The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-06-23
WIT ON TOMBSTONEs

"A vast amount Of wit Is to be gathered
from tonbstones, and mortuary puns have
long been famous. The epitaph of thd
witty divine, DR.. Thos. fuller, is wot,l,y Of
himself, simply:
Fullcr's earth:
lhere is Professional poiht In the cpl:
tapl of the eminent. Darrister, Sir John
Strange:
Here lies mn honest lawycr.-tlat is Strauor.
Aud by What an outrageous bubble has
the name of WIN. Button, Esq, been hand
ed down to Immortality. The cpitaph is to
be seen in Il churchyar hear Salisbury
O sun, moon, sturs, aud ye celestial poles
A'cgraves. then, dwnded into Bu,ton.hoes
There is something quaint and touching
|" this cp'taph Of Grilual'li, the distinguish,
ed clown:
Here am
One OF the best of this bricfer kind was
proposed 10y Jcrrold, whose wit did not al
ways wear so courteous dress. Charles
Knight, the Shakspearian critic, was the
~, 'sit liio NOIuS.
Good Knight.
Professional rivalry produced this i'll.
natured inscription for the tcmbsloncs of a
Western editor.
Here lies an l,litot.
1t Is added that the injured man tecod,.
mcndcd the author to use tho inscription as
Il m"tto for his own journal.
OF l'istrionc cpitaphs the best is this ole
on one CT slakspearc's actors,
Exit Durbagc.
In Il similar vein Il wit gave coujlet
to Mrs. OILficld, the most celebrated actress
Of her day
This we must own, in justics to her shade,
The first bad exit Oldlield ever made.
Something of compliment is here sacti.
hced to make the point. 1t is the reverse
oi MaicoIms Eulogy on Cowdor.
Nothing in his life
became him like the leaving of Il.
The comedian Foote takes his turn thus
Foote from his earthly stage, ulas is hurrd
world.
Westminster Abbey has some noticeable
epItaphs. This, by Samuel Wesley, is OIL
The monument 10 butler; the author Of Iiu
dibras
When Butter, needy wretch was still alive,
No generous patron would dlnner give,
See him, when Starved To lea,l. aud turned 10
Presented with n monumental bust!
The poets fate is here in emblem shown:
lie asked for bread, and lie receive a stone.
This couplet, on Il monument to John
Gay, the poet; is hardly suited to a Chris
tian church!
Life is jest, and all things show it:
thought so once, and now know it.
And what defiance there is in this, OF,
the monument of that gallant soldier, Sir
Thomas We're =
When Verc sought death; armed with his sword
and shield;
Death was afraid 10 meet him in the field;
But when his weapon lie had laid aside,
DSutib iihc So"dIu, StluCh uliH uuQ lie 01eu.
Sir Thomas ParEins, the great wrestler,
caused a monument to be built fot himself,
on which was a sculpture in relief depicting
death in the act of throwing Sir Thomas
The epitaph, which is in Latin, reads as fol
lows:
Here lies the chief, who once threw all,
Thrown by the conqueripg 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 supply'd,
Shall vanquish time, and conquer thee.
Miss long was beautiful actress of the
last century, SO short iu stature that she
was known as the pocket Venus. Her cpl
taph concludes
Though long, yet short,
ThougI, short, yet Pretty Long.
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