The cat, the rat, and Lovel, our dog,Rule all England, under the hog.
The cat, the rat, and Lovel, our dog,Rule all England, under the hog.
Collingborn was hanged and cut down alive, his bowels ripped out and cast into the fire; when the executioner put his hand into the bulk of his body, to pull out his heart, he said, "Lord Jesus! Yetmore trouble?" and so died, to the great sorrow of many people.—Fab. Chron., p. 519.
Collins(Anthony, essayist and deist), 1676-1729. "I have always endeavored, to the best of my ability, to serve God, my king and my country. I go to the place God has designed for those who love him." Some say his last words were, "The Catholic faith is, to love God and to love man. This is the best faith, and to its entertainment I exhort you all."
Columbus(Christopher, discovered America October 12th, 1492), 1435-1506. "In manus tuos, Domine, commendo spiritum meum."
Columbus died at Valladolid, a disappointed, broken-hearted old man; little comprehending what he had done for mankind, and still less the glory and homage that through all future generations awaited his name.—Ticknor.
Confucius(His name was Kong, but his disciples called him Kong-Fu-tse, which is "Kong the Master," and this the Jesuit missionaries Latinized into Confucius),b. c., 551-479. "I have taught men how to live."
Early one morning, it is said, he rose, and with his hands behind his back dragging his staff, moved about by his door, crooning, "The great mountain must crumble, the strong heart must break, and the wise man wither away like a plant. In all the provinces of the empire there arises not one intelligentmonarch who will make me his master. My time has come to die." He went to his couch and never left it again.... His mind was magnanimous and his heart was serene. He was a lonely old man—parents, wife, child, friends, all gone—but this made the fatal message so much the more welcome. Without any expectation of a future life, uttering no prayer, betraying no fear, he approached the dark valley with the strength and peace of a well-ordered will resigned to Heaven, beyond a doubt treasuring in his heart the assurance of having served his fellow-men in the highest spirit he knew, and with the purest light he had.
For twenty-five centuries he has been as unreasonably venerated as he was unjustly neglected in his life. His name is on every lip throughout China, his person in every imagination. The thousands of his descendants are a titled and privileged class by themselves. The diffusion and intensity of the popular admiration and honor for him are wonderful. Countless temples are reared to him, millions of tablets inscribed to him. His authority is supreme. He is worshiped by the pupils of the schools, the magistrates, the emperor himself in full pomp. Would that a small share of this superfluity had solaced some of the lonesome hours he knew while yet alive!—Alger's "Genius of Solitude."
Conradin(Konradin of Swabia, the last descendant of the imperial House of Hohenstaufen, son ofKonrad IV.), 1252-1268. "O my mother! how deep will be thy sorrow at the news of this day!"
A few minutes before his execution, Conradin, on the scaffold, took off his glove and threw it into the midst of the crowd as a gage of vengeance, requesting that it might be carried to his heir, Peter of Arragon. This duty was undertaken by the Chevalier de Walburg, who, after many hairbreadth escapes, succeeded in fulfilling his prince's last command.
Chambers' Encyclopædia.
Cookman(Alfred, American clergyman connected with the Presbyterian church), 1828-1871. "I am sweeping through the gates, washed in the blood of the Lamb."
Corday d'Armans, de(Marie Anne Charlotte, usually called Charlotte Corday, a young woman of noble family and of a courageous and lofty spirit. She stabbed Marat, one of the most bloodthirsty of all the vile monsters of the French Revolution), 1768-1793. "This is the toilette of death, arranged by somewhat rude hands, but it leads to immortality." She must have spoken later, perhaps many times, but the words recorded are the last of which we can be certain.
One description of Charlotte Corday says that she was of medium height, with an oval face, fine features, blue eyes, a good nose, beautiful mouth, chestnut hair, lovely hands and arms; another says that she was a virago, awkward, dirty, insolent, rubicund, and fat; and that if she had been pretty she would have been more anxious to live.
La Démagogie.
We read in theMoniteur, "Charlotte Corday has been executed, the 17th, about sevenp. m., in the Place de la Révolution, in the (red) garb of assassins, and her goods confiscated to the Republic." The executioner ... struck the bleeding head, when he showed it, according to custom, to those present; the cheeks were still crimson, and it was said that they were so in consequence of the insult thus offered to them.[14]—La Démagogie.
CosinorCozen(Dr. John, English divine), 1594-1672. "Lord!"
He raised his hand and cried, "Lord!" After this he expired without pain. It is thought that he wished to repeat his frequent prayer, "Lord Jesus, come quickly!" He desired above all things to die suddenly and without distress of body or mind.
Cowper(William, distinguished English poet), 1731-1800. "What can it signify?" Said to Miss Perowne, one of his attendants, who offered him some refreshments. He died in the gloom of a deep melancholy from which he had suffered during a considerable portion of his life.
Crates(of Thebes, Cynic philosopher), aboutb. c.330—he was living inb. c.307. "Ah! poor humpback! thy many long years are at last conveying thee to the tomb: thou shalt soon visit the palace of Pluto."
Crates was deformed and ugly in shape and features, and to render himself still more hideous he sewed sheepskins on his coat, so that it was difficult at first sight to say to what species of animal he belonged. He was, however, noted for self-control, abstinence, and simplicity of life.
Cranmer(Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury), 1489-1556. "This unworthy right hand."
When the fagots were lighted he stretched out his right hand, which had signed the recantation, into the flames, and there held it firmly till it was a merecinder. This took place before his body was reached by the fire.[15]
Cromwell(Oliver), 1599-1658. "My desire is to make what haste I may to be gone." Cromwell died of grief at the loss of his favorite daughter.
Some say his last words were, "Then I am safe," in response to his chaplain who assured him that, "once in grace is always in grace."
Crome(John, English landscape painter), 1766-1821. "O Hobbima, Hobbima, how I do love thee!"
Crosby(Howard, Presbyterian clergyman, Chancellor of the University of New York, and a man of great classical learning), 1826-1891. "My heart is resting sweetly with Jesus, and my hand is in his."
Cullen(William, distinguished physician), 1712-1790. "I wish I had the power of writing, for then I would describe to you how pleasant a thing it is to die."
Cummings(George David, first Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church), 1822-1876. "Jesus! precious Saviour!"
His last message to his church was: "Tell them to go forward and do a good work."
Cushman(Charlotte Saunders, distinguished American actress), 1816-1876. Her last words are not recorded, but on the night before her death she asked to have Lowell's poem "Columbus" read to her, and from time to time she prompted the reader when a word or line was missing.
Cuvier(George Chrétien Léopold Frédéric Dagobert, Baron, one of the greatest naturalists of modern times, and founder of the science of comparative anatomy), 1769-1832. "It is delightful to see those whom I love still able to swallow," to his daughter-in-law, to whom he handed a glass of lemonade he found himself unable to swallow.
Cyprian(Thascius Cæcilius Cyprianus, "Saint," Bishop of Carthage, Latin Father and martyr. He is the author of numerous epistles and tracts), 200-258. "Thanks be to God," to the heathen judge, on hearing from him the sentence of death.
Cyrus(Cyrus the Elder, surnamed "the Great," founder of the Persian empire, and the greatest of Persian monarchs. He appears in Sacred History as the conqueror of Belshazzar. Herodotus represents him as killed in battle, but Xenophon records that he died a natural death),—b. c.559.
Xenophon (Cyropædia B. viii. 7) gives the speech which Cyrus is said to have made upon his death-bed. These are the closing sentences in that speech:
"When I am dead, my children, do not enshrine my body in gold, or in silver, or in any other substance; but restore it to the earth as soon as possible; for what can be more desirable than to be mixed with the earth, which gives birth and nourishment to everything excellent and good? I have always hitherto borne an affection to men, and I feel that I should now gladly be incorporated with that which is beneficial to men. And now my soul seems to be leaving me, in the same manner as, it is probable, it begins to leave others. If, therefore, any one of you is desirous of touching my right hand, or is willing to see my face, while it has life, let him come near me; but when I shall have covered it, I request of you, my sons, let no man, not even yourselves, look upon my body. Summon, however, all the Persians, and the allies, to my tomb, to rejoice for me, as I shall then be safe from suffering any evil, whether I be with the divine nature, or be reduced to nothing. As many as come, do not dismiss until you have bestowed on them whatever favors are customary atthe funeral of a rich man. And remember this, as my last admonition: by doing good to your friends, you will be able also to punish your enemies. Farewell, dear children, and say farewell to your mother as from me; farewell, all my friends, present and absent."
Having said this, and taken every one by the right hand, he covered his face and expired.
Damiens(Robert François, known for his attempt to assassinate Louis XV., and called, because of his crimes, Robert le Diable), 1715-1757. "Oh death, why art thou so long in coming?"
The punishment inflicted upon Damiens for his attack upon the king was horrible. The hand by which he attempted the murder was burned at a slow fire; the fleshy parts of his body were then torn off by pincers; and finally, he was dragged about for an hour by four strong horses, while into his numerous wounds were poured molten lead, resin, oil and boiling wax. Towards night, the poor wretch expired, having by an effort of will almost superhuman, kept his resolution of not confessing who were his accomplices if, indeed, he had any. His remains were immediately burned, his house was destroyed, his father, wife and daughter were banished from France forever, and his brothers and sisters compelled to change their names.—Chambers.
From his arrest to his death—nearly three months—he was in torture; bound in chains, and frequentlytaken to the torture room, and there treated as the North American savages were wont to treat their victims, and with the aid of more skillful appliances for inflicting pain than Indians have. By a circuitous journey he was taken to the place of execution, guarded by a small army, all Paris ready to see the show. For half an hour he was kept waiting in view of the preparations for his murder, and in the presence of an immense assemblage—many of them delicate ladies of high rank—he was bound naked upon a table placed on a high platform. The ladies and gentry looked on with joy; those who had succeeded, through influence in gaining good positions for seeing the spectacle, saw his right hand (the one with which he had struck the King) burned off; the pieces of flesh torn from him by red-hot pincers, and melted lead and resin poured into his wounds; a powerful horse was attached to each of his four limbs, but it was impossible to tear him to pieces, and a request was sent to cut the muscles; but not until the request was repeated was permission given, and he did not expire until both legs and one arm had been torn from the body. His execution lasted over an hour. His body was burned, his house purchased and destroyed; and the leaders in this murder were munificently rewarded. To the two judges who pronounced sentence were given life pensions of six thousand francs a year; the lawyers, the clerks, the torturers and the executioners also had their reward.... Damiens was a monomaniac of the styleof Guiteau, driven insane, or excited to this special development of insanity by the political excitement of the time. It is probable, also, that he was a religious monomaniac, for he was a pious fanatic—a Jacobinist—and in his pocket were found a copy of the New Testament, and thirty gold pieces. He had no accomplices, no plan, no motives that could appeal to a sane mind, any more than had Guiteau.
Dr. George M. Beard.
Danton(George Jacques), 1759-1794. "You will show my head to the people—it will be worth the display!" Said to the executioner.
When the judges asked him his name, residence, etc., he answered, "My name is Danton; my dwelling will soon be in annihilation; but my name will live in the Pantheon of history!"—Lamartine.
Darwin(Charles, one of the most eminent of English naturalists), 1809-1882. "I am not in the least afraid to die."
Darwin(Erasmus, English poet and physician. Author of "The Botanic Garden"), 1731-1802. "There is no time to be lost."
It is reported at Lichfield, that, perceiving himself growing rapidly worse, he said to Mrs. Darwin, "My dear, you must bleed me instantly." "Alas!" said she, "I dare not, lest—" "Emma, will you? There is no time to be lost." "Yes, my dear father,if you will direct me." At this moment he sank into his chair and expired.—The Book of Death.
De Lagny(Thomas Fantet, French mathematician), 1660-1734. "144," in response to a friend who asked for the square of 12.
Delgado(Gen. E., the Honduras Revolutionist),—1886. "We are ready—soldiers, fire!"
He was shot with three other revolutionists (Lieut.-Col. Indalecio Garcia, Commander Meguel Cortez, and Lieut. Gabriel Loyant), at Comayagua, October 18, 1886.
It was the desire of President Bogran to spare Gen. Delgado's life if possible, and any pretext would have been readily seized upon to give him an opportunity of saving himself and at the same time vindicate the tribunal which had condemned him. The President sent a messenger to him to say that if he would promise to never again take up arms against Honduras he should receive a pardon. The soldier was too brave to accept even his life on these terms, and he sent back word that he would see Honduras in an even more tropical climate than she now enjoys before he would accept his pardon on such a pledge. When his answer was received there was nothing left but to prepare for the execution.
On the morning of their execution the men were taken to a point near the Church of Comayagua; four coffins were placed near the wall and the fourcondemned men were led to them. They accepted their positions as easily and gracefully as if they were in boxes at the opera, and not a face was blanched, not a nerve quivered. Gen. Delgado asked and received permission to order the guard to fire, which he did, first requesting them not to shoot him in the face, but in the breast. There was no rattle, no scattering reports, but one sharp, stunning report. The four men for half a second remained in an upright position, as if still unhurt, and then rolled over, limp and bloody, dead. The soldiers had complied with Gen. Delgado's request, for three balls had penetrated his breast.
Demorax(Greek philosopher), second century,b. c."You may go home, the show is over."
Lucian.
De Quincey(Thomas, "The English opium-eater"), 1785-1859. "Sister! sister! sister!" During his last illness he was subject to fits of delirium, and in one of these he died. His last words indicate that he was living over in his mind the scenes of early days.
Mr. Mackay gives this account of the condition of De Quincey's grave as it was in 1889:
"The mural tablet is not weather-stained, and his grave is not utterly neglected, but well cared for by some loving hand or other. When in Edinburgh I almost always visit his grave, and only on Thursday,May 23 last, I was there, and as the birds sang about in the grounds, the trees rustled, and the sun shone, I could hardly think of him sleeping in a more lovely spot, save it might be along with Wordsworth and Hartley Coleridge in the churchyard at Grasmere."
A bright, ready and melodious talker, but in the end inconclusive and long-winded. One of the smallest man-figures I ever saw; shaped like a pair of tongs, and hardly above five feet in all. When he sat, you would have taken him, by candle-light, for the beautifulest little child, blue-eyed, sparkling face, had there not been a something too which said, "Eccovi—this child has been in hell."—Carlyle.
Desmoulins(Benedict Camille, prominent French democrat and pamphleteer, called the "Attorney-general of the Lamp-post," because of his part in the death of those who were hung by the mob in the street), 1762-1794. "Behold, then, the recompense reserved for the first apostle of liberty." Said while standing before the guillotine, and looking at the axe. When at the bar of Tinville he was asked his age, name, and residence, he said: "My age is that of the sansculotte Jesu—I am thirty-three; an age fatal to revolutionists."
De Soto(Hernando, Spanish explorer, discoverer of the Mississippi River), about 1496-1542. "Luis de Moscoso"—the name of his successor. He must have spoken later, for he lived twenty-fourhours after appointing his successor, but what he said the compiler has been unable to discover.
Believing his death near at hand, on the twentieth of May he held a last interview with his followers and, yielding to the wishes of his companions, who obeyed him to the end, he named a successor. On the next day he died. Thus perished Ferdinand de Soto, the governor of Cuba, the successful associate of Pizarro. His miserable end was the more observed from the greatness of his former prosperity. His soldiers pronounced his eulogy by grieving for their loss; the priests chanted over his body the first requiems that were ever heard on the waters of the Mississippi. To conceal his death, his body was wrapped in a mantle, and in the stillness of midnight was sunk in the middle of the stream.—Bancroft.
De Witt(Cornelius, Dutch naval officer and statesman), 1625-1672.
One Tichelaer, a barber, a man noted for infamy, accused Cornelius de Witt of endeavoring by bribes to engage him in the design of poisoning the Prince of Orange. The accusation, though attended with the most improbable, and even absurd circumstances, was greedily received by the credulous multitude; and Cornelius was cited before a court of judicature. The judges, either blinded by the same prejudices, or not daring to oppose the popular torrent, condemned him to suffer the question. This man, who had bravely served his country in war, and who hadbeen invested with the highest dignities, was delivered into the hands of the executioner, and torn in pieces by the most inhuman torments. Amidst the severe agonies which he endured, he still made protestations of his innocence, and frequently repeated an ode of Horace, which contained sentiments suited to his deplorable condition: "Justum et tenacem propositi virum,"etc.[16]
The judges, however, condemned him to lose his offices, and to be banished the commonwealth. The pensionary, who had not been terrified from performing the part of a kind brother and faithful friend during this prosecution, resolved not to desert him onaccount of the unmerited infamy which was endeavored to be thrown upon him. He came to his brother's prison, determined to accompany him to the place of exile. The signal was given to the populace. They rose in arms; they broke open the doors of the prison; they pulled out the two brothers, and a thousand hands vied who should first be imbrued in their blood. Even their death did not satiate the brutal rage of the multitude. They exercised on the dead bodies of those virtuous citizens indignities too shocking to be recited; and till tired with their own fury, they permitted not the friends of the deceased to approach or to bestow on them the honors of a funeral, silent and unattended.
Hume's History of England.
Dickens(Charles), 1812-1870. "On the ground." He was losing his balance and feared that he would fall to the floor.
Diderot(Denis, French philosopher, atheist and chief among the Encyclopedists), 1712-1784. On the evening of the 30th of July, 1784, he sat down to the table, and at the end of the meal took an apricot. His wife, with kindly solicitude, remonstrated. "Mais quel diable de mal veux-te que cela me fosse?" he said, and ate the apricot. Then he rested his elbow on the table, trifling with some sweetmeats. His wife asked him a question; on receiving no answer, she looked up and saw that hewas dead. He had died as the Greek poet says that men died in the golden age, "They passed away as if mastered by sleep."—John Morley.
Dillon(Wentworth, Earl of Roscommon, English poet and translator), about 1633-1684. His last words were from his own translation of the "Dies Irae:"
"My God, my Father, and my Friend,Do not forsake me in the end."
"My God, my Father, and my Friend,Do not forsake me in the end."
Diogenes(the Cynic, son of Isecius),b. c.413-323. Just what were his last words is uncertain, but a short time before he died, he was asked where he would be buried when dead. "In an open field," said he. "How!" enquired one, "are you not afraid of becoming food for birds of prey and wild beasts?" "Then I must have my stick with me," said Diogenes. "But," continued the other, "you will be devoid of sensation." "If that is the case," said he, "it is no matter whether they eat me or not, seeing I shall be insensible to it."
His death was occasioned by indigestion from eating a neat's foot raw; but some say he put an end to his life by holding his breath. After his death there was a great dispute among his friends and followers as to who should be accorded the privilege of burying him, and when they were about to come to violence, the magistrates interfered and quieted the disturbance.
Dodd(Rev. Dr. William, author of numerous religious and other works. He was the founder of "The Magdalen" for reclaiming young women fallen from virtue, the "Poor Debtors' Society" and the "Humane Society." He was executed for forgery), 1729-1777. Just before his death he said to the executioner, "Come to me," and when the executioner obeyed, the doctor whispered to him. What he said is not known, but it was observed that the man had no sooner driven away than he took the place where the cart had been, under the gibbet, and held the doctor's legs, as if to steady the body, and the unhappy man appeared to die without pain.
Dominic("Saint," founder of the order of Dominicans and of the order of Preaching Friars. He was one of the instigators of the cruel and inhuman crusade against the Albigenses about 1212. Many strange stories are told of him, and among these that he offered himself for sale to the highest bidder, in order to raise money for charitable purposes), 1170-1221. "Under the feet of my friars," when asked where he would like to be buried.
Donne(John, D.D., English poet and theologian), 1573-1631. "I were miserable, if I might not die." Some say his last words were: "I repent of my life except that part of it which I spent in communion with God, and in doing good." Others say his last words were, "Thy will be done."
Dr. Donne was formerly Dean of St. Paul's. Among other preparations for his death, he ordered an urn to be cut in wood, on which was to be placed a board of the exact height of his body. He then caused himself to be tied up in a winding-sheet. Thus shrouded, and standing with his eyes shut, and with just so much of the sheet put aside as might discover his death-like face, he caused his portrait to be taken, which, when finished, was placed near his bedside, and there remained to the hour of his death. He was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral, where a monument was erected over him, composed of white marble, and carved from the above-mentioned picture, by order of his dearest friend and executor, Dr. King, Bishop of Chichester.[17]
Dorney(Henry, a man of peculiarly beautiful life and religious experience. His "Contemplations and Letters," published after his death, had a large circulation), 1613-1683. "I am almost dead; lift me up a little higher," to his wife.
Drew(Samuel, English preacher and author. He commenced life as an infidel shoemaker, but after conversion gave himself to constant study of the Bible and Christian Theology. He wrote the once famous book, "The Immateriality and Immortality of the Soul"), 1765-1833. "Thank God, to-morrow I shall join the glorious company above." Lastrecordedwords.
Drummond(Henry, author of "Natural Law in the Spiritual World," "The Ascent of Man" and a large number of published lectures and addresses), 1851-1897. "There's nothing to beat that, Hugh. It is a paraphrase of the words of Paul: 'I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him,against that day,'" said of the lines which Dr. Barbour had just joined with him in singing:—
"I'm not ashamed to own my Lord,Or to defend His cause,Maintain the glory of His cross,And honor all His laws."
"I'm not ashamed to own my Lord,Or to defend His cause,Maintain the glory of His cross,And honor all His laws."
The last words of Drummond, as given above, are only the lastrecorded. He said much afterward, but most of his words were disconnected. His mind wandered idly from thought to thought without aim or purpose.
Dwight(Timothy, American clergyman and author, President of Yale College. He wrote the beautiful hymn, "I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord"), 1752-1817. "O, what triumphant truth!"
Edward I.(of England, surnamed "Long-shanks"), 1239-1307. "Carry my bones before you on your march, for the rebels will not be able to endure the sight of me, alive or dead," to his son Edward.[18]He died while endeavoring to subdue a revolt in Scotland.
Edward VI.(son of Henry VIII. and Queen Jane Seymour), 1537-1553. "Lord take my spirit."
Edward(Prince of Wales, surnamed the Black Prince from the color of his armor), 1330-1376. "I give thee thanks, O God, for all thy benefits, and with all the pains of my soul I humbly beseech thy mercy to give me remission of those sins I have wickedly committed against thee; and of all mortal men whom willingly or ignorantly I have offended, with all my heart I desire forgiveness."
Edwards(Jonathan, President of the College of New Jersey and one of the greatest of metaphysicians), 1703-1757. "Trust in God and you need not fear," to one who lamented his approaching death as a frown on the college and a heavy stroke to the church.
The most awfully tremendous of all metaphysical divines is the American ultra-Calvinist, Jonathan Edwards, whose book on "Original Sin" I unhappilyread when a very young man. It did me an irreparable mischief.—An English author.
Egbert(Col. Henry Clay), 1840-1899. "Good-bye, General; I'm done. I'm too old," said to Gen. Wheaton, who bending over the wounded officer, exclaimed. "Nobly done, Egbert!" Col. Egbert was killed near Manila in the war between the United States and the Philippines.
In all his army service he was wounded four times before he received his death wound. He was accounted one of the most competent officers in the army, and in action it was said of him that the army had no officer more dashing, with the possible exception of Gen. Guy V. Henry, now in command of the United States forces in Porto Rico. He was a little man, not above five feet five inches, and weighed only about one hundred and ten pounds. He had reddish hair, streaked with gray, and wore a red mustache and imperial. In plain clothes he was most immaculate, and he was called the best dressed officer in the army.
N. Y. Daily Sun,March 27, 1899.
Eldon(John Scott, Earl, Lord Chancellor of England), 1750-1838. "It matters not where I am going whether the weather be cold or hot," to one who spoke to him about the weather.
He was a bigoted admirer of the law, of which he was so consummate a master. Projects of law reform cut him to the soul, and he has been representedas shedding tears on the abolition of the punishment of death for stealing five shillings in a dwelling-house.—Appleton's Cyclopædia of Biography.
Eliot(Rev. John, commonly called "The Apostle to the Indians"), 1604-1690. "O Come in glory! I have long waited for Thy coming. Let no dark cloud rest on the work of the Indians. Let it live when I am dead. Welcome joy!"
Elizabeth(Queen of England, and daughter of Henry VIII. by Anne Boleyn), 1533-1603. "All my possessions for one moment of time."
Some give her last words thus: "I will have no rogue's son in my seat."
When Sir Robert Cecil declared that she must go to bed and receive medical aid, the word roused her like a trumpet. "Must!" she exclaimed, "ismusta word to be addressed to princes? Little man, little man! thy father, were he alive, durst not have used that word." Then, as her anger spent itself, she sank into the old dejection. "Thou art so presumptuous," she said, "because thou knowest that I shall die." She rallied once more when the ministers beside her named Lord Beauchamp, the heir to the Suffolk claim, as a possible successor. "I will have no rogue's son," she cried hoarsely, "in my seat." But she gave no sign save a motion of the head at the mention of the King of Scots. She was, in fact, fast becoming insensible; and early the next morning, on March 24, 1603, the life of Elizabeth, a life so great, so strange and lonely in its greatness, ebbed quietly away.[19]
Elizabeth(Philippine Marie Hélène, usually called Madame Elizabeth, sister of Louis XVI), 1764-1794. "In the name of modesty, cover my bosom!"
When she ascended the scaffold, the executioner rudely undid the clasp which closed the veil across her breast. "In the name of modesty," she said to one of the bystanders whose arms were not tied, "cover my bosom!"
Alison, in his "History of Europe," calls attention to the fact that "a similar instance of heroic virtue in death occurred in a female martyr in the early Christian church. Perpetua and Felicitas, both Christians, were sentenced in the year 203, to be killed by wild cattle at Carthage. They were both attacked, accordingly, by furious bulls, who tossed them on their horns. So violent was the shock that Perpetua fell on the ground stunned; but partly recovering her senses, she was seen gathering her torn clothes about her, so as to conceal her limbs, andafter tying her hair, she helped Felicitas to rise, who had been severely wounded; and, standing together, calmly awaited another attack."
Elliott(Ebenezer, English poet known as the "Corn-Law Rhymer." He was a workman in an iron foundry who won the attention of the cultivated world by his verses, and rose to eminence by his "Corn-Law Rhymes" in which he urged the repeal of duties on corn. He wrote also "The Village Patriarch," "Byron and Napoleon," "Love" and a number of other poems of more or less merit), 1781-1849. "A strange sight, sir, an old man unwilling to die."
Emerson(Ralph Waldo, American essayist, poet, and speculative philosopher), 1803-1882.
For the day or two before his death he was troubled with the thought that he was away from home, detained by illness at some friend's house, and that he ought to make the effort to get away and relieve him of the inconvenience. But to the last there was no delirium; in general he recognized every one and understood what was said to him, though he was sometimes unable to make intelligible reply. He took affectionate leave of his family and the friends who came to see him for the last time, and desired to see all who came. To his wife he spoke tenderly of their life together and her loving care of him; they must now part, to meet again and part no more. Then he smiled and said, "O, that beautiful boy!"
I was permitted to see him on the day of his death. He knew me at once, greeted me with the familiar smile, and tried to rise and to say something, but I could not catch the words.
He was buried on Sunday, April 30, in Sleepy Hollow, a beautiful grove on the edge of the village, consecrated as a burial-place in 1855, Emerson delivering the address. Here, at the foot of a tall pine-tree upon the top of the ridge in the highest part of the grounds, his body was laid, not far from the graves of Hawthorne and of Thoreau, and surrounded by those of his kindred.[20]
James Elliot Cabot
Emmet(Robert, an eloquent Irish enthusiast and sincere patriot, and one of the chiefs of the "United Irishmen"), 1780-1803. "Not—"
He said on the scaffold, at the close of a brief address: "My friends, I die in peace, and with sentiments of universal love and kindness towards all men." He then shook hands with some persons on the platform, presented his watch to the executioner, and removed his stock. The immediate preparations for execution then were carried into effect, he assisted in adjusting the rope round his neck, and was then placed on the plank underneath the beam, and the cap was drawn over his face; but he contrived to raise his hand, partly removed it, and spoke a few words in a low tone to the executioner. The cap was replaced, and he stood with a handkerchief in his hand, the fall of which was to be the signal for the last act of the "finisher of the law." After standing on the plank for a few seconds the executioner said: "Are you ready, sir?" and Emmet said, "Not yet."There was another momentary pause; no signal was given; again the executioner repeated the question. "Are you ready, sir?" And again Emmet said, "Not yet." The question was put a third time, and Emmet pronounced the word "Not;" but before he had time to utter another word the executioner tilted one end of the plank off the ledge.
Madden's Life of Emmet.
Let no man write my epitaph; for as no man who knows my motives dare now vindicate them, let not prejudice or ignorance asperse them. Let them and me repose in obscurity and peace, and my tomb remain uninscribed until other times and other men can do justice to my character. When my country takes her place among the nations of the earth—then, and not till then—let my epitaph be written I have done.—From Emmet's Last Speech.
See Moore's beautiful poem on Emmet's fate and on his attachment to Miss Curran in two of the Irish Melodies.
Emmons(Rev. Dr. Nathaniel, distinguished New England theologian and divine), 1745-1840. "I am ready."
Enghien d'(Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon, Duc. French prince who was arrested on neutral territory on suspicion of conspiracy, and, after a military trial which was little better than a farce, shot), 1772-1804. To the soldiers who had pointedtheir guns he said: "Grenadiers! lower your arms, otherwise you will miss me or only wound me." Some say his last words were: "Is there no priest at the château?—is there no priest?"
A lantern glimmering at either end of the file of soldiers shewed d'Enghien his fate. As the sentence of death was read, he wrote in pencil a message to his wife, folded and gave it to the officer in command of the file, and asked for a priest. There was no priest in residence at the château. He prayed a moment, covering his face with his hands. As he raised his head, the officer gave the word to fire.
Hopkins: "The Dungeons of Old Paris."
This deed excited general and deep indignation against Bonaparte, and is commonly regarded as one of the worst crimes by which his memory is stained.
Lippincott: "Biographical Dictionary."
Epaminondas(Theban statesman and general. Cicero describes him as "the greatest man that Greece ever produced"),b. c.412-363. "All is well!" These words were spoken immediately after the javelin had been extracted from his breast.
The fatal dart was thrown by Gryllus, son of Xenophon, the historian and leader of the ten thousand Greeks on their retreat from the battle-field of Cunaxa to the Black Sea.
Erasmus(surnamed Roterdamensis, Dutch scholar. He was an illegitimate son of Gerard Praet,a citizen of Gonda), 1467-1536. "Domine! Domine! fac finem! fac finem!"
Etty(William, English historical painter among whose last pictures are "Pandora Crowned by the Seasons," "Ulysses and the Sirens," "Joan of Arc," and "The Judgment of Paris"), 1787-1849. "Wonderful, wonderful, this death!"
Eucles(The "runner" from the plains of Marathon, who brought the news of the successful issue of that battle to the anxious Senate waiting at Athens). "Rejoice! we rejoice!" As Eucles ran he cried these words until he came to the Senate, when he shouted them with all his voice and fell dead.
Eugenius IV.(Gabriele Condolmero, Pope), 1383-1447. "Oh Gabriele, how much better would it have been for thee, and how much more would it have promoted thy soul's welfare, if thou hadst never been raised to the Pontificate, but hadst been content to lead a quiet and religious life in the monastery."
Evereruard(Charles de, Saint-Denis, French courtier, soldier, wit andlittérateur. He was a brave man, but of flippant disposition), 1613-1703. "With all my heart I would fain be reconciled to my stomach, which no longer performs its usual functions," said to an ecclesiastic who asked him if he would be reconciled. During his last days he gaveno attention to religious matters, and only regretted that he could not digest partridges and pheasants, and must eat only boiled meats.
Farinato(Paolo, Italian painter), about 1525-1606. "Now I am going." These words he cried out as he lay upon his death bed. His wife who was sick in the same room, hearing him, answered, "I will bear you company, my dear husband;" and she did so, for as he drew his last breath she also expired.
Fichte(Johann Gottlieb, distinguished German philosopher whose name is forever associated with those of Kant, Schelling, and Hegel as worthy of a place with the greatest thinkers of modern times), 1762-1814. "Indeed no more medicine; I am well."
The following, purporting to be the "Dying Confession of Fichte," has been frequently published, but upon what authority the compiler of this book has been unable to discover:
"I know absolutely nothing of any existence, not even of my own. Images there are, and they constitute all that apparently exists. I am myself one of those images; nay, not so much, but only a confused image of an image. All reality is converted into a marvellous dream, without a life to dream of, or a mind to dream; into a dream itself made up only of a dream. Perception is a dream; and thought, the source of all the existence, the reality of which I imagine to myself, is but the dream of that dream."
For eleven days he lingered, with but few intervals of clear consciousness, his sleep being ever deeper till on the night of the 27th of January all sign of life vanished. He was buried in the first churchyard before the Oranienburg gate in Berlin; at his side now lie the remains of Hegel and Solger. Five years later his wife was laid at his feet. On the tall obelisk which marks his grave is the inscription from the Book of Daniel: "The teachers shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars that shine for ever and ever."
Adamson: "Life and Philosophy of Fichte."
Fillmore(Millard, thirteenth President of the United States), 1800-1874. "The food is palatable."
Flavel(John, distinguished nonconformist clergyman and author), 1627-1691. "I know that it will be well with me."
A man of beautiful Christian character and great learning who was ejected from his charge at Dartmouth in 1662 for nonconformity. The Episcopalians were not satisfied to persecute this servant of God during his life, but ordered his monument removed from the Church of St. Saviour.
Fontenelle de(Bernard le Bovier, author of "Conversations on a Plurality of Worlds," "Dialogues of the Dead" and "History of the Academyof Science"), 1657-1757. "I suffer nothing, but feel a sort of difficulty of living longer."
Voltaire calls him, "The most universal genius of the age of Louis XIV."
Fordyce(George, distinguished Scottish physician, Author of "Elements of Agriculture and Vegetation"), 1736-1802. "Stop, go out of the room; I am about to die," to his daughter who was reading to him.
Forster(Johann Reinhold, a Polish Prussian naturalist, geographer and philologist), 1729-1798. "This is a beautiful world."
Fox(George, founder of the Society of Friends), 1624-1690. "All is well, all is well—the Seed of God reigns over all, and over death itself. Though I am weak in body, yet the power of God is over all, and the Seed reigns over all disorderly spirits." A little later he said, and they were his last words, "Never heed; the Lord's power is over all weakness and death."
Fox(Charles James, English orator and statesman), 1749-1806. "Trotter will tell you," said to Mrs. Fox, who did not understand what he meant.
Francis("Saint," of Assisi, founder of an order of mendicant friars called Franciscans or Cordeliers, from the cord with which they girded their coarsetunics), 1182-1226. "The righteous wait expectant till I receive my recompense."
Members of his order were kneeling around his bed, awaiting his death.
Francke(August Hermann, professor of Oriental languages at Halle, author of "Methodus Studii Theologiæ;" and other works, and founder of the orphan asylum and college for the poor which were known as Francke's Institutions), 1660-1727. "Yes," to his wife who asked him if his Saviour was still with him.
So long as he was able to speak he would repeat from time to time in both Hebrew and German, "God will continue to support me. My soul has cast itself upon him; Lord, I wait for thy salvation."
Franklin(Benjamin, moralist, statesman, andphilosopher), 1706-1790. "A dying man can do nothing easy." He endured in later years a complication of diseases, which brought the extremity of physical suffering, but courage was strong, and he worked on almost to the last. Worn with pain, he welcomed the end. His last look was on the picture of Christ which had hung for many years near his bed, and of which he often said, "That is the picture of one who came into the world to teach men to love one another." The resolute repression of all signs of suffering, every indication of the long conflict, passed at once. He lay smiling in a quietslumber, and the smile lingered when the coffin lid shut him in. His grave is in the heart of the city he loved, and even the careless passerby pauses a moment to read the simple legend.
An epitaph, written by him in 1729, holds his chief characteristics, his humor, his quiet assurance of better things to come, whether for this world or the next:
THE BODYOFBENJAMIN FRANKLIN,PRINTER,(LIKE THE COVER OF AN OLD BOOK,ITS CONTENTS TORN OUT,AND STRIPT OF ITS LETTERING AND GILDING),LIES HERE, FOOD FOR WORMS.YET THE WORK ITSELF SHALL NOT BE LOST,FOR IT WILL, AS HE BELIEVES, APPEAR ONCE MORE,IN A NEW AND MORE BEAUTIFUL EDITION,CORRECTED AND AMENDEDBYTHE AUTHOR.[21]
Frederick William I.(Friedrich Wilhelm I., King of Prussia, son of Frederick I.), 1688-1740. "Herr Jesu, to thee I live; Herr Jesu, to thee I die; in life and in death thou art my gain."
"Feel my pulse, Pitsch," said he, noticing the Surgeon of his Giants: "tell me how long this will last." "Alas! not long," answered Pitsch. "Say not, alas; but how do you know?" "The pulse is gone!" "Impossible," said he, lifting his arm: "how could I move my fingers so, if the pulse were gone?" Pitsch looked mournfully steadfast. "Herr Jesu, to thee I live; Herr Jesu, to thee I die; in life and in death thou art my gain (Du bist mein Gewinn)." These were the last words Friedrich Wilhelm spoke in this world. He again fell into a faint. Eller gave a signal to the Crown Prince to take the Queen away. Scarcely were they out of the room when the faint deepened into death; and Friedrich Wilhelm, at rest from all his labors, slept with the primeval sons of Thor.[22]—Carlyle.
Frederick II.(of Prussia, called Frederick the Great), 1744-1786. "Throw a quilt over it." He referred to one of his dogs that sat on a stool near him, and was shivering from cold. These were his last conscious words, but later, in delirium, he said, "La montagne est passée, nous irons mieux."
The king had always about him several small English greyhounds; but of these only one was in favor at a time, the others being taken merely as companions and playmates to the fondling. As these greyhounds died they were buried on the Terrace of Sans Souci, with the name of each on a gravestone; and Frederick, in his will, expressed his desire that his own remains might be interred by their side—a parting token of his attachment to them, and of his contempt for mankind! On this point, however, his wishes have not been complied with.[23]
Lord Mahon's Historical Essays.
Frederick V.(of Denmark), 1723-1766. "It is a great consolation to me, in my last hour, that I have never wilfully offended anyone, and that there is not a drop of blood on my hands."
Fuller(Andrew, English Baptist clergyman, first secretary of the English Baptist Missionary Society, and an author of great repute in his day. He has been called the "Franklin of Theology"), 1754-1815. "I have no religious joys; but I have a hope, in the strength of which I think I could plunge into eternity," said to a young minister who stood by his bedside.
FuseliorFuessli(John Henry, historical painter), 1741-1825. "Is Lawrence come—is Lawrence come?"
He looked anxiously round the room—said several times, "Is Lawrence come—is Lawrence come?" and then appeared to listen for the sound of the chariot wheels which brought his friend once a day from London to his bedside. He raised himself up a little, then sank down and died, on the 16th of April, 1825, and in the 84th year of his age.
Life of Fuseli
Gainsborough(Thomas, eminent portrait and landscape painter), 1727-1788. "We are all going to heaven, and Vandyke is of the company."
Galba(Servius Sulpicius, Roman Emperor), 3b. c.69a. d."Strike, if it be for the Roman's good."—Plutarch.
"Ferirent si ita e republica videretur," are the words of Tacitus, who says, however, that there were many different stories of what he said; those who killed him could not be expected to care what it was; "non interfuit occidentium quid diceret."—Clough.
Gambetta(Leon Michel, French statesman. He was a brilliant and courageous agitator, and it is to his efforts in large measure that the French Republic owes its existence. It was reported at the time of his death that he met with an accident in handling a revolver, but there are those who insist that he was deliberately shot by his mistress, with whom he had quarreled), 1838-1882. "I am lost, and there is no use to deny it."
Gardiner(James, aScottishofficer distinguished for piety and courage), 1688-1745. "You are fighting for an earthly crown; I am going to receive a heavenly one." These words he is reported to have spoken to an officer upon the opposite side after the battle against the Pretender at Prestonpans, in which he was mortally wounded, but there is some doubt in the minds of his biographers as to the trustworthiness of the report.
See Rev. Dr. Philip Doddridge's "Life of Colonel James Gardiner," and the account of Colonel Gardiner's death in Scott's "Waverley."
Gardiner(Stephen, Bishop of Winchester), 1483-1555. "Erravi cum Petro, sed non flevi cum Petro."
Gardner(Thomas, Colonel in the American army, killed at the battle of Bunker Hill), 1724-1775. His precise words are not preserved, but the last desire that he expressed was that he might have sufficient strength to continue the fight against the British one half hour longer.
Colonel Gardner is represented, in a dramatic production called "The Battle of Bunker Hill" which was printed at Philadelphia in 1776, as saying immediately after receiving the wound of which he died: