PART Xlil

of it. What can be fo ridiculous’as to defire Death,having made your own life unquiet by fear of 'death? Or, out of a wearineis of life, to rurvto death,when your own imprudent and conltanc courfe of life is the caufe ofthatwea- rinefs.
You rauft rather take care to make life not tedious to you, that you be not willing to pait with it, unlefs,eicher nature, or fome intolerable chance funimon you to furrender it. And in that refpect we ought ferioufly to confider, whether it be more commodious, that death come to us, or that we go to death. For though it be an evil indeed to live in necefficy,yct is there no neceflity we Ihould live in necellity ^fince Nature^ though flie hath given us but one way into life, yet hath furnilh’d us with many to get out of it.
But though it may fomtimes fo fall out, that it behoves us to half en and flye to death, be¬ fore fome greater power intercept and rob us of the liberty to quit life j yet ought we not to attempt any thing, but when it may be attemped conveniently and opportunely, and when that long waited for time comes, then to leap out of life refolutely. For neither is it fit for him,who thinks of flight, to fleep •, nor ought we to de fpaire of a happy exit even out ol the greatelf difficulties', if we neither haft en it before the timej nor, when the time is come, delay it.
CHAP. XXII.
Of Fortitude aginji Corporeal pain.
Corporeal pain is that, which alone would defefve the name of ill, even of the greateft ill,did we not of our felves add to it the pain o ' the Mind, which is worfe than that of the Body For difcontent of mind,taken at the lofs of rich¬ es, honours, Children, and the like, many times becomes more intolerable than the greateft cor¬ poreal pains 5 but this is by reafon of our own opinion, which if it were right and found, we Ihould not be moved by any fuch lofs, in regarc that all fuch things are without or beyond us, and touch us not indeed, but only by mediation of that opinion which we frame to our felves And thereupon we may infer, that there is no real ill, but the pain of the Body, and that the mind ought not to complain of any thing,which is not joyned to fome pain of the Body, either prefent or to come.
He therefore who is wife,will be very cautious that he draw not any corporeal pain upon him- felf, or do any thing upon which corporeal pain may enfue^unlefs it be done either for avoidance ’ of fom^ greater pain, or accquifition of fome greater pleafure,as we formerly declared. Hence we may well wonder at thofe Philofophers,who, .accounting healthjWhich is theftatc of indolence, a very great good, as to all other refpefts, do yet, as to this, hold it to be a thing indifferent ? as if it were not a trivial playing with words> or rather a high folly, to affirm,that to be in pain, and to the tree from pain, is all one thing.
But if any neceflity either of the natural con- ftitution,whereby the Body is obnoxious to dif- eafes, or of any external violence done to him, which, as human affairs ftand, cannot fomtimes
be avoided, (for that a wife and innocent pfrfon may fomtimes be arraigned, condemned, beaten and tortur’d, is nianiteft, ) it either of ths^fe fhall bring pain upon him, then is it his part to endure that pain, with a conftunt and valiant mind, and patiently to expert, either the folu- tion or relaxation of it.
Certainly, Fain never continues long in the Body, but that which is great, or highly in- ' tenfe foonceafctlgfor either it is determined of itfelf, and fucceeded, if not by ablbiute indo¬ lence, yet by very great mitigation, or is taken away ffiy death, in which there is no Pain. And as tor that Pain which is lafting, it is not only gentle, but hath many lucid intervals ^ fo that It will not be many days, nay, not hours,ere the Body hath not only eafe, but pleafurc.
And may we not obferve^that long or Chro¬ nical Difeafes have more hours of eafe, and quiet intervals, than of 'pain and trouble ■ For ( not to mention that the thirft, which they raife,increafeth the pleafure of drinking, ) they ’ allow us time for repaft, ftrength to talk, fome recreation and fports, and for the molt part have many long intermiflions,in which we may apply ourfelvesto ftudiesand bufmefs. Whence it is evident, that as great pain ufually is fhort, fo long pain is light ; thus the Ihortnefs makes amends for the greataefs, the rcmifliiefs for its length.
Let us therefore often refiert,that Pain either . is not intolerable, or not perpetual ^ for if it be long, it is light ^ if great, fliorc. Provided, that you remember the bounds preferibed to the things themfelves by nature', and add nothing, through your own opinion, whereby you may think, and make it greater than it is •, and op¬ prefling yourfelf with complaints, and impati¬ ent exafperations, help only to render it more infupportable : Whereas, on the other fide, no-' thing doth aflwage Pain more than conftancy, andinurance to fuffering. Whence it comes that a wife man, accuftom’d to Pain, can many times rejoyce and fmile, even in the height of hisiicknefs.
Thus much we can teftifie of our friend Me- trodorus.^ who hath at all times behaved himfelf undauntedly, as well againft death, as pain. For concerning myfelf,! need not fay any thing, who frequently fuffer fuch pain in thebladder and bow¬ els, as none can be greater; And yet full amends, for all thefe, is made by the alacrity of mind which redounds to us, from the remembrance of our diflertatians and inventions, and by our con- ftant patience ; whereby we forbear not to e- fteem -diofe very days, in which we are tor- mented-with thofe difeafes and pains, happy.
And this indeed is the reafon, why we for¬ merly faid,that a wife man, though in torments, may yet be happy *, becaufe he both foftens, by his patience, the neceffity which he cannot breaks and, as much as poflible, withdraws his mind from his fufferingBody,converfing no otherwife with it,thafl as with a weak and querulous part. He bethinks himfelf, what he hath at any time done honeftly and genoroully • and fixing his memory upon thofe things, which he hath moft admired, and have moft delighted him, cheers himfelf with the paft goods, for which he is far from {hewing himfelf, as fools ufually do, un¬ thankful. He