The arte of English poesie Contriued into three bookes: the first of poets and poesie, the second of proportion, the third of ornament.

CHAP. XXVIII.

Of the poeme called Epitaph vsed for me∣moriall of the dead.

AN Epitaph is but a kind of Epigram only applied to the re∣port of the dead persons estate and degree, or of his other good or bad partes, to his commendation or reproch: and is an inscrip∣tion such as a man may commodiously write or engraue vpon a tombe in few verses, pithie, quicke and sententious for the passer by to peruse, and iudge vpon without any long tariaunce: So as if it exceede the measure of an Epigram, it is then (if the verse be correspondent) rather an Elegie then an Epitaph which errour many of these bastard rimers commit, because they be not learned, nor (as we are wont to say) their catftes masters, for they make long and tedious discourses, and write them in large tables to be hanged vp in Churches and chauncells ouer the tombes of great men and others, which be so exceeding long as one must haue halfe

a dayes leasure to reade one of them, & must be called away before he come halfe to the end, or else be locked into the Church by the Sexten as I my selfe was once serued reading an Epitaph in a cer∣tain cathedrall Church of England. They be ignorāt of poesie that call such lōg tales by the name of Epitaphes, they might better call them Elegies, as I said before, and then ought neither to be engra∣uen nor hanged vp in tables. I haue seene them neuertheles vpon many honorable tombes of these late times erected, which doe ra∣ther disgrace then honour either the matter or maker.