to die, before your question may well be resolved.” [Footnote:  Answered.] Verily, we should steale much from him, if he should be weighed without the honour and greatnesse of his end.  God hath willed it, as he pleased:  but in my time three of the most execrable persons that ever I knew in all abomination of life, and the most infamous, have beene seen to die very orderly and quietly, and in every circumstance composed even unto perfection.  There are some brave and fortunate deaths.  I have seene her cut the twine of some man’s life, with a progresse of wonderful advancement, and with so worthie an end, even in the flowre of his growth and spring of his youth, that in mine opinion, his ambitious and haughtie couragious signes, thought nothing so high as might interrupt them who without going to the place where he pretended, arived there more gloriously and worthily than either his desire or hope aimed at, and by his fall fore-went the power and name, whither by his course he aspired.  When I judge of other men’s lives, I ever respect how they have behaved themselves in their end; and my chiefest study is, I may well demeane my selfe at my last gaspe, that is to say, quietly and constantly.

THAT TO PHILOSOPHISE IS TO LEARNE HOW TO DIE

Cicero saith, that to Philosophise is no other thing than for a man to prepare himselfe to death:  which is the reason that studie and contemplation doth in some sort withdraw our soule from us, and severally employ it from the body, which is a kind of apprentisage and resemblance of death; or else it is, that all the wisdome and discourse of the world, doth in the end resolve upon this point, to teach us not to feare to die.  Truly either reason mockes us, or it only aimeth at our contentment, and in fine, bends all her travell to make us live well, and as the holy Scripture saith, “at our ease.”  All the opinions of the world conclude, that pleasure is our end, howbeit they take divers meanes unto and for it, else would men reject them at their first comming.  For, who would give eare unto him, that for it’s end would establish our paine and disturbance?  The dissentions of philosophicall sects in this case are verbal:  Transcurramus solertissimas Hugos [Footnote:  Travails, labours.] “Let us run over such over-fine fooleries and subtill trifles.”  There is more wilfulnesse and wrangling among them, than pertains to a sacred profession.  But what person a man undertakes to act, he doth ever therewithal! personate his owne.  Allthough they say, that in vertue it selfe, the last scope of our aime is voluptuousnes.  It pleaseth me to importune their eares still with this word, which so much offends their hearing.  And if it imply any chief pleasure or exceeding contentments, it is rather due to the assistance of vertue, than to any other supply, voluptuousnes being more strong, sinnowie, sturdie, and manly, is but more seriously voluptuous.  And we should give it the name of