Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-10-09
SOME PECULIAR EPITAPHS.
An English Paper Thinks All the Coco
Ones Have No Yet Been Printed.


Although the collections of epitahs-
quaint. curious and otherwise-.have been
published from time to time, still we VEN
ture to think that those included in The
following lines. taken from the church
yards of England. are not generally
known outside their immediate local
neighborhoods, yet which deserve. on ac-
count of their popularity greater pub
LEFTY. There is an undercurrent of cyni
cism and JOY in the following, which Is
taken from the little churchyard of Had
leigh, in Essex
To free me from domestic strife
Death called at my house, but he spake
with my wife.
The poorer half of this good lady had a
certain amount of grim righteousness in
his composition, while. to Judge from the
tombstone inscription, he had evidently,
probably through long and bitter matri-
monial practice, learned the art of sayi ing
much in little. The following somewhat
lengthy inscription, giving AN account of
the lite and untimely death of one Bird
gett Applcwhaite, is to be seen in Brain
held Church:
Here lies the body of
Bridget Applewhaite, once Bridget
Nelson.
After the Fatigues of a Married Life.
Born by her with incredible Patience
For four years and three-quarters, bat
ing three weeks
And after tbs enjoyment of the Glories
Freedom
OF an easy and unblemist Widowhood
For four years and upwards,
She resolved to run the risk of a second
Marriage.
But Death forbade the Banns,
Having with an apoplectick Dart,
The same instrument with which he had
formerly Dispacht her mother.
Touched the most vital parts of her
Brain.
After a struggle for above sixty hours
With that Grand enemy to Life.
Put the certain and unmerciful Friend
Of Old Age,
In Terrible Commissions, Plaintive
GIoans, or Supplying Sleep,
She Dyed on the Y day of Sept.
In We year of our Lord 1877. and her own
age A.
In the old parish church OF Eastbournc
are the appended curious and pathetic
| lines:
Underneath lieth We body
OF Mary Lushington,
| Daughter of yc late Roger Altman, ID. D.,
Archdeacon of Middlesex. &C.. &c.
Wife of Henry Washington, D. D.,
Vicar of this Parish, &c, &C.,
II We esteem, We love, ye tears, ye sup
plications OF All who knew Her,
| OF Husband. Children. Friends, and
Neighbours, or Rich and Poor.
Could have dsarmed Death of we Power
to KILL
She had not died,
| Eut alas in vain was their united Force.
1t heng appointed unto man once to die,
The fatal stroke was given
on ye "a day of July,
In ye year of our Lord 177e
And
OF her age ye Sixty Sixth
In the churchyard of Bangor the fol-
| lowing can be SEEM
Poor Martha Smell, hers gone away
Her would II her could. but her couldn't
stay;
Her had two bad legs and badsh
cough,
But her legs it was that carried her
| of.
In graveyard in Cornwall can be read
this:
In this here grave you see befor'ee
Lies berried up a dismal story.
A young maiden she were crossed In
love.
And token to the realms above;
But he that crossed her should say
Deserves to go the tother way.
This latter was probably written by the
young ladys mother, while the country
colloquialsms in both will be noticed. Ir
Hackney churchyard can be found til,
following combined pun and epitah:
AS Still Death poor Peter lies,
And Stiller when alive was he
Still not without hope to rise,
Though Stiller than he still will be-
1t is very probable that Peter Stile
composed his own epitaph. Narrow head
stones and lengthy lines of Inscription
have ever been a source of trouble to tn,
J monumental mason, but the following
from Folkestone churchyard, will be DIFF
: hcult IN equal or beat. 1t runs;
A victuous woman is IS. to her husband,
II should have been, "A vrtuous WON
J an 10 crown to her husband" but tn