Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1859-08-26
wit ON Tombstoues.


vast amount of wit is to be gathered from tomb
stones and mortuary puns have long been famous Inc
eptaph of the witty divine, Dr. Thomas Fuller IS wor
thy of himself, simply
Fuler's earth.
There is professional point in the epitaph OF the
eminent barrister Sir John Strange:
Here lies an honest lawyer-that is Strange.
And BY what an outrageous bubble has the hume OF
VIM. Burton, Esq, been handed down to immortality
The eptaph is to be seen in churchyard near Sails
bury:
o sum- MOON stars. and ye celestial poles!
Are graves then, dwindled into Button holes?
There is something quaint and touching in this epitaph
OF Grmadi, the distinguished clown
Here am.
One of the best of this kind proposed by Jerrold
whose wit did not always so courteous Dress
George Knight the Shakspearan critic was the SUBJECT
and the words
Good Knight.
Professional rivalry produced this inatured lnscrlp
ton for the tombstone of a Western editor:
Here lies an Editor.
It added that the I'M ured man recommended the au
thor to the inscription motto for his own jour
nal.
of hstrionic epitaphs, the best is this on one of
Shakspeare's actors:
Exit Burbage.
In similar vein wit gave couplet to Mrs Old
field, the most celebrated actress OF her day
This must own, in justice to her shade,
The first bad exit Oldfeld ever made
the point. 1t is the reverse of Malcolms eulogy on
CawdOr:
Nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving of it.
The comedian, Foote takes his turn thus
Foote from his earthly stage, alas is hurled:
Death took him off, who took off all the world.
Westminster Abbey has some notable epitaphs.-
This by Samuel Wesley, is on the monument to Butler
the author of Hudbras:
When Butler, needy wretch! was still alive,
No generous patron would dinner give
See him. when starved to death and turned to dust,
Presented with monumental bust
The poets fate is here in emblem shown:
He asked for bread, and he received stone.
This couplet on monument to John Cay the poet
Thackeray's Little French Abbe," is hardly suited to
Ia Christian Church:
Life is jest, and all things show it;
thought once, and now know it.
And what defiance there is in this the monument
of "that gallant soldier Sir Thomas We're ~
When We're sought DEATH armed with his sword and shield
Death afraid to meet him in the field;
But when his weapons he had laid aside,
Death, like a coward struck him, and he died.
Sir Thomas Parkins, the great wrestler, caused
monument to be built for himself on which was scup-
ture in relief depicting death in the act of overthrow
ing Sir Thomas. The epitaph, which is in Latin, reads
as follows
Here lies the chief, who once threw all
Thrown by the conquerng arm of DEATH
Who ne'er had given the knight fall,
But that he found him out of breath,
But boast not, Death with empty PRIDE
Thy strength the day will come when he
Arising, with fresh breath supplied,
Shall vanquish time, and conquer thee
Miss Long beautiful actress of the last century,
short in stature that she known the pocket
Venus. Her epitaph concludes
Though long, yet short,
Though short, yet Pretty Long.
Bancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury was covetous
man, and this pasqunadng epitaph put on him:
Here lies his Grace, in cold clay clad,
Who died for want of what he had.
The reverse of this is one on Mr.. James Worsdale,
very liberal man
Eager to get, but not to keep the pelf;
A friend to all mankind, but not himself.
We close list with the pathetic inscription placed
by an honest illinois farmer over the double grave of
span of fvore horses, struck down by lightning and
buried in his front yard:
Peace to their Names
Tue Cu1EE nE THE C1EpnEEE n Ar1nN-Inhn Rosa