Page:The history of Tom Jones (1749 Volume 2).pdf/180

 dents which might often have been avoided, and which may eem to render the Lot of one Man, more peculiarly unhappy than that of others; but Death is certainly unavoidable, and is that common Lot, in which alone the Fortunes of all Men agree; nor is the Time when this happens to us material. If the wiet of Men hath compared Life to a Span, urely we may be allowed to conider it as a Day. It is my Fate to leave it in the Evening; but thoe who are taken away earlier, have only lot a few Hours, at the bet little worth lamenting, and much oftner Hours of Labour and Fatigue, of Pain and Sorrow. One of the Roman Poets, I remember, likens our leaving Life to our Departure from a Feat. A Thought which hath often occurred to me, when I have een Men truggling to protract an Entertainment, and to enjoy the Company of their Friends a few Moments longer. Alas! how hort is the mot protracted of uch Enjoyoments! How immaterial the Difference between him who retires the oonet, and him who tays the latet! This is eeing Life in the bet View, and this Unwillingnes to quit our Friends is the