Gentle inscriptions precisely delivered the extent of
men's lives, seldom the manner of their deaths, which
history itself so often leaves obscure in the records of
memorable persons. There is scarce any philosopher but
dies twice or thrice in Laertius; nor almost any life
without two or three deaths in Plutarch; which makes
the tragical ends of noble persons more favourably re-
sented by compassionate readers who find some relief
in the election of such differences.
The certainty of death is attended with uncertainties,
rolled away, wherein, if they failed, they lost their lives, to
the laughter of their spectators.
* Diis manibus.
in time, manner, places. The variety of monuments
hath often obscured true graves; and cenotaphs con-
founded sepulchres. For beside their real tombs, many
have found honorary and empty sepulchres. The
variety of Homer's monuments made him of various
countries. Euripides had his tomb in Africa, but his
sepulture in Macedonia. And Severus found his real
sepulchre in Rome, but his empty grave in Gallia.
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