18. The " Anatomy Of " Melancholy, " [Twelve lines]. By " Democritus Iunior. " With a Satyricall Preface, conducing to " the following Di?cour?e. " [Quotation] At Oxford, " Printed by Iohn Lichfield and Iames " Short, for Henry Cripps. " Anno Dom. 1621.

In the preface, the author tells why he used the pseudonym "Democritus Junior." Democritus, he says, as described by Hippocrates and Diogenes Laertius, was "a little wearyi?h olde man, very melancholy by nature, aver?e from company in his latter times, and much giuen to ?olitarine??e," who undertook to find the seat of melancholy. "Democritus Iunior is therefore bold to imitate, and becau?e he left it unperfect, to pro?ecute and fini?h, in this Treati?e." In "The Conclu?ion of the Author to the Reader," three leaves at the end of the volume, signed "Robert Burton," and dated "From my Studie in Chri?t Church, Oxon, Decemb 5. 1620," he says:

"The la?t Section ?hall be mine, to cut the ?trings of Democritus vi?or, to vnma?ke and ?hew him as he is ... Democritus began as a Prologue to this Trage-comedie, but why doth the Author end, and act the Epilogue in his owne name? I intended at fir?t to haue concealed my ?elfe, but ?ecunde cogitationes &c. for ?ome rea?ons I haue altered mine intent, and am willing to ?ub?cribe...."

Later editions, and there were eight during Burton's lifetime, omit the conclusion, and show other alterations. The success of the book, as may be seen from this large number of editions, was great. Wood says that Cripps, the bookseller, made a fortune out of the sale of it, yet he received only a half share of the profits; the other half, belonging to the author, was made over by him in his will to members of the college and to various Oxford friends. "If anie bookes be lefte lett my executors dispose of them, with all such bookes as are written with my owne handes, and half my Melancholy copie, for Crips hath the other halfe."

In course of time the Anatomy was almost forgotten, and Lowndes tells us it owes its revival to Dr. Johnson, who observed that it "was the only book that ever took him out of bed two hours sooner than he wished to rise."

Lichfield and Short were university printers whose press will be chiefly remembered in connection with the production of this masterpiece. The book is ornamented with a few type-metal head- and tail-pieces, and a large initial and a woodcut head-band at the beginning.

Quarto.

Collation: a-f4, in eights; A-Ddd₄, in eights.