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THE
LAST WORDS OF DISTINGUISHED
MEN AND WOMEN
THE LAST WORDS
(REAL AND TRADITIONAL)
OF DISTINGUISHED
MEN AND WOMEN
COLLECTED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES
BY
FREDERIC ROWLAND MARVIN
The tongues of dying men
Enforce attention like deep harmony;
Where words are scarce they're seldom spent in vain,
For they breathe truth that breathe their words in pain.
--_Shakspeare_
NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY
1901
Copyright 1901
by
FREDERIC ROWLAND MARVIN
(June)
To my Wife
this Book is most Lovingly
Dedicated
Neither is there anything of which I am so inquisitive, and delight
to inform myself, as the manner of men's deaths, their words, looks,
and bearing; nor any places in history I am so intent upon; and it
is manifest enough, by my crowding in examples of this kind, that I
have a particular fancy for that subject. If I were a writer of
books, I would compile a register, with a comment, of the various
deaths of men: he who should teach men to die, would at the same
time teach them to live.--MONTAIGNE.
Last Words of Distinguished Men and Women.
ADAM (Alexander, Dr., headmaster at the High School in Edinburgh, and
the author of "Roman Antiquities"), 1741-1809. "_It grows dark, boys.
You may go._"
"It grows dark, boys. You may go."
(Thus the master gently said,
Just before, in accents low,
Circling friends moaned, "He is dead.")
Unto him, a setting sun
Tells the school's dismissal hour,
Deeming not that he alone
Deals with evening's dark'ning power.
All his thought is with the boys,
Taught by him in light to grow;
Light withdrawn, and hushed the noise,
Fall the passwords, "You may go."
Go, boys, go, and take your rest;
Weary is the book-worn brain:
Day sinks idly in the west,
Tired of glory, tired of gain.
Careless are the shades that creep
O'er the twilight, to and fro;
Dusk is lost in shadows deep:
_It grows dark, boys. You may go._
_Mary B. Dodge._
ABD-ER-RAHMAN III. (surnamed An-Nasir-Lideen-Illah or Lidinillah, that
is to say, "the defender of the religion of God," eighth Sultan and
first Caliph of Cordova. Under Abd-er-Rahman III. the Mohammedan empire
in Spain attained the height of its glory), 886-961. "_Fifty years have
passed since I became Caliph. Riches, honors, pleasures--I have enjoyed
all. In this long time of seeming happiness I have numbered the days on
which I have been happy. Fourteen._" Though these sad words correctly
express the spirit of the man who is reported to have spoken them, they
are purely traditional.
ADAMS (John, second President of the United States), 1735-1826.
"_Independence forever!_"
He died on the Fourth of July, the anniversary of the Declaration of
Independence; and it is thought that his last words were suggested by
the noise of the celebration. Some say his last words were, "Jefferson
survives;" if so, he was mistaken, for Jefferson passed away at an
earlier hour the same day.
ADAMS (John Quincy, sixth President of the United States), 1767-1848.
"_It is the last of earth! I am content!_" On the twenty-first of
February, 1848, while in his seat in the Capitol, he was struck with
paralysis, and died two days later.
ADDISON (Joseph, poet and essayist), 1672-1719. "_See in what peace a
Christian can die!_" These words were addressed to Lord Warwick, an
accomplished but dissolute youth, to whom Addison was nearly related.
ADRIAN or HADRIAN (Publius AElius, the Roman Emperor), 76-138. "_O my
poor soul, whither art thou going?_"
Adrian wrote both in Greek and Latin. Among his Latin poems (preserved
by Spartianus, who wrote his life), are these lines addressed to his own
soul:
Animula vagula blandula,
Hospes comesque corporis,
Quae nunc abibis in loca?
Pallidula, rigida, nudula,
Nec, ut soles, dabis jocos.
Soul of me! floating and flitting, and fond!
Thou and this body were house-mates together;
Wilt thou begone now, and whither?
Pallid, and naked, and cold;
Not to laugh, nor be glad, as of old.
Adrian is known in history as one of the greatest of the Roman Emperors.
It is hardly too much to say that, by his progress through all the
provinces and his policy of peace, he was the consolidater of the empire
founded a century and a half before by Augustus. He was the author of
the Roman Wall between England and Scotland; he beautified the city of
Athens; he founded the modern Adrianople; he built for his own mausoleum
what is now the Castle of St. Anglo at Rome. He was also a patron of
the fine arts and of literature.
Of the famous lines, "The Dying Adrian's Address to His Soul," no fewer
than one hundred and sixteen translations into English have been
collected, the translators including Pope, Prior, Byron, Dean Merivale,
and the late Earl of Carnarvon. It should be added that Pope's familiar
version, beginning "Vital spark of heav'nly flame," is a paraphrase
rather than a translation. I quote Prior's version:
"Poor little, quivering, fluttering thing,
Must we no longer live together?
And dost thou prune thy trembling wing,
To take thy flight thou know'st not whither?
"Thy humorous vein, thy pleasing folly
Lie all neglected, all forgot:
And pensive, wavering, melancholy,
Thou dread'st and hop'st thou know'st not what."
This is the only certain composition of Adrian that has been preserved,
though he is reported to have attempted many forms of literature. The
authenticity of a letter ascribed to him with a reference to the
Christians, is open to grave doubt. But now the sands of Egypt, which
are daily yielding up so many secrets of antiquity, have given us what
purports to be a private letter addressed by the Emperor Adrian to his
successor, Antoninus Pius, and--what is more interesting--it is written,
like the address to his soul, in view of his approaching death.
Unfortunately the papyrus is very fragmentary, but its general meaning
seems clear. We have evidently only the commencement of an elaborate
epistle. After the assertion that his death is neither unexpected, nor
lamentable, nor unreasonable, he says that he is prepared to die, though
he misses his correspondent's presence and loving care. He goes on:
"I do not intend to give the conventional reasons of philosophy for this
attitude, but to make a plain statement of facts.... My father by birth
died at the age of forty, a private person, so that I have lived more
than half as long again as my father, and have reached about the same
age as that of my mother when she died."
All this accords with the known facts about Adrian. He died at the age
of sixty-two, after a long illness, during which he was assiduously
tended by Antoninus. Just before the end he withdrew to Baiae, leaving
Antoninus in charge at Rome. His father had died when his son was ten
years old; of his mother we know nothing. _Prima facie_, there is no
improbability that letters of Adrian should be in circulation in Egypt,
which he visited at least once. His freedman Phlegon is reported to have
published a collection of them after his death.
On the other hand, it should be frankly admitted that some suspicious
circumstances attach to the letter. Of the antiquity of the papyrus
there is no doubt, for the handwriting cannot be later than the end of
the second century A. D., bringing it within sixty years (at farthest)
from Adrian's death. But it is written as a school exercise on the back
of a taxing-list, which naturally gives rise to the suspicion that it
may be merely the composition of the schoolmaster. The actual form of
the document is interesting. At the top are about fifteen lines, written
in a clear cursive, or running, hand. Below, the first five lines are
repeated in large, irregular uncials, or capital letters. It is
impossible not to recognize here an exercise set by a schoolmaster and a
copy begun by a pupil.
The papyrus is one of the many found by Messrs. Grenfell and Hunt while
excavating in the Fayoum on account of the Egypt Exploration Fund, and
appears in the volume issued by the Graeco-Roman Branch of Egypt
Exploration Fund, called "Fayoum Towns and Their Papyri."
_J. S. Cotton in Biblia for November, 1900._
AGIS (King of Lacedaemonia, strangled by order of the Ephori. He was
charged with subverting the laws of his country, but was in reality a
brave and good man according to the light of the age in which he lived.
He died with great calmness and courage),--240. "_Weep not for me._"
AGRIPPA (Henricus Cornelius, German physician, theologian and
astrologer, skilled in alchemy and occult sciences), 1486-1535.
"_Begone, thou wretched beast, which hast utterly undone me._" The story
is that he was always accompanied by a devil in the shape of a black
dog. When he perceived that death was near he wished, by repentance, to
free his soul from the guilt of witchcraft, and so took off the collar
from his dog's neck. This collar was covered with magical characters. As
he removed the collar he muttered these, his last words: "Begone, thou
wretched beast, which hast utterly undone me." The familiar dog
disappeared with Agrippa's death, and was never more seen. This curious
story was for a long time believed by the common people, and is to be
found in one form or another in many old books.
Agrippa lectured on theology at Cologne, Pisa, Turin, and Pavia, and
practiced medicine in France. Henry VIII. invited him to England, but he
preferred the court of Margaret of Austria, regent of the Low Countries.
He died poor, leaving behind him a number of books, and among them "On
the Vanity of the Sciences," which has been translated into English and
other languages.
AGRIPPINA (mother of the Emperor Nero. She was one of the worst of
women, and was condemned to death by her own son),--60. "_Strike here!
Level your rage against the womb which gave birth to such a monster._"
These words she said, placing her hand over her womb, to the man sent to
dispatch her.
ALBERT (Francis-Augustus-Charles-Emmanuel, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and
Gotha. He married Queen Victoria, his cousin, the tenth of February,
1840), 1819-1861. "_I have had wealth, rank and power, but if these
were all I had, how wretched I should be!_" A few moments later he
repeated the familiar lines:
Rock of Ages cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
Inscription on the "Memorial Cairn" on a high mountain overlooking
Balmoral Palace: "To the beloved memory of Albert the great and good
Prince Consort, erected by his broken-hearted widow, Victoria R., 21
August, 1862." Upon another dressed slab, a few inches below the above,
is this quotation: "He being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a
long time: for his soul pleased the Lord, therefore hasted he to take
him away from among the wicked."
_Wisdom of Solomon, chap. iv: 13, 14._
One year after Prince Albert died, the Queen erected a costly mausoleum
in the grounds of Frogmore House, which is legally a part of the domain
of Windsor Castle. The mausoleum is cruciform, eighty feet long, with
transepts of seventy feet. As soon as it was completed and consecrated
by the Bishop of Oxford, the remains of the Prince Consort were there
deposited. Over the entrance is a Latin inscription, which in English
reads as follows:
WHAT WAS MORTAL OF PRINCE ALBERT
HIS MOURNING WIDOW, QUEEN VICTORIA,
HAS CAUSED TO BE DEPOSITED IN THIS SEPULCHER.
FAREWELL, MY WELL BELOVED!
HERE AT LAST SHALL I REST WITH THEE.
WITH THEE IN CHRIST SHALL RISE AGAIN.
ALEXANDER (Jannaeus, son of John Hyrcanus, succeeded his brother
Aristobulus as King of Judea in 105 B. C. The Pharisees rose in
rebellion against his authority; they hated him during his life, and
cursed his memory when he was dead)--B. C. 78 "_Fear not true Pharisees,
but greatly fear painted Pharisees_," to his wife.
ALFIERI (Vittorio, eminent Italian tragic poet), 1749-1803. "_Clasp my
hand, my dear friend, I die!_" Addressed to the Countess Stolberg, who
derived the title Countess of Albany from being the wife of Charles
Edward Stuart, "the Pretender." After the death of Stuart, the countess
lived with Alfieri, to whom it is believed she was privately married.
In the church of Santa Croce, Florence, reposes the body of Alfieri, and
over it is an imposing monument erected by Canova for the Countess of
Albany. It was while walking amongst the tombs of the illustrious dead
in the great "Westminster Abbey of Italy" that the poet first dreamed of
fame.
ALFORD (Henry, commonly called "Dean Alford," English poet and divine,
Dean of Canterbury), 1810-1871. "_Will you tell the Archdeacon?--will
you move a vote of thanks for his kindness in performing the ceremony?_"
He wished the Archdeacon to assist in the services at his funeral.
He had expressed a wish to be buried in St. Martin's churchyard. The
spot chosen for his grave is beneath a yew-tree on the brow of the hill
on the south side of the path which leads from the lich-gate to the
western door of the ancient church. At the distance of about half a mile
to the west the towers of the Cathedral look down upon his tomb.
Among his papers was found the following memorandum, which, of course,
was carefully obeyed:
"When I am gone, and a tomb is to be put up, let there be, besides any
indication of who is lying below, these words, and these only:
DEVERSORIUM VIATORIS HIEROSOLYMAM PROFICISCENTIS.
i. e., the inn of a traveller on his way to Jerusalem."
AMBROSE ("Saint," Latin Father, author of many books of varying value
and interest, and author of a method of singing known as "the Ambrosian
Chant"), 340-397. "_I have not so behaved myself that I should be
ashamed to live; nor am I afraid to die, because I have so good a
Master._"
AMES (Fisher, distinguished American statesman, leader of the Federal
party in the House of Representatives during the administration of
Washington), 1758-1808. "_I have peace of mind. It may arise from
stupidity, but I think it is founded on a belief of the gospel. My hope
is in the mercy of God._"
ANAXAGORAS (the most illustrious philosopher of the Ionian school, and
"The Friend of Pericles"), B. C. 500-428. "_Give the boys a holiday._"
After his banishment he resided in Lampsacus and there preserved
tranquillity of mind until his death. "It is not I who have lost the
Athenians; it is the Athenians who have lost me," was his proud
reflection. He continued his studies, and was highly respected by the
citizens, who, wishing to pay some mark of esteem to his memory, asked
him on his death-bed in what manner they could do so. He begged that the
day of his death might be annually kept as a holiday in all the schools
of Lampsacus. For centuries this request was fulfilled. He died in his
seventy-third year. A tomb was erected to him in the city, with this
inscription:
This tomb great Anaxagoras confines,
Whose mind explored the heavenly paths of Truth.
_Lewes' Biographical History of Philosophy._
ANDRE (John, major in the British army at the time of the American
Revolution, and executed as a spy, October 2, 1780), 1751-1780. "_It
will be but a momentary pang._"
The order for execution was loudly and impressively read by
Adjutant-General Scammel, who at its conclusion informed Andre he might
now speak, if he had anything to say. Lifting the bandage for a moment
from his eyes he bowed courteously to Greene and the attending officers,
and said with firmness and dignity: "All I request of you, gentlemen,
is that you will bear witness to the world that I die like a brave man."
A moment later he said, almost in a whisper, "It will be but a momentary
pang."
The London _General Evening Post_ for November 14, 1780, in an article
abusive of Washington, gives a pretended account of Andre's "last
words," in which the unfortunate man is made to say, "Remember that I
die as becomes a British officer, while the manner of my death must
reflect disgrace on your commander." Andre uttered no sentiment like
this. Miss Seward, his early friend, on reading this account, wrote thus
in her "Monody on Major Andre:"
Oh Washington! I thought thee great and good,
Nor knew thy Nero-thirst for guiltless blood!
Severe to use the pow'r that Fortune gave,
Thou cool, determin'd murderer of the brave!
Lost to each fairer virtue, that inspires
The genuine fervor of the patriot fires!
And you, the base abettors of the doom,
That sunk his blooming honors in the tomb,
Th' opprobrious tomb your harden'd hearts decreed,
While all he asked was as the brave to bleed!
_Lossing's Field Book of the Revolution, Vol. I, p. 768._
ANDRONICUS I. (Comnenus, usurper and emperor), 1115-1185. "_Lord, have
mercy upon me. Wilt thou break a bruised reed?_"
So great was his cruelty and so oppressive his tyranny, that his own
subjects rose in desperation and slew him.
ANNE (of Austria, daughter of Philip III. of Spain, and mother of Louis
XIV. of France, Queen of France), 1601-1666. "_Observe how they are
swelled; time to depart._" These words were spoken as she viewed her
hands which had been greatly admired for their beauty.
ANSELM ("Saint," Archbishop of Canterbury), 1034-1109. "_I shall gladly
obey His call; yet I should also feel grateful if He would grant me a
little longer time with you, and if I could be permitted to solve a
question--the origin of the soul._"
ANTHONY or ANTONY ("Saint," surnamed Abbas, the reputed founder of
monachism), 251-356. "_Let this word of mine be kept by you, so that no
one shall know in what place my body reposes, for I shall receive it
incorruptible from my Saviour in the resurrection of the dead. And
distribute my garments thus: To Athanasius, the bishop, give one of my
sheepskins, and the cloak under me, which was new when he gave it me,
and has become old by my use of it; and to Serapion, the bishop, give
the other sheepskin; and do you have the hair-cloth garment. And for the
rest, children, farewell, for Anthony is going, and is with you no
more._"
ANTONINUS (Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor, celebrated for nobleness of
character and great wisdom. He is sometimes called "The Philosopher"),
121-180. "_Think more of death than of me._"
Notwithstanding the mild and upright character of the emperor, there
took place during his reign a severe persecution of the Christians.
Efforts have been made to excuse him from responsibility in the matter,
but all such efforts have succeeded only in greatly palliating his
guilt, which was probably much less than that of many other persecutors
of the early followers of our Lord.
ARAM (Eugene, executed for the murder of Daniel Clark. The story of
Eugene Aram forms the subject of one of Bulwer's novels, and of a poem
by Thomas Hood), 1704-1759. "_No_," on being asked upon the scaffold if
he had anything to say.
While acting as an assistant to his father, who was a gardener, he
studied mathematics and gave some attention to the languages. On
marrying, he became a schoolmaster, and prosecuted his studies with such
diligence and success as to obtain a good knowledge of the Latin, Greek,
Hebrew, Chaldee, Arabic, Welsh and Irish languages. In 1759 he was tried
for the murder of Daniel Clark, a shoemaker of Knaresborough, and found
guilty. At the trial he made an elaborate and able defence, but after
his condemnation he confessed his guilt. On the night before his
execution he made an attempt to commit suicide, by opening the veins of
his arms; but he was discovered before he had bled to death, and the
sentence of the law was carried into effect.--_Lippincott._
PAPER CONTAINING ARAM'S REASONS FOR ATTEMPTING SUICIDE, FOUND ON THE
TABLE IN HIS CELL.
"What am I better than my fathers? To die is natural and necessary.
Perfectly sensible of this, I fear no more to die than I did to be born.
But the manner of it is something which should, in my opinion, be decent
and manly. I think I have regarded both these points. Certainly nobody
has a better right to dispose of a man's life than himself; and he, not
others, should determine how. As for any indignities offered to my body,
or silly reflections on my faith and morals, they are (as they always
were) things indifferent to me. I think, though contrary to the common
way of thinking, I wrong no man by this, and hope it is not offensive to
that Eternal Being that formed me and the world; and as by this I injure
no man, no man can be reasonably offended. I solicitously recommend
myself to the Eternal and Almighty Being, the God of Nature, if I have
done amiss. But perhaps I have not; and I hope this thing will never be
imputed to me. Though I am now stained by malevolence, and suffer by
prejudice, I hope to rise fair and unblemished. My life was not
polluted, my morals irreproachable, and my opinions orthodox.
"I slept soundly till three o'clock, awaked, and then writ these lines:
"Come pleasing rest, eternal slumber fall,
Seal mine, that once must seal the eyes of all;
Calm and compos'd my soul her journey takes,
No guilt that troubles, and no heart that aches:
Adieu! thou sun, all bright like her arise;
Adieu! fair friends, and all that's good and wise."
ARCHIBALD (eighth Earl of Argyle), 1598-1661. "_I die not only a
Protestant, but with a heart-hatred of popery, prelacy, and all
superstition whatsoever._" Spoken upon the scaffold.
ARIOSTO (Lodovico, Italian poet), 1479-1533. "_This is not my home._"
ARMISTEAD (Lewis Addison, brigadier-general in the Confederate army),
1817-1863. "_Give them the cold steel, boys._"
Armistead put his hand on the cannon, waved his sword and called out,
"Give them the cold steel, boys," then, pierced by bullets, he fell dead
along side Cushing. Both lay near the clumps of trees about thirty yards
inside the wall, their corpses marking the farthest point to which
Picketts' advance penetrated, where the "High Water Mark Monument" at
Gettysburg, now marks the top of the flood tide of the rebellion, for
afterwards there was a steady ebb.
_Baedeker's Handbook of the United States._
ARNOLD (Thomas, of Rugby, English historian and teacher. In August,
1841, he was appointed regius professor of modern history at Oxford. He
is the author of five volumes of sermons, "Introductory Lectures on
Modern History," and "The History of Rome"), 1795-1842. "_Ah! Very
well_," to his physician who told him of the serious nature of his
complaint, and described to him the remedies to be used.
"The benevolent and accomplished Dr. Arnold was taken from us by _angina
pectoris_. He awoke in the morning with a sharp pain across his chest,
which he had felt slightly on the preceding day, before and after
bathing. He composed himself to sleep for a short time; but the pain
seemed to increase, and to pass down the left arm, which called to Mrs.
Arnold's remembrance what she had heard of this fatal disease. Their
usual medical attendant, Dr. Bucknill, was sent for, and found Dr.
Arnold lying on his back--his countenance much as usual--his pulse,
though regular, was very quick, and there was cold perspiration on the
brow and cheeks. He apologized in a cheerful manner for troubling Dr.
Bucknill at so early an hour, and inquired as to the nature and danger
of his illness: he was told it was a spasm of the heart. The physician
quitted the house to furnish himself with remedies. On his return, Dr.
Arnold said, 'If the pain is again as severe as it was before you left,
I do not know how I can bear it.' He again questioned Dr. Bucknill as to
the danger of his complaint--he was told of his danger--inquired as to
the remedies, and on being told, answered, 'Ah! very well.' The
physician, who was dropping the laudanum into a glass, turned around,
and saw him quite calm, but his eyes were shut. In another minute he
heard a rattle in his throat, and a convulsive struggle,--flew to the
bed, and called to one of the servants to fetch Mrs. Arnold. The family
soon arrived; but the sobs and cries of his children were unable to
affect him--the eyes were fixed, the countenance was unmoved, there was
a heaving of the chest, deep gasps escaped at prolonged intervals, and
just as the usual medical attendant arrived, and as the old school-house
servant, in an agony of grief, rushed with the others into the room in
the hope of seeing his master once more, he breathed his last."
_Stanley's Life of Arnold._
ARRIA (wife of Caecina Paetus, a consul under Claudius), died about the
year B. C., 42. When her husband was condemned to die by his own hand,
seeing that he hesitated, she seized the dagger, and plunged it into her
own breast. Then withdrawing it, she presented it to her husband, saying
with a smile: "_It is not painful, Paetus._"
When to her husband Arria gave the steel,
Which from her chaste, her bleeding breast she drew;
She said--"My Paetus, this I do not feel,
But, oh! the wound that must be given by you!"[1]
_Martial._
[1] Casta suo gladium cum traderet Arria Paeto
Quem de visceribus traxerat ipsa suis,
Si qua fides, vulnus, quod feci, non dolet, inquit;
Sed quod tu facies, hoc mihi, Paete, dolet.
AUGUSTINE ("Saint," Latin Father, able controversialist and eloquent
preacher, author of "On the City of God," "Confessions," and many other
books of value), 354-430. "_Oh, Lord, shall I die at all? Shall I die at
all? Yes! Why, then, oh, Lord, if ever, why not now?_"
His mother, Monica, was a woman of the most devoted piety. His father
was a pagan, and from him Augustine inherited a vehement and sensual
disposition. While a mere youth he gave way to his unbridled passions
and sensual propensities. His mother's patient prayerfulness for both
husband and son, which was at last crowned with success, has passed into
a touching type of womanly saintliness for all ages.--_A. H. Gottschall._
AUGUSTUS (Caius Julius Caesar Octavianus, first Emperor of Rome), B. C.
63-14. "_Vos plaudite_," after asking how he had acted his part in life.
These reputed last words of Augustus rest upon the authority of Cicero.
Suetonius gives his last words thus: "Live mindful of our wedlock,
Livia, and so farewell."
BABINGTON (Anthony, English gentleman devoted to the cause of Mary
Stuart. Executed for having conspired against the life of Queen
Elizabeth),--1586. "_The murder of the Queen had been represented to me
as a deed lawful and meritorious. I die a firm Catholic._" Said on the
scaffold.
BACON (Francis, Baron Verulam, Viscount St. Albans), 1561-1626. "_Thy
creatures, O Lord, have been my books, but Thy Holy Scriptures much
more. I have sought Thee in the fields and gardens, but I have found
Thee, O God, in Thy Sanctuary--Thy Temple._"
"In March, 1626, he came to London, and one day near Highgate was taken
with a desire to discover whether snow would act as an antiseptic. He
stopped his carriage, got out at a cottage, purchased a fowl, and with
his own hands assisted to stuff it with snow. He was seized with a
sudden chill and became so seriously unwell that he had to be conveyed
to Lord Arundel's house near by. There his illness increased, and he
died of bronchitis after a few days of suffering."--_Encyclopedia
Britannica._
For my burial, I desire it may be in St. Michael's Church, St. Albans;
there was my mother buried, and it is the parish church of my
mansion-house of Gorhambury, and it is the only Christian Church within
the walls of Old Verulam. For my name and memory, I leave it to men's
charitable speeches, to foreign nations and the next ages.
_From the Will of Lord Bacon._
BAILLI or BAILLIFF (Roche de, known by the name of La Riviere, a
distinguished French physician),--1605. "_I must now hasten away since
my baggage has been sent off before me._"
When feeling the approaches of death, he sent for all his servants, and
distributed his money and property among them, on condition that they
immediately left the house, which was so punctually complied with, that
when the physicians came on their next visit, they found the doors open,
and their patient by himself, with no property left but the bed he lay
upon. When the physicians remarked this circumstance to him, he answered
that he must now go likewise, "since his baggage was sent off before
him," and immediately expired.
_The Book of Death._
BAILLY (Jean Sylvain, French astronomer and philosopher, first President
of the States-General, and later a victim of the Revolution), 1736-1793.
"_My friend, it is only from cold_," to one of the bystanders who,
witnessing the refinement of cruelty attending his execution, said,
"Bailly, you tremble."
He was led on foot, amidst a drenching fall of snow and sleet, to the
banks of the river, where, to parody the scene on Calvary, the heavy
beams which support the guillotine were placed on his shoulders. He sank
under the weight, but barbarous blows obliged him again to lift it. He
fell a second time, and swooned away; yells of laughter arose in the
crowd, and the execution was postponed till he revived, and could feel
its bitterness. But nothing could subdue his courage. "You tremble,
Bailly," said one of the spectators. "My friend," said the old man, "it
is only from cold."[2]
[2] Charles I., of England, put on two shirts the morning of his
execution, saying, "If I tremble with cold, my enemies will say it was
from fear: I will not expose myself to such reproaches."--_Lingard:
"History of England."_
BARNEVELDT (Johan van Olden, Dutch statesman of liberal principles
greatly in advance of his age. He has been called "the father of Dutch
freedom and religious liberty." He was beheaded at the Hague in his
seventy-first year, and met his fate without regret or a sign of fear),
1549-1619. "_Oh God, what then is man!_" Some say his last words were
these, addressed to the executioners: "Be quick about it. Be quick."
BARRE, DE LA (Jean Francois le Fevre, Chevalier. He was condemned to
death for having mutilated a crucifix, and was executed in 1766, at the
age of nineteen), 1747-1766. "_I did not think they would put a young
gentleman to death for such a trifle._"[3]
Poor young Barre was tortured, strangled and burned for not taking off
his hat to a file of greasy monks. He remained covered while the
Capuchins carried some mediaeval trumpery in procession.
_Walter Besant's "French Humorists."_
[3] See Voltaire's "Account of the Death of the Chevalier de la
Barre."
BATTIE (William, English physician), 1704-1776. "_Young man, you have
heard, no doubt, how great are the terrors of death: this night will
probably afford you some experience; but you may learn, and may you
profit by the example, that a conscientious endeavor to perform his
duties through life, will ever close a Christian's eyes with comfort and
tranquillity_," to his servant.
BAXTER (Richard, noted English nonconformist, author of "The Saints'
Everlasting Rest," and "The Call to the Unconverted"), 1615-1691. "_I
have pain--there is no arguing against sense--but I have peace, I have
peace!_" A little later he said, "_I am almost well._"
BAYARD (Pierre du Terrail, called "_le chevalier sans peur et sans
reproche_," the knight without fear and without reproach), 1475-1524.
"_At least, I may die facing the enemy._"
At the defeat of Romaguans, Bonnivet, wounded and not able to serve any
longer, gave the command of the army up to Bayard; who, as usual,
performed prodigies of valor, until he was wounded by a musket shot,
which broke the vertebrae of his back. He then caused himself to be
helped off his horse, and to be placed at the foot of a tree. "At
least," said he, "I may die facing the enemy;" and in a few moments he
was dead.
BEARD (Dr. George Miller, an American physician and scientist of unusual
promise, who died upon the threshold of a great career), 1839-1883. He
said to the doctors who endeavored to save his life, "You are good
fellows, but you can do nothing for me. My time has come." His last
words were, "_I should like to record the thoughts of a dying man for
the benefit of science, but it is impossible._"
Dr. Beard had wonderful insight. He exposed and ruined the notorious
Eddy Brothers, and comprehended, explained, and paralleled the exploits
of Brown, the Mind Reader, showing the simple principle on which they
were produced. His defects were too rapid generalization, and too
positive and comprehensive assertion of results. Knowing well the
uncertainty of average human testimony where the supernatural, or even
the mysterious, is involved, he held that experts in the supposed
supernatural alone were competent witnesses. Of these he thought that
there were but three or four living, nor did he shrink from claiming
that he was easily _princeps_ among them. Of course, as there were no
experts on earth when the miracles were wrought, he had no evidence of
them. He was prone to comprehend as much as possible under one generic
term. His work on _Neurasthenia_ did not command general approbation,
because it made almost everything a sign of nervous exhaustion. As a
writer, he was brilliant and prolific. His fame would be more enduring
if he had written five books, instead of fifty.
_Obituary._
BEATON OR BEATOUN OR BETON (David, Cardinal and Archbishop, an
implacable enemy of Protestants. He knew neither rest nor mercy in his
determination to crush the Reformed Faith, and his execution of George
Wishart drew down upon him the execration of all good men), 1449-1546.
"_I am a priest! Fie! Fie! All is gone._"
Cardinal Beaton was assassinated in May, 1546, in the chamber of his
castle, by a band of men who sympathized with the Reformers, headed by
Norman Leslie.
BEAUFORT (Henry, half-brother of Henry IV. He was made cardinal in 1426,
and in 1430 he crowned Henry IV. at Notre Dame. He presided over the
tribunal that sent the Maid of Orleans to the stake, and is supposed to
have participated in the murder of the Duke of Gloucester), 1370-1447.
"_I pray you all pray for me._" Some authorities give his last words
thus: "And must I then die? Will not all my riches save me? I could
purchase a kingdom, if that would save my life! What! is there no
bribing death? When my nephew, the Duke of Bedford, died, I thought my
happiness and my authority greatly increased; but the Duke of
Gloucester's death raised me in fancy to a level with kings, and I
thought of nothing but accumulating still greater wealth, to purchase at
last the triple crown. Alas! how are my hopes disappointed! Wherefore, O
my friends, let me earnestly beseech you to pray for me, and recommend
my departing soul to God!"
_Harpsfield: Hist. Eccles. edit. Duaci, 1622, p. 643._
A few minutes before his death, his mind appeared to be undergoing the
tortures of the damned. He held up his two hands, and cried--"Away!
away!--why thus do ye look at me?" He seemed to behold some horrible
spectre by his bedside.[4]
[4] _Enter the KING, SALISBURY, WARWICK, to the CARDINAL in bed._
_King._ How fares my lord? speak, Beaufort, to thy
sovereign.
_Car._ If thou be'st death, I'll give thee England's treasure,
Enough to purchase such another island,
So thou wilt let me live and feel no pain.
_King._ Ah, what a sign it is of evil life,
Where death's approach is seen so terrible!
_War._ Beaufort, it is thy sovereign speaks to thee:
_Car._ Bring me unto my trial when you will.
Died he not in his bed? where should he die?
Can I make men live, whether they will or no?
O, torture me no more! I will confess.
Alive again? Then show me where he is:
I'll give a thousand pound to look upon him.
He hath no eyes, the dust hath blinded them.
Comb down his hair; look, look! it stands upright,
Like lime-twigs set to catch my winged soul.
Give me some drink; and bid the apothecary
Bring the strong poison that I bought of him.
_King._ O thou eternal Mover of the heavens,
Look with a gentle eye upon this wretch!
O, beat away the busy meddling fiend
That lays strong siege unto this wretch's soul,
And from his bosom purge this black despair!
_War._ See how the pangs of death do make him grin!
_Sal._ Disturb him not; let him pass peaceably.
_King._ Peace to his soul, if God's good pleasure be!
Lord cardinal, if thou think'st on heaven's bliss,
Hold up thy hand, make signal of thy hope.
He dies, and makes no sign. O God, forgive him!
_War._ So bad a death argues a monstrous life.
_King._ Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all.
Close up his eyes and draw the curtain close;
And let us all to meditation.
_Exeunt. --King Henry VI, Part II, Act iii._
BECKET (Thomas a, first Saxon archbishop of Canterbury after the Norman
conquest), 1117-1170. "_For the name of Jesus and the defense of the
church I am willing to die._"
He was assassinated by four barons, servants of Henry II. The Roman
Catholic Church regarded him as a martyr; and in 1172 he was canonized.
BEDE (surnamed "The Venerable;" an English monk, and the author of
"_Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum_"), 673-735. "_Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost._"
It is related that on the night of his death he continued dictating to
his amanuensis a translation of some work, probably of the gospel of St.
John, into Anglo-Saxon. He asked the scribe how many chapters remained.
"Only one," he replied; "but you are too weak to dictate." "No," said
Bede, "take your pen and write quickly." After some time the scribe
said, "Master, it is finished;" to which Bede replied, "Thou hast said
truly, _consummatum est_," and shortly after expired.
_Lippincott._
BEECHER (Henry Ward, distinguished American clergyman, for many years
pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church, Brooklyn, N. Y.), 1813-1887.
"_Now comes the mystery._"
BEETHOVEN (Ludwig van), 1770-1827. "_I shall hear in heaven._"
When about thirty-five years old, while at work upon his opera of
"Leonora," known in English as "Fidelio," he was attacked with deafness.
The malady began gradually, but after a year made more rapid progress,
and soon his hearing was entirely destroyed.
Some authorities give his last words thus: "Is it not true, dear Hammel,
that I have some talent after all?" Hammel was an old friend with whom
he had once quarrelled, and who, after being separated from him for a
long time, came to him when he was upon his death bed.
Beethoven received the sacraments of the Roman church, and at about one
in the afternoon of the same day he sank into apparent unconsciousness,
and a distressing conflict with death began which lasted the rest of
that day, the whole of the next day, and until a quarter of six on the
evening of the day following. As the evening closed in, there came a
sudden storm of hail and snow, covering the ground and roofs of the
Schwarzspanierplatz, and followed by a flash of lightning, and an
instant clap of thunder. So great was the crash as to arouse even the
dying man. He opened his eyes, clinched his fist, and shook it in the
air above him. This lasted a few seconds while the hail rushed down
outside, and then the hand fell, and the great composer was no more.
_Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians._
BELLARMINO (Cardinal Roberto), 1542-1621. "_It is safest to trust in
Jesus_," to one who enquired whether it is safer to trust in the Virgin
Mary than in Jesus.
BENTHAM (Jeremy, English philosopher and jurist, author of "Defence of
Usury," "Theory of Penalties and Rewards," "The Rationale of Judicial
Evidence," "Panopticon," and many other works of interest and value. He
devoted much of his time and ability to the development of the theory
that "Utility is the test and measure of virtue"), 1748-1832. "_I feel
now that I am dying._"
BERENGER (de Tours, celebrated French ecclesiastic), 998-1088. "_I shall
not long hesitate between conscience and the Pope, for I shall soon
appear in the presence of God, to be acquitted, I hope; to be condemned,
I fear._"
"No more 'twixt conscience staggering and the Pope,
Soon shall I now before my God appear:
By him to be acquitted, as I hope;
By him to be condemned, as I fear."--_Coleridge._
Berenger opposed the dogmas of Transubstantiation and the Real-Presence.
His teachings were condemned by Pope Leo IX. in 1050.
BERGERUS (councillor to the Emperor Maximilian), "_Farewell, O farewell
all earthly things, and welcome heaven._"
BERKELEY (George, Bishop of Cloyne, metaphysical philosopher and
author), 1684-1753.
The last words of Berkeley are not recorded, but the peacefulness and
suddenness of his death are interesting. One evening he and his family
were sitting and drinking tea together; he on one side of the fire, and
his wife on the other, and his daughter making the tea at a little round
table just behind him. She had given him one dish which he had drunk.
She had poured out another which he left standing some time. "Sir," said
she, "will you not take your tea?" Upon his making no kind of an answer,
she stooped forward and looked at him, and found that he was dead.
_Life of Bishop Berkeley._
Berkeley directed in his will that his body should be kept above ground
more than five days, and until it became "offensive by the cadaverous
smell, and that during the said time it lye unwashed, undisturbed and
covered by the same bedclothes, in the same bed, the head raised upon
pillows."
BERNARD ("Saint," Abbot of Clairvaux and active promoter of the crusade
of 1146. He is the author of many beautiful hymns), 1091-1153. "_May
God's will be done_," said when he was told that his last hour was at
hand.
BERRY or BERRI (Caroline Ferdinande Louise, Madame de), 1798-1870. "_Is
not this dying with courage and true greatness?_"
BIRON (Armand Louis de Gontaut, Duc de Lauzun, French general-in-chief
of the army of the Rhine), 1747-1793. "_I have been false to my God, to
my order, and to my king: I die full of faith and of repentance._"
The executioner's messenger surprised him at a breakfast of oysters and
white wine, and said he was at the duke's orders; to which the latter
rejoined, "_No morbleu_, 'tis just the other way: I am at yours!" He
then asked that he might be permitted to finish his breakfast, after
which he answered the summons of the executioner.
BISMARCK VON SCHONHAUSEN (Karl Otto, Prince, the most distinguished of
Prussian statesmen), 1813-1898. "_Thank you, my child_," to his
daughter, Countess von Rantzau, who wiped the perspiration from his
forehead.
On Thursday evening an improvement set in in the Prince's condition, in
which repeated changes for the worse had occurred since October last,
and he was able to appear at the table and take part in the
conversation, drinking champagne and afterward smoking several pipes,
which he had not done lately.
His condition was so satisfactory that Dr. Schweninger, after the Prince
had gone to bed, went away, with the intention of returning on Saturday.
His condition was comparatively satisfactory throughout Friday and
Saturday morning. He read the "Nachrichten" and conversed on politics,
particularly referring to Russian affairs. In the forenoon he took
luncheon, grumbling jocularly at the small proportion of spirits in his
drinking water. Then a sudden change for the worse occurred, and in the
afternoon he frequently became unconscious.
Recently, besides periods of unusual mental clearness, the Prince had
had intervals of drowsiness, falling into long, sound and beneficial
sleep, on awaking from which he would be completely refreshed.
On Saturday evening grave symptoms appeared. Death came easily and
painlessly. Dr. Schweninger was able to some extent to lighten the last
moments, wiping the patient's mouth and enabling him to breathe more
freely.
The last words Prince Bismarck uttered were addressed to his daughter,
Countess von Rantzau, who wiped the perspiration from his forehead. They
were, "Thank you, my child."
The whole family were assembled at the bedside at the time of his death,
and Dr. Schweninger, Dr. Chrysander and Baron and Baroness Merck were
also present. As no breathing, movement or pulse was perceptible for
three minutes, Dr. Schweninger declared quietly and simply that the
Prince was dead.
Dr. Schweninger telegraphed the news to Emperor William, in Norway.
The Prince lies as he used to sleep, with his head slightly inclined to
the left. The expression on his face is mild and peaceful. It is
remarked that his head remained warm for an unusually long time.
In accordance with Prince Bismarck's wish, he will be buried upon the
hill opposite the castle in the vicinity of Hirschgruppe.
_Nachrichten, July 31st, 1898._
BLAKE (William, English artist and poet), 1757-1828. Blake died singing.
"On the day of his death," writes Smith, who had his account from the
widow, "he composed and uttered songs to his Maker, so sweetly to the
ear of his Catherine, that when she stood to hear him, he, looking upon
her most affectionately, said, 'My beloved! they are _not mine_. _No!_
they are _not_ mine!' He told her they would not be parted; he should
always be about her to take care of her. A little before his death, Mrs.
Blake asked where he would be buried, and whether a dissenting minister
or a clergyman of the Church of England should read the service. To
which he answered, that as far as his own feelings were concerned, she
might bury him where she pleased. But that as father, mother, aunt and
brother were buried in Bunhill Row, perhaps it would be better to lie
_there_. As for service, he should wish for that of the Church of
England.
"In that plain, back room, so dear to the memory of his friends, and to
them beautiful from association with _him_--with his serene cheerful
converse, his high personal influence, so spiritual and rare--he lay
chanting Songs to Melodies, both the inspiration of the moment, but no
longer as of old to be noted down. To the pious songs followed, about
six in the summer evening, a calm and painless withdrawal of breath; the
exact moment almost unperceived by his wife, who sat by his side. A
humble female neighbor, her only other companion, said afterwards: 'I
have been at the death, not of a man, but of a blessed angel.'"
_Gilchrist's Life of William Blake._
"He said he was going to that country, he had all his life wished to
see, and expressed himself happy, hoping for salvation through Jesus
Christ. Just before he died his countenance became fair, his eyes
brightened, and he burst out into singing of the things he saw in
heaven. In truth he died like a saint, as a person who was standing by
him observed."[5]
_From a letter written at the time of Blake's death._
[5] Lablache (1794-1858), the celebrated French singer and actor,
whose wonderful voice, embracing two full octaves, has been
described as firmer and more expressive than that of any singer of
his time or before it, attempted to sing upon his death-bed. He bade
his son go to the piano and accompany him. The young man, struggling
with emotion, obeyed. Lablache sang in English the first stanza of
_Home, Sweet Home_. At the second stanza the muscles of the throat
refused to move; not a note could he sound. In distress and great
amazement he gazed around him for a moment, and then, closing his
eyes, fell asleep in death.
It is recorded of Captain Hamilton, whose portrait was painted by
Sir Joshua Reynolds, that he came to his death in this wise: "He
imprudently ventured in a boat from his ship to land at Plymouth, on
a tempestuous day, all in his impatience to rejoin his wife ashore.
The boat turned keel upwards, and the captain, being a good swimmer,
trusted to his skill, and would not accept of a place on the keel,
but, that he might leave room there for others, clung merely to the
edge of the boat. His great coat was a hindrance to him, and this he
attempted to throw off; but, in the words of Lord Eliot, whose too
are the italics, 'finding his strength fail, he told the men he must
yield to his fate, and soon afterwards sank while _singing a
psalm_.'"--_Francis Jacox._
When Latour was guillotined at Foix, in 1864, for the murder of a
family of four persons, great was the throng in the streets, despite
the heavy rain that fell; for, to ensure a good attendance, the
condemned man had announced his intention to compose for the
occasion a series of verses, which he would sing on his way (in a
cart, _vis-a-vis_ with messieurs the headsmen) from prison to
scaffold. And sing them he did, all the way--a matter of some three
hundred and fifty yards. Lightly he tripped up the steps of the
scaffold, and then, after a deliberate survey of the crowd below and
all around, he thundered forth, _tonna_, the following lines--a
parody, or rather a personal appropriation, of the Marseillaise: