Page:The anatomy of melancholy - vvhat it is, vvith all the kindes, causes, symptomes, prognostickes, and severall cures of it - in three maine partitions with their seuerall sections (IA anatomyofmelanch00burt 2).pdf/11

1

DEMOCRITVS IVNIOR

to the Reader.

GEntle Reader, I preſume thou wilt be very inquiſitiue to knowe what perſonate Actor this is, that ſo inſolently intrudes vpon this common Theater, to the worlds view, arrogating another mans name, whence hee is, why he doth it, and what hee hath to ſay? Although, as ^aa Seneca in ludo in mortem Claudii Cæſaris. hee ſaid, Primum ſi noluero, non Reſpondebo, quis coacturus eſt? I am free borne, and may chuſe whether I will tell, who can compell me? And could here readily reply with that Ægyptian in ^bb Lib. de curioſitate. Plutarch, when a curious fellowe would needs knowe what he had in his basket, quum vides velatam, quid inquiris in rem obſconditam, it was therefore couered becauſe he ſhould not knowe what was in it. Seeke not after that which is hid, if the contents pleaſe thee, ^cc Modo hæc tibi vſui ſint quemuis authorem fingito. Wecker. and bee for thy vſe, ſuppoſe the man in the Moone, or whom thou wilt to bee the Author; I would not willingly be knowne. Yet in ſome ſort to giue thee ſatisfaction, which is more than I need, I will giue a reaſon, both of this vſurped Name, Title, and Subiect. And firſt of the name of Democritus, leaſt any man by reaſon of it ſhould be deceaued, expecting a Paſquill, a Satyre, or ſome ridiculous Treatiſe (as I my ſelfe ſhould haue done) or ſome prodigious Tenent, or paradox of the earths motion, of infinite worlds in infinito vacuo, ex fortuita Atomorum colliſione, in an infinite waſt, ſo cauſed by an accidentall colliſion of motes in the Sunne, all which Democritus held, Epicurus and their maſter Leucippus of old maintained, and are lately