Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1873-10-04
Scotch Epitaphs.

Scotch Epitaphs.
L death were not a fact of {terribl
solemnity, epitaphs might Justly excit
as much laughter as a well turned cpl
gram. Often, indeed, inscriptions NEE
the eye which seem intended to make j
triumph with a sort of dreary glee
There are others which are SO spitefu
in their spirit, such mocking elemen
OF 81 to-day, but you Tomorrow" thai
sympathy is chilled. We acknowledge
truth of Which we do not require tc
be reminded. Now and then the facts
are simply put with a certain air Of
philosophy about them, and they arc
received with more equanimity. Such
an Instance is to be found in the follow.
ing from the parish of Stirling:
"Ogr life is but winter day:
| Some only breakfast and away,
Others to dinner stay,
And are full fed.
The eldest man but sUps
And goes to bed.
Large is his debt that fingers ont the day.
He that goes soonest
Has the least to pay
The philosophy of the above is Of the
uncomfortable sort, but it is hardly to
be gainsaid. On the other hand, we
come upon an example of pride in the
parish Of Strathblane "Here lies in
the same grave with Mary, countess of
Angus, sister Of King James |. of Scot
land, from whom he is lineally de-
scended, Archibald Edmonstone, ESQ,
i who died 1899, aged sixty-one
years" The sister of King James, and
daughter of Robert III, married Sir
William Edmonstone. For this reason
their descendant Archibald, two centu-
ries and half later, had himself de-
posted in the same grave with his royal
ancestress. He eprobable thought, "For
Of such is the kingdom of heaven" A
touch of romance meets us in the par
lsh Of Clackmanan, in "the Maid MS
stone," which commentaries Martha
Wishart, who was loved and betrayed,
"about the year l449," by a priest
named Be2ton. At her desire she was
buried at the door by which her faith
less lover usually entered the church
and it is to be hoped that Peter Beaton
never passed it without a nlea culpa!
If some of these matters led to repent
ance, others suggested reformation
Burns has flung halo of pleasantness
around the tipplers who
- sit housing at the uappy,
Az getting f0u and uucO happy"
but there was good man Of his time
in the church-yard Of Cults, where
father lies, whose epitaph
shows the folly Of that "nappy" and .
" happy" system:
III re lies, retired from mortal strife,
man who lived a happy life
happy life-and sober too;
A thing that all men ought to do"
We fear that, at least in the time
when "drouthy neebers" got as drunk
rs Tam O. Shanter, they died in their
,ipsy pride. Will Rymour, the malt
nan Of Dalgetty, was, perhaps, one of
hese, or he would never cry from his
yraye such an absurd cry as this
"Through Christ I'm not inferior
To William the CJuquerOr."
VIII was, at all events, vanquished
~ one whose prowess is acknowledged
II the epitaph at Dunno, on Andrew
Robertson:
"For the greatest champion e'ar drew breath,
Was always conquered by Death
5ut if death ever overcame Andrew is
eft uncer ain for he is further de-
cribed on his tombstone as "the pre-
ent Deacon Conyener of Weavers in
his burg, who died 18th July, 1745."
IS we pass on, we are occasionally
truck by the elegant Latinity of some q
f the epitaphs, which does credit to 7
he authors. Now and then a name
lrns up which must have bothered {
hem. Such one is Wemyss of Bogie,
/ Kirkcaldy, of whom we read )
" Boggius hic, octo yita post lustra Jacobus
In tumulO Nemius, prRcOce morte laclt' l
But the quaint epitaphs attract us
lore than the learned Inscriptions. =.
orryburu has a good crop of them,
ON which we take one as a sample: I
In this churchyard lies Eppie Coutts, !,
Either here, or here abOuts. l.
But whaur it is none can tell !,
Til Eppe rise and tell herself
A fine compliment is paid to the h
dies, as being the consummation of !,
appiness, in an epitaph on a man who =
as laden with riches, and "loved to :,
ather gear !,
''Yet all his life did want wife q
OF him to take the care"
We have referred to the surviving u
uman pride which exists in some epi- :
lphs. We must except one at Cupar- .
ngus, on "Mr, Thomas Bell, come I
ian," who is styled ga respectable Il
reformer," but then the poor player u
pes not say so of himself; the memorial q
IL - l. L !. i Il n | ID