The Last Words Of Distinguished Men And Women Part 11

For the day or two before his death he was troubled with the thought that he was away from home, detained by illness at some friend's house, and that he ought to make the effort to get away and relieve him of the inconvenience. But to the last there was no delirium; in general he recognized every one and understood what was said to him, though he was sometimes unable to make intelligible reply. He took affectionate leave of his family and the friends who came to see him for the last time, and desired to see all who came. To his wife he spoke tenderly of their life together and her loving care of him; they must now part, to meet again and part no more. Then he smiled and said, "_O, that beautiful boy!_"

I was permitted to see him on the day of his death. He knew me at once, greeted me with the familiar smile, and tried to rise and to say something, but I could not catch the words.

He was buried on Sunday, April 30, in Sleepy Hollow, a beautiful grove on the edge of the village, consecrated as a burial-place in 1855, Emerson delivering the address. Here, at the foot of a tall pine-tree upon the top of the ridge in the highest part of the grounds, his body was laid, not far from the graves of Hawthorne and of Th.o.r.eau, and surrounded by those of his kindred.[20]

_James Elliot Cabot_

[20] The quiet little town of Concord is greatly stirred up over the discovery of a dastardly attempt on Sat.u.r.day night to rob the last resting place of its noted dead, the grave of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The fact that the grave had been visited by vandals was discovered early Sunday afternoon by a visitor to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where the remains are interred. At the head of the grave was a large aperture seven feet in depth and twenty inches wide extending to the box containing the casket.

An alarm was at once given, and the town authorities, together with the Sleepy Hollow Commissioners, made an investigation. The perpetrators of the deed have not been discovered, but the theory is that the attempted vandalism was made some time during Sat.u.r.day night, and the villains were frightened away by some pa.s.sing team on the Bedford road just adjacent. Whether the motive was to obtain possession of the remains, or to despoil the casket of its valuable tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, is, of course, a matter of conjecture; but the general impression is that the skull was what was most wanted. The wooden box inclosing the casket had decayed somewhat, the interment having taken place over seven years ago, and in the earth which the rascals had thrown out were some pieces of the box. One side of the casket had fallen down a little, but this is attributable to natural decay. Otherwise the casket had not been disturbed or opened.

Mr. Edward W. Emerson, son of Ralph Waldo, arrived home this afternoon, and the investigation of the desecration of his father's grave was immediately entered upon by him with the town authorities.

Mr. Emerson has been out of town for two weeks or more, and the first information he had of the affair was that given him upon his arrival this noon. The earth has been replaced, and a watch placed over the grave.

_N. Y. Times, Oct. 15, 1889._

EMMET (Robert, an eloquent Irish enthusiast and sincere patriot, and one of the chiefs of the "United Irishmen"), 1780-1803. "_Not--_"

He said on the scaffold, at the close of a brief address: "My friends, I die in peace, and with sentiments of universal love and kindness towards all men." He then shook hands with some persons on the platform, presented his watch to the executioner, and removed his stock. The immediate preparations for execution then were carried into effect, he a.s.sisted in adjusting the rope round his neck, and was then placed on the plank underneath the beam, and the cap was drawn over his face; but he contrived to raise his hand, partly removed it, and spoke a few words in a low tone to the executioner. The cap was replaced, and he stood with a handkerchief in his hand, the fall of which was to be the signal for the last act of the "finisher of the law." After standing on the plank for a few seconds the executioner said: "Are you ready, sir?" and Emmet said, "Not yet." There was another momentary pause; no signal was given; again the executioner repeated the question. "Are you ready, sir?" And again Emmet said, "Not yet." The question was put a third time, and Emmet p.r.o.nounced the word "Not;" but before he had time to utter another word the executioner tilted one end of the plank off the ledge.

_Madden's Life of Emmet._

Let no man write my epitaph; for as no man who knows my motives dare now vindicate them, let not prejudice or ignorance asperse them. Let them and me repose in obscurity and peace, and my tomb remain uninscribed until other times and other men can do justice to my character. When my country takes her place among the nations of the earth--then, and not till then--let my epitaph be written I have done.--_From Emmet's Last Speech._

See Moore's beautiful poem on Emmet's fate and on his attachment to Miss Curran in two of the Irish Melodies.

EMMONS (Rev. Dr. Nathaniel, distinguished New England theologian and divine), 1745-1840. "_I am ready._"

ENGHIEN D' (Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon, Duc. French prince who was arrested on neutral territory on suspicion of conspiracy, and, after a military trial which was little better than a farce, shot), 1772-1804.

To the soldiers who had pointed their guns he said: "_Grenadiers! lower your arms, otherwise you will miss me or only wound me._" Some say his last words were: "Is there no priest at the chateau?--is there no priest?"

A lantern glimmering at either end of the file of soldiers shewed d'Enghien his fate. As the sentence of death was read, he wrote in pencil a message to his wife, folded and gave it to the officer in command of the file, and asked for a priest. There was no priest in residence at the chateau. He prayed a moment, covering his face with his hands. As he raised his head, the officer gave the word to fire.

_Hopkins: "The Dungeons of Old Paris."_

This deed excited general and deep indignation against Bonaparte, and is commonly regarded as one of the worst crimes by which his memory is stained.

_Lippincott: "Biographical Dictionary."_

EPAMINONDAS (Theban statesman and general. Cicero describes him as "the greatest man that Greece ever produced"), B. C. 412-363. "_All is well!_" These words were spoken immediately after the javelin had been extracted from his breast.

The fatal dart was thrown by Gryllus, son of Xenophon, the historian and leader of the ten thousand Greeks on their retreat from the battle-field of Cunaxa to the Black Sea.

ERASMUS (surnamed Roterdamensis, Dutch scholar. He was an illegitimate son of Gerard Praet, a citizen of Gonda), 1467-1536. "_Domine! Domine!

fac finem! fac finem!_"

ETTY (William, English historical painter among whose last pictures are "Pandora Crowned by the Seasons," "Ulysses and the Sirens," "Joan of Arc," and "The Judgment of Paris"), 1787-1849. "_Wonderful, wonderful, this death!_"

EUCLES (The "runner" from the plains of Marathon, who brought the news of the successful issue of that battle to the anxious Senate waiting at Athens). "_Rejoice! we rejoice!_" As Eucles ran he cried these words until he came to the Senate, when he shouted them with all his voice and fell dead.

EUGENIUS IV. (Gabriele Condolmero, Pope), 1383-1447. "_Oh Gabriele, how much better would it have been for thee, and how much more would it have promoted thy soul's welfare, if thou hadst never been raised to the Pontificate, but hadst been content to lead a quiet and religious life in the monastery._"

EVERERUARD (Charles de, Saint-Denis, French courtier, soldier, wit and _litterateur_. He was a brave man, but of flippant disposition), 1613-1703. "_With all my heart I would fain be reconciled to my stomach, which no longer performs its usual functions_," said to an ecclesiastic who asked him if he would be reconciled. During his last days he gave no attention to religious matters, and only regretted that he could not digest partridges and pheasants, and must eat only boiled meats.

FARINATO (Paolo, Italian painter), about 1525-1606. "_Now I am going._"

These words he cried out as he lay upon his death bed. His wife who was sick in the same room, hearing him, answered, "I will bear you company, my dear husband;" and she did so, for as he drew his last breath she also expired.

FICHTE (Johann Gottlieb, distinguished German philosopher whose name is forever a.s.sociated with those of Kant, Sch.e.l.ling, and Hegel as worthy of a place with the greatest thinkers of modern times), 1762-1814. "_Indeed no more medicine; I am well._"

The following, purporting to be the "Dying Confession of Fichte," has been frequently published, but upon what authority the compiler of this book has been unable to discover:

"I know absolutely nothing of any existence, not even of my own. Images there are, and they const.i.tute all that apparently exists. I am myself one of those images; nay, not so much, but only a confused image of an image. All reality is converted into a marvellous dream, without a life to dream of, or a mind to dream; into a dream itself made up only of a dream. Perception is a dream; and thought, the source of all the existence, the reality of which I imagine to myself, is but the dream of that dream."

For eleven days he lingered, with but few intervals of clear consciousness, his sleep being ever deeper till on the night of the 27th of January all sign of life vanished. He was buried in the first churchyard before the Oranienburg gate in Berlin; at his side now lie the remains of Hegel and Solger. Five years later his wife was laid at his feet. On the tall obelisk which marks his grave is the inscription from the Book of Daniel: "The teachers shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars that shine for ever and ever."

_Adamson: "Life and Philosophy of Fichte."_

FILLMORE (Millard, thirteenth President of the United States), 1800-1874. "_The food is palatable._"

FLAVEL (John, distinguished nonconformist clergyman and author), 1627-1691. "_I know that it will be well with me._"

A man of beautiful Christian character and great learning who was ejected from his charge at Dartmouth in 1662 for nonconformity. The Episcopalians were not satisfied to persecute this servant of G.o.d during his life, but ordered his monument removed from the Church of St.

Saviour.

FONTENELLE DE (Bernard le Bovier, author of "Conversations on a Plurality of Worlds," "Dialogues of the Dead" and "History of the Academy of Science"), 1657-1757. "_I suffer nothing, but feel a sort of difficulty of living longer._"

Voltaire calls him, "The most universal genius of the age of Louis XIV."

FORDYCE (George, distinguished Scottish physician, Author of "Elements of Agriculture and Vegetation"), 1736-1802. "_Stop, go out of the room; I am about to die_," to his daughter who was reading to him.

FORSTER (Johann Reinhold, a Polish Prussian naturalist, geographer and philologist), 1729-1798. "_This is a beautiful world._"

FOX (George, founder of the Society of Friends), 1624-1690. "_All is well, all is well--the Seed of G.o.d reigns over all, and over death itself. Though I am weak in body, yet the power of G.o.d is over all, and the Seed reigns over all disorderly spirits._" A little later he said, and they were his last words, "_Never heed; the Lord's power is over all weakness and death._"

FOX (Charles James, English orator and statesman), 1749-1806. "_Trotter will tell you_," said to Mrs. Fox, who did not understand what he meant.