Part 8
"I can desire nothing better for this great country than that a barrier high as heaven be raised between the unpolluted lips of the children and the intoxicating cup; that everywhere men and women should raise strong and determined hands against whatever will defile the body, pollute the mind, or harden the heart against God and His truth."
GRANT (Ulysses Simpson, eighteenth President of the United States, and one of the most distinguished of American generals), 1822-1885. "_Water_," said to an attendant who inquired if he wished for anything.
GRATTAN (Henry, Irish statesman and orator), 1750-1820. "_I am perfectly resigned. I am surrounded by my family. I have served my country. I have reliance upon God, and am not afraid of the Devil._"
GRAY (Thomas, author of "Elegy written in a country churchyard"), 1716-1771. "_Molly, I shall die!_"
GREELEY (Horace, famous editor of "The Log Cabin," and later founder, and, for thirty years editor of "The New York Daily Tribune"), 1811-1872. "_It is done!_" During the closing days of his life his mind was deranged.
GREEN (Joseph Henry, distinguished English surgeon, thinker, philosopher, and instructor), 1791-1863. "_Stopped!_"
Among all the brilliant young men who gathered at the feet of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, eager to learn from this "rapt one of the god-like brow," none surpassed him in admiration, and possibly in ability. It was not strange that Coleridge selected him to complete the development of that "Spiritual Philosophy" which was the great unaccomplished work of his life. Upon Coleridge's death, Mr. Green abandoned all his London work, threw aside the distinctions and emoluments of professional life, rewards that would surely increase from year to year, and devoted his whole time to philosophy and incidental studies to qualify himself for carrying out the commission of Coleridge. The story of his death has been told by one of his colleagues at St. Thomas's Hospital, one whose fame is familiar to the profession, Mr. Simon. "Not even the last agony of death," said Mr. Simon, "ruffled his serenity of mind, or rendered him unthoughtful of others. No terrors, no selfish regrets, no reproachful memories were there. The few tender parting words which he had yet to speak he spoke. And to the servants who were gathered grieving round him, he said, 'While I have breath, let me thank you for all your kindness and attention to me.' Next, to his doctor who quickly entered,--his neighbor and old pupil, Mr. Carter,--he significantly, and pointing to the region of his heart, said, 'Congestion,' after which he in silence set his finger to his wrist, and visibly noted to himself the successive feeble pulses which were just between him and death. Presently he said 'Stopped,' and this was the very end. It was as if even to die were an act of his own self-government; for at once, with the warning word still scarce beyond his lips, suddenly the stately head drooped aside, passive and defunct, forever." _Dr. Theophilus Parvin._
GREGORY VII. ("the Great," Pope Hildebrand), about 1020-1085. "_I have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore, I die an exile._" He died at Salerno, May 25, 1085.
His dying words are deeply affecting, but yet a stern and unbending profession of the faith of his whole life, and of the profound convictions under which even his enemies acknowledge him to have acted. _Chambers' Encyclopædia._
GREY (Lady Jane), 1537-1554. "_Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit._"
Then the hangman kneeled down and asked her forgiveness, whom she forgave most willingly. Then he willed her to stand upon the straw; which doing, she saw the block. Then she said, "I pray you despatch me quickly." Then she kneeled down, saying, "Will you take it off before I lay me down?" And the hangman said, "No, Madam." Then she tied the handkerchief about her eyes, and, feeling for the block, she said, "What shall I do? Where is it? Where is it?" One of the standers-by guided her thereunto; she laid her head down upon the block and then stretched forth her body, and said "Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit," and so finished her life in the year of our Lord 1554. _Fox's "Book of Martyrs."_
Lady Jane was only in her seventeenth year, and was remarkable for her skill in the classical, oriental, and modern languages, and for the sweetness of her disposition.
GROTIUS or DE GROOT (Hugo, jurist, divine, historian, and scholar), 1583-1645. "_I heard your voice; but did not understand what you said_," to Quistorpius, a clergyman who repeated in German a prayer suitable for a dying person. Some say his last words were, "Be serious."
GUITEAU (Charles Julius, hanged June 30, 1882, in the United States jail, Washington, D. C, for the assassination of President Garfield), 1841-1882. "_Glory hallelujah! I am going to the Lordy! I come! Ready! Go!_"
Guiteau published, while in jail, his autobiography, through the medium of a metropolitan newspaper. It is full of repetitions and minute details, and its reading is a severe tax upon patience. It establishes the fact that, in spite of his assertions to the contrary, his motive was not political, but was the gratification of an inordinate vanity. In one place Guiteau says: "During the week preceding the President's removal, I read the papers carefully. I thought it all over in detail. I thought just what people would talk, and thought what a tremendous excitement it would create, and I kept thinking about it all the week. I then prepared myself. I sent to Boston for a copy of my book, 'The Truth,' and I spent a week in preparing that, and I greatly improved it. I knew that it would probably have a large sale on account of the notoriety that the act of removing the President would give me, and I wished the book to go out to the public in proper shape." It is now generally believed that Guiteau was insane.
GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS (Gustavus II., King of Sweden, one of the greatest of soldiers and one of the best of men), 1594-1632. "_I have enough, brother; try to save your own life_," to the Duke of Lauenburg.
Some authorities say that when he was fallen to the ground, he was asked, who he was, and replied: "I am the King of Sweden, and seal with my blood the Protestant religion and the liberties of Germany. Alas! my poor Queen! My God! My God!"
A subaltern of the imperial army, observing the respect with which the unknown officer was treated by his few followers, naturally concluded that he was a person of importance, and called out to a musketeer: "Shoot that man, for I am sure he is an officer of high rank." The soldier immediately fired, and the King's left arm fell powerless by his side. At this moment a wild cry was raised, "The King bleeds! the King is wounded!" "It is nothing!" shouted Gustavus; "follow me." But the pain soon brought on faintness, and he desired the Duke of Lauenburg in French to lead him out of the throng. Whilst the duke was endeavoring to withdraw him without being noticed by the troops, a second shot struck Gustavus and deprived him of his little remaining strength. "I have enough, brother," he said in a feeble voice to the duke; "try to save your own life." At the same moment he fell from his horse, and in a short time breathed his last.--_Markham's Germany._
HALE (Nathan, captain in Continental Army, executed by the British as a spy), 1755-1776. "_I only regret that I have but one life to give to my country!_"
He was confined in the green-house of the garden during the night of September 21, and the next morning, without even the form of a regular trial, was delivered to Cunningham, the brutal provost marshal, to be executed as a spy. He was treated with great inhumanity by that monster. The services of a clergyman and the use of a Bible were denied him, and even the letters which he had been permitted by Howe to write to his mother and sisters during the night were destroyed. He was hanged upon an apple-tree in Rutger's orchard, near the present intersection of East Broadway and Market street. _Lossing's Field-Book of the Revolution._
HALLER (Dr. Albert, eminent Swiss anatomist and physiologist. He is chiefly known by his "Disputationes Anatomicæ Selectæ." George II. obtained for him a brevet as a noble of England, and he is sometimes spoken of as Baron Haller), 1708-1777. Feeling his own pulse, he exclaimed, "_The artery ceases to beat_," and instantly expired.
HALYBURTON (Thomas, professor of divinity in the new college at St. Andrews), 1674-1712. "_Pray! pray!_"
He cried out several times, "Free grace, free grace; not unto me." He spoke little the last six hours before his death, only some broken sentences, which with difficulty were understood. Now and then he would lift up his hands and clap them as a sign that he was encouraging himself in the Lord. At last he cried, "Pray! pray!" which was done by five or six ministers, and so he fell asleep in our Lord.
HAMLIN (Cyrus, distinguished American missionary and first President of Robert College, Constantinople), 1811-1900. "_Put me there_," pointing to a chair which belonged to his mother and in which he used to sit as a boy, eighty years ago, in his old home at Waterford. He passed away peacefully, and his body was buried, a few days later, in the cemetery at Lexington, Massachusetts.
HAMMOND (Henry, English divine and author), 1605-1660. "_Lord, make haste!_"
HAMPDEN (John, English patriot and statesman), 1594-1643. "_O Lord, save my country! O Lord, be merciful to----._"
HANWAY (Jonas, English merchant famous for his benevolence, author of "Journal of Travels Through Russia and Persia," and "Historical Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea"), 1712-1786. "_If you think it will be of service in your practice or to any one who may come after me, I beg you will have my body opened: I am willing to do as much good as possible._"
HARRISON (Benjamin, twenty-third President of the United States), 1833-1901. "_Are the doctors here?_" to his wife who had just asked him if he wanted anything.
As Tuesday marked the turning point in his disease, so it was the time from which evidences of consciousness began to disappear. Since that time there were few lucid intervals, and it is doubtful, with the single exception of Tuesday afternoon, when his little girl was taken to his bedside, and he recognized her for a moment, if he had been conscious at all of his surroundings. The last words he spoke were to Mrs. Harrison in answer to a question, but his voice was then almost inaudible and his manner indicated that it required a concentration of effort to grasp the import of the wife's question and frame a reply.
In his delirium, Mr. Harrison's mind wandered frequently to the stirring scenes through which he had passed, and he spoke of events connected with the history of his country and in which he played a conspicuous part, as the Chief Magistrate of the nation. But his mind seemed more to be occupied with thoughts of the Boer war than with any other one thing to which he alluded, and it was manifest that the struggle of the South African people for liberty had made a deep impression, and had awakened his strongest sympathies, for he frequently talked, disconnectedly, of course, of the sufferings of the Boer people, and the attempt to crush them out of existence.--_New York Sun, March 14, 1901._
HARRISON (William Henry, ninth President of the United States), 1773-1841. "_I wish you to understand the true principles of government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more._"
HAUSER (Kaspar, the "Nuremberg Foundling"), --1833. "_Tired--very tired--a long journey--to take_," after these words he turned his face to the wall and never spoke again.
He was becoming more feeble every moment, and repeated several times, "Tired--very tired--all my limbs--too heavy--for me."
The good Pastor Fuhrmann comforted and encouraged him with the words of Scripture, ending with, "Father, not my will," and Kaspar responded, "but thine be done." To test his consciousness, the Pastor asked, "Who prayed thus?" and again he was ready with his answer, "Our Saviour."--"And when?"--"Before he died." A few minutes after this followed his last words, "Tired--very tired--a long journey--to take."--_The Duchess of Cleveland: "The True Story of Kaspar Hauser."_
The strange and mysterious history and sad death of Kaspar Hauser called forth the deepest interest and sympathy throughout Europe. He was discovered in the streets of Nuremberg in 1828, a lad about sixteen, knowing almost nothing of the world, and able to speak but two or three words of any language, and of the meaning of these he had but a dim understanding. He had with him a letter purporting to be written by a Bavarian peasant, declaring that Hauser had been left at his door, and had been cared for by him. It was gradually ascertained that the youth had been confined from infancy in a dark vault, so small that one could not stand, and could move only slightly in its enclosure. He had never tasted any food but bread and water, which had been brought to him by an unknown man while he was sleeping. Hauser was cared for by a number of generous and sympathetic patrons, among whom was Lord Stanhope; and his mental and physical condition was studied by the scientific men of the time. In 1833 he was invited to a meeting with a stranger who promised to reveal to him the secret of his strange condition, and to tell him who he was, but when Hauser was reading a document given him, this stranger suddenly wounded him with a dagger, causing his death within three days. See interesting history of the "Nuremberg Foundling" in Merker's "_Kasper Hauser_," and Feuerbach's "_Account of an Individual Kept in a Dungeon_."
HAVERGAL (Frances Ridley), 1836-1879. "_He._" It is thought she wished to say, "He died for me."
HAVELOCK (Sir Henry), 1795-1857. "_Come, my son, and see how a Christian can die._"
HAYDN (Francis Joseph), 1732-1809. "_God preserve the Emperor._" He referred to the Emperor Francis.
In 1809 Vienna was bombarded by the French. A round-shot fell into his garden. He seemed to be in no alarm, but on May 25 he requested to be led to his piano, and three times over he played the "Hymn to the Emperor," with an emotion that fairly overcame both himself and those who heard him. He was to play no more; and, being helped back to his couch, he lay down in extreme exhaustion to wait for the end. Six days afterward, May 31, 1809, died Francis Joseph Haydn, aged seventy-seven. _Haweis's "Music and Morals."_
HAYDON (Benjamin Robert, English artist), 1786-1846. His last recorded words were, "_God forgive me.--Amen!_" Haydon took his own life in a moment of great mental depression.
At dinner he got up from his chair and turned a glazed picture to the wall; his brain could not bear the reflected light. He looked flushed and haggard, and passed a silent and abstracted evening. That night he was heard walking about his room nearly the whole night, apparently in great agitation. It was in those wakeful hours he settled his resolve. He was dressed and out of his room early the next morning (22d June), and walked down, before breakfast, to Rivière, a gunmaker in Oxford Street, near Regent Street. Here he bought one of a pair of pistols. He came home about 9 A. M., breakfasted alone, then went to his painting-room, and probably wrote the letters to his children, his will, and his "last thoughts." As his mother and sister passed the painting-room door on their way to their rooms, about 10:30 A. M., they tried the door--it was locked--and he called out very fiercely, "Who's there?" A few minutes after, as if regretting the tone in which he had spoken, he came up to his mother's room, kissed her affectionately, and lingered about the room as if he had something to say. But he said little, except to ask her to call that day on an old friend (one of the executors he had just named in his will) and, returned to his painting-room, deliberately wrote in his journal:--
"God forgive me.--Amen!"
In a few moments he had destroyed himself. _Stoddard: "Haydon's Life, Letters and Table Talk."_
HAZLITT (William, essayist and critic), 1778-1830. "_I have led a happy life._"
HEINE (Heinrich, German poet and author), 1800-1856. "_Set your mind at rest, Dieu me pardonnera, c'est son métrer._"
Some hours before he died a friend came into his room to see him once more. Soon after his entry he asked Heine if he was on good terms with God. "Set your mind at rest," said Heine, "Dieu me pardonnera, c'est son métrer." _Stigand: "Life, Work and Opinions of Heine."_
Catherine Bourlois, Heine's nurse, says in a letter to Mrs. Charlotte Embden, that Heine's last words often repeated were, "I am done for." She endeavored to comfort him with such kind and religious words as came to her mind, but all that she said had little effect.
HELOISE or ELOISE (a beautiful and accomplished French woman; the niece of Fulbert, canon of Notre-Dame. She became successively the pupil, mistress and wife of Abelard. After her marriage she became prioress of Argenteuil, and acquired a high reputation for piety. Her letters, written in elegant Latin, and printed with those of Abelard, are the expressions of a noble and fervent spirit), about 1100-1164. "_In death at last let me rest with Abelard._"
Heloise, when she felt the approach of death, directed the sisterhood to place her body by the side of that of Abelard, in the same coffin. It was commonly reported and believed, such was the credulity of the age, that at the moment when the coffin of Abelard was opened to lay her within it, the arm of the skeleton stretched itself out, opened, and appeared to be reanimated to receive the beloved one. They reposed for five hundred years in one of the aisles of the Paraclete, and after various changes, came to rest at last in the beautiful cemetery of Père-la-Chaise at Paris.
HEMANS (Felicia Dorothea), 1794-1835. "_I feel as if I were sitting with Mary at the feet of my Redeemer, hearing the music of his voice, and learning of Him to be meek and lovely._"
HENDRICKS (Thomas A., Vice-President of the United States), 1819-1885. "_At rest at last. Now I am free from pain._"
HENRY IV. (of France), 1553-1610. "_I am wounded_," said when struck by the assassin Ravaillac.
While the coach stopped, the attendants with the exception of two, went on before; one of these two advanced to clear the way, the other stopped to fasten his garter. At that instant a wild-faced, red-haired man in a cloak, who had followed the coach from the Louvre, approached the side where the king sat, as if endeavoring to push his way, like other passengers, between the coach and the shops. Suddenly putting one foot on a spoke of the wheel, he drew a knife, and struck the king, who was reading a letter, between the second and third rib, a little above the heart. "I am wounded," cried the king, as the assassin, perceiving that the stroke had not been effectual, repeated it. The second blow went directly to the heart; the blood gushed from the wound and from his mouth, and death was almost instantaneous. A third blow which the assassin aimed at his victim was received by the Duke of Eperon in the sleeve.
The assassin's name was Francis Ravaillac, a native of Angoumois, who had been a solicitor in the courts of law. Whether the crime was prompted solely by his own imagination, or whether he was the instrument of any deep-laid conspiracy, was never clearly ascertained, though the latter was the general supposition.--_Chambers' Miscellany._
HENRY VIII. (second son of Henry VII. and Elizabeth of York. The death of his elder brother Arthur, in 1502, made him heir apparent to the throne. He married his brother's widow, Catharine of Aragon, and, upon his father's death in 1509, was crowned king of England. The great event in his reign was his divorcement of Catharine and his marriage with Anne Boleyn, which led to the repudiation of Romanism in England, and the organization of the English or Episcopal Church), 1491-1547. "_Monks! Monks! Monks!_" He was in all probability thinking of the time when he abolished the monasteries and turned the monks out of doors.
HENRY (Patrick, American statesman and orator), 1736-1799. "_I trust in the mercy of God, it is not now too late._"
HENRY (Philip, English dissenting clergyman. He was the father of Matthew Henry, the eminent English divine and commentator), 1631-1696. "_O death, where is thy--_" Here his speech failed, and in a few moments he breathed his last.
HENRY (Matthew, commentator on the Bible), 1662-1714. "_A life spent in the service of God, and communion with Him, is the most comfortable and pleasant life that any one can live in this present world._"
He was twenty-five years pastor of a church at Chester, and during that time went through the Bible three times in the course of expository lectures. "At the commencement of his ministry he began with the first chapter of Genesis in the forenoon, and the first chapter of Matthew in the afternoon. Thus gradually and steadily grew his 'Exposition' of the Bible. A large portion of it consists of his public lectures, while many of the quaint sayings and pithy remarks with which it abounds, and which give so great a charm of raciness to its pages, were the familiar extempore observations of his father at family worship, and noted down by Matthew in his boyhood."
HERBERT (George, author of some of the finest sacred lyrics in the English language), 1593-1632. "_I am now ready to die. Lord, forsake me not, now my strength faileth me; but grant me mercy for the merits of my Jesus. And now Lord--Lord, now receive my soul._"
With these words he breathed forth his divine soul, without any apparent disturbance, Mr. Woodnot and Mr. Bostock attending his last breath, and closing his eyes.
Thus he lived, and thus he died like a saint, unspotted of the world, full of alms-deeds, full of humility, and all the examples of a virtuous life; which I cannot conclude better, than with this borrowed observation:
All must to their cold graves; But the religious actions of the just Smell sweet in death, and blossom in the dust. _Izaak Walton._
HERDER (Johann Gottfried von, court-preacher at Weimar, and one of the most brilliant and delightful of German authors), 1744-1803. He died writing an "Ode to the Deity;" his pen had just reached the last line. His last spoken words were "_Refresh me with a great thought._"
HERVEY (James, English divine, author of the once popular book, "Meditations Among the Tombs"), 1713-1758. "_Precious salvation!_"
Leaning his head against the side of the easy-chair, without a sigh, or groan, or struggle, he shut his eyes and died.
HEYLIN (Peter, author of "Life of Bishop Laud" and "Defence of the Church of England"), 1600-1662. "_I go to my God and Saviour._"
HILL (Rev. Rowland, a popular, pious, but eccentric preacher), 1745-1833. "_Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us unto God._"
HOBBES (Thomas, philosopher and translator), 1588-1679. "_Now am I about to take my last voyage--a great leap in the dark._"
Some say Hobbes's last words were: "I shall be glad to find a hole to creep out of the world at."