Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	die_v	good_a	life_n	16,696	5	4.8534	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56390	A free and impartial censure of the Platonick philosophie being a letter written to his much honoured friend Mr. N.B. / by Sam. Parker.	Parker, Samuel, 1640-1688.; Bisbie, Nathaniel, 1635-1695.	1666 (1666)	Wing P463; ESTC R18216	56,029	122

so according to that vulgar but very wise saying Make a Vertue of necessity and so that metal that 's most solid and generous is most malleable too But to dispatch methinks it becomes not a dull Apathist to object that we should be disquieted with perpetual feares if any parcel of our happiness should not be lock'd up within our own breasts sure he might resolve when there remain'd no other remedie to cast himself into an insensible Apathy How ever every man that premeditates the nature and uncertainty of things will neither be so stupid as to be surprised with any disaster nor so silly as to double it by a fruitless anxiety but will make the best of his condition by prudence and discretion 2. A second thing for which I value the Platonists above all other Philosophers is the innocent Gayety and Pleasantness of their Humours For Whether I look into their Principles or into their lives I can see nothing but what is calme and cheerful For beside that their complexions were generally brisk and spritely the Genius of their Philosophie was free and facetious It being one of its main principles That as God had provided ineffable pleasures for good men in the next world so he had made liberal provisions for their entertainment in this and consequently that this life affords enough to please though not to satisfie whence they were willing to enjoy all its innocent pleasures and sensualities though they thought them not of any great concernment to such as were furnished with capacities of rising above it and aspiring to heavenly delights And thus you may see how at the same time a wise man may enjoy the world and despise it too And from this manly and Philosophick indifferency of life resulted a handsome and generous contempt of death for they did not so much defie it out of a dogged neglect of life as slite it out of a sober and Philosophick uncertainty whether it were better that they continu'd in their present happiness or left it to enjoy more pure and generous delights This was the main ground of Socrates's undaunted constancy in reference to death because whether it were preferable before life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was uncertain and ambiguous to all but God alone as Plato concludes his incomparable Apologie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saies Euripides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who knows whether is life to live or dye To die is to be born into another world which every goodman may justly presume he shall find better then this Though the main reason why they were so willing to bid adieu to this present Stage of life was an eager curiosity to be acquainted with the transactions and Phoenomena of the next And methinks had I no other Rule to guide my self by then mere Philosophie I could willingly play the Platonist in this particular For though I am neither valiant nor miserable and am as yet in my green and unexperienced years and have tasted less of sensual delights then I believe any one plac'd in the same capacities and circumstances with my self for I have hitherto scarce employ'd any of my senses but that of seeing insomuch that though my Palate be not surfeited and cloy'd with the same repeated relishes nor my Eye quite weary of beholding the same repeated objects yet I could be highly content upon the account of a Philosophick curiosity to leave this present Theatre that I might enter upon the next for the delight of being entertain'd with a new Scene of things Socrates having been discoursing of the condition of good men after death adds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were I but sure of the truth of these things I would die a thousand deaths for an experimental knowledge of them Besides the whole life of man is transacted in the short space of 24 hours in the rest of his age he does but tread the same Stage over and over the same businesses always returning in the same compass of time Now any wise or generous person that shall but reflect upon the best spent day of his whole life will scarce find the business of it so enticing as to make him over greedy of more of it But a man that has been running in this Round several years should methinks be so sick and weary of doing the same things over and over as to be willing to be at Rest or at least to change his Employment so that though life be no misery yet because there may be a satiety of it deaths a priviledge But for the Stoicks that I may continue the parallel with their only Rivals in mortality they founded their satisfaction upon a scornful Frierly contempt of every thing are so injurious to their Creator as to teach that he has provided nothing to entertain his Creatures with but a few such childish empty trifles as grave men i. e. Stoicks should scorn to tast much less to feed upon But though the Platonists are not so impious as to think that God made the world vain yet they are so wise and observing as to perceive that it has made it self so and therefore I meet with no Sect raised so much above the admired and gaudy trifles of the vulgar as they nor any more confidently putting the worlds Pomp quite out of countenance by a handsome and free-spirited disdain then they nor any less concern'd in news and the little transactions of humane affairs Nor any better entertaining themselves with the various and odd humours of mankind making dayly Comedies to themselves from the follies and little conceits of the inconsiderate many Thus the spangled glittering Squire who came to Athens very brave and gallant with a numerous train of Attendants supposing himself fine enough to be adored by the Athenians and to be reputed at least a Demi-God was by the discreet and facetious Satyrs of the Platonick Philosophers laughed out of his vanity and reduc'd to discretion and sobriety And thus the Platonist in Lucian raises mirth to himself from the several Acts of the Play now he laughs at the Rich mans displaying his Purple with his troublesome croud of poor-spirited Sycophants anon pleasing himself with the disturbances and foolish madness of the Horse-race then with those pretty passages which happen at Funerals and making of Wills next at the silly pleasures of great Feasts and curious Entertainments and then at the little tumults odd contingencys at the Baths c. But to conclude this head the Platonists were generous souls that being raised above the little concernments and under-Shreiveries of this life as the Cardinals of Rome are pleased to stile all secular employments sate as unconcern'd spectators looking down from aloft with pity and disdain upon the odd Carriage of humane affaires And happy is he Celsâ qui mentis ab arce Despicit errantes humanaque gaudia ridet For no Prospect is so pleasant and delightful to the mind of man as when he sees all the