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viii wife shall return to dust—Mary, the wife of Moses Tryon of Harringworth, in the county of Northampton, the eldest daughter of William Bassett, Esq.—Whilst she lived, a dear wife; who having brought forth one infant, returned her soul to her Creator calmly, and with great faith in Christ. This lasting monument of his grief, and in memorial of his love for her precious dust, her husband has erected.

The poor do not need long Epitaphs,—they do not care for any depth of meaning or poetry of expression; the more simple the words and thoughts, the more suited are they to their minds, and the more does the Epitaph come home to their hearts. It is the want of Epitaphs such as these which makes them have recourse to the old worn-out rhymes over and over again. They would write better if they could, but they cannot. It is a want of this kind which this little book is intended to supply. However inefficient this attempt may be to supply the deficiency, I hope it may be the means of stirring up others to take the work in hand, who will be better able to carry it out.

The greater part of the verses and sentences contained in this volume are collected from well-known, though various, sources, and will easily be recognised by the larger portion of my readers;