engaged in transferring the specimen to my book, our epitaph hunter
has been round and discovered a treasure. I shall not trouble the
reader with him henceforth, but I may note just this one of his
successes as a sample of the rewards which attend his part in the
pilgrimage. He has found a stone thus inscribed:

"Here lyeth the body of Mary, the wife of
John Smith: she died March 17th, 1755,
aged 58 years.

"Here lyeth Mary, never was contrary
To me nor her neighbours around her;
Like Turtle and Dove we lived in love,
And I left her where I may find her.

"Also John Smith, husband of the above."

(Date sunk underground.)

A short walk through the village and by the Cray River brings us to
the church of St. Mary Cray, where I secure a new species, in which
Death is doubly symbolized by the not infrequent scythe and possibly
also by the pierced heart. The latter might refer to the bereaved
survivor, but, being a-flame, seems to lend itself more feasibly to
the idea of the immortal soul. The trumpet and the opening coffin
indicate peradventure the resurrection.

FIG. 66.--AT ST. MARY CRAY.

"To Thomas Abbott, died May 21, 1773, aged
75 years."

[Illustration: FIG. 66. ST. MARY CRAY.]

[Illustration: FIG. 67. ST. PAUL'S CRAY.]

Only a short distance farther, for the churches are small, we reach
St. Paul's Cray, the burial-ground of which shews that the foregoing
allegory was immediately duplicated, apparently by another hand, with
just a little variation to redeem the piracy. The coffin is quite
opened and empty, instead of being slightly open and tenanted, which
is almost the only difference between the May and the September work.

FIG. 67.--AT ST. PAUL'S CRAY.

"To John Busbey, died 1st Sept'r 1773, aged
70 years."

Foot's Cray is a good long step beyond and does not yield much profit,
but I select the most novel specimen, which is a combination
of ordinary emblems, with little attempt at symmetry, or even
arrangement, other than the awkward juxtaposition of the cherubins'
inner wings.

FIG. 68.--AT FOOT'S CRAY.

"To Elizabeth Wood, died February 8, 1735-6,
aged 58 years."

The churchyard at North Cray added nothing at all to my collection.
This was the only blank drawn that day, but a beautifully kept ground
surrounding a delightful church well repaid the visit. A call at Old
Bexley Church comple