MEN fear death, as children fear to go in the
dark; and as that natural fear in children,
is increased with tales, so is the other. Certainly,
the contemplation of death, as the wages of sin,
and passage to another world, is holy and relig-
ious; but the fear of it, as a tribute due unto nature,
is weak. Yet in religious meditations, there is some-
times mixture of vanity, and of superstition. You
shall read, in some of the friars' books of mortifica-
tion, that a man should think with himself, what
the pain is, if he have but his finger's end pressed,
or tortured, and thereby imagine, what the pains
of death are, when the whole body is corrupted,
and dissolved; when many times death passeth,
with less pain than the torture of a limb; for the
most vital parts, are not the quickest of sense. And
by him that spake only as a philosopher, and nat-
ural man, it was well said, Pompa mortis magis
terret, quam mors ipsa. Groans, and convulsions,
and a discolored face, and friends weeping, and
blacks, and obsequies, and the like, show death
terrible. It is worthy the observing, that there is no
passion in the mind of man, so weak, but it mates,
and masters, the fear of death; and therefore,
death is no such terrible enemy, when a man hath
so many attendants about him, that can win the
combat of him. Revenge triumphs over death; love
slights it; honor aspireth to it; grief flieth to it; fear
preoccupateth it; nay, we read, after Otho the em-
peror had slain himself, pity (which is the tender-
est of affections) provoked many to die, out of mere
compassion to their sovereign, and as the truest
sort of followers. Nay, Seneca adds niceness and
satiety: Cogita quamdiu eadem feceris; mori velle,
non tantum fortis aut miser, sed etiam fastidiosus
potest. A man would die, though he were neither
valiant, nor miserable, only upon a weariness to
do the same thing so oft, over and over. It is no less
worthy, to observe, how little alteration in good
spirits, the approaches of death make; for they
appear to be the same men, till the last instant.
Augustus Caesar died in a compliment; Livia, con-
jugii nostri memor, vive et vale. Tiberius in dissi-
mulation; as Tacitus saith of him, Jam Tiberium
vires et corpus, non dissimulatio, deserebant. Ves-
pasian in a jest, sitting upon the stool; Ut puto deus
fio. Galba with a sentence; Feri, si ex re sit populi
Romani; holding forth his neck. Septimius Severus
in despatch; Adeste si quid mihi restat agendum.
And the like. Certainly the Stoics bestowed too
much cost upon death, and by their great prepara-
tions, made it appear more fearful. Better saith he,
qui finem vitae extremum inter munera ponat
naturae. It is as natural to die, as to be born; and to
a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful, as the
other. He that dies in an earnest pursuit, is like one
that is wounded in hot blood; who, for the time,
scarce feels the hurt; and therefore a mind fixed,
and bent upon somewhat that is good, doth avert
the dolors of death. But, above all, believe it, the
sweetest canticle is', Nunc dimittis; when a man
hath obtained worthy ends, and expectations.
Death hath this also; that it openeth the gate to
good fame, and extinguisheth envy. - Extinctus
amabitur idem.
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