could have done as much without feeling shall have ceased their importunity, may be any hurt after it,—only that you may judge cut up also (horrible suggestion!) to deter whether I am a man likely to set my talent mine in what system of solids or fluids this to sale, or to require the pitiful stimulus of original sin of my constitution lay lurking. What work will they make with their acids and alkalines, their serums and coagulums, effervescences, viscous matter, bile, chyle, and acrimonious juices, to explain that cause which Nature, who willed the effect to punish me for my sins, may no less have determined to keep in the dark from them, to punish them for their presumption !

CURIOUS FRAGMENTS,

EXTRACTED FROM A COMMON-PLACE BOOK,

WHICH BELONGED TO ROBERT BURTON, THE FAMOUS AUTHOR OF THE ANATOMY OF MELANCHOLY

EXTRACT I.

with great content upon the Venetian Rialto, as he describes diffusedly in his book the

I DEMOCRITUS Junior, have put my finish- World's Epitome, which Sannazar so being pen to a tractate De Melancholia, this praiseth, e contra our Polydore can see noday, December 5, 1620. First, I blesse the thing in it; they call me singular, a pedant, Trinity, which hath given me health to pro- fantastic, words of reproach in this age, which secute my worthlesse studies thus far, and is all too neoterick and light for my humour. make supplication, with a Laus Deo, if in any case these my poor labours may be found instrumental to weede out black melancholy, carking cares, harte-grief, from the mind of

man.

Sed hoc magis volo quam expecto.

One cometh to me sighing, complaining. He expected universal remedies in my Anatomy; so many cures as there are distemperatures among men. I have not put his affection in my cases. Hear you his case. I turn now to my book, i nunc liber, goe My fine Sir is a lover, an inamorata, a Pyraforth, my brave Anatomy, child of my brain- mus, a Romeo; he walks seven years dissweat, and yee, candidi lectores, lo! here I consolate, moping, because he cannot enjoy give him up to you, even do with him what his miss, insanus amor is his melancholy, you please, my masters. Some, I suppose, the man is mad; delirat, he dotes; all this will applaud, commend, cry him up (these while his Glycera is rude, spiteful, not to be are my friends), hee is a flos rarus, forsooth, entreated, churlish, spits at him, yet exceeda none-such, a Phoenix, (concerning whom ing fair, gentle eyes (which is a beauty), hair see Plinius and Mandeuille, though Fienus de lustrous and smiling, the trope is none of Monstris doubteth at large of such a bird, mine, Eneas Sylvius hath crines ridenteswhom Montaltus confuting argueth to have in conclusion she is wedded to his rival, a been a man malæ scrupulositatis, of a weak boore, a Corydon, a rustic, omnino ignarus, he and cowardlie faith: Christopherus a Vega is can scarce construe Corderius, yet haughty, with him in this). Others again will blame, fantastic, opiniâtre. The lover travels, goes hiss, reprehende in many things, cry down into foreign parts, peregrinates, amoris ergo, altogether my collections, for crude, inept, sees manners, customs, not English, converses putid, post cœnam scripta, Coryate could write with pilgrims, lying travellers, monks, herbetter upon a full meal, verbose, inerudite, mits, those cattle, pedlars, travelling gentry, and not sufficiently abounding in authorities, Egyptians, natural wonders, unicorns (though dogmata, sentences of learneder writers which Aldobrandus will have them to be figments), have been before me, when as that first- satyrs, semi-viri, apes, monkeys, baboons, named sort clean otherwise judge of my curiosities artificial, pyramides, Virgilius his labours to bee nothing else but a messe of tombe, relicks, bones, which are nothing but opinions, a vortex attracting indiscriminate, ivory as Melancthon judges, though Cornugold, pearls, hay, straw, wood, excrement, an tus leaneth to think them bones of dogs, exchange, tavern, marte, for foreigners to cats, (why not men?) which subtill priests congregate, Danes, Swedes, Hollanders, Lom- vouch to have been saints, martyrs, heu bards, so many strange faces, dresses, saluta- Pietas! By that time he has ended his tions, languages, all which Wolfius behelde course, fugit hora, seven other years are

and wild parsley, good in such cases, though
Avicenna preferreth some sorts of wild fowl,
teals. widgeons, beccaficos, which men in
Sussex eat. He flies out in a passion, ho! ho;
and falls to calling me names, dizzard, ass,¦
lunatic, moper, Bedlamite, Pseudo-Demo- |
critus. I smile in his face, bidding him
be patient, tranquil, to no purpose, he still
rages: I think this man must fetch his re-
medies from Utopia, Fairy Land, Islands in
the Moone, &c.

EXTRACT II.

Much disputacyons of fierce wits amongst themselves, in logomachies, subtile controversies, many dry blows given on either side, contentions of learned men, or such as would be so thought, as Bodinus de Periodis saith of such an one, arrident amici ridet mundus, in English, this man his cronies they cocker him up, they flatter him, | he would fayne appear somebody, meanwhile the world thinks him no better than a dizzard, a ninny, a sophist.

Philosophy running mad, madness

expired, gone by, time is he should return, he taketh ship for Britaine, much desired of his friends, favebant venti, Neptune is curteis, after some weekes at sea he landeth, rides post to town, greets his family, kinsmen, compotores, those jokers his friends that were wont to tipple with him at alehouses; these wonder now to see the change, quantum mutatus, the man is quite another thing, he is disenthralled, manumitted, he wonders what so bewitched him, he can now both see, hear, smell, handle, converse with his mistress, single by reason of the death of his rival, a widow having children, grown willing, prompt, amorous, showing no such great dislike to second nuptials, he might have her for asking, no such thing, his mind is changed, he loathes his former meat, had liever eat ratsbane, aconite, his humour is to die a bachelour; marke the conclusion. In this humour of celibate seven other years are consumed in idleness, sloth, world's pleasures, which fatigate, satiate, induce wearinesse, vapours, tædium vitæ: When upon a day, behold a wonder, redit Amor, the man is as sick as ever, he is commenced lover upon the old stock, walks with his hand philosophizing, much idle-learned inquiries, thrust in his bosom for negligence, moping what truth is? and no issue, fruit, of all he leans his head, face yellow, beard flowing these noises, only huge books are written, and incomposite, eyes sunken, anhelus, breath and who is the wiser ? * * Men sit- I wheezy and asthmatical, by reason of over-much ting in the Doctor's chair, we marvel how sighing society he abhors, solitude is but a they got there, being homines intellectûs pulhell, what shall he doe? all this while his verulenti as Trincauellius notes; they care mistresse is forward, coming, amantissima, pot so they may raise a dust to smother the ready to jump at once into his mouth, her he eyes of their oppugners; homines parvulishateth, feels disgust when she is but men- simi, as Lemnius, whom Alcuin herein taxeth tioned, thinks her ugly, old, a painted Jesa- of a crude Latinism; dwarfs, minims, the beel, Alecto, Megara, and Tisiphone all at least little men, these spend their time, once, a Corinthian Lais, a strumpet, only not and it is odds but they lose their time and handsome; that which he affecteth so much, wits too into the bargain, chasing of nimble that which drives him mad, distracted, phre- and retiring Truth: Her they prosecute, her netic, beside himself, is no beauty which still they worship, libant, they make libalives, nothing in rerum naturâ (so he might tions, spilling the wine, as those old Romans entertain a hope of a cure), but something in their sacrificials, Cerealia, May-games: which is not, can never be, a certain fantastic Truth is the game all these hunt after, to opinion or notional image of his mistresse, the extreme perturbacyon and drying up of that which she was, and that which hee the moistures, humidum radicale exsiccant, as thought her to be, in former times, how Galen, in his counsels to one of these wearbeautiful! torments him, frets him, follows wits, brain-moppers, spunges, saith. him, makes him that he wishes to die. and for all this nunquam metam attingunt and how should they they bowle awry, shooting beside the marke; whereas it should appear, that Truth absolute on this planet of ours is scarcely to be found, but in her stede

This Caprichio, Sir Humourous, hee cometh to me to be cured. I counsel marriage with his mistresse, according to Hippocrates his method, together with milk-diet, herbs, aloes,

fists, proper to this island, at which the stiletto'd and secret Italian laughs.) Withdrawing myselfe from these buzzing and illiterate vanities, with a bezo las manos to the city, I begin to inhale, draw in, snuff up, as horses dilatis naribus snort the fresh aires, with exceeding great delight, when suddenly there crosses me a procession, sad, heavy,

Queene Opinion predominates, governs, whose mon sort, plebs, the rabble, duelloes with shifting and ever mutable Lampas, me seemeth, is man's destinie to follow, she præcurseth, she guideth him, before his uncapable eyes she frisketh her tender lights, which entertayne the child-man, untill what time his sight be strong to endure the vision of Very Truth, which is in the heavens, the vision beatifical, as Anianus expounds in his argument against certain mad wits which | dolourous, tristfull, melancholick, able to helde God to be corporeous; these were dizzards, fools, gothamites. ** but and if Very Truth be extant indeede on earth, as some hold she it is which actuates men's deeds, purposes, ye may in vaine look for her in the learned universities, halls, colleges. Truth is no Doctoresse, she takes no degrees at Paris or Oxford, amongst great clerks, disputants, subtile Aristotles, men nodosi ingenii, able to take Lully by the chin, but oftentimes to such an one as myself, an Idiota or common person, no great things, melancholizing in woods where waters are, quiet places by rivers, fountains, whereas the silly man expecting no such matter, thinketh only how best to delectate and refresh his mynde continually with Natura her pleasaunt scenes, woods, water-falls, or Art her statelie gardens, parks, terraces, Belvideres, on a sudden the goddesse herself Truth has appeared, with a shyning lyghte, and a sparklyng countenance, so as yee may not be able lightly to resist her.

change mirth into dolour, and overcast a clearer atmosphere than possibly the neighbourhoods of so great a citty can afford. An old man, a poore man deceased, is borne on men's shoulders to a poore buriall, without solemnities of hearse, mourners, plumes, muta persona, those personate actors that will weep if yee shew them a piece of silver; none of those customed civilities of children, kinsfolk, dependants, following the coffin; he died a poore man, his friends accessores opum, those cronies of his that stuck by him so long as he had a penny, now leave him, forsake him, shun him, desert him; they think it much to follow his putrid and stinking carcase to the grave; his children, if he had any, for commonly the case stands thus, this poore man his son dies before him, he survives, poore, indigent, base, dejected, miserable, &c., or if he have any which survive him, sua negotia agunt, they mind their own business, forsooth, cannot, will not, find time, leisure, inclination, extremum munus perficere, to follow to the pit their old indulgent father, which loved them, stroked them, caressed them, cockering them up, quantum potuit, as farre as his means extended, while they were This morning, May 2, 1662, having first babes, chits, minims, hee may rot in his broken my fast upon eggs and cooling salades, grave, lie stinking in the sun for them, have mallows, water-cresses, those herbes, accord- no buriall at all, they care not. O nefas! ing to Villanovus his prescription, who dis- Chiefly I noted the coffin to have been withallows the use of meat in a morning as gross, out a pall, nothing but a few planks, of fat, hebetant, feral, altogether fitter for wild cheapest wood that could be had, naked, beasts than men, e contra commendeth this having none of the ordinary symptomata of a herb-diete for gentle, humane, active, con- funerall, those locularii which bare the body ducing to contemplation in most men, I be- having on diversely coloured coats, and none took myselfe to the nearest fields. (Being in black: (one of these reported the deceased London I commonly dwell in the suburbes, as to have been an almsman seven yeares, a airiest, quietest, loci musis propriores, free pauper, harboured and fed in the workhouse from noises of caroches, waggons, mechanick of St. Giles-in-the-Fields, to whose proper and base workes, workshoppes, also sights, burying-ground he was now going for interpageants, spectacles of outlandish birds, ment.) All which when I behelde, hardly I fishes, crocodiles, Indians, mermaids; adde refrained from weeping, and incontinently I quarrels, fightings, wranglings of the com- fell to musing: "If this man had been rich,

EXTRACT III.

a Crœsus, a Crassus, or as rich as Whittington, the deceased; hypocriticall heirs, sobbing, what pompe, charge, lavish cost, expenditure, striking their breasts (they care not if he of rich buriall, ceremoniall-obsequies, obsequious had died a year ago); so many clients, ceremonies, had been thought too good for dependants, flatterers, parasites, cunning such an one; what store of panegyricks, Gnathoes, tramping on foot after the hearse, elogies, funeral orations, &c., some beggarly all their care is, who shall stand fairest with poetaster, worthy to be beaten for his ill the successour; he mean time (like enough) rimes, crying him up, hee was rich, generous, spurns them from him, spits at them, treads bountiful, polite, learned, a Mecenas, while them under his foot, will have nought to do as in very deede he was nothing lesse: what with any such cattle. I think him in the weeping, sighing sorrowing, honing, com-right: Hæc sunt majora gravitate Heraditi. | plaining, kinsmeu, friends, relatives, four- These follies are enough to give crying Heratieth cousins, poor relatives, lamenting for clitus a fit of the spleene.