  Contemplations, Philosophical and Moral, on the State and Condition of the Living and the Dead, which the Author indulges at the Abbey of St. Denis, where the Kings of France are buried. St. Denis, July 21, I am now standing in the abbey of St. Denis, which is about six miles from Paris, and have been told that all the kings of France, excepting Lewis XVI. are buried here, and that the house of Bourbon lie under my feet.—Alas! said I, here is the end of those mighty monarchs, that once ruled the kingdom, commanded armies, fought battles, obtained victories, collected riches, and enjoyed the honours, the profits and the pleasures of this perishing world.—Here they lie silent! and their dominion, strength, and power, are wholly gone!—Their bodies are returned to the elements out of which they were formed, viz. to the earth, air, fire, and water. Alas! continued I, the present king of France, with all the mighty kings and princes on the globe, together, with the rest of the human race, must soon pass through this change! And not only the human race, but the birds, beasts and fishes, trees, plants, and herbs; even every thing that hath life must be dissolved, and return to the elements, viz. Earth to earth, air to air, fire to fire, and water to water; for it is the decree of the Divine Artificer, who is the former of our bodies, and the father of our spirits, that all these things shall once die!—And, none of the mighty kings, or learned physicians, can hinder themselves or others, from experiencing this awful change. Moreover, I had further contemplations upon the state of the living and the condition of the dead. I considered the mutability of our bodies; that they are continually changing; that they increase in proportion to the quantity of nutrition which they receive from meat, drink, the circumambient air, &c. or, decrease in proportion to a want of nourishment from those things. That they are continually flying off by insensible perspiration and other evacuations, and would soon come to a dissolution, if not nourished by the vegetable and animal productions. That the bodies we had seven years ago, are totally dissolved by those evacuations; and from hence we have new flesh, new bones, new skin, new hair, new nails, &c. formed out of the four elements. That the time we have lived, is past and gone; and, that the time we are to live is not yet come, so that we only live at the present time. That death is only a change from this state to another,—as our bodies return again to the elements, and our spirits to Him that gave them: that the dead, being at rest, are totally free from the cares, troubles, and vexations of a mortal life. The king is not afraid of losing his kingdom, nor the beggar of perishing with hunger. I beg leave to conclude this chapter with the following reflections, which will not, I hope, detract from their solemnity, because cast in a poetical mould. Short is our passage thro' this nether world, For soon by death we from the stage are hurl'd. The tender infants in their lovely bloom, Are often hurry'd to the silent tomb! Adults grown up, nay some of ev'ry age, By cruel death are taken from the stage; The high, the low, the rich, the poor, the small, By the great king of terrors soon must fall. The richest man, (it cannot be deny'd) Who with good things most amply is supply'd; Soon, too, he feels th' impartial stroke of death, Down falls his body, and off flies his breath: But where it goes, or how far it doth fly, No mortal man can tell below the sky. The elements that in the body are, Return to those from whence they taken were. Thus, dust to dust, and air to air, we find, And heat to heat, are soon again combin'd, Water to water soon again doth flow, And the whole mass to dissolution go! Await, O man! thy doom; for 'tis the fate Of ev'ry creature in this mortal state: Yet shall th' immortal spark ascend on high, Of righteous ones who in the LORD do die. Thus whilst their bodies are behind at rest, Their pious souls with happiness are blest. ---- Again.—— O happy state in which the dead are cast! Their pain is gone and all their trouble's past. When roaring winds bring up the thick'ned cloud, And the deep thunder rumbles out aloud; When the earth quakes, when lofty cities fall, When places sink, and can't be found at all; When inundations o'er the land arise, And burning mountains burst towards the skies; When famine and the pestilence doth rage, And wicked nations in a war engage; When blood and carnage greatly doth expand, And desolation overspreads the land, And boist'rous tempests rage upon the sea; Then are the Dead from danger wholly free. They're not afraid of being hurt, or slain, Like wretched mortals who alive remain. Let not the living then at Death repine, Since it was made by God an act divine, To raise the Just—the husband, child, and wife, From scenes of trouble to a better life! |
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