Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-10
3 TOMBS'OF FAMOUS MEN.
The Graves Of De Foe, George Fox
- and John Bunyan eY

A London letter 10 the Cincin-
natl Commercial describes q visit
to Bunhill Fields, London, as fol-
lows: sff
"A few steps more and we stand
on the spot in Smithfield where
the martyrs Of conscience were
burned-7a spot loDg used by the
Atheists and Infidels for their
open air meetings, but now COW
cred by the finest meat market i'm
London. We pass thence by the
house, now being demolished,
where John Milton was born,
through the street where he wrote
paradise LOST and sold it to a
publisher for five pounds, and on
to Crosby Hall, once the finest
mansion in London. Here we
have the best preserved relict of
medival England the house re-
peatedly mentioned by Shake
speare (see Richard III. the house
where Queen Elizabeth was en-
tsrtained by the Lord Mayor Of
London; the house where Eras-
mus visited Sir Thomas Moore, of
whose home he gave such para
disacal picture. Thence our pill
grim path leads us to the smart
Wesleyan chapel in the city read,
in front of which is the tomb ofthe
mother of the Wesleys, and behind
it the monument which rises high
above the dust of John Wesley
himself. We have only to cross
the street to enter Bunhill Bon
ehilD Fields cemetery, where the
bones of many Cromwellian and
other revolutlonists and reformers
have found repose which the
commercial progress of the city
has long but vainly tried to invade.
The huge factories and warehouses
wall in these two cOnsecrated acres,
and millions have been offered
fer the privilege of building over
them; bnt the veneration of Non
conformist England for this sacred
dust is too strong for the shop
keeping interest, and it will be
many day before the dust of the
Cromwell's. Isaac Watts, Daniel
DeFoe and John Bunyan is dis
turbed. 4 eij5 M r
Here the two tembs which are
first sought out are those of the
authors of the Pilgrims Progress
and Robinson Crusoe. oThe great
ness of each is described by the
simple inscriptions, which, with
the dates of birth and death, say
one that he who rests beneath was
author of the "Pilgrim's PROCESS
the other that he was the author
of "Robinson Crusoe." For the
rest it must be stated that though
the shopkeeping Interest has not
availed to overrun Eunhill Fields
with shops it has been strong
enough to mar both of these two
most interesting tombs which the
contains. The inscript-
ion on the monument of DeEoe,
response to an appeal in the Chris
tian World newspaper The tomb
of Bunyan advertises equally to
the nobility by informing us that
the committee which repaired it
was under the Presidency of Lord !
But the most impress
sive grave that we visited was
that Of George Fox, founder Of the
Society Of Friends. Passing down
Coleman street, we turn aside into
what appears to be simple square
covered with greensward, and |
about an acre and q half in extent. |
No mound even is seen, and yet |
every sod covers the dead. In
| believe, the Quakers
while eschewing gravestones, at |
least leave little mound of earth
over their dead, but here the
ground is altogether unmarked |
and the graveyard is simply a
lawn. But one exception is made |
in all the Quaker burial-grounds
of the country. Near the center
of this one is small plain slab on
which are the words: George !
Fox; born 18th day of the elev-
enth month, 1924. Died 1890"
When we consider the tower
ing monuments we have passed,
the columns raised to soldiers and |
sailors, great and small, to !
saints like George III and slayers
like the Duke Of Wellington, this
little stone, about a foot high, |
marking the spot where a great |
genius was laid to rest, is
exceptionally sublime. One end |
0 the ground is occupied by a
large tent in which the Quakecs |
are now holding nightly meetings
for preaching the Gospel"