Peradventure，asthesayingis，thetermwehavelivedisworthourmoney。Iwasbornbetwixtelevenandtwelveo’clockintheforenoonthelastdayofFebruary1533，accordingtoourcomputation，beginningtheyearthe1stofJanuary，——[ThiswasinvirtueofanordinanceofCharlesIX。in1563。PreviouslytheyearcommencedatEaster，sothatthe1stJanuary1563becamethefirstdayoftheyear1563。]——anditisnowbutjustfifteendayssinceIwascompletenine—and—thirtyyearsold;Imakeaccounttolive，atleast，asmanymore。Inthemeantime，totroubleaman’sselfwiththethoughtofathingsofaroffwerefolly。Butwhat？
Youngandolddieuponthesameterms;noonedepartsoutoflifeotherwisethanifhehadbutjustbeforeenteredintoit;neitherisanymansooldanddecrepit，who，havingheardofMethuselah，doesnotthinkhehasyettwentygoodyearstocome。Foolthatthouart！whohasassureduntotheethetermoflife？Thoudependestuponphysicians’
tales:ratherconsulteffectsandexperience。Accordingtothecommoncourseofthings，’tislongsincethatthouhastlivedbyextraordinaryfavour;thouhastalreadyoutlivedtheordinarytermoflife。Andthatitisso，reckonupthyacquaintance，howmanymorehavediedbeforetheyarrivedatthyagethanhaveattaineduntoit;andofthosewhohaveennobledtheirlivesbytheirrenown，takebutanaccount，andIdarelayawagerthouwiltfindmorewhohavediedbeforethanafterfive—and—
thirtyyearsofage。Itisfullbothofreasonandpiety，too，totakeexamplebythehumanityofJesusChristHimself;now，HeendedHislifeatthree—and—thirtyyears。Thegreatestman，thatwasnomorethanaman，Alexander，diedalsoatthesameage。Howmanyseveralwayshasdeathtosurpriseus？
\"Quidquisque，vitet，nunquamhominisatisCautumestinhoras。\"