Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-08-01
MISC ELL AN Y
Dying Words of Distinguished Men

We have many instances of persons who have
eviuced their strength of mind, by composing YER
ses when on the point of DEATH The Emperor a
drian. before expiring, it is stated, composed the
celebrated epigram, ''.4aimuta Vagula BIaadu-
ian Samasius, attacked by mortal disease,
still young, and while in momentary expectation OF
death, composed his epitaph in verse, We have
abundance of instances record, however, OF Gel
ebrated men evlnclng
ssThc ruling passions strong in death"
And even is this the case with some of that
limited number of the worlds great thinkers and
seers, who discern
"The far-olf mountain tops of distant thoughts,
That men of common statue never saw
When Alfieri drew near his end, he was per-
suaded to see priest, but on his appearing he
beUred him to defer his visit TO smother day
On the morrow when the official again appeared
he uroed. cat present have out few minutes
TO live, :" and entreaiug that the Countess of AL
bany-widow of Stuart, the Pretender-mlght be
called, exclaimed, on seeing her, ,"Clasp my hand
nv dear friend, die" and Immediately expired.
Petrarch died of appoplexy, seated in his library,
with one ann resting on u book. De L.agny, who
was intended by his friends for the study OF law,
having fallen on Euclid, found II so congenial to
his disposition, that he devoted himself to malhe-
matics In his last moments, when he retained
| no further recollection of the friends surrounding
his bed, one of them perhaps to make philosoph-
teal experiment, thought proper to ask him the
square of II; our dying mathematician Instantly
and perhaps without knowing that he answered,
replied, I'D" Pere Bouhours was French
prammaran, who had been justly accused OF pay
inc too scrupuous an attention to the nlnuti OF let
ters. lie was more socious of his words than
his thoughts 1t is said that when he was dying
he called out to his friends, "a correct grammaran
to the last ''Je VAS, Ouje vAIs mourir Pun on
pa,ttau Sc dit" When Malherbe was dying,
he reprimanded his nurse for making use OF a So
lecis,n in her language. And when his coneSsor
represented to him the elicites OF future state,
in low and trite EXPIRE sslonS, the dying critic
thus interrupted him,-"Elold your tongue; your
wretched style only makes me out OF conceit with
them" The favorite studies and amusenents
of the earnedL aMoh le Vayes consisted in &C
unts,Df the most distant countries He gave strl-
kinr proof of the influence OF this master-pasSiun,
when death hung upon his lips. Berner, the cele
brated traveller entering and drawing the curtains
of his bed to take his eternal farewell the dying man
turned to him, aud with faint voice inquired,
..Weel nv friend, what news from the Great
Morul!" The virtuous Erasmus, when dying
exclaimed ''DOminel Domine lac finem! fac
inem!" Boyle, having prepared his proof for the
printer, pointed to where it lay when dying
The last words of Lord Chesterfield were. "Give
Dayrules chair" The last words of Nelson
were, Tell Colingwood to bring the fleet to an
chor,' Charles L., on the scaifold, sad,''l fear
not death death is not terrible TO me-" Sir
Thomas More pleasantly said, when mounting
the scaffold, IL pray you see me up sale; and Tor
my coming down, let me shit for myself. y
Rousseau called his wife to the bedside, ard told
her to throw up the window, 'that he might see
once more the magnificent scene of nature. y
How noble the testimony of Frederic ", of Den
mark, who, in his last moments exclaimed, "lt
is great consolation to me, in my last hour, that
| have never wiliully offended any one, and that
there is not drop of blood on my hands."-
Whether true or fabulous, Homer is said 10 have
died oigrief al not being able to eXpound riddle
propounded by some simple iishernaR-"Leavlng
what's took, what we took not. we bring!" a
knotty point it is true, but scarcely worth the eX-
pense of oue's precious vitality.
Chaucer repeated in his last moments. the
ballad made BY Geotlrey Chaucyer, deihe bedde
lying in his CRETE anguisse." As few readers may
be familiar with these beautiful stanzas we sub
Join portion Of them, with photography modern
ized:
II
Content with what thou hast tho il be small;
To hoard brings hate nor lofty thoughts pursue
He who climbs high endangers many fall
Enyy's 4 shade that never waits on fame,
Aud oft the that rises, it will hide,
Trace not in life vast expansive scheme,
But be thy wishes to thy state allied
Be mild to others, to thyself severe,
So truth shall shield thee, or from hurt or fea
Waller affords a somewhat similar instance
with the above. He expired in the act Of rehear-
sing some iavorite passage from Virgil. The
Earl of Roscommon, when about to expire, utter
ed, with the energy of devotion, these two lines
of his version OF Dies lre:
''Nly God, my father, and my friend,
Do not iorsake me in my end.'
Tasso's dying request to Cardinal Cynthia, is
expressive OF that settled melancholy which hung
over him through life 81 have but one favor TO
ask :" said he. "that you will collect my works
and commit them to the flames; particularly my
Jerusalem Delicered" But how beautifully pa
thetic are the last words he uttered In maauS
t,tas Domino" Though life became extinct be-
fore he could pronounce more. kOpStock expired
in the rehearsal of his own beautiful verses, des-
crinriye of the death of Mary. the sister of Mary
and Lazarus. This song Of Mary, observes Mad
anne de Stae, was sung at the public funeral of the
poet.
1t is we'll known that Dr. Johnson, WIN all his
nowerluI Intellect, such was his singular dread of
dissolution, that he could scarcely be pursnaded to
execute his will, lest the act should hasten his
end. When friend called upon him he exclaim
ed, in melancholy tone, ''JGm moritM1S. y
The "dread mouster," on The last day OF his exis-
tence came to his mental apprehension envisaged
with all the horrors that had 50 haunted him
through life. Hazlitt on his death bed presented
a melancholy spectacle. His highly cultivated
powers were taxed to their utmost. Yet tickle
fortune was so chary of her favors that he early
became ,be victim Of calumny, poyerty aud