Ed, --- On Tue, 12/8/09, Ed Durbrow <edurb...@sea.plala.or.jp> wrote:
> No > one is mentioned as having > caused the distress. Kind of like some > blues in a way. > Yes, blues is a great analog. I suppose much of it is melancholy of the "hurts so good" variety. Acting suitably bummed has been de rigueur among many in the artistic set for ages it seems. Another take on the matter: In the eyes of Catholicism, being depressed was a serious sin because it was seen as a denial of the saving power of Christ. (Think of Durer's "Melencolia" engraving.) I'm not sure about Elizabethan mores, but assume that the Church of England would have retained a similar view on the matter. For one to publicly admit that you were down would therefore be naughty and rebellious and therefore entirely tempting. Just like dying. Chris To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
