A N D D E A T H. 491 



vidiial, therefore, there can be no fucceflion of 

 ideas fo rapid, or fo flow, as to produce that e- 

 normous difference in duration, by which a mo- 

 mentary pain is prolonged to that of an hour, a 

 day, or a century. 



A very acute pain, if continued for a certain 

 time, uniformly brings on either fainting or 

 death. Our organs, which are endowed only 

 with a certain degree of force, cannot refill more 

 than a certain quantity of pain. If the pain be- 

 comes exceffive, the organs are unable to fup- 

 port it ; and, of courfe, they can uranfmit no in- 

 telligence of it to the mind, with which there 

 is no correfpondence but by the diftincl adion 

 of thefe organs. In this cafe, the adion of the 

 organs is interrupted ; and, confequently, all 

 internal fenfation is at an end. 



What I have already remarked is perhaps 

 more than is fufficient to evince, that the inftant 

 of death is neither accompanied with extreme 

 nor long-continued pain. But, in order to era- 

 dicate the fears of the moft timid of mankind, 

 we fhall ftill add a few words upon this iubjed:. 

 Exceflive pain extinguifties all reHedlion, though 

 fymptoms of it have fometimes appeared in the 

 very moment of violent death. When Charles 

 XII. received the blow which terminated, in an 

 inftant, both his entcrprifes and his exiftencc, 

 he clapped his hand upon his fvvord. This mor- 

 tal pang, fmce it excluded not reflc(£lion, could 

 not be cxccfTive. He found himfelf attacked ; 



he 



