es had spoken thus at the end of his life, and had foretold
what would befall to every one of their tribes [36] 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.

49. Now Moses lived in