Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-12-13
remarkable Exss. fro. Life.

When William the silent felt himself
dying, Hollands greatest warrior
sent for two clergymen Of che opposing
religious factions and babe them argue
which of their creeds was the right one
81 see well enough" said the hardened
unbeliever, when they had finished theil
discussion, 81 see there is nothing GER.
tain except mathematics" With thi:
he turned his face to the wall. He ha6
ceased to live. A remarkable depen.
denee upon the certainty of mathemat.
les.
One who was not quite so confident
endeavored TO make assurance doubly
sure" IquOte from Scaliger and De
Thou, who both maintain that Heron
ymus Cardan, celebrated astronomer
and mathematician, who lived in Pavia
toward the middle of the sixteenth cen
tury, and may be better known to stu
dents as the discoverer of "Cardan'-
SUSPENSION" having foretold the day OF
his death by various calculations starved
himself to death for fear that his pre-
diction would not be verified, and that
his beloved science might suffer in con-
sequence thereof.
This might be called being imbued
with the spirit of the thing; but think
that my next example goes step fur
ther still. "Creech, the celebrated CON-
menter on Lucretius," says Yoltaire in
his ''DictionaireP Philosophique, "'wrote
on his manuscript, IN. b. 1 must hang
myself when / have finished my COM
mentary.'" He kept his word in order
to have the pleasure of ending his days
like his author.
Champcenetz, the secretary of Riva
rol, during the French revolution of
'93, innocently asked, when he had
heard of his death-sentence, whether a
substitute would not do.
Andre Chemer did not trouble him
self SO far. Perceiving his friend Rou-
cher, the author of the "Months," a
poem not unlike ThompsoD's Seasons,
he apostrOphized him quite freely by
reciting the opening lines of the first
scene Of "Andromache." After which
he kept silent until they arrived at the
Barriere du Trou Renverse, near which
the guillotine was erected. The hideous
cart was met by flock of sheep just en-
tering Paris. 1t brought to the young
authors mind the seventh Eclogue of
Virgil, which he closed with "Torri-
dus." ''Torrida" corrected Roucher.
His companion did not answer until
they had mounted the scaffold, when he
softly approached Boucher and tapped
him on the shoulder. "You were right;
forgot that summer was feminine in
Latin"
That Montaigne should get up in his
dying hours to pay his servants their
salary, for fear that his heirs might
neglect 1t or dispute the amount, is
not so wonderful, knowing what we
do of the man and his principles;
but that one of mis- very opposites
should have some thoughts for bis cred
itors after he should be gone is rather
surprising. Vaguelas, author of the
.Remarques sur la Grammaire Fran
caise," not very straitlaced parsonage,
did so, however. Notwithstanding his
ample pension, he was loaded with debts
to that extent that he no longer dared
appear in the street in the daytime, but
only went out at night, proceeding
which gave rise to his friends calling
him "The Owl. This condition of things
made him very uneasy, as was proved
at his death in his will. After having
disposed of his wardrobe TO satisfy all
outstanding claims, he adds, with a
perfect frankness and bonhommie "But
as there might still be left some credi-
tors who cannot be paid, even after
every thing is sold, in that case my wish
is that they shall sell my body to some
surgeon at the highest price that shall
be paid for it, and that the amount shall
be applied to the liquidation of those
debts which may still be owing in the
world; so that, If have not succeeded
in being useful during my life, I may
be at least so after my DEATH" ] won
der whether he ever heard of Dryden's
body being detained by his creditors.-|
Iinsley's Mdgdzins