The forerunner of eternity, or, Messenger of death sent to healthy, sick and dying men / by H. Drexelius.

§ 20. Death comes suddenly to many, un∣looked for almost to all.

WHo will not watch against the assaults of death, who is ready at all houres for execution? who

never acquaints us with the time hee intends to invade us: who sometimes comes creeping, some∣times flying, sometimes furiously in the twinkling of an eye, hastily arrests us unprovided; without the least giving us notice, without cause, without caution, in sicknes, in health, in danger, in securitie, so that there is nothing free or priviledged from his talons, or destroying assaults.

Was not Tarquinius healthy and merry, and suddenly choaked with the bone of a little fish? Fabius likewise wa•• well and lusty, when presently a small haire (which he drunk with his milke) dispatched him. Was not the byting of a Wea∣sell the end of Aristides life? Did not the Father of Caesar arise well from his bed, and dyed putting on his shooes? Did not another Cae∣sar breath out his soule going over the threshold into his Palace? That Ambassador who intended to have spoken with great admira∣tion the Rhodians affaires in a great Assembly, dyed he not in the

entrance into the Court? If wee will believe Lucian, Anacreon the Poet, and Sophocles were both kil∣led with the stone of a Grape. One little prick of a Needle kild Lucia the daughter of Marcus Aurelius. Cneus Bebius Pamphilus the Praetor having desired that Dignity from a youth, dyed the first houre hee enjoyed it. A sudden and violent laughter hath kild some, so wee read of Chilo the Lacedemonian, and Rhodias Diagoras, who, when they heard their sonnes were Conque∣rours in the Olympick Games, in one and the same time both sud∣denly departed. Death hath many passages, and entrances, by which he comes into us, and ruines us; sometimes he comes in at the win∣dows, sometimes enters into the Sellars, not seldome by the sup∣porters and pillars, and often by the tiles and covering of the house, if hee fails by these be∣trayers to overthrow the house, such I call all the ill Humours, Diseases, Cathars, Plurisies, and other Causes, which death useth

to effect his designes upon us, then he will burst open the dores with powder, with fire, water, pe∣stilence, poysons, beasts, and men, with all violence and fury that can bee invented. Mephihosheth the son of King Saul, as he was upon his bed at noone, was slaine by hired murtherers. Pul••o King of Ierusalem, as he hunted a Hare, fal∣ling from his horse, and being trodden upon presently w••s slain. Iosias of all the Kings of Iuda (Da∣vid onely excepted) the most re∣nowned for piety, sanctity, and other Princely endowments, when he met the Army of Pharaoh Ne∣cho King of Egypt, being sud∣denly wounded with an arrow, died in the battaile. Egillus King of the Goths, an excellent Prince, was gored and kild by a mad Bull, which was let loose, by naughty lawlesse people. Malcolme the first King of the Scots, after many ex∣amples of justice, on a night as he narrowly viewed his Kingdom, was strangled; many as they have gone to sleepe, have slept their

last; it is necessary at all occasi∣ons to be in battaile aray against this politique enemy. Vzzah a great man in Davids Court, who laid hands upon the Arke when it shaked as it was bringing to Ie∣rusalem, to stay it from falling, was smitten and died. The Prophet that eat meate contrary to the Lords command was torne in pie∣ces by a Lion. Ananias and Saphy∣ra in the Apostles time, at the ve∣ry word of Saint Peter, both died suddenly; whose act may serve as a faire warning to all men not to transgresse in the like manner; but I omit these ancient times, and come to our dayes.

In the yeare 1559. Henry the second King of France, was kild in the midst of his Sports and Tri∣umphs, in a great confluence of Spectators; for as hee celebrated in great state with justs and tour∣naments the Marriage of his Daughter in Paris, was run into his eye, and so through the head with a shiver of a Lance, that hee died forthwith. In the yeare 1491,

Alphonsus the sonne of John the second King of Portugall, being 16 yeeres old, and a Prince of an ex∣cellent wit, and great hopes, mar∣ried Isabel the daughter of Ferdi∣nand King of Spain, whose dowrie was the Inheritance of the large Territories of her Fathers King∣domes: The marriage was cele∣brated with the preparation and furniture of six hundred severall sorts of Triumphs, every where were Playes, and Tiltings, and Justs, and Banquets, there was such excesse and superfluitie, that even Pages, and Kitchen-boyes, shone in their cloth of Gold, and silkes and velvets were accounted of no value; but oh the griefe! what a strange Catastrophe presently fol∣lowed? scarce were seven mo∣neths passed, when as this young Prince sporting himselfe with his horse by the banks of the River Tagus, was strucke off from the banks to the earth, with his head all bruised fatally, and so was car∣ried into a poore fishers Cottage, which could scarce hold him, and

two of his servants, and in that poore plight, in that dejected state, upon a Mattresse of straw, he ended his life. The King and the Queene his Mother came thi∣ther, and saw that deplorable spe∣ctacle, and all their pompe and magnificence was suddenly turn'd into mourning, and the wedding ended in a funerall, and all their large hopes of the prosperous suc∣cessefull government of their sons state were extinguished, and cut off as greene flowers by the cold blasts of a Northern wind; & so all this Princes glory was laid in a little quantity of earth. Oh the strange and sudden whirle-windes of humane glory! Oh the unex∣pected precipices and downfals of the strongest of mortals!

Shall I speak of more? Basilius the Emperour, as he was hunting a Stag, was wounded with his horne, and in short time after of that wound died. An ancient Mo∣nument in Ambrose, neer Oenipont, records that a yong unexpert gen∣tleman, more rash than wise, put

his horse with his spurs to take a ditch of twenty feet over, he forc'd the horse to it, but both he and his horse perished alike: the Knights clothes, and the horses skin kept in that place, speake this true to posterity.

But this sudden death happens alike to good and bad: unlesse (as in some examples) the divine stroke of Justice hath wiped out some out of the Land of the living for some notorious offence in the very act and perpetration, so Da∣than and Abiram for their rebellion were swallowed up of the earth quick with their consorts. Such was the death of Absolon for his rebellion against his Father. Such was the death of those fifty, that were sent to Elijah, whom fire from heaven suddenly devoured. Such was the death likewise of Zimri and Cozhi, for their trans∣gression, being both run through by Phinees: Whose action in lust brought them to dust.

So many Pores as are in the body, so many little doores are

there for death to enter; though death doth not seeme alwayes to be neere, yet hee is certainly at hand always ready. Why should that seeme strange to be done at this time, which may be done at any time? The tearm of our life is fixed, and alters not; but none of us all knows, how neere it wee are. Let us so order our selves therefore alwayes, as if we were come to the mark. Let us not defer. There was a certain man dream't hee was killed by the mouth of a Lion, He rose, and neglecting his dreame, went to the Church with other company, and by the doore as they entred he spied a Lion cut in stone, with his mouth open, which partly upheld one of the Pillars, Hereupon, hee with jesting and laughter told his dreame to his fellows, Behold (saith hee) this is the Lion that kild mee in my dreame; with that saying, Hee put his hand into the hollow place of the stone-lions mouth, and said, Oh fierce Lion here is thy enemy, shut thy mouth

if thou beest able, and bite off my hand; hee had scarce made an end of speaking, but hee received his fatall blow: for in the bottome of that hollow place lay hid a Scorpion, which feeling his hand, put forth her sting, touch'd him, and he forthwith fell downe dead. Is it so that stones can sting, and poyson lurke in a Lion of stone? Where may wee then not justly feare deaths stroke? in the like manner did Hylas perish whom a lurking Viper in the chops of a Beare of stone did kill; which is express'd by Martiall in his third Book, and nineteenth Epigram.

What need I to mention the young man who was kild, as hee was going into an house, by an Icesicle, which fell upon his head, from the House-eaves; Whom Martiall laments in his Epigrams. So that you see, many are the pas∣sages that Death hath to set upon us, and usually he is then nearest when we least think of him.

Notes

• P•••• l. 7. N•••• Hist. c. 7.
• Iacob. Gord. in Chron. in hunc an∣num.
• Hippol. Guar. l. 6. de abomi∣nandis gentis hum. 1.20
• Vide Iusta Hen. 4. regis Gall. a Ludovi∣co Rich••∣omo. scri∣pta.
• Senet. E∣pist. 101. Med.
• Lib. 4. Ep. 18.