Litchfield enquirer., 1841-10-28
From the Christian Watchman.
DEATH.

The grave is diScoverer OF the absurdity Of
sin of every kind. There the ambitious may
learn the folly of ambition there the vain
may learn the vanity of human things there
the voluptuous may read Notifying les
son on the absurdity of sensual pleasure.
Constantine the great, in order 10 reclaim
a miser, took lance and marked out space
of ground of the size Of the human body, and
told him, add heap to heap, accumulate
riches, extend the bounds Of your possess
| sions, conquer the whele world, in few
DAYS such spot as this viii be all you will
have Il take this spear says Saurin, n
mark out this space among you; in few
days YOU will be worth no more than this
Go TO the tomb Of the avaricious man; 60
down and see his coffin, and his shroud in
few days these may be all you will have
DEATH says the same author, puts an end
to the most specious titles, to the most daZ-
cling grandeur, and the most delicious life.
| The thought of this period OF human glory,
! reminds me of the memorable action of
prince who, although he was heather, was
wiser than many Christians; ] mean the
great Saladin. After he had subdued Egypt,
passed the EAphrates, and conquered cities
without number; after he had retaken Jeru-
salem, and performed exploits more than
human in those wars which superstition STIR
red up for the recovery of the holy land, he
| finished his life in the performance ofan &C
I ton that ought to be transmitted to the most
distant posterity.
| A moment before he uttered his last sigh,
1 he called the herald who had carried the
banner before him in all his battles, he COM
manded him to fasteD to the top of lance
the shroud in which the dying prince was
| soon TO be buried. Co. Said he, carry the
lance, unfurl the banner; and while you lift
| up the standard, proclaim-this, this is all
that remains to Saladin the great. (the con-
queror and the king OF the empire) of all his
glory.'
Philip, king of Macedon, as he was wrest-
ling at the Olympic games, fell down in the
sand and when he rose again, seeing the
print of his body in the sand, cried out, %
how little n purcell of earth will hold us
when we are dead, who are an,btiously
seeking after the whole world whilst we are
living! 7 '" r'- '35'
| A sultan amusing himself with walking,
observing a dervise sitting with human
skull in his lap. and appearing to be in a We
Try profound reverie; his attitude and man.
ner surprised the sultan, who demanded the
cause Of his being so deeply engaged in re.
Election. Sire said the dervise, this skull
was presented to me this morning, and have
! from the moment been endeavoring, in vain
TO discover whether 1t is the skull Of pow
erfui monarch like your majesty, or poor
dervise like myself.' ! humbling conside-
ration truly! t @'. ~. ~.
Dr.. Dome, it is said. some time before his
death, when he was emaciated with study
and sickness, caused himself he, Wranned
IN in a sheet, which was gathered over ms
in The e %nns e q ad s
(which was kept by his bedside as long as he
Elivetf to remind himof mortality.
Louis the eleventh, of France, was so fear
iul of death, that as often as it came into his
physicians head to threaten him with death.
he put money in his hunds 10 pacify him
His physician is said to have got $1,000
crowns in five months. 'a :,
o"'I nave heard Of man. says Gurnall,
['that would never be present at any funeral;
hairs, and therefore used black lead comb
to djscolor them, lest by these, the thoughts
Of death, which he abhorrcd, sheuld crowd
| in upon him.
How solemn and profitable are the reflec-
tons which death occasions Consider
death in itself, it is as good writer OBJ
serves, "a sad scene; and the solemnity Of
the scene increases as death advances. Ev-
cry step the last enemy takes, alarms eve
ny fresh symptom strikes terror into the
spectators, and spreads silence and gloomi-
ness through the dwelling; the disease baf-
fcs the power of medicine. they who
stand by observe its progress; the dying
NAN watches their looks; he suspects his
case TO be desperate. The physician at
length pronounces il so !, he believes it,
Now the wheel Of life goes down apace.-
The vital fame burns faint and irregular;
reason intermits; short intervals of sense d.
vide bis thoughts and passions; now himself
is the object; then his family. His friends,
his relations, his children crowd around his
bed, shed their unavaiiing tears over him,
and receive his last blessing. His pulse beats
surrender to the pale conqucror his eyes
swim his tongue falters; a cold sweat be-
dews his face /; he groans he expires! s
The first meeting Of jefferson and Burr.
The following anecdote was related by
Mr.. jefferson 10 the writer. while on a visit
to Monticello in tbs year 1892. 1t was told
in illustration Of an opinion advanced by the
former in relation TO physiognomy. that AL
though it was but folly 10 attempt system
of Judging character from any particular
conformation of features. yet the eye was an
unerring; index of the sOtl, and no training
on the part of its possessor could prevent it
from disclosing his true moral nature 10 a
skilful observer. will endeavor 10 repent
the anecdote in the exact words Of the illus
tTious narrator. n...". 81 I'd "
During my attendance on one of the ear
lest sessions Of the Continental Congress at
Philadelphia, said Mr. j., CHANGED TO dine
one day at a public house where several
distinguished gentlemen from abroad, all
strangers to me, had just arrived in the city.