prose 5 .
Though the world be histrionical, and most men live ironically, yet be thou what thou singly art, and personate only thyself. Swim smoothly in the stream of thy nature and live but the one man.
(I found this in Sir Thomas Browne's Christian Morals, (printed posthumously) not the best known of his writings which include Religio Medici and Hydriotaphia (Urn Burial); but it is always a pleasure to light on some good thing oneself and not be guided by the anthologist's pointing finger.)
But the iniquity of oblivion blindly scattereth her Poppy, and deals with the memory of Men without distinction to merit of perpetuity. Who can but pity the Founder of the Pyramids? Herostratus lives that burnt the temple of Diana, he is almost lost that built it. Time hath spared the Epitaph of Adrian's horse, confounded that of himself. In vain we compute our felicities by the advantage of our good Names since bad have equal durations; Thersites is like to live as long as Agamemnon.
Who knows whether the best of Men be known? or whether there be not more remarkable Persons forgot than any that stand remembered in the known account of Time? Without the favour of the everlasting Register the first Man had been as unknown as the last, and Methuselah's long life had been his only Chronicle.
(This is from Urn Burial (1658) and like so much of Thomas Browne's writings assumes the reader has a classical education; annoying for us who have to look up Thersites to find he was only known for being the ugliest man in the great Agamemnon's army against Troy! I don't know who Adrian was. Thomas Browne's dates are 1605 - 1682)