The Anatomy of Melancholy

Wisdom for today's world from the greatest book you'll never read. Quotations from NYRB edition, 2001

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

My purpose and endeavour is..to anatomize this humour of melancholy, through all his parts and species, as it is an habit, or an ordinary disease, and that philosophically, medicinally, to show the causes, symptoms, and several cures of it, that it may be the better avoided (120)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

Let [the melancholic] read no more such tracts or subjects, hear no more such fearful tones, avoid such companies...I can say no more, or give better advice to such as are anyway distressed in this kind, than what I have given and said.

(III, 432)

THE END

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

A small sickness; one lash of affliction, a little misery, many times will more humiliate a man, sooner convert, bring him home to know himself, than all parenthetical discourses, the whole theory of philosophy, law, physic, and divinity (III, 425).

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

[The melancholy] suffer the pains of hell, they smell brimstone, talk familiarly with devils, hear and see chimeras, bears, owls, antics, black dogs, fiends, hideous outcries, fearful noises...and are ready to offer violence unto themselves, by hanging, drowning, etc. (III, 424)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

For the devil he is a spirit, and hath means and opportunity sometimes more slyly, sometimes more abruptly and openly, to suggest such devilish thoughts into our hearts; he insults and domineers in melancholy distempered phantasies and persons especially (III, 417).

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

For physic, the like course is to be taken with this as in other melancholy: diet, air, exercise; all those passions and perturbations of mind are to be rectified by the same means. They must not be left solitary, or to themselves, never idle, never out of company. (III, 407)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

If a man put desperate hands upon himself by occasion of madness or melancholy, we must make the best construction of it, as Turks do, that think all fools and madmen go directly to heaven. (III, 408)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

Felix Pater hath store of instances of such as thought themselves damned, forsaken of God, etc.; one amongst the rest, that durst not go to church, or come near the Rhine, for fear to make away himself, because then he was most especially tempted. (III, 407)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

That tax of the Apostolic Chamber, which was first published to get money in the days of Leo X, that sharking pope, sets down such easy rates and dispensations for all offences, for perjury, murder, incest, adultery, etc., for so many grosses or dollars (III 403-4).

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

I see no reason at all why a papist at any time should despair; for let him be never so dissolute a caitiff, so notorious a villain, so monstrous a sinner, out of that treasure of indulgences and merits of which the Pope is dispensator he may have free pardon (III, 403).

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

Fearful examples of God's just judgment, wrath and vengeance, are to be found in all histories, of some that have been eaten to death with rats and mice, as Popelius the second King of Poland, anno 830, his wife and children (III, 403).

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

Why doth the devil haunt many men's houses after their deaths, appear to them living, and take possession of their habitations, of their palaces, but because of their several villainies? Why had Richard the Third such fearful dreams but for his frequent murders? (III, 402)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

Well he may escape temporal punishment and flourish for a time...as the prodigal son had dainty fare, sweet music at first, merry company, jovial entertainment, but a cruel reckoning in the end, as bitter as wormwood, a fearful visitation commonly follows. (III, 401)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

Our conscience, which is a great ledger-book, wherein are written all our offences, a register to lay them up...grinds our souls with the remembrance of some precedent sins, makes us reflect upon, accuse and condemn our own selves. (III, 400)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

[Catholic priests] teach others to fast, give alms, do penance, and crucify their mind with superstitious observations, haircloths, whips, and the like, when they themselves have all the dainties the world can afford, lie on a down-bed with a courtesan in their arms. (III, 399)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

The meditation of hellfire and eternal punishment much torments a sinful silly soul...a finger burnt by chance we may not endure, the pain is so grievous, we may not abide an hour, a night is intolerable; and what shall this unspeakable fire then be that burns for ever? (III 398)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

Intolerable pain and anguish, long sickness, captivity, misery, loss of goods, loss of friends do sometimes effect [despair], or such dismal accidents...Democritus put out his eyes because he could not abide to see wicked men prosper, and was ready to make away himself (III, 396)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

Melancholy and despair, though often, do not always concur; there is much difference: melancholy fears without a cause, this upon great occasion; melancholy is caused by fear and grief, but this torment procures them and all extremity of bitterness (III, 396).

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

A soothsayer, perceiving himself and his dear friend, now both carried to prison, and in despair of pardon, seeing the young man weep, said "do as I do"; and with that knocked out his brains against the door-cheek as he was entering prison, and so desperately died. (III, 393-4)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

Many come to church with great Bibles, and will now and then read Austin, frequent sermons, and yet professed usurers, mere gripes; all their life is epicurism and atheism, come to church all day, and lie with a courtesan at night. (III, 390-1)

[The Anatomy of Melancholy @SadSince1621]

That impious and carnal crew of worldly-minded men, impenitent sinners, that go to hell in a lethargy, or in a dream...they do know there is a God, a day of judgment to come, and yet for all that...they are as merry as if they were in heaven already (III, 389).