The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-07-05
STRANGE DEATHS oF aEN 90
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Homer, they tell Us, died OF a broken
heart, because be could not guess a rid,
die. The old gentleman had been warned
by an oracle that II he did not mind
what be was about he would be Killed by
riddle, and bis day came Seeing some
young dsbermen 10 q boat, he untoriu.
ualeiy asked them what sport they bad
had, to which they quickly replied. "As
many as we caught we left; as many as
we could not catch we carried away with
u.s. This was too much for The author
OF Had aud the Odyssey; he guessed
and guessed tlll be could guess nollonger,
and finally he died Of sheer yexation
Aristotle "went orr 10 precisely the same
way, because be could not understand a
more interesting riddle set by nature,
viz, the cause Of the ebbing and ilowing
Of the Eurpus. Others relate that he
angrily threw himself into tho stream.
Diodorus, the immortal inventor Of the
"hornedn and "yeiledp sophism, having
met with his match IN one Stilpo, who
"caught" him with another Sophism,
which be was unable 10 solve, went
home, wrote a book about il, aud died OF
despair. Phlelas had reduced himself
to such a state of tennity By reflection
and study that he was obliged TO wear
lead soles TO his boots TO keep himself
frem being blown away, or possibly from
rising like balloon into the heavens OF
invention however, the end OF Philetas
was, as Sudas informs US, evaporation
be positively evaporated. Anacreon was
choked with grape.stone, Sophocles is
said by some to have come TO the same
end, though according to others he died
of Joy at being victor in his last tragic
contest. Euripides was torn into pieces
by dogs, bounded on by some women, in
revenge for his misogynism, 4Eschylns
was killed by All eagle dropping tor.
toise en- his head, the king Of birds mis-.
taking the shining poll for a stone, and
applying II TO other uses than Melpomenc
would sanction. Ibycus, tho great lyric
poet, was murdered by robbers; and
Sappho flung herself from the Lcucadian
rock TO cure her love for Phaon. Honest
llesiod also came TO melancholy end,
but having been flung into The sea, bis
corpse was solemnly brought back to
shore 'on the backs of some dolphins.
Lucretius, as we all know from Tenny-
sons fine poem, was poisoned by love
phlter, aud finally finished himself of
with bis own hand as also did his FIRST
English editor and translator, the Rev
Thos. Creech. Pietro Aretino, cele-
brated Italian Htterateag of the Renas-
ssnce, came 10 singular end. lie was
drinking and enjoying himself with cer-
tain other ecoentrics, and one of them
telling a story which certainly ought not
to have amused either the narrator or his
friends. Aretino leaned back in his
chair to laugh with full freedom, slipped
and dashed out his brains on the marble
floor. Sir George Etheridge, author OF
Sir Topley Flutter," Glove in a Tub"
etc., brought a similar life to similar
conclusion. He was lighting some friends,
who had been to pay him a visit, and az
be stood doing so he tumbled down stairs
aud broke his neck "and so,' as The
notes TO Grammont put it, "iell martyr
to joity aud civility.n Peter Mottesux,
the translator Of Rabelsis, came to avery
mysterious end; aud the mystery which
surrounded The death Of Edward H.,
Richard H., Clarence, and many kings
and princes, both in ancient and modern
history, have never been cleared up. De-
mosthenes poisoned himself. no one
knows how.
Terrible as II may seem, il is never
theess lue, that II complete ist we're
drawn up ot men OF mark In The worlds
history, reckoning all nations and ali
times, il would appear that at least a
quarter oil them died not like other men,
and that very nearly another quarter
committed suicide.
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