John Donne

“ When I am dead, and my body might infect, they have a remedy, they may bury me; but when I am but sick, and might infect, they have no remedy, but their absence, and my solitude. It is an excuse to them that are great, and pretend, and yet are loath to come; it is an inhibition to those who would truly come, because they may be made instruments, and pestiducts, to the infection of others, by their coming. ”

“ Take it not ill, O my God, from me, that though thou have ordained it for a blessing, and for a dignity to thy people, that they should dwell alone, and not be reckoned among the nations [2] (because they should be above them) , and that they should dwell in safety alone [3] (free from the infestation of enemies) , yet I take thy leave to remember thee, that thou hast said too, Two are better than one; and, Woe be unto him that is alone when he falleth [4] ; and so when he is fallen, and laid in the bed of sickness too. Righteousness is immortal [5] ”

“ Open none of my doors, not of my heart, not of mine ears, not of my house, to any supplanter that would enter to undermine me in my religion to thee, in the time of my weakness, or to defame me, and magnify himself with false rumours of such a victory and surprisal of me, after I am dead. ”

“ God, who saw that all that he made was good, came not so near seeing a defect in any of his works, as when he saw that it was not good for man to be alone, therefore he made him a helper; and one that should help him so, as to increase the number, and give him her own, and more society. ”

“ Now, a man may counterfeit the plague in a vow, and mistake a disease for religion, by such a vetiring and recluding of himself from all men, as to do good to no man, to converse with no man. God hath two Testaments, two wills; but this 1s a schedule, and not of his, a codicil, and net of his, not in the body of his Testaments, but interlined and postscribed by others, that the way to the communion of saints should be by such a solitude as excludes all doing of good here. ”

“ A long sickness will weary friends at last, but a pestilential sickness averts them from the beginning. God himself would admit a figure of society, as there is a plurality of persons in God, though there be but one God ”

“ In heaven there are orders of angels, and armies of martyrs, and in that house many mansions; in earth, families, cities, churches, colleges, all plural things; and lest either of these should not be company enough alone, there is an association of both, a communion of saints, which makes the militant, and triumphant church, one parish ”