The plague of Athens, which hapned [sic] in the second year of the Peloponnesian war / First described in Greek by Thucydides; then in Latine by Lucretius. Now attempted in English by Tho. Sprat.

  • Thomas Sprat
Date:
1683
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The plague of Athens, which hapned [sic] in the second year of the Peloponnesian war / First described in Greek by Thucydides; then in Latine by Lucretius. Now attempted in English by Tho. Sprat. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [é] fo many deaths before, were forced to become impudent in the Funerals of their Friends. or when one had made a Funeral’ Pile, another, getting before him, would throw on lis dead and give it fire. And when” one was in burning, another would come. and. having caft thereon him whom he carried, go his way again. And the great licentioufnefs, which alfo tn other kinds was ufed inthe City, began at firft from this difeafe. For that which a man before would diffemble, and not acknowledge to be done for voluptuoufnefs, he durft now doe freely, feeing before his eyes fuch quick revolution, of the Rich dying, and men worth no- thing inheriting their eftates.; infomuch as they jue ftified a fpeedy fruition of their goods,-even for their pleafure as Men that thought they held their Lives bit by the day. As for pains, no man was forward’ zn any action of Elonour, to take any, becaufe. they thought it uncertain whether they fbould die or not before they atchieved it. But what any man knew to be delightfull, and to be profitable to. pleafure, that was made both profitable and honourable. Nei- ther the fear of the Gods, nor Laws of men, awed any man. Not the former, becaufe they concluded it was alike to wor {hip or not worfbip, frow feeing that a- like they all perifbed: Nor the latter, becaufe noman expetted that bis life would laft til he received punifb-- ment of his Crimes by Fudgment. But they thought there was now over their heads fome far greater -) Fudgment decreed againft thems; before which. fell, — ‘they thought to enjoy fome little part of their Lives.
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