The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-10-03
Dying Words of the Great.
boston Transcript

DR.. johnson passing away amid tumult of
uneasiness and fear said to one who stood close
beside his bed, "God bless you, my dearp' The
celebrated DR.. Adams: rector of the high
school of Edinburgh, in some moments of de-
lirium preceding his death, whispered, sit is
growing dark, boys" stretching forth his hand,
"you may go!" Queen Elizabeth of England,
lying on her royal couch was heard to moan
out the heartrending words, as she closed her
eyes forever, "All my possessions for one me-
ment of time' But the noble Wesley simply
exclaimed in calmness of spirit, "The best of
all is, God is with u.s." Poor Robert Burns
out of his head when he drew his last breath, I
CRIED "Oh, don't let the awkward squad fire
over mel" How curious, indeed. that Lord,
Thurlow should have cried out, as he passed
away, "I'm shot, if don't believe I'm dyingI"
"Ahl mes efd7S, you cannot cry as much for
me as made you laugh in my timel" so said
the brilliant wit of France, Scarron, as he lay
dying that hour with host of weeping friends
around him.
1t was Christian philosopher like John
Locke who exclaimed with his latest breath
that solemn day, ooh, the depth of the riches
VI tuS SOOuucoo anu huOWlbuB6 VI 0OQ! HOW
strange to think that the great. Mirabeau, after
life of such wild discord, should have cried
out frantically, as helay waiting for the last
change. Emusic! Let me die to the sound of
delicious music!M Washington, with the
smile of saint, looked up into the face of his
weeping wife for the last time as she bent over
him at Mt. Vernon that dismal day, and calm
ly said, as he crossed his arms over his noble
heart. sit is WE'LL" And the last words of
Luther's friend, Melancthon, are wonderfully
striking, 1t seems to me. The former asked
him that hour if he desired anything. "No,
Luther; mol Nothing, nothing but heayenl''
he answered, and died with smile upon his
face. The ruling passion may be said to have
been still strong with Chesterfield when he
passed away, for the last words he uttered
were, "Give Daytolles chairi" Did poor
Cowper say anything before he died-he who
had always dreaded even the thought of dying?
Why, it is said he sank to rest as peacefully as
little child. All, but what did Hobbies the de-
ist say just before he grasped his last breath?
81 am taking fearful leap in the dark;
but the sweet Herbert said, CHOW, Lord, re-
ceive my SOUL" Dear Goldsmith's physician
asked him few moments before he ceased to
breath if his mind was at ease. His mournful
answer was, "No, it is not'' And yet was
not Goldsmith really as lovely character, at
heart, as any man who ever lived? The deaf
Beethoven, whose whole soul had been full of
glorious harmony throughout his life, cried out
at last, "Now, / shall hearv' May we not
cherish the hope that Byron's thoughts were of
God and Heaven when he said at last, so wesr-
lily, 81 must sleep now? The sun was shining
very brightly in the room where the great
Humboldt lay dying, and he said, as he watched
the beautiful rays, How grand the sunlight!
1t seems to beckon earth to heavenl" John
Adams and Thomas Jefferson died the same
day. but one said with his last breath, "Inde-
pendence forever!" and the other, 81 resign
my soul to God-and my daughter TO my coun-
try" Sir Thomas Moore said to an attendant,
as he assembled the scaffold on the day of his
execution, ST pray you see me safe up, and for
my coming down let me shift for myself"
Beautiful Anne Boleyn, Just before she knelt
down to lay her head upon the block, clasped
her neck with her hand and said, sit is small
very small indeedp' What could have pos
sessed Franklin to say to is friend on his
death-bed, ga dying man does nothing well"?
What strange question for Cardinal Beaufort
Tor any other man) to ask at the last moment
OF life, "What! is there no bribing in death?"
Scott said, even when death was creeping very
near, II feel as if were to be my self again .
And Hood, tired out, whispered only the
words, dying, dying"