Chap. 54.] INSTANCES OF SUDDEN DEATH. 213 



was found in the place just as he had stated. But throughout 

 the whole of our lives we are perpetually hearing of such pre- 

 dictions as these; they are not, however, worth collecting, 

 seeing that they are almost always false, as we shall illustrate 

 by the following remarkable instance. 



In the Sicilian war, Gabienus, the bravest of all Csesar's 

 naval commanders, was taken prisoner by Sextus Pompeius, 

 who ordered his throat to be cut ; after which, his head almost 

 severed from his body, he lay the whole of the day upon the sea- 

 shore. Towards evening, with groans and entreaties, he begged 

 the crowds of people who had assembled, that they would 

 prevail upon Pompeius to come to him, or else send one of his 

 most confidential friends, as he had just returned from the 

 shades below, and had some important news to communicate. 

 Pompeius accordingly sent several of his friends, to whom 

 Gabienus stated that the good cause and virtuous partisans of 

 Pompeius were well pleasing to the infernal deities, and that 

 the event would shortly prove such as he wished : that he had 

 been ordered to announce to this effect, and that, as a proof of 

 its truthfulness, he himself should expire the very moment 

 he had fulfilled his commission ; and his death actually did 

 take place. 



We have instances also of men who have been seen after 

 their burial ; but, for the present, we are treating of the opera- 

 tions of nature, and not of miracles. 



CHAP. 54. (53.) INSTANCES OF SUDDEN DEATH. 



Among the things that are looked upon as more especially 

 singular, though of frequent occurrence, is sudden death, a thing 

 that, in fact, is the greatest happiness of life, and, as we will 

 shew, only a natural occurrence. Yerrius has given many in- 

 stances of it ; we will limit ourselves by only making a selec- 

 tion. Besides Chilo, who has been already mentioned, 9 Sopho- 

 cles, 10 and Dionysius, 11 the tyrant of Sicily, both of them, died 



9 In the twenty-third Chapter of the present Book. B. 



10 Val. Maximus, B. ix. c. 12, and Diodorus Siculus, B. xiii. c. 14, gives 

 the same account. It has been said, that, when he heard the news, he 

 called for a draught of wine, and was choked with a grape-stone ; this in- 

 cident forms the subject of an epigram by Simonides, quoted by Hardouin, 

 Lemaire, vol. iii. p. 210. B. 



11 There is reason to believe, that the prize was given rather to the rank, 



