Pretty much more of the same here, although Burton does give us some advice at last, speaking as “mad” Democritus:
It were enough to make them wise, if they would but consider the mutability of this world, and how it wheels about, nothing being firm and sure… If men would attempt no more than what they can bear, they should lead contented lives and, learning to know themselves, would limit their ambition.
Since He Who Must Not Be Named was elected, this attitude is more or less what has been lifting me up. I like making soup, yard work, and going for walks with the kids. They don’t really know what the flying foot is going on, yet.
Also in this section, Hippocrates travels to meet the great Democritus, who forgets his name:
The multitude stood gazing round about to see the congress. Hippocrates, after a little pause, greeted [Democritus] by his name, whom he resaluted, ashamed almost that he could not call him likewise by his, or that he had forgot it.
HA.
This post is part of a long, tedious, and illustrated read-along of Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy – more info here and follow along on Facebook here.