Browne treatise on death, 1658
Fishburn and Hughes: "A treatise by Sir Thomas Browne (1658), written in the form of a discourse inspired by the discovery of ancient sepulchral urns in Norfolk. Following the discovery of this unsuspected 'subterranean world', Browne praises the custom of commending man's ashes to the anonymity of an urn 'not much unlike the Urns of our nativity', as opposed to the fallacy of monuments and the 'folly of posthumous memory'. The discourse is illustrated with a variety of classical examples and learned references. The writing is elegant, rich, highly rhythmical and poetic. Together with Bioy Casares, Borges translated into Spanish chapter 5, which was published in the literary magazine Sur (January 1944, 15-26). The use of Quevedian relates to the Latinate structure of Browne's sentences and the striking association of images and conceits which make Urn Burial an eminent example of baroque style." (205)