Besides his soft Death, the incurable state of his Disease might somewhat extenuate your Sorrow, who know that Monsters[286] but seldom happen, Miracles more rarely, in Physick. _Angelus Victorius_[287] gives a serious Account of a Consumptive, Hectical, Pthysical Woman, who was suddenly cured by the Intercession of _Ignatius_. We read not of any in Scripture who in this case applied unto our Saviour, tho' some may be contain'd in that large Expression, that he went about _Galilee_ healing all manner of Sickness, and all manner of Diseases. Amulets, Spells, Sigils and Incantations, practised in other Diseases, are seldom pretended in this; and we find no Sigil in the Archidoxis of _Paracelsus_ to cure an extreme Consumption or _Marasmus_, which if other Diseases fail, will put a period unto long Livers, and at last makes Dust of all. And therefore the _Stoicks_ could not but think that the fiery Principle would wear out all the rest, and at last make an end of the World, which notwithstanding without such a lingring period the Creator may effect at his Pleasure: and to make an end of all things on Earth, and our Planetical System of the World, he need but put out the Sun. [286] _Monstra contingunt in Medicina Hippoc._ [287] Strange and rare Escapes there happen sometimes in Physick. _Angeli Victorii Consultationes._ Matth. iv. 25. I was not so curious to entitle the Stars unto any Concern of his Death, yet could not but take notice that he died when the Moon was in motion from the Meridian; at which time, an old _Italian_ long ago would perswade me that the greatest Part of Men died: but herein I confess I could never satisfie my Curiosity; altho' from the time of Tides in Places upon or near the Sea, there may be considerable Deductions; and _Pliny_[288] hath an odd and remarkable Passage concerning the Death of Men and Animals upon the Recess or Ebb of the Sea. However, certain it is he died in the dead and deep part of the Night, when _Nox_ might be most apprehensibly said to be the Daughter of _Chaos_, the Mother of Sleep and Death, according to old Genealogy; and so went out of this World about that hour when our blessed Saviour entred it, and about what time many conceive he will return again unto it. _Cardan_[289] hath a peculiar and no hard Observation from a Man's Hand to know whether he was born in the Day or Night, which I confess holdeth in my own. And _Scaliger_ to that purpose hath another from the tip of the Ear: Most Men are begotten in the Night, Animals in the Day; but whether more Persons have been born in the Night or the Day, were a Curiosity undecidable, tho' more have perished by violent Deaths in the Day; yet in natural Dissolutions both Times may hold an Indifferency, at least but contingent Inequality. The whole Course of Time runs out in the Nativity and Death of Things; which whether they happen by Succession or Coincidence, are best computed by the natural not artificial Day.