aliveintothehandsofthosewhoserelationshehasmangled。\"Thoughhunger，sickness，andpoverty，thosedomesticplagues，moredreadfulthansavageenemies，mayallowawretchedcrippletoconsume，inasickbed，theprovisionsofafamilywhichcanscarcesubsistitself，yethewhohasnoconnections，whomheavenhasreducedtothenecessityoflivingalone，whosewretchedexistencecanproducenogood，whyshouldnothe，atleast，havetherightofquittingastation，wherehiscomplaintsaretroublesome，andhissufferingsofnobenefit？
Weightheseconsiderations，mylord；collectthesearguments，andyouwillfindthattheymaybereducedtothemostsimpleofnature’srights，ofwhichnomanofsenseeveryetentertainedadoubt。Infact，whyshouldwebeallowedtocureourselvesofthegout，andnottogetridofthemiseryoflife？donotbothevilsproceedfromthesamehand？towhatpurposeisittosay，thatdeathispainful？aredrugsagreeabletobetaken？no，naturerevoltsagainstboth。Letthemprovetherefore{82}thatitismorejustifiabletocureatransientdisorderbytheapplicationofremedies，thantofreeourselvesfromanincurableevilbyputtinganendtoourlife；andletthemshewhowitcanbelesscriminaltousethebarkforafever，thantotakeopiumforthestone。Ifweconsidertheobjectinview，itisinbothcasestofreeourselvesfrompainfulsensations；ifweregardthemeans，bothoneandtheotherareequallynatural；ifweconsidertherepugnanceofournature，itoperatesequallyonbothsides；ifweattendtothewillofprovidence，canwestruggleagainstanyevilofwhichitisnottheauthorcanwedeliverourselvesfromanytormentwhichthehandofGodhasnotinflicted？whataretheboundswhichlimithispower，andwhenresistancelawful？arewethentomakenoalterationintheconditionofthings，becauseeverythingisinthestateheappointed？mustwedonothinginthislife，forfearofinfringinghislaws，orisitinourpowertobreakthemifwewould？no，mylord，theoccupationofmanismoregreatandnoble。Goddidnotgivehimlifethatheshouldsupinely{83}remaininastateofconstantinactivity。Buthegavehimfreedomtoact，consciencetowill，andreasontochoosewhatisgood。Hehasconstitutedhimsolejudgeofallhisactions。Hehasengravedthispreceptinhisheart，Dowhateveryouconceivetobeforyourowngood，providedyoutherebydonoinjurytoothers。
Ifmysensationstellmethatdeathiseligible，I
resisthisordersbyanobstinateresolutiontolive；for，bymakingdeathdesirable，hedirectsmetoputanendtomybeing。
Mylord，Iappealtoyourwisdomandcandour；