1

Source

John Donne, Biathanatos, A Modern-Spelling Edition, Part III, Distinction iv, sections 1-11,
lines 4692-4992, eds. Michael Rudick and M. Pabst Battin. New York and London: Garland
Publishing, Inc., 1982, pp. 166-176. Quotation in introduction, pp. xi-xii.

from BIATHANATOS

To Prepare us, therefore, to a right understanding and application of these places of Scripture, we
must arrest awhile upon the nature, and degrees, and effects of charity, the mother and form of
all virtue, which shall not only lead us to heaven, for faith opens us the door, but shall continue
with us when we are there, when both faith and hope are spent and useless.

We shall nowhere find a better portrait of charity than that which St. Augustine hath drawn: “She
loves not that which should not be loved, she neglects not that which should be loved, she
bestows not more love upon that which deserves less, nor doth she equally love more and less
worthiness, nor upon equal worthiness bestow more and less love.” To this charity, the same
blessed and happy father proportions this growth: Inchoated, increased, grown great, and
perfected, and this last is, saith he, when in respect of it we contemn this life. And yet he
acknowledgeth a higher charity than this; for, Peter Lombard allowing charity this growth,
beginning, proficient, perfect, more and most perfect, he cites St. Augustine, who calls that
perfect charity to be ready to die for one another. But when he comes to that than which none can
be greater, he says then, the Apostle came to cupio dissolvi. For as one may love God with all his
heart, and yet he may grow in that love, and love God more with all his heart, for the first was
commanded in the Law, and yet counsel of perfection was given to him who said that he had
fulfilled the first commandment, so, as St. Augustine found a degree above that charity which
made a man paratum ponere, which is cupere, so there is a degree above that, which is to do it.

This is that virtue by which martyrdom, which is not such of itself, becomes an act of highest
perfection. And this is that virtue which assureth any suffering which proceeds from it to be
infallibly accompanied with the grace of God. Upon assuredness, therefore, and testimony of a
rectified conscience that we have a charitable purpose, let us consider how far we may adventure
upon authority of Scripture in this matter which we have in hand.

First, therefore, by the frame and working of St. Paul’s argument to the Corinthians, “though I
give my body that I be burned, and have not love, it profiteth nothing,” these two things appear
evidently; first, that in a general notion and common reputation, it was esteemed a high degree of
perfection to die so, and therefore not against the law of nature; and secondly, by this exception,
without charity, it appears that with charily it might well and profitably be done.

For the first, if any think that the Apostle here takes example of an impossible thing, as when itis
said, “if an angel from heaven teach other doctrine,” he will, I think, correct himself if he
consider the former verses and the Apostle’s progress in his argument, wherein, to dignify
charity the most that he can, he undervalues all other gifts which were there ambitiously affected.
2

For eloquence, he says it is nothing to have all languages, no, not of angels, which is not put
literally, for they have none, but to express a high degree of eloquence, as Calvin says here; or,
as Lyra says, by language of angels is meant the desire of communicating our conceptions to one
another. And then heads that knowledge of mysteries and prophecies is also nothing which was
also much affected. And for miraculous faith, it is also nothing. For the first of these gifts doth
not make a man better, for Balaam’s ass could speak and was still an ass; and the second Judas
had, and the Pharisees; and the third is so small a matter that as much as a grain of mustard seed
is enough to remove mountains. All these, therefore, were feasible things, and were sometimes
done. So also, after he had passed through the gifts of knowledge and gifts of utterance, he
presents the gifts of working in the same manner; and therefore, as he says, “if I feed the poor
with all my goods,” which he presents as a harder thing than either of the other (for in the other,
God gives me, but here I give other), yet possible to be done, so he presents the last, “if I give
my body,” as the hardest of all, and yet, as all the rest, sometimes to be done.

That which I observed … secondly to arise from this argument was that, with charity, such a
death might be acceptable. . . . And though I know the Donatists are said to have made this use of
these words, yet, because the intent and end conditions every action and infuses the poison or the
nourishment which they which follow suck from thence, and we know that the Donatists
rigorously and tyrannously racked and detorted thus much from this place that they might present
themselves to others promiscuously to be killed, and if that were denied to them, they might kill
themselves and them who refused it, yet, I say, I doubt not but thus much may naturally be
collected from hence, that by this word “if I give my body” is insinuated somewhat more than a
prompt and willing yielding of it when I am enforced to it by the persecuting magistrate; and that
these words will justify the fact of the martyr Nicephorus’ being then in perfect charity, whose
case was that, having had some enmity with Sapritius, who was brought to the place where he
was to receive the bloody crown of martyrdom, he fell down to Sapritius and begged from him
then a pardon of all former bitternesses; but Sapritius, elated with the glory of martyrdom,
refused him, but was presently punished, for his faith cooled, and he recanted, and lived. And
Nicephorus, standing by, stepped in to his room and cried, “I am also a Christian!” and so
provoked the magistrate to execute him, lest from the faintness of Sapritius the cause might have
received a wound or a scorn. And this I take to be “giving of his body.”

Of which, as there may be such necessity, for confirming of weaker Christians, that a man may
be bound to do it, as in this case is very probable, so there may be cases, in men very exemplary,
and in the cunning and subtle carriage of the persecutor, as one can no other way give his body
for testimony of God’s truth, to which he may then be bound, but by doing it himself.

EXCERPTS FROM JOHN MILTON’S AREOPAGITICA

Salomoji informs us that much reading is a wearines to the flesh ; but neither he nor other
inspir'd author tells us that such or such reading is unlawfull: yet certainly had God thought
good to limit us herein, it had bin much more expedient to have told us what was unlawfull then
what was wearisome. As for the burning of those aoEphesian books by St. Pauls converts, tis
reply'd the books were magick, the Syriack so renders them. It was a privat act, a voluntary act,
and leaves us to a voluntary imitation; the men in remorse burnt those books which were their
3

own ; the Magistrat by this example is not appointed ; these men practiz'd the books, another
might perhaps have read them in some sort usefully. Good and evill we know in the field of this
World grow up together almost inseparably; and the knowledge of good is so involv'd and
interwoven with the knowledge of evil and in, so many cunning resemblances hardly to be
discern'd, that those confused seeds, which were impos'd on Psyche as an incessant labour to cull
out and sort asunder, were not more intermixt. It was from out the rinde of one apple tasted that
the knowledge of good and evill as two twins cleaving together leapt forth into the World. And
perhaps this is that doom which Adam fell into of knowing good and evill, that is to say of
knowing good by evill. As therefore the state of man now is, what wisdome can there be to
choose, what continence to forbeare without the knowledge of evill? He that can apprehend and
consider vice with all her baits and seeming pleasures, and yet abstain, and yet distinguish, and
yet prefer that which is truly better, he is the true wayfaring Christian. I cannot praise a fugitive
and cloister' d vertue, unexercis'd and unbreath'd, that never sallies out and sees her adversary,
but slinks out of the race, where that immortall garland is to be run for not without dust and heat.
Assuredly we bring not innocence into the world, we bring impurity much rather: that which
purifies us is triall and what is contrary. That vertue therefore which is but a youngling in the
contemplation of evill, and knows not the utmost that vice promises to her followers, and rejects
it, is but a blank vertue, not a pure ; her whitenesse is but an excrementall whitenesse ; Which
was the reason why our sage and serious Poet Spencer whom I dare be known to think a better
teacher then Scotus or Aquinas, describing true temperance under the person of Guion, brings
him in with his palmer through the cave of Mammon and the bowr of earthly blisse, that he
might see and know, and yet abstain. Since therefore the knowledge and survay of vice is in this
world so necessary to the constituting of human vertue, and the scanning of error to the
confirmation of truth, how can we more safely and with lesse danger scout into the regions of sin
and falsity then by reading all manner of tractats, and hearing all manner of reason ? And this is
the benefit which may be had of books promiscuously read.

[…] And again if it be true, that a wise man like a good refiner can gather gold out of the
drossiest volume, and that a fool will be a fool with the best book, yea, or without book, there is
no reason that we should deprive a wise man of any advantage to his wisdome, while we seek to
restrain from a fool that I which being restrain'd will be no hindrance to his folly. For if there
should be so much exactnesse always us'd to keep that from him which is unfit for his reading,
we should in the judgement of Aristotle not only but of Salomon and of our Saviour, not voutsafe
him good precepts, and by consequence not willingly admit him to good books, as being certain
that a wise man will make better use of an idle pamphlet then a fool will do of sacred Scripture.
Tis next alleg'd we must not expose our selves to temptations without necessity, and next to that,
not imploy our time in vain things.

ROBERT BURTON
EXCERPTS FROM ANATOMY OF MELANCHOLY
The First Subsection.

Man's Excellency, Fall, Miseries, Infirmities; The causes of them.Man's Excellency. Man the
most excellent and noble creature of the world, “the principal and mighty work of God, wonder
4

of Nature,” as Zoroaster calls him; audacis naturae miraculum, “the marvel of marvels,” as Plato;
“the abridgment and epitome of the world,” as Pliny; microcosmus, a little world, a model of the
world, sovereign lord of the earth, viceroy of the world, sole commander and governor of all the
creatures in it; to whose empire they are subject in particular, and yield obedience; far surpassing
all the rest, not in body only, but in soul; imaginis imago, created to God's own image, to that
immortal and incorporeal substance, with all the faculties and powers belonging unto it; was at
first pure, divine, perfect, happy, “created after God in true holiness and righteousness;” Deo
congruens, free from all manner of infirmities, and put in Paradise, to know God, to praise and
glorify him, to do his will, Ut diis consimiles parturiat deos (as an old poet saith) to propagate the
church.

Man's Fall and Misery. But this most noble creature, Heu tristis, et lachrymosa commutatio one
exclaims O pitiful change! is fallen from that he was, and forfeited his estate, become miserabilis
homuncio, a castaway, a caitiff, one of the most miserable creatures of the world, if he be
considered in his own nature, an unregenerate man, and so much obscured by his fall that (some
few relics excepted) he is inferior to a beast, “Man in honour that understandeth not, is like unto
beasts that perish,” so David esteems him: a monster by stupend metamorphoses, a fox, a dog, a
hog, what not? Quantum mutatus ab illo? How much altered from that he was; before blessed
and happy, now miserable and accursed; “He must eat his meat in sorrow,” subject to death and
all manner of infirmities, all kind of calamities.

A Description of Melancholy. “Great travail is created for all men, and an heavy yoke on the
sons of Adam, from the day that they go out of their mother's womb, unto that day they return to
the mother of all things. Namely, their thoughts, and fear of their hearts, and their imagination of
things they wait for, and the day of death. From him that sitteth in the glorious throne, to him that
sitteth beneath in the earth and ashes; from him that is clothed in blue silk and weareth a crown,
to him that is clothed in simple linen. Wrath, envy, trouble, and unquietness, and fear of death,
and rigour, and strife, and such things come to both man and beast, but sevenfold to the
ungodly.” All this befalls him in this life, and peradventure eternal misery in the life to come.

Impulsive Cause of Man's Misery and Infirmities. The impulsive cause of these miseries in man,
this privation or destruction of God's image, the cause of death and diseases, of all temporal and
eternal punishments, was the sin of our first parent Adam, in eating of the forbidden fruit, by the
devil's instigation and allurement. His disobedience, pride, ambition, intemperance, incredulity,
curiosity; from whence proceeded original sin, and that general corruption of mankind, as from a
fountain, flowed all bad inclinations and actual transgressions which cause our several calamities
inflicted upon us for our sins. And this belike is that which our fabulous poets have shadowed
unto us in the tale of Pandora's box, which being opened through her curiosity, filled the world
full of all manner of diseases. It is not curiosity alone, but those other crying sins of ours, which
pull these several plagues and miseries upon our heads. For Ubi peccatum, ibi procella, as
Chrysostom well observes. “Fools by reason of their transgression, and because of their
iniquities, are afflicted.” “Fear cometh like sudden desolation, and destruction like a whirlwind,
affliction and anguish,” because they did not fear God. “Are you shaken with wars?” as Cyprian
well urgeth to Demetrius, “are you molested with dearth and famine? is your health crushed with
raging diseases? is mankind generally tormented with epidemical maladies? 'tis all for your sins,”
Hag. i. 9, 10; Amos i.; Jer. vii. God is angry, punisheth and threateneth, because of their
5

obstinacy and stubbornness, they will not turn unto him. “If the earth be barren then for want of
rain, if dry and squalid, it yield no fruit, if your fountains be dried up, your wine, corn, and oil
blasted, if the air be corrupted, and men troubled with diseases, 'tis by reason of their sins:”
which like the blood of Abel cry loud to heaven for vengeance, Lam. v. 15. “That we have
sinned, therefore our hearts are heavy,” Isa. lix. 11, 12. “We roar like bears, and mourn like
doves, and want health, &c. for our sins and trespasses.” But this we cannot endure to hear or to
take notice of, Jer. ii. 30. “We are smitten in vain and receive no correction;” and cap. v. 3.
“Thou hast stricken them, but they have not sorrowed; they have refused to receive correction;
they have not returned. Pestilence he hath sent, but they have not turned to him,” Amos iv. Herod
could not abide John Baptist, nor Domitian endure Apollonius to tell the causes of the plague at
Ephesus, his injustice, incest, adultery, and the like.

To punish therefore this blindness and obstinacy of ours as a concomitant cause and principal
agent, is God's just judgment in bringing these calamities upon us, to chastise us, I say, for our
sins, and to satisfy God's wrath. For the law requires obedience or punishment, as you may read
at large, Deut. xxviii. 15. “If they will not obey the Lord, and keep his commandments and
ordinances, then all these curses shall come upon them.” “Cursed in the town and in the field,
&c.” “Cursed in the fruit of the body, &c.” “The Lord shall send thee trouble and shame, because
of thy wickedness.” And a little after, “The Lord shall smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and
with emerods, and scab, and itch, and thou canst not be healed; with madness, blindness, and
astonishing of heart.” This Paul seconds, Rom. ii. 9. “Tribulation and anguish on the soul of
every man that doeth evil.” Or else these chastisements are inflicted upon us for our humiliation,
to exercise and try our patience here in this life to bring us home, to make us to know God
ourselves, to inform and teach us wisdom. “Therefore is my people gone into captivity, because
they had no knowledge; therefore is the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath
stretched out his hand upon them.” He is desirous of our salvation. Nostrae salutis avidus, saith
Lemnius, and for that cause pulls us by the ear many times, to put us in mind of our duties: “That
they which erred might have understanding, (as Isaiah speaks xxix. 24) and so to be reformed.”
“I am afflicted, and at the point of death,” so David confesseth of himself, Psal. lxxxviii. v. 15, v.
9. “Mine eyes are sorrowful through mine affliction:” and that made him turn unto God. Great
Alexander in the midst of all his prosperity, by a company of parasites deified, and now made a
god, when he saw one of his wounds bleed, remembered that he was but a man, and remitted of
his pride. In morbo recolligit se animus,as Pliny well perceived; “In sickness the mind reflects
upon itself, with judgment surveys itself, and abhors its former courses;” insomuch that he
concludes to his friend Marius, “that it were the period of all philosophy, if we could so continue
sound, or perform but a part of that which we promised to do, being sick. Whoso is wise then,
will consider these things,” as David did (Psal. cxliv., verse last); and whatsoever fortune befall
him, make use of it. If he be in sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity, seriously to
recount with himself, why this or that malady, misery, this or that incurable disease is inflicted
upon him; it may be for his good, sic expedit as Peter said of his daughter's ague. Bodily sickness
is for his soul's health, periisset nisi periisset, had he not been visited, he had utterly perished; for
“the Lord correcteth him whom he loveth, even as a father doth his child in whom he delighteth.”