The Last Words (Real and Traditional) of Distinguished Men and WomenMarvin, Frederic Rowland
History
The Last Words (Real and Traditional) of Distinguished Men and Women
Marvin, Frederic Rowland
Last words
After all consciousness had gone, still Mozart's fancies were busy with
the Requiem, blowing out his cheeks to imitate the trumpets and drums.
Toward midnight he raised himself, opened his eyes wide, then lay down
with his face to the wall and seemed to fall asleep. At one o'clock he
expired.
The swelling of Mozart's body after death led to the suspicion that he
had been poisoned. But there was no other ground for the suspicion than
Mozart's diseased fancies, which gave rise to the most shameful and
unfortunate distrust of Salieri, who, it was reported, acknowledged upon
his deathbed having administered poison to Mozart. All these suspicions
were fully laid to rest by Carpani in the Biblioteca Italiana, 1824.[37]
[37] A common undistinguished grave received the coffin, which was
then left without memorial--almost forgotten--for nearly twenty
years; and when, in 1808, some inquiries were made as to the precise
spot of the interment, all that the sexton could tell was that, at
the latter end of 1791, the space about the third and fourth row
from the cross was being occupied with graves; but the contents of
these graves being from time to time exhumed, nothing could be
determined concerning that which was once Mozart.--_Home's "Life of
Mozart."_
MUHLENBERG (Rev. William Augustus, founder of St. Luke's Hospital in New
York, and author of the hymn, "I would not live alway"), 1796-1877.
"_Good morning_," spoken to a friend who entered the room.
MURPHY (Arthur, dramatic author, and translator), 1728-1805. He died
repeating the lines of Pope:
"_Taught, half by reason, half by mere decay,
To welcome death, and calmly pass away._"
NADIR SHAH (Kouli Khan, celebrated Persian conqueror), 1688-1747. "_Thou
dog!_" addressed to one of the conspirators who slew him in his tent,
June 19, 1747.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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