The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-06-22
CELEBRATED CHARACTERS WIN
HAVE TESTED WHEN DYING.

1t is recorded of one who was gong 10 eAecu
ton, that he requested not TO pass by certain
street lest tailor to whom he was lhoep'eo
should arrest him on the way. Another said 10
the executoner, just he was going to s'rike,
Don't touch nv neck for am so tcklish mat
YOU will make me burst with laughter. "A
fourth asked for some drink, but seeing that 'he
hangman helped himself before he handed .a'
cup TO him flung the contents IN ms iace' ai.o
said. 81 will not sully my lips by drinking AT
err such miscreant thou art. Petronius,
who was master of ceremonies, and inventor OF
pleasures at the court of Nero, when he saw tha'
elegan, indulgt nee was giving place to coarse az
bauchery perceived at once that his term OF favor
had arrived, and it was time TO die. lie resolved,
therefore to anticipate the tyrani, and disfooe
death Of his parapharnalia OF terror ACCORD
ngly, he entered a warm bath, and opened ms
veins, composed verses, tested with his iamii!af
associates, and died off by insensible degrees
Democritus, the laughing philosopher, disiihihg
the Inconvenience and iniirmltles OF Ola age
made up his mind to die on a certain day; bat TO
oblige his sister, he postponed his departure until
the three feasts of Ceres were over lie sup,
ported nature on pot of honey to the appointed
hour and then expired by arrangement
Pompnnius Atticus the intimate friend OF Cicero,
had fortunately for himself passed through ii'e
without medd!ing with politics, and unvistted oy
sickess Feeling i'll for The first time in extreme
old age he assembled his family and informed
them that he had made up his mind to take leave
of this world He then abs'ained from all food,
maintained his habtual gayety, and suffered ma
ture to snuff herself GU, by merry instruments
Seutonius relates of Augustus, that, throughout
his last illness he retained his self command and
| habitually tranquil temperament. Percieving bis
end approach, he called for mirror, carefully
adjusted his hair, and turning with smile to his
| attendants, said, !" Am not accomplished
actor9' When Phocion was going to execution
| 4 though less Athena committed the outrage oil
splitting in his face He smiled, and said to the
ma gistratcs who accompanied him, Tell that
| foolish young man not to open his mouth SO DIS
agreeably." The first Darius, King of Persia,
when dying desired to have this Intellectual cpl
taph engraved on his tomb
!" Here lies king Darius, who was oble TO drink
mauy bottles of wine without staggering
Jerome Cardan celebrated Italian physician,
cast his own nativity, and ascertained, by the
conformation of his horoscope, that his death
would take place on certain day. He was such
adevout believer in astrology, that he deter
mined TO die at the appointed time rather than
his lavorite science should be detected in
He therefore starved himself gradually and cal
culated with such matimatical nicely as TO hit the
very day and hour foretold All astroiogers should
SET up AlFucH as tieiI upIieSl
ar The learned Bay was occupied with his
critical work, in opposition to lie Clere, that be
totally forgot and neg elected slow fever, which
was killing him by measured advances.--
He died while correcting the last sheet. Racan,
in his life of Nalherbe, his instructor in poetry.
gives very Characteristic anecdote of his death.
An hour before he expired, he started up sud.
denly and reproved his hostess: who was watch
ing by him, for an ungrammatical expression
and when his confessor repraminded him for this
and told him his thoughts should be otherwise
employed he replied that he could not help it !;
but, 10 the last gasp, he would contend for the
purity of the French language.
When Rabelais was dying, the cardinal sent a
page to inquire how he was, Rabelais joked with
the envoy until he felt his strength declining and
his last moments approached. He then said,
IS Tell his eminence the state in which you left
me. am going to inquire into great POSSIBLE
ty. lie is in snug nest, let him stay there as
long as he can. Draw the curtain, the farce is
over" Such death beds startling and extra
ordinary, but they are also fraught with utility,
and furnish food for melancholy reflection. Hob
bes Of Mamesbury, seems to have had the spe
| ech Of Rabelais in his mind, when he departed
with these word, 81 am going to take great
leap in the dark Yet this imaginary phioso-
pher, who died with an ambiguous jest, and deni-
ed the truth of Christianity was afraid of being
alone, and believed firmly in witches aud spec
tres. In the secret memoirs of Vittorio Sri, a
learned Italian monk, he states that Queen Ellz-
sbeth, when dying, seated herself on her bed,
with her eyes on the ground and finger on her
mouth, and ordering her usual musicians to be
summoned, listened to them, until her last Ire-
ath, with lncnoceivable delight.
Rrantome with his usual naiyete, relates the
death Of MademoiselIe de Limeuil, a maid Of
| honor at the court of Catharine de Needless
Young and handsome, she was equally celeb
rated for her ready wit and attic reparees. When
she felt the hour of her death approaching, she
called her valet, who played extremely we'll on
the violin. Julien said she, g take your ylo-
lin and continue to play, until you see that am
dead, the defeat of tie SWISS and play well
as you possibly can. When you come to the
passage, all is lost repeat it four or FIVE times
with much point and pa'hos as you can pose
| sibly throw IN Julien did as he was ordered,
and the dying beauty accompanied him viii.
| her voice. Having twice repeated g all is lost,
| at the proper moment she turned round in her
bed and said to her companions, g toat est per-
da &c coup, ct bon escient,' all is indeed lost
| this time, and in good earGest. While uttering
these words she fell and died.