Do not despise death, but DOGMAbe well content with it, since this too is one of those things which TERMnature DOGMAwills. For such as it is to be young and to grow old, and to increase and to reach maturity, and to have teeth and beard and grey hairs, and to beget, and to be pregnant and to bring forth, and all the other natural operations which the seasons of thy life bring, such also is dissolution. This, then, is consistent with the character of a reflecting man, EXERCISEto be neither careless nor impatient nor contemptuous with respect to death, but to wait for it as one of the operations of nature. As thou now waitest for the time when the child shall come out of thy wife's womb, so MOTIFbe ready for the time when thy soul shall fall out of this envelope. But if thou requirest also a vulgar kind of comfort which shall reach thy heart, thou wilt be made best reconciled to death by observing the objects from which thou art going to be removed, and the morals of those with whom thy soul will no longer be mingled. For it is no way right to be offended with men, but it is thy duty DOGMAto care for them and to bear with them gently; and yet to remember that thy departure will be not from men who have the same principles as thyself. For this is the only thing, if there be any, which could draw us the contrary way and attach us to life, to be permitted to live with those who have the same principles as ourselves. But now thou seest how great is the trouble arising from the discordance of those who live together, so that thou mayest say, Come quick, O death, lest perchance I, too, should forget myself.

Do not despise death, but DOGMAbe well content with it, for it too is one of the things TERMnature DOGMAwills. For such as it is to grow young and grow old, to increase and to ripen, to cut teeth and beard and go grey, to beget, conceive, and bring forth — and all the other natural workings the seasons of life bring — such too is dissolution. This, then, befits a reflecting person: EXERCISEto hold toward death neither carelessly nor impatiently nor with disdain, but to await it as one of nature's operations. As you now wait for the child to come from your wife's womb, so MOTIFawait the hour when your little soul will fall out of this husk. And if you want a homely, heartfelt remedy too, nothing will reconcile you to death more than to look at the things you are leaving and at the characters of those your soul will no longer be mixed among. For you must not be offended with them — rather DOGMAcare for them and bear with them gently — yet remember that your parting is not from people who share your principles. That alone, if anything, would have pulled the other way and held you to life: to be allowed to live with those who had made the same doctrines their own. But now you see how much weariness there is in the discord of living together, so that you may say: come quickly, O death, lest I too forget myself.