Mar. 4. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



191 



LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1854. 



fiattsi. 

 burton's "anatomy op melancholy." 



In this age of " new editions," it is a wonder 

 that no one has favoured the public with a reprint, 

 with notes variorum, of this celebrated English 

 classic. 



Dr. Dibdin, in a note to his edition of More's 

 Utopia, vol. ii. p. 97., says : 



" Whoever will be at the trouble of consulting 

 Part II. sect. iv. memb. i. subsect. 4. of the last folio 

 edition of Burton [1676], will see how it varies from 

 the first folio of 162 I ; and will, in consequence, regret 

 the omission of the notice of these variations in the 

 octavo editions of Burton recently published." 



The octavo editions here referred to are those 

 of 1800 and 1806 ; the latter, I believe, edited by 

 Edward Du Bois. The folio of 1676 is, in all 

 probability, an exact reprint of that of 1651, 

 which certainly differs considerably from those of 

 an earlier date. Henry Cripps, the publisher of 

 the edition of 1651, has the following notice : 



" To the Reader. 



Be pleased to know (courteous Reader) that since 

 the last impression of this Book, the ingenuous author 

 of it is deceased, leaving a copy of it exactly corrected, 

 with several considerable additions by his own hand. 

 This copy he committed to my care and custody, with 

 directions to have those additions inserted in the next 

 edition ; which, in order to his command and the pub- 

 licke good, is faithfully performed in this last impres- 

 sion. H. C." 



Modern writers have been deeply indebted to 

 old Robert Burton ; but he, in his turn, was 

 equally indebted to earlier writers. Dr. Dibdin 

 remarks : 



" I suspect that Burton, the author of the Anatomy 

 of Melancholy, was intimately acquainted with Boias- 

 tuan's book as translated by Alday ; for there are 

 passages in Burton's ' Love Melancholy ' (the most 

 extraordinary and amusing part of his work), which 

 bear a very strong resemblance to many in the ' Gests 

 and Countenances ridiculous of Lovers,' at p. 195. of 

 Boiastuan's Theatre, or Rule of the World." 



The title of the curious book mentioned in this 

 extract is — 



"Theatrum Mundi. Theatre, or Rule of the World: 

 Wherein may bee seene the running Race and Course 

 of everie Mannes Lyfe, as touching Miserie and Feli- 

 citie : whereunto is added a learned Worke of the 

 excellence of Man. Written in French by Peter 

 Boiastuan. Translated by John Alday. Printed by 

 Thomas East, for John Wright, 8vo. 1582." 



But Burton was more indebted to another work, 

 very similar in title and matter to his own; I 



mean Dr. Bright's curious little volume, of which 

 I transcribe the title-page in full : 



" A Treatise of Melancholy : contayning the Causes 

 thereof, and reasons of the strange Effects it worketh 

 in our Minds and Bodies ; witii the Phisicke Cure, 

 and Spirituall Consolation for such as have thereto 

 adjoyned afflicted Conscience. The difference betwixt 

 it and Melancholy, with diverse philosophical Dis- 

 courses touching Actions, and Affections of Soule, 

 Spirit, and Body : the Particulars whereof are to be 

 seene before the Booke. By T. Bright, Doctor of 

 Phisicke. Imprinted at London by John Windet, 

 sm. 8vo. 1586." 



It has been remarked that Burton does not 

 acknowledge his obligations to Bright. This, 

 however, is not strictly true, as the former ac- 

 knowledges several quotations in the course of his 

 work. It would certainly be desirable, in the 

 event of a new edition of the Anatomy, that a 

 comparison of the two books should be made. As 

 a beginning towards this end, I subjoin a table of 

 the contents of Bright's Treatise, with a notice of 

 some similar passages in Burton's Anatomy, ar- 

 ranged in parallel columns. 



I may just add, that Bright's Treatise consists 

 of 276 pages, exclusive of a dedication " To the 

 Right Worshipful M. Peter Osborne," &c. (dated 

 from "Little S. Bartlemews by Smithfield, the 

 13 of May, 1586") ; and an address " To his Me- 

 lancholick Friend M." 



All that is known of his biography has been 

 collected by the Rev. Joseph Hunter, and com- 

 municated to the last edition of Wood's Athence 

 Oxonienses, vol. ii. p. 174. note. 



Bright's " Treatise of Mki.ax- Burton's " Anatomy of Melan- 

 choly," 1586. choly," edit. 1651. 



The Contentes of the Booke accord- 

 ing to the Chapters. 



1. How diversly the word Me- 

 lancholy is taken. 



2. '1 he c» uses of naturall melan- 

 choly, and of the excesse thereof. 



3. Whether good nourishment 

 hreede melancholy, by fault of the 

 body turning it into melancholy : 

 and whether such humour is found 

 in nourishments, or rather is made 

 of them. 



4. The aunswere to objections 

 made against the breeding of 

 melancholicke humour out of 

 nourishment. 



5. A more particular and far- 

 ther answere to the former objec- 

 tions. 



6. The causes of the increase and 

 excesse of melancholicke humour. 



7. Of the melancholicke excre- 

 ment. 



8. What burnt choller is, and 

 the causes thereof. 



9. How melancholie worketh 

 fearful passions in the mind. 



10. How the body affecteth the 

 soule. 



11. Objections againste the man- 

 ner how the body affecteth the 

 soule, with answere thereunto. 



12. A farther answere to the 

 former objections, and of the sim- 

 ple facultie of the soule, and onely 

 organicall of spirit and body. 



13. How the soule, by One simple 

 facultie, performeth so many and 

 diverse actions. 



Parallel Sections. 



Deflnitionof Melancholy : name, 

 difference. 

 The causes of melancholy. 



Customs of dyet. delight, ap- 

 petite, necessity : how they cause 

 or hinder. 



Dyet rectified in substance. 



Immediate cause of these pre- 

 cedent symptomes. 

 Of the matter of melancholy. 



Symptomes or signes in the 

 mind. 

 Of the soul and her faculties. 



