Which lines in the poem express the view that death is an enviable state that frees the departed from the miseries of the body and old age?
on my first son
by ben jonson

farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy ;
my sin was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy.
seven years thou wert lent to me, and i thee pay,
exacted by thy fate, on the just day.
oh, could i lose all father now ! for why
will man lament the state he should envy?
to have so soon 'scaped world's and flesh's rage,
and if no other misery, yet age !
rest in soft peace, and, asked, say, here doth lie
ben jonson his best piece of poetry.
for whose sake henceforth all his vows be such
as what he loves may never like too much.

Oh, could I lose all father now ! For why

Will man lament the state he should envy?

To have so soon 'scaped world's and flesh's rage,

And if no other misery, yet age !

Explanation:

In this section of the poem, Jonson tells us how enviable it is to be able to escape the miseries of old age, even through death. In these lines, Jonson tells us that perhaps he should not mourn the death of his son, as in fact this has created an enviable situation. He should instead envy the fact that his son "escaped" the miseries of humans, and particularly that of old age (And if no other misery, yet age).

moon-letters were a method of writing invented by the dwarves. moon-letters were ordinary runes, but written in such a way that they could only be read when the light of the moon shone behind the writing. some moon-letters could be read by any moonlight, but it was possible to make the writing even more secret. more sophisticated moon-letters could only be read by the light of the same shape of moon, or at the same time of year, as when they were written. hope this !