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When Moses had spoken thus at the end of his life, and had foretold
what would befall to every one of their tribes
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afterward, with the addition of a blessing to them, the multitude fell
into tears, insomuch that even the women, by beating their breasts, made
manifest the deep concern they had when he was about to die. The children
also lamented still more, as not able to contain their grief; and thereby
declared, that even at their age they were sensible of his virtue and mighty
deeds; and truly there seemed to be a strife betwixt the young and the
old who should most grieve for him. The old grieved because they knew what
a careful protector they were to be deprived of, and so lamented their
future state; but the young grieved, not only for that, but also because
it so happened that they were to be left by him before they had well tasted
of his virtue. Now one may make a guess at the excess of this sorrow and
lamentation of the multitude, from what happened to the legislator himself;
for although he was always persuaded that he ought not to be cast down
at the approach of death, since the undergoing it was agreeable to the
will of God and the law of nature, yet what the people did so overbore
him, that he wept himself. Now as he went thence to the place where he
was to vanish out of their sight, they all followed after him weeping;
but Moses beckoned with his hand to those that were remote from him, and
bade them stay behind in quiet, while he exhorted those that were near
to him that they would not render his departure so lamentable. Whereupon
they thought they ought to grant him that favor, to let him depart according
as he himself desired; so they restrained themselves, though weeping still
towards one another. All those who accompanied him were the senate, and
Eleazar the high priest, and Joshua their commander. Now as soon as they
were come to the mountain called
Abarim, (which is a very high mountain,
situate over against Jericho, and one that affords, to such as are upon
it, a prospect of the greatest part of the excellent land of Canaan,) he
dismissed the senate; and as he was going to embrace Eleazar and Joshua,
and was still discoursing with them, a cloud stood over him on the sudden,
and he disappeared in a certain valley, although he wrote in the holy books
that he died, which was done out of fear, lest they should venture to say
that, because of his extraordinary virtue, he went to God.