Another collection of philosophical conferences of the French virtuosi upon questions of all sorts for the improving of natural knowledg made in the assembly of the Beaux Esprits at Paris by the most ingenious persons of that nation / render'd into English by G. Havers, Gent. & J. Davies ..., Gent.

CONFERENCE CXXXIX. Which is most desirable, long or short Life. (Book 139)

NAture, not contented to produce all things, hath given them a desire of Self-preservation. Even Inanimate Bo∣dies redouble their activity at the approach of their destru∣ctive contraries; whence proceeds Antiperistasis. But this de∣sire appears chiefly in Animals, and above all in Man, being grounded upon the Love he bears to himself: Which extream Love, instigating him to seek all good things contributary to his contentment, makes him likewise desire long Life, whereby he may continue his other enjoyments, and, consequently, avoid all occasions of Death, as that which interrupts the course of this Life, and makes him cease to be. Hence, as by general consent Death is the most terrible of terribles; so, by the reason of Con∣traries, Life is the most agreable, and consequently, most desirable and best thing in the World; and not desirable only by all Men who are endued with Knowledg, but also by all living things, each after its mode, and according as they are capable of desiring; Plants at∣tracting their nourishment, and Animals seeking their Food with difficulty, and carefully avoiding all dangers that lead to Death. For though Nature loves change, (whereof she is the Principle) yet 'tis onely that of Generation, or of a less into a more noble substance; that of Corruption and Death she abhorrs, being not further pleased in the vicissitudes of mutations, than she gains by the change; but she is a loser by Death, which separates the Body from the Soul, in the union whereof, she hath all that she can wish. She may disguise her self, and changing of shape and countenance, but can never light upon any more agreable, than that which she makes appear in the Marriage of a Body with a Soul; which are so perfectly united, that, after their dissolution, our Souls alwayes retain an Inclination toward their ancient Mates which they once animated.

The Second said, If the sentiment of Nature makes us con∣ceive long Life desirable; Reason, which evinceth it full of Miseries and Calamities, teaches us that the shortest is best, and that we may justly wish, either never to have been, or to have dy'd as soon as we came into the World. This was the Judgement not onely of the greatest Sages of Pagan Antiquity, many of whom cheerfully quitted Life to escape its Miseries; but the sometimes famous Republick of Marseilles, gave Licence to the miserable to take Poyson, which was kept in a publick Store. Yea, even the holiest Personages have been of the same Advice; as Job amongst others, who calls Man's Life a warfare upon Earth, and curses the day of his Birth; Moses and Elias, who pray'd to God they might dye; and Saint Paul, who desires no∣thing so much as to be loos'd from this miserable Body; in which, as in a dark prison, the Reasonable Soul is enclos'd, and remains against, its will; since being of a Celestial Nature, and so conti∣nually longing after the place of its extraction, Death, which delivers it from its fetters, must be as desirable to it as contrary to the Body, which having nought to hope for after this Life, but to be the food of worms and corruption, hath all reason to dread it, and avoid the occasions of it; as accordingly all such do who live onely for the Body, resenting no other motions in themselves but of desire to live long. Whereas Reason instructs us, that here we never possess the Good whereof the Immortal Soul is capable by its two Powers, the Understanding and the Will, which never find any Truth or Goodness in the things of this World but what is sophisticate; it makes us also conceive Life as a violent state, and contrary to the Felicity of our bet∣ter part.

The Third said, Since Life is the duration of Being, which un∣doubtedly is the greatest of all Goods, (Entity and Good being convertible) that must be the most desirable which is of greatest continuance, because it comes nearest infinity and eternity, un∣der which all Perfection is compris'd, and which being therefore passionately desir'd by all Men, but not attainable by any, they endeavor to partake as much of it as they can by prolongation of Life, which is the foundation not onely of the Goods of the Body and Fortune, (whose sweetness makes amends for some Evils of Life) but also of the Mind, in which Natural Felicity consists; whereunto amongst other conditions, long Life is re∣quisite both for attaining of Knowledge and Virtue, not to be gotten without long time, (which renders Men knowing and prudent) as for making others taste the fruits of an exemplary Life.

The Fourth said, That Beasts and even Stones having the good of Existence as well as we, that alone is not sufficient to render Life desirable, in regard Non-existence is much rather to be wisht than a Being alwayes miserable, what ever some say to the contrary; since even our Saviour saith, It had been better for

Judas never to have been born, then to have fallen into the crime of Treason. Moreover, Seneca saith, No person would accept of Life, if he knew how dear it must cost him. Hence we en∣ter into the World weeping, as if it were against our consent; and as our Lives begin with tears, so they are continu'd with la∣bor, and ended with pain. Nor have we more reason to desire long Life for the Goods of the Mind, which consist in Virtue alone. For if we be vicious, 'tis expedient both for our selves and the Publick, that we live but little, for fear of corrupting others by our evil Examples, If virtuous, 'tis much to be fear'd lest we be corrupted by the converse of the wicked, who are very numerous; which was the cause why God by a special favour took away Enoch in the midst of the course of his Life, and transported him into the Terrestrial Paradise.

The fifth said, If a long Life were less desirable than a short, God should have deceiv'd those that honour their Parents, by promising them a bad salary in recompence of a good Action: Nor ought Physick to trouble it self and those that use it, by so many Rules and Receipts, were a short Life (that is to say, a speedy death) so desirable; nor would the Laws punish Crimi∣nals with Death, if what they give them were better than what they take from them. Moreover, as the long-liv'd Oak and Palm-Tree are more excellent than the Mushrome, Hysop, and the Rose; Stags, Elephants, Eagles, Ravens, and the Phoenix more perfect than Butterflies, and those Insects which they call Ephemera, because they live but one day; so amongst Men, those that live long, seem to have some advantage above those that are of a short Life, having the Principles of their Generation more vigorous: wherein nevertheless the Sex, Temperament, Cli∣mate, Habitation, and manner of living, make a notable differ∣ence; Sanguine Men, and the Inhabitants of Temperate Regi∣ons, commonly living longer than Women, cholerick Persons, and such as live under intemperate Climates.

The Sixth said, Reason having been given Man to correct the Inclinations of the Sensitive Appetite, 'tis that alone must judge whether it be expedient for him to live long; not Sense, which makes us judge like beasts, That nothing is dearer than Life. But Reason, illuminated either by Faith or by Philosophy, teaches us that this World is the place of our banishment, the Body the Soul's Prison which she alwayes carryes about with her, Life a continual suffering and War; and therefore he fights against Natural Light who maintaines it expedient to pro∣long so miserable a State. For, besides the incommodities at∣tending a long Life, which after 70. years, as David testifies, is onely labour and sorrow, long Life is equally unprofitable to∣wards attaining Knowlege and Virtue. He that lives long can learn nothing new in the World, which is but a Revolution and Repetition of the same Effects produc'd alwayes by the same Causes; not onely in Nature, whose course and changes may be

seen in the Revolution of the Four Seasons of the Year, but even in Affairs of State and Private Matters, wherein nothing is said or done, but what hath been practis'd before. And as for Vir∣tue, the further we are from Childhod, the less Innocence and Sanctity we have, and Vices ordinarily increase with years. The long Life of the first Men having according to some been the probable Cause of the depravation of those Ages.