BURTON, ROBERT (1577-1640)

Miscellaneous writer, b. at Lindley, Leicestershire, and ed. at Oxf., took orders, and became Vicar of St. Thomas, Oxf., 1616, and Rector of Segrave, Leicestershire, 1630. Subject to depression of spirits, he wrote as an antidote the singular book which has given him fame. The Anatomy of Melancholy, in which he appears under the name of Democritus Junior, was pub. in 1621, and had great popularity. In the words of Warton, "The author's variety of learning, his quotations from rare and curious books, his pedantry sparkling with rude wit and shapeless elegance ... have rendered it a repertory of amusement and information." It has also proved a store-house from which later authors have not scrupled to draw without acknowledgment. It was a favourite book of Dr. Johnson. B. was a mathematician and dabbled in astrology. When not under depression he was an amusing companion, "very merry, facete, and juvenile," and a person of "great honesty, plain dealing, and charity."

The best ed. is that of Rev. A.R. Shilleto, with introduction by A.H. Bullen (3 vols. 1893).

Robert Burton (1577-1640), English writer and clergyman, born in Lindley, Leicestershire, and educated at the University of Oxford. He became vicar of Saint Thomas Church at Oxford in 1616 and a rector in Seagrave, Leicestershire, in 1630, holding both positions until his death. Burton's masterpiece, The Anatomy of Melancholy, was published under the pseudonym Democritus Junior in 1621; he enlarged it several times. This ambitious book, characterized by wide learning and a quaint and penetrating style, ranks among the most important prose works in English literature. The work analyzes the medical, historical, and social causes and cures of melancholy, covering a vast scope of scholarship in numerous fields, such as classical studies, theology, philosophy, science, and politics. Burton's work influenced other writers in England, including John Milton in the 17th century and Charles Lamb in the 19th century. Among Burton's other writings is the Latin comedy Philosophaster (1606).

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