Food, Days Out and Travel stories from Brighton, London and the Rest of the World

Saturday

Would this be described as gallows humour?

On a recent trip to London to see the Da Vinci exhibition, which we didn't get into as a result of lack of planning, ie we didn't have tickets, J_ and I ended up in the crypt of the stunning and very ancient St Martin in the Fields.  Perusing the preserved gravestones of ladies long dead we came across one that made us laugh, maybe because we are not familiar with the conventions of gravestone inscriptions from 400 years ago, who knows.  Anyway, we found it interesting and so I have transcribed a copy for a little diversion as this year ends and another is just about to begin:

Here lies buried the body of


Miss Frances Jones daughter of Arthur

Lord Vicecount of Ranelagh, by his wife the

Lady Katherine Boyle who was daughter

To Richard Boyle Earle of Corke and Lord

High Treasurer of Ireland.

She died in the prime of her age, hav-

ing never been married, the 28th of

March in the year 1672.

Enough and leave the rest to fame.

Tis to commend her but to name.

Courtship, which living she declined

When dead to offer; were unkind.

Where never any could speak ill.

Who would officious praise spill

Nor can the truest wit or friend

Without detracting her commend.

To say she lived a virgin chaste

In this age loose? and all unlaid?

Nor was where vice is so allowed

Of virtue or ashamed or proud

That her soul was on heaven so bent

No minute but it came and went

That, ready her last debt to pay

Modest as morn, as midday bright

Gentle as evening, cool as night

Tis true but all so weakly said

Twere more significant: she’s Dead.


All there is left for me to do is wish you a Happy New Year and thank you for reading




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Wednesday

Burning of the Clocks Wednesday 21 December 2011

The nights are closing in fast in the run up to the shortest day of the year and with it the annual winter solstice celebrations with Brighton's Burning of the Clocks 2011.




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