XVIII. EPISTLE We are jufter to Men than to God. Of Life and Death, of Good and Evil. I T is without Difpute, that the Lofs of a Friend is one of the greatest Trials of human Frailty; and no Man is so much exalted above the Sense of that Calamity, as not to be affected with it. And yet if a Man bears it bravely, they cry, He has no Senfe of Piety, or good Nature in him if he finks under it, they call him effe minate So that he lies both ways under a Reproach. And what's the Ground of the Trouble, I beseech you, but that he might have lived longer, in Refpect of his Years, and in Effect, that he ought to have done fo, in regard of his Usefulness to the World? I cannot but wonder to fee Men that are really juft and temperate in all their Dealings with Men, and in Bufinefs, fo exceed ingly to forget themselves, in this Point. But we have, in Excufe of this Error, the Failings of the whole World with us for Company. For even thofe that are the most fcrupulously confcientious toward Men, are yet unthankful, and injurious to Providence, It is not the Number of Days that makes a Life long, but the full Employment of them, upon the main End, and Purpose of Life, which is the perfecting of the Mind, in making a Man the abfolute Mafter of himself. I reckon the matter of Age among external Things, the main point is, to live and die with Honour. Every Man that lives, is upon the Way, and muft go through with his Journey, without ftopping, 'till he comes at the End: and wherefoever it ends, if it ends well, it is a perfect Life. There is an invincible Fate that attends all Mortals; and one Generation is condemned to tread upon the Heels of another. Take away from Life, the Power of Death, and 'tis a Slavery. As Caligula was paffing upon the Way, an old Man, that was a Prifoner, and with a Beard down to his Gir dle, made his Request to Cafar, that he might be put to Death. Why, fays Gesar to him: him are you not dead already? So that you fee fome defire it, as well as others fear it: And why not? When it is one of the Duties of Life, to die: and it is one of the Comforts of it too; for the Living are under the Power of of Fortune, but fhe has no Dominion at all over the Dead, How can Life be pleafant to any Man, that is not prepared to part with it? Or what Lofs can be eafier to us, than that which can never be miffed, or defired again? I was brought by a Defluxion into a hopeless Confumption; and I had it many times in my Thought to deliver myfelf from a miferable Life, by a violent Death. But the Tenderness I had for an aged, and indulgent Father, held my Hands: for, thought I to myfelf, it will be very hard for a Father to be without me, though I could moft willingly part with myfelf. In the Cafe of a particular Difeafe, a Phyfician may propound a Remedy: but the only Remedy for all Difcafes, is the Contempt of Death. (Though I'know too, that it is the Bufinefs of a long Life to learn that Leffon.) OH! the Happiness of diftinguishing Good from Evil, in the Works of Providence! But, instead of raifing our Thoughts to the Contemplation of divine Matters, and enquiring into the Original, the State, and appointed Ifue of created Nature, we are digging of the Earth, and ferving of our Avarice; neglecting all the good things that are fo frankly offered us. How great a Folly and Madness is it, for Men that are dying, and in the Hands of Death already, to extend their Hopes, and to carry their Ambition, and Defires to the Grave unfatisfied? For whatfoever is tainted with thofe hydropic Appetites, can never have enough, either of Money, or Power. It is a remarkable thing, that among thofe that place their Happinefs in Senfe, they are the moft miferable that feem to be happieft. The Riches of Nature are the most precious Treafures. What has any Man to defire more, than to keep himself from Cold, Hunger, and Thirft? It is not the Quantity, but the Opinion that governs in this Cafe: That can never be little, which is enough: Nor does any Man account that to be much, which is too little. The Benefits of Fortune are fo far comfortable to us, as we enjoy them without lofing the Poffeffion of ourselves. Let us purge our Minds, and follow Nature; we shall otherwise be still either fearing, or craving, and Slaves to Accidents. Not that there is any pleafure in Poverty, but it is a great Felicity for a Man to bring his Mind to be contented even in that State, which Fortune itself cannot make worfe. Methinks our Quarrels with Ambition, and profitable Employments, are fomewhat like those we have with our Mistresses; we do not hate them, but wrangle with them. In a word, betwixt thofe things which are fought, and coveted and yet complained of; and thofe things which we have loft, and pretend that we cannot live without, our Misfortunes are purely voluntary: And we are Servants, not fo much by Neceffity, as by Chance. No Man can be happy that is not free, and fearless: And no man can be fo, but he, that by Philosophy has got the better of Fortune. In what place fo ever we are, we shall find ourselves befet with the miseries of human Nature; some without us; that either encompafs us, deceive us, or force us: Others within us, that eat up our very Hearts, in the middle of Solitude. And it is not yet, as we imagine, that Fortune has long Arms; the meddles with no Body, that does not first lay hold upon her. fhould keep a Distance therefore, and withdraw into the Knowledge of Nature, and of ourselves: We underftand the Original of Things; the Order of the World, the Circulation of the Seasons, the Courfes of the Stars, and that the whole Frame of the Universe (only the Earth. excepted) is but a perpetual Motion. We know the Caufes of Day and Night; of Light and of Darkness; but it is at a Distance: Let us direct our Thought then. to that Place where we fhall fee all nearer hand. And it is not this Hope neither, that makes a wife Man refolute at the Point of Death, becaufe Death lies in his way to Heaven; for, the Soul of a wife Man is there beforehand: Nay, if there were nothing after Death to be ei ther expected, or feared, he would yet leave this World. with as great a Mind, though he were to pafs into a State of Annihilation. He that reckons every Hour his laft; a Day, or an Age, is all one to him. Fate is. doing our Work while we fleep; Death fteals upon us We infenfibly; and the more infenfibly, because it paffes under the name of Life. From Childhood we grow up without perceiving it, to old Age; and this Increase of our Life, duly confidered, is a Diminution of it. We take Death to be before us, but it is behind us; and has already fwallowed up all that is palt: Wherefore make ufe of the prefent; and truft nothing to the Morrow; for Delay is juft fo much time loft. We catch hold of Hopes and Flatteries, of a little longer Life; as drowning Men upon Thorns, or Straws, that either hurt us or deceive us. You will afk, perhaps what I do myself, that preach at this Rate. Truly I do like fome ill Hufbands, that spend their Eftates, and yet keep their Accounts: I run out; but yet I can tell what way it goes. And I have the Fate of ill Husbands too, another way; for every Body pities me, and no body helps me. The Soul is never in the right Place fo long as it fears to quit the Body. Why fhould a Man Trouble himself to extend Life, which, at beft, is a kind of Punishment; and at longeft, amounts to very little more than nothing? He is ungrateful, that takes the Period of Pleafure for an Injury; and he is foolish, that knows no Good but the prefent. Nay, there are fome Courfes of Life, which a Man ought to quit, though with Life itself: As the Trade of killing others, inftead of learning to die him. felf. Life itself is neither good, nor evil; but only a Place for good, and evil: It is a kind of Tragi-Comedy. Let it be well acted, and no matter whether it be long or fhort. We are apt to be mif-led by the Appearances of things, and when they come to us recommended in good Terms, and by great Example, they will impose many times upon very wife Men. The Mind is never right; but when it is at Peace within itself, and independent upon any thing from abroad. The Soul is in Heaven, even while it is in the Flesh; if it be purged of natural Corruptions, and taken up with divine Thoughts: And, whether any body fees us, or takes Notice of us, it matters not. Virtue will of itfelf break forth, though never fo much Pains be taken to fupprefs it. And it is all one, whether it be known or not: But After-ages however will do us right, when we are dead, and infenfible of the Veneration they allow us. He that is wife, will compute the Conditions of Humanity; and contract the Subject both of his Joy, and Fears. And it is time. well fpent, fo to abate of the one, that he may likewife diminish the other. By this Practice he will come to underftand, how fhort, how uncertain, and how fafe, many of those things are, which we are wont to fear. When I fee a fplendid Houfe, or a glittering Train, I look upon it, as I do upon Courts, which are only Schools of Avarice, and Ambition; and they are at belt but a Pomp which is more for fhew, than Poffeffion. Befide that, great Goods are feldon long-liv'd, and that is the fairest Felicity, which is of the fhorteft Growth. EPISTLE XIX. Of true Courage ORTITUDE is (properly) the Contempt of all Ha Fords, according to Realon, though it be conda ly, and promifcuoufly used alfo, for a Contempt of all Hazards, even without, or against Reafon: Which is rather a daring, or a brutal Fiercenefs, than an honourable Courage. A brave Man fears nothing more than the Weakness of being affected with popular Glory. His Eyes are not dazzled either with Gold or Steel; he tramples upon all the Terrors, and Glories of Fortune; he looks upon himfelf as a Citizen, and Soldier of the World, and, in defpite of all Accidents, and Oppofitions, he maintains his Station. He does not only fuffer, but court the most perilous Occafions of Virtue, and thofe Adventures which are moft terrible to others: for he values himself upon Experiment; and is more ambitious of being reputed good, than happy. Mucius loft his Hand with more Honour than he could have preferved it: He was a greater Conqueror without it, than he could have been with it: For with the very Stump of it he overcame two Kings, Tarquin and Porfenna. Rutilia followed Cotta into Banifhment; fhe stayed, and she returned with him too; and foon after she lost him, with |