. Preparatives and Purgers.
    4. Averters.
    5. Alteratives and Cordials, corroborating, resolving the Reliques, and mending the Temperament.
    6. Correctors of Accidents to procure Sleep. Against fearful Dreams, Redness, &c.
  • MEMB. II.
    1. Cure of Melancholy over all the Body.
  • MEMB. III.
    1. Cure of Hypochondriacal Melancholy.
    2. Correctors to expel Wind. Against Costiveness, &c.

The Third Partition,

Love-Melancholy.

• THE FIRST SECTION.
  • THE FIRST MEMBER.
    1. The Preface.
    2. Love's Beginning, Object, Definition, Division.
  • MEMB. II.
    1. Love of Men, which varies as his Objects, Profitable, Pleasant, Honest.
    2. Pleasant Objects of Love.
    3. Honest Objects of Love.
  • MEMB. III.
    1. Charity composed of all three Kinds, Pleasant, Profitable, Honest.
• SECT. II.
  • MEMB. I.
    1. Heroical love causeth Melancholy. His Pedigree, Power, and Extent.
    2. How Love tyranniseth over men. Love, or Heroical Melancholy, his definition, part affected.
  • MEMB. II.
    1. Causes of Heroical Love, Temperature, full Diet, Idleness, Place, Climate, &c.
    2. Other causes of Love-Melancholy, Sight, Being from the Face, Eyes, other parts, and how it pierceth.
    3. Artificial allurements of Love, Causes and Provocations to Lust; Gestures, Clothes, Dower, &c.
    4. Importunity and Opportunity of Time, Place, Conference, Discourse, Singing, Dancing, Music, Amorous Tales, Objects, Kissing, Familiarity, Tokens, Presents, Bribes, Promises, Protestations, Tears, &c.
    5. Bawds, Philters, Causes.
  • MEMB. III.
    1. Symptoms or signs of Love Melancholy, in Body, Mind, good, bad, &c.
  • MEMB. IV.
    1. Prognostics of Love-Melancholy.
  • MEMB. V.
    1. Cure of Love-Melancholy, by Labour, Diet, Physic, Fasting, &c.
    2. Withstand the beginnings, avoid occasions, change his place: fair and foul means, contrary passions, with witty inventions: to bring in another, and discommend the former.
    3. By counsel and persuasion, foulness of the fact, men's, women's faults, miseries of marriage, events of lust, &c.
    4. Philters, Magical and Poetical Cures.
    5. The last and best Cure of Love-Melancholy, is to let them have their Desire.
• SECT. III.
  • MEMB. I.
    1. Jealousy, its Equivocations, Name, Definition, Extent, several kinds; of Princes, Parents, Friends. In Beasts, Men: before marriage, as Co-rivals; or after, as in this place.
    2. Causes of Jealousy. Who are most apt. Idleness, melancholy, impotency, long absence, beauty, wantonness, naught themselves. Allurements, from time, place, persons, bad usage, causes.
  • MEMB. II.
    1. Symptoms of Jealousy, Fear, Sorrow, Suspicion, strange Actions, Gestures, Outrages, Locking up, Oaths, Trials, Laws, &c.
  • MEMB. III.
    1. Prognostics of Jealousy. Despair, Madness, to make away themselves and others.
  • MEMB. IV.
    1. Cure of Jealousy; by avoiding occasions, not to be idle: of good counsel; to contemn it, not to watch or lock them up: to dissemble it, &c.
    2. By prevention before, or after Marriage, Plato's Community, marry a Courtesan, Philters, Stews, to marry one equal in years, fortunes, of a good family, education, good place, to use them well, &c.
• SECT. IV.
  • MEMB. I.
    1. Religious Melancholy. Its object God; what his beauty is; How it allures. The parts and parties affected.
    2. Causes of Religious melancholy. From the Devil by miracles, apparitions, oracles. His instruments or factors, politicians, Priests, Impostors, Heretics, blind guides. In them simplicity, fear, blind zeal, ignorance, solitariness, curiosity, pride, vainglory, presumption, &c. his engines, fasting, solitariness, hope, fear, &c.
    3. Symptoms general, love to their own sect, hate of all other religions, obstinacy, peevishness, ready to undergo any danger or cross for it; Martyrs, blind zeal, blind obedience, fastings, vows, belief of incredibilities, impossibilities: Particular of Gentiles, Mahometans, Jews, Christians; and in them, heretics old, and new, schismatics, schoolmen, prophets, enthusiasts, &c.
    4. Prognostics of Religious Melancholy.
    5. Cure of Religious Melancholy.
  • MEMB. II.
    1. Religious Melancholy in defect; parties affected, Epicures, Atheists, Hypocrites, worldly secure, Carnalists; all impious persons, impenitent sinners, &c.
    2. Despair. Despairs, Equivocations, Definitions, Parties and Parts affected.
    3. Causes of Despair, the Devil, Melancholy, Meditation, Distrust, Weakness of Faith, Rigid Ministers, Misunderstanding Scriptures, Guilty Consciences, &c.
    4. Symptoms of Despair, Fear, Sorrow, Suspicion, Anxiety, Horror of Conscience, Fearful Dreams and Visions.
    5. Prognostics of Despair, Atheism, Blasphemy, violent death, &c.
    6. Cure of Despair by Physic, Good Counsel, Comforts, &c.

Index.