How are thy servants bless’d, O Lord! How sure is their defence! Eternal wisdom is their guide, Their help, Omnipotence! In foreign realms, and lands remote, Supported by thy care, Through burning climes I pass’d unhurt, And breathed in tainted air. In midst of dangers, fears, and death, Thy goodness I’ll adore; And praise thee for thy mercies past, And humbly hope for more.

Meaning: The saying imagines a predetermined death by hanging preventing death by drowning. It turns one danger into an apparent escape through a claim of fixed destiny.

Meaning: The saying imagines birth fixing a death by hanging and ruling out death by drowning. It expresses fatalism through a stark contrast between two dangers.

Meaning: The saying humorously contrasts ordinary uncertainty with obligations and limits that people cannot simply wish away. Death and taxes form its emphatic pair, rather than a complete account of what is certain or a rule about any person’s tax liability.

Meaning: The timing of death cannot be treated as an appointment people can count on controlling. The calendar image expresses uncertainty about life’s duration, encouraging awareness of limits without making a prediction about any individual or demanding constant urgency.