Burton does not have a lot of good things to say about old people:
Full of ache, sorrow and grief, children again, dizzards, they carl many times as they sit, and talk to themselves, they are angry, waspish, displeased with every thing, suspicious of all, wayward, covetous, hard
(saith Tully,) self-willed, superstitious, self-conceited, braggers and admirers of themselves,
as Balthazar Castilio hath truly noted of them.
Oh, and more witches:
This natural infirmity is most eminent in old women, and such as are poor, solitary, live in most base esteem and beggary, or such as are witches.
This post is part of a long, tedious, and very illustrated read-along of Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy. More info here and follow along on Facebook here. Illustrations posted via devon_isadevon on Instagram.