[ 535] The Consideration of death, will cure all distempers.
THe hand of a dead man (as they say) stroaking the part, cures the Tympany; And certainly the consideration of death is a present means to cure the swel∣ling of Pride in the most high-minded, it will levell the aspiring thoughts of the most ambitious.* 1.1 In this life, many things make a distance between men and wo∣men, as the greatness of birth, the freeness of education, the abundance of wealth, alliance, honours, and preferments; But death makes all even, Respice sepulchra, &c. saith St. Augustine. Survey mens graves, and tell me then, who is beautiful, and who deformed;* 1.2 all there have hollow eyes, flat noses, and gastly looks; tell me, who is rich, and who is poor, all there wear the same weeds, their winding-sheets; Tell me who is noble, who is rich, and who is base; the worms claim kindred of all: Tell me who is well housed, and who ill, all there are bestowed in dark and dankish rooms un∣der ground; And if this will not satisfie, take a sieve, and sift their dust, and tell me which is which;* 1.3 It is granted that there is some difference in dust, there is powder of Diamonds, Princely dust; gold-dust, the remains of Noblemen; Pin-dust, th•• reliques of the Tradesman; Saw-dust, the remains of the labouring man; com∣mon dust, the remains of the vulgar which have no quality, or profession to distin∣guish them, yet all is but dust, one and the same dust; The consideration of this will allay the heat of all distempered spirits.