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h o v g h it hath been doubted, if

there be in the Soule such imperi­
ous and superexcellent Power, as
that it can by the vehement and
earnest working of it, deliver know­ledge to
another without bodily Organes, and by onely
Conceptions and Ideas of it pro­duce reall Ef­
fects; yet it hath beene ever and of all held as
infalible and most certaine, that it often (either
by outward inspiration, or some secret motion
in it selfe) is augure of its owne Misfortunes,
and hath Shadowes of approaching Dangers

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presented unto it before they fall forth. Hence
so many strange Apparitions and signes, true
Visions, uncouth heavinesse, and causelesse
uncomfortable languishings: of which to seeke
a reason, unlesse from the sparkling of God in
the Soule, or from the God-like sparkles of the
Soule, were to make Reason unreasonable, by
reasoning of things transcending her reach.
Having often and diverse times, when I had
given my selfe to rest in the quiet solitarinesse
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of the Night found often my Imagination trou­

bled with a confused feare, or Sorrow or horror,
which interrupting Sleepe, did astonish my
senses, and rowse me all appalled, and trans­
ported in a sudden agonie and amazednesse;
 of such an unaccustomed perturbation, not
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know­ing, nor being able to dive into any appar­

ent Cause, carried away with the streame of my
(then doubting) Thoughts, I beganne to ascribe
it to that secret fore-knowledge and presaging
Power of the Propheticke Minde, and to in­ter­
pret such an Agonie to bee to the Spirit, as a sud­
den faintnesse and universall weari­nesse useth
to bee to the Body, a signe of following sicknesse,
or as winter Lightnings, Earth-quakes, and Mon­
­steres prove to Common­wealthes and great
Cities, Herbingers of wretched events, and
Emblemes of their hidden Destinies.
Heereupon, not thinking it strange if what­
soever is humaine should befall mee, knowing
how Providence overcomes Griefe, and discoun­
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tenances Crosses: and that as wee should not

despaire of Evils which may happen us, wee
should not bee too confident, nor leane much to
those Goods wee enjoye: I beganne to turne over
in my remembrance all that could afflict misera­
ble Mortalitie, and to forecast every thing that
with a Maske of horror could show it selfe to
humaine Eyes: Till in the end, as by Unities and
Points, Mathematicians are brought to great
numbers, and huge greatnesse, after many fan­
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tasticall glances of the Woes of Mankinde, and

those incombrances which follow upon Life, I
was brought to thinke, and with amazement, on
the last of humaine Terrors, or (as one tearmed
it) the last of all dreadfull and terrible Evils,
Death. For to easie Censure it would appeare,

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that the Soule, if it foresee that divorcement
which it is to have from the Body, should not
without great reason be thus over-grieved, and
plunged in inconsolable and unaccustomed
Sorrow; considering their neare Union, long
familiaritie and love, with the great change,
Paine, Uglinesse, which are apprehended to
be the inseparable attendants of Death.
They had their being together, Partes they
are of one reasonable Creature, the harming
of the one is the weakning of the working of
the other; what sweete contentments doth the
Soule enjoye by the senses? They are the Gates
and Windowes of its Knowledge, the Organes of
its Delight. If it be tedious to an excellent Player

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on the Lute to abide but a few Monthes the want
of one, how much more must the being without
such noble Tooles and Engines bee plaintfull
to the Soule? And, if two Pilgrimes which have
wandred some little peece of ground together,
have a hearts-griefe when they are neare to
parte, what must the Sorrow be at the parting
of two so loving Friends and never-loathing
Lovers as are the Body and Soule?
Death is the violent estranger of acquan­tance,
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the eternal Divorcer of Mariage, the Ravisher of

the Children from their Parents, the stealer of
Parents from the Children, the interrer of Fame,
the sole cause of forgetfulnesse, by which the
Living talke of those gone away as of so many
 Shadowes, or fabulous Paladines: all Strength by
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it is enfeebled, Beautie turned into deformitie

and rottennesse, Honor in contempt, Glorie
into basenesse. It is the reasonlesse breaker
off of all Actions, by which we enjoy no more
the sweet Pleasures of Earth, nor gaze upon
the statelie revolutions of the Heavens; Sunne
perpetuallie setteth, Starres never rise unto us.
It in one moment depriveth us of what with so
great toyle and care in many yeares wee have
heaped together: By this are Successions of
Linages cut short, Kingdomes left heirelesse,
and greatest States orphaned: it is not overcome
by Pride, smoothed by Flatterie, tamed by
Intreaties, bribed by Benefites, softned by
Lamentations, diverted by Time, Wisedome
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save this can pre­vent and helpe every thing.

By Death wee are exiled from this faire Citty
of the World, it is no more a World unto us,
nor we any more People into it. The ruines of
Phanes, Palaces, and other magnificent Frames,
yeeld a sad prospect to the Soule, and how
should it without horrour view the wracke of
such a wonderfull Maister-piece as is the Body?
Though it cannot well and altogether be
denyed but that Death naturallie is terrible and
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to be abhorred; it being a privation of Life, and a

not-being, and every privation being abhorred
of Nature, and evill in it selfe, the feare of it too
beeing ingenerate universallie in all Creatures;
yet I have often thought that even naturally to
a Minde by onely Nature resolved and prepared,

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it is more terrible in Conceit than in Verity,
and at the first Glance, than when well pryed
into; and that rather by the weaknesse of our
Fantasie, than by what is in it, and that the mar­
ble colours, of Obsequies, Weeping, and funerall
Pompe (which wee our selves cast over it) did
adde much more Gastlinesse unto it than other­
wayes it hath. To averre which conclusion, when
I had recollected my over-charged spirits, I be­
gan thus with my selfe.
If on the great Theater of this Earth,
a­mongst the numberlesse number of Men, To
die were onely proper to thee and thine, then
undoubtedlie thou hadst reason to grudge at so
severe and partiall a Law. But since it is a neces­

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si­tie, from the which never an Age by-past hath
beene exempted, and unto which these which
bee, and so many as are to come, are thralled
(no consequent of Life being more common and
familiar) why shouldst thou, with unprofitable
and nothing availing stubburnnesse, oppose to
so unevitable and necessarie a Condition? this
is the high-way of Mortalitie, our generall Home:
behold, what Millions have trode it before thee,
what Multitudes shall after thee, with them
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which at that same instant runne. In so uni­

versall a Calamitie (if Death be one) private
Complaints cannot bee heard: With so manie
royall Palaces, it is small losse to see thy poore
Caban burne. Shall the Heavens stay their ever-
 rolling Wheeles (for what is the motion of them
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but the motion of a swift & ever-whirling wheele,

which twineth forth, and againe upwindeth our
life?) and hold still Time, to prolong thy misera­
ble dayes, as if the highest of their working were
to doe homage unto thee? Thy Death is a peece
of the order of this All, a part of the Life of this
World; for while the World is the World, some
Creatures must dye, and others take life. Eter­
nall things are raised farre above this Orbe of
Generation and Corruption, where the first
Matter, like a ever-flowing and ebbing Sea, with
diverse Waves, but the same water, keepeth a
restlesse and never-tyring current; what is
below, in the universalitie of the kind, not in it
selfe, doeth abide; Man a long line of years hath
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continued, This Man everie hundreth is swept

away. This Globe environed with aire is the sole
Region of Death, the Grave where everie thing
that taketh Life must rotte, the Stage of Fortune
and Change, onelie glorious in the unconstancie
& varying alterations of it; which though manie,
seeme yet to abide one, and being a certaine
entire one, are ever many. The never-agreeing
bodies of the elementall Brethren turne one in
another, the Earth changeth her countenance
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with the Seasons, some-times looking colde,

and naked, other times, hote and flowrie: Nay,
I can not tell how, but even the lowest of those
celestiall Bodies, that mother of monthes, and
Empresse of seas and moisture, as if shee were
a Mirror of our constant mutabilitie, appeareth

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(by her great nearnesse unto us) to participate
of our changes, never seeing us twice with that
same Face, now looking blacke, than pale and
wanne, sometimes againe in the perfection and
fulnesse of her beautie shining over us. Death
no lesse than Life doth heere act a part; the tak­
ing away of what is old, beeing the making way
for what is young. This Earth is as a Table Booke,
and men are the Notes, the first are washen out,
that new may be written in. They which fore-
went us did leave a Roome for us, and should
wee grieve to doe the same to these which
should come after us? who beeing admitted
to see the exquisite rarities of an Antiquaries
Cabinet is grieved that the curtaine bee drawne

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and to give place to new Pilgrimes? and when
the Lord of this Universe hath shewed us the
various wonders of his amazing Frame, should
wee take it to heart, when hee thinketh time to
dislodge? This is his unalterable and unevitable
Decree, as wee had no part of our will in our en­
trance into this Life, wee should not presume of
anie in our leaving it, but soberlie learne to will
that which hee wills, whose verie willing giveth
beeing to all that it wills, and reverencing the
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Orderer, not repine at the Order and Lawes,

which all-where and all-wayes are so perfectlie
established, that who would essay to correct
and amend any of them, should either make
them worse, or desire thinges beyond the