Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	dead_a	die_v	live_v	15,229	5	5.8506	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07761	A discourse of life and death: written in French, by Phil. Mornay. Done in English by the Countesse of Pembroke; Excellent discours de la vie et de la mort. English	Mornay, Philippe de, seigneur du Plessis-Marly, 1549-1623.; Pembroke, Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of, 1561-1621.	1608 (1608)	STC 18141.5; ESTC S113371	23,951	146

resolution wee shall not finde any danger or difficultie at all Yet what is the paine that death brings vs Nay what can shee do with those paines we feele Wee accuse hir of all the euils we abide in ending our life and consider not how manie more woundes or grieuous sickenesses we haue endured without death or how many more vehement paines we haue suffered in this life in the which wee called euen hir to our succour All the paines our life yeeldes vs at the last houre wee impute to death not marking that life begun and continued in al sorts of paine must also necessarily ende in paine Not marking I say that it is the remainder of our life not death that tormenteth vs the end of our nauigation that paines vs not the hauen wee are to enter which is nothing else but a safegarde against all windes We complaine of death where wee should complaine of life as if one hauing beene long sicke and beginning to bee well should accuse his health of his last paines and not the reliques of his disease Tell me what is it else to bee deade but to bee no more liuing in the world Absolutely and simplie not to bee in the World is it any paine Did wee then feele anie paine when as yet wee were not Haue wee euer more resemblance of Death then when wee sleepe Or euer more rest then at that time Now if this be no paine why accuse wee death of the paines our life giues vs at our departure vnlesse also wee will fondly accuse the time when as yet we were not of the paines wee felt at our birth If the comming in be with teares is it wonder that such bee the going out If the beginning of our being bee the beginning of our paine is it maruell that such be the ending But if our not being in times past hath beene without paine all this being contrariwise full of paine whom should we by reason accuse of the last paines the not being to come or the remnant of this present beeing Wee thinke we dye not but when we yeelde vp our last gaspe But if wee mark well wee dye euerie daie euerie houre euery moment Wee apprehende death as a thing vnusual to vs and yet haue nothing so cōmon in vs. Our liuing is but continuall dying looke how much wee liue we dye how much we increase our life decreases We enter not a step into life but wee enter a step into death Who hath liued a third part of his yeares hath a third part of himselfe dead VVho halfe his yeares is already halfe dead Of our life all the time past is dead the present liues and dyes at once and the future likewise shall dye The past is no more the future is not yet the present is and no more is Briefly this whole life is but a death it is as a candle lighted in our bodies in one the wind makes it melte awaie in another blowes it cleane out many times ere it bee halfe burned in others it endureth to the ende Howesoeuer it bee looke howe much it shineth so much it burneth hir shining is her burning her lighte is a vanishing smoke her last fire her last wike and her last droppe of moisture So is it in the life of man life and death in man is all one If wee call the last breath death so must wee all the rest all proceeding from one place and all in one manner One onely difference there is between this life and that we call death that during the one wee haue alwaies whereof to die and after the other ther remaineth only whereof to liue In summe euen hee that thinketh death simply to bee the end of man ought not to feare it in asmuch as who desireth to liue long desireth to dye longer and who feareth soone to dye feareth to speake properly least he may not longer dye But vnto vs brought vppe in a more holie schoole death is a far other thing neither need we as the Pagans of consolations against death but that death serue vs as a consolation against all sorts of affliction so that we must not onely strengthen our selues as they not to feare it but accustom our selues to hope for it For vnto vs it is not a departing from paine and euill but an accesse vnto all good not the ende of life but the ende of death and the beginning of life Better saith Salomon is the day of death then the day of birth and why because it is not to vs a last day but the dawning of an euerlasting day No more shall wee haue in that glorious light either sorrowe for the past or expectation of the future for al shal be there present vnto vs that present shall neuer more passe No more shall wee powre out our selues in vaine and painfull pleasures for wee shal bee filled with true and substantiall pleasures No more shall we paine our selues in heaping togither these exhalatiōs of the earth for the heauēs shall be ours and this masse of earth which euer drawes vs towardes the earth shall bee buried in the earth No more shall we ouer-wearie our selues with mounting from degree to degree and from honour to honour for wee shall highly bee raised aboue all heights of the world and from on high laugh at the folly of all those wee once admired who fight together for a point as little children for lesse then an apple No more to be briefe shall we haue cōbats in our selues for our flesh shal be dead and our spirit in full life our passion buried and our reason in perfect libertie Our soule deliuered out of this foule and filthie prison where by long continuing it is growen into an habite of crookednesse shall againe drawe her owne breath recognize her auncient dwelling and againe remember her former glory and dignity This flesh my friend which thou feelest this body which thou touchest is not man Man is from heauen heauen is his countrey and his ayre That hee is in his body is but by way of exile and confinement Man indeede is soule spirit Man is rather of celestial and diuine qualitie wherein is nothing grosse nor material This body such as now it is is but the barke and shell of the soule which must necessarily be broken if wee will be hatched if we will indeed liue and see the light Wee haue it seemes some life some sense in vs but are so crooked and contracted that wee cannot so much as stretch out our wings much lesse take our flight towardes heauen vntill wee bee disburthened of this earthly burthen Wee looke but through false spectacles wee haue eyes but ouer growen with pearles wee thinke we see but it is in a dreame wherein we see nothing but deceit All that wee haue and all that wee knowe is but abuse and vanitie Death onely can restore vs both life and light and we thinke so blockish we are that she comes to rob

vs of thē We say we are Christians that we beleeue after this mortall a life immortall that death is but a separation of the bodie and soule and that the soule returnes to her happie abode there to ioy in God who onely is all good that at the last day it shall againe take the body which shall no more bee subiect to corruption With these goodly discourses wee fill all our bookes and in the mean while when it comes to the point the verie name of death as the horriblest thing in the World makes vs quake and tremble If we beleeue as we speak what is that wee feare to bee happie to bee at our ease to bee more content in a momēt thē we might be in the longest mortall life that might be or must not we of force confesse that we beleeue it but in part that all wee haue is but wordes that all our discourses as of these hardy trencher-knights are but vaunting and vanitie Some you shall see that will say I knowe well that I passe out of this life into a better I make no doubte of it onely I feare the midway step that I am to step ouer Weake hearted creatures they will kill themselues to gette their miserable liuing suffer infinite paines and infinite woundes at another mans pleasure passe infinite deathes without dying for things of nought for thinges that perish and perchance make them perish with them But when they haue but one pase to passe to bee at rest not for a day but for euer not an indifferent rest but such as mans minde cannot comprehend they tremble their harts fail them they are affraide and yet the grounde of their harme is nothing but feare Let them neuer tell mee they apprehend the paine it is but an abuse a purpose to conceale the little faith they haue No no they would rather languish of the gowte the sciatica anie disease whatsoeuer then dy one sweet death with the least paine possible rather pyningly dye limme after limme out-liuinge as it were all their senses motions and actions then speedily dye immediatly to liue for euer Let them tell mee no more that they would in this worlde learne to liue for euerie one is thereunto sufficiently instructed in himselfe and not one but is cunning in the trade Nay rather they should learne in this Worlde to dye and once to dye wel dye dayly in themselues so prepared as if the end of euerie dayes worke were the ende of our life Now contrariwise there is nothing to their eares more offensiue then to heare of death Senselesse people wee abandon our life to the ordinarie hazardes of warre for seauen frankes pay are formost in an assault for a little bootie goe into places whence there is no hope of returning with daunger manie times both of bodies and soules But to free vs from all hazards to winne thinges inestimable to enter an eternall life wee faint in the passage of one pase wherein is no difficultie but in opinion yea wee so faint that were it not of force wee must passe and that God in despite of vs will doe vs a good turne hardly should wee finde in all the World one how vnhappie or wretched soeuer that would euer passe Another will say had I liued till fiftie or sixtie yeares I should haue beene contented I should not haue cared to liue longer but to dye so young is no reason I should haue knowen the world before I had left it Simple soule in this worlde there is neither young nor old The longest age in comparison of all that is past or all that is to come is nothing and when thou hast liued to the age thou nowe desirest all the past will bee nothing thou wilt still gape for that is to come The past will yeelde thee but sorrow the future but expectation the present noe contentment As readie thou wilt then be to redemaund longer respite as before Thou fliest thy creditour from moneth to moneth and time to time as ready to pay the last day as the first thou seekest but to bee acquitted Thou hast tasted all which the worlde esteemeth pleasures not one of them is new vnto thee By drinking oftener thou shalt bee neuer a white the more satisfied for the body thou cariest like the bored paile of Danaus daughters will neuer be full Thou mayst sooner weare it out then wearie thy selfe with vsing or rather abusing it Thou crauest long life to cast it away to spende it on worthlesse delights to misspend it on vanities Thou art couetous in desiring and prodigall in spending Say not thou findest fault with the Court or the Palace but that thou desirest longer to serue the Common wealth to serue thy Countrey to serue GOD. Hee that set thee on worke knowes vntill what day and what houre thou shouldest bee at it hee well knowes how to direct his worke Should hee leaue thee there longer perchance thou wouldest marre all But if hee will pay thee liberally for thy labour as much for halfe a dayes worke as for a whole as much for hauing wrought till noone as for hauing borne all the heate of the day art thou not so much the more to thanke and prayse him but if thou examine thine owne conscience thou lamentest not the cause of the widow and the orphane which thou hast left depending in iudgement not the dutie of a sonne of a father or of a friend which thou pretendest thou wouldest perform not the ambassage for the Common wealth which thou wert euen readie to vndertake not the seruice thou desirest to doe vnto God who knowes much better how to serue him-selfe of thee then thou of thy selfe It is thy houses and gardens thou lamentest thy imperfect plots and purposes thy life as thou thinkest imperfecte which by noe dayes nor yeares nor ages might be perfected and yet thy selfe mightest perfecte in a moment couldest thou but thinke in good earnest that where it ende it skils not so that it ende well Now to ende wel this life is only to ende it willingly followinge with full consent the will and direction of God and not suffering vs to bee drawen by the necessitie of destinie To end it willingly we must hope and not feare death To hope for it wee must certainely looke after this life for a better life To looke for that wee must feare God whom whoso well feareth feareth indeede nothing in this world and hopes for all things in the other To one well resolued in these points death canne be but sweete and agreeable knowing that through it hee is to enter into a place of all ioyes The griefe that may bee therein shall bee allaied with sweetnesse the sufferaunce of ill swallowed in the confidence of good the sting of Death it selfe shall bee dead which is nothinge else but Feare Nay I will say more not onely all the euilles conceiued in death shall bee to him nothing but hee shall euen scorne alll the mishappes

men redoubt in this life and laugh at all these terrours For I pray what can he feare whose death is his hope Thinke wee to banish him his coūtrey Hee knowes hee hath a Countrey otherwhere whence wee cannot banish him and that all these countreyes are but Innes out of which hee must part at the will of his host To put him in prison a more straite prison he cannot haue then his owne bodie more filthie more darke more full of rackes and torments To kill him and take him out of the world that 's it he hopes for that is it with all his heart hee aspires vnto By fire by sworde by famine by sickenesse within three yeares within three dayes within three houres all is one to him all is one at what gate or at what time he passe out of this miserable life For his businesses are euer ended his affaires all dispatched and by what way he shal go out by the same hee shall enter into a most happie and euerlasting life Men canne threaten him but death and death is all hee promiseth himselfe the worst they canne doe is to make him dye and that is the best hee hopes for The threatninges of tyrants are to him promises the swordes of his greatest enemies drawen in his fauour for as much as hee knowes that threatning him death they threaten him life and the most mortall woundes can make him but immortall Who feares God feares not death and who feares it not feares not the worst of this life By this reckening you will tell me death is a thing to bee wished for and to passe from so much euil to so much good a man should it seemeth cast away his life Surely I feare not that for any good wee expect wee will hasten one steppe the faster though the spirit aspire the body it drawes with it withdrawes it euer sufficiently towards the earth Yet is it not that I conclude Wee must seeke to mortifie our flesh in vs and to cast the World out of vs but to caste our selues out of the world is in no sort permitted vs. The Christian ought willingly to depart out of this life but not cowardly to runne away The Christian is ordained by GOD to fight therein and cannot leaue his place without incurring reproach and infamie But if it please the graund Captaine to recall him let him take the retrait in good part and with good will obey it For hee is not borne for himselfe but for God of whom hee holdes his life at farme as his tenant at will to yeelde him the profites It is in the Land-lord to take it from him not in him to surrender it when a conceite takes him Diest thou young prayse God as the Mariner that hath had a good winde soone to bring him to the Port. Dyest thou Olde prayse him likewise for if thou hast had lesse winde it may be thou hast also had lesse waues But thinke not at thy pleasure to go faster or softer for the winde is not in thy power and in steade of taking the shortest way to the Hauen thou maiest happely suffer shipwracke God calleth home frō his worke one in the morning another at noone and another at night One hee exerciseth till the first sweat another hee sunne-burneth another hee roasteth drieth throughly But of all his hee leaues all to rest and giues them al their hire euerie one in his time Who leaues his worke before God call him loseth it and who importunes him before the time loseth his reward Wee must rest vs in his wil who in the middest of our troubles sets vs at rest To ende wee ought neither to hate this life for the toyles therein for it is slouth and cowardise nor loue it for the delights which is folly and vanitie but serue vs of it to serue God in it who after it shal place vs in true quietnesse and replenish vs with pleasures which shal neuer more perish Neither ought wee to flie death for it is childish to feare it and in flying from it wee meete it Much lesse to seeke it for that is temeritie nor euerie one that would die can die As much despaire in the one as cowardise in the other in neither any kinde of magnanimitie It is enough that we constantly and continually waite for her comming that she may neiuer finde vs vnprouided For as there is nothing more certaine then death so is ther nothing more vncertain then the houre of death knowne onely o God the onely Author of life death to whom wee all ought endeuour both to liue die Dye to liue Liue to Dye The 13. of May 1590. AT WILTON

conuerted to his good so neither ought hee to hope for good in the world hauing there the diuell his professed enemy whom the Scripture tearmeth Prince of the world But with what exercise soeuer wee passe the time behold old age vnwares to vs comes vpon vs which whether we thrust our selues into the prease of men or hide vs some where out of the way neuer failes to finde vs out Euerie man makes account in that age to rest himselfe of all his trauailes without further care but to keep himself at ease in health And see contrawise in this age there is nothing but an after tast of al the foregoing euils and most commonly a plentifull haruest of all such vices as in the whole course of their life hath held possessed them There you haue the vnhabilitie and weakenesse of infancy and which is worse many times accompanied with authoritie there you are payed for the excesse riotousnes of youth with gowtes palsies and such like diseases which take from you limme after limme with extreame paine and torment There also you are recompenced for the trauels of mind the watchings cares of manhoode with losse of sight losse of hearing and all the senses one after another except only the sense of paine Not one parte in vs but death takes ingage to be assured of vs as of bad pay masters which infinitely feare their dayes of payment Nothing in vs that will not by and by bee dead neuerthelesse our vices yet liue in vs not onely liue but in despite of Nature dayly growe young againe The couetous man hath one foote in his graue and is yet burying his money meaning belike to finde it againe another day The ambitious in his Will ordaineth vnprofitable pōps for his funerals making his vice to liue and triumphe after his death The riotous no longer able to daunce on his feete daunceth with his shoulders all vi●es hauing left him and hee not yet able to leaue them The childe wisheth for youth and this man laments it The young man liueth in hope of the future and this feeles the euill present lamentes the false pleasures past and sees for the time to come nothing to hope for More foolish then the child in bewailing the time hee cannot recall not remembring the euill he had therein and more wretched then the young man in that after a wretched life not able but wretchedly to d●● hee sees on all sides b●● matter of despaire As for him who from his youth hath vndertaken to combate against the fleshe and against the World who hath taken so great paines to mortifie himselfe and leaue the World before his time who besides those ordinary euilles findes himself vexed with this great and incurable disease of olde age and feeles notwithstanding his fleshe how weake soeuer stronger oftentimes then his spirit what good I pray can hee haue but onely herein that hee sees his death at hand that hee sees his combate finished that hee sees himselfe readie to depart by death out of this loathsome prison wherein all his life time hee hath beene racked and tormented I will not here speak of the infinit euils wherewith men in all ages are annoyed as losse of friends and parents banishments exiles disgraces and such others common and ordinarie in the world one cōplaining of loosing his children another of hauing them one making sorrow for his wiues death another for his life one finding fault that he is too high in court another that he is not high enough The world is so full of euills that to write of all wold require another world as great as it selfe Sufficeth that if the most happie in mens opinions doe counterpo●z● his haps with his mishappes hee shall iudge himselfe vnhappie and hee iudge him happie who had hee beene set three dayes in his place woulde giue it ouer to him that came next yea sooner then hee who shall consider in all the goods that euer he hath had the euils he hath endured to get thē and hauing them to retaine and keepe them I speake of the pleasures that may bee kept and not of those that wither in a moment will iudge of himselfe and by himselfe that the keeping it selfe of the greatest felicitie in this world is full of vnhappinesse and infelicitie Conclude then that Childe-hood is but a foolish simplicity youth a vaine heate manhood a painefull carefulnesse and olde age a noisome languishing that our playes are but tears our pleasures feauers of the minde our goods rackes and tormentes our honours heauie vanities our rest vnreste that passing from age to age is but passing from euill to euill and from the lesse vnto the greater that alwayes it is but one waue driuing on another vntill we be arriued at the hauen of death Conclude I say that life is but a wishing for the future and a bewailing of the past a loathing of what we haue tasted and a longing for that wee haue not tasted a vaine memorie of the state past and a doubtfull expectation of the state to come Finally that in all our life there is nothing certaine nothing assured but the certaintie vncertainty of death Behold now comes death vnto vs Behold hir whose approache wee so much ●eare Wee are now to consider whether shee be such as we are made belieue and whether wee ought so greatly to flie hir as commonly we doe We are afraid of her but like little children of a vizor or of the Images of Hecate We haue hir in horror but because we cōceiue her not such as shee is but ougly terrible and hideous such as it pleaseth the Painters to represent vnto vs on a wall Wee flie before hir but it is because foretaken with such vaine imaginations we giue not our selues leisure to marke hir But stay wee stand we stedfast looke we hir in the face wee shall finde hir quite other then shee is painted vs and altogether of other countenaunce then our miserable life Death makes an end of this life This life is a perpetuall miserie and tempest Death then is the issue of our miseries and entraunce of the port where wee shall ride in safetie from all windes And should wee feare that which withdraweth vs from misery or which drawes vs into our hauen Yea but you will say it is a paine to dye Admit it bee so is there in curing of a wound Such is the Worlde that one euill cannot bee cured but by another to heale a contusion must bee made an incision You will say there is difficultie in the passage So is there no hauen no port whereinto the entraunce is not straite and combersom No good thing is to bee bought in this World with other thē the coyne of labour paine The entrance indeed is hard if our selues make it hard comming thither with a tormented spirit a troubled minde a wauering and irresolute thought But bring we quietnes of minde constancie and full