Erth goyth upon erth al glisteryng in gold,
As though erth to erth ner turne shold,
And yet must erth to erth soner than he wolde.
Formerly on a headstone in St. James’s Churchyard, Clerkenwell, deciphered about 1812, but already lost in 1851, probably owing to the dismantling of the churchyard. (Cf. Notes and Queries, III. i. 389):—
Earth walks on Earth like glittering gold;
Earth says to Earth ‘We are but mold’.
Earth builds on Earth castles & towers;
Earth says to Earth, ‘All shall be ours!’
Formerly on a tombstone at St. Martin’s, Ludgate, to Florens Caldwell esq. of London & Ann Mary Wilde, his wife (Pettigrew, p. 67)[26]:—
Earth goes to Earth, as mold to mold;