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church with many of these uninhabited monuments, which 

 had been erected to the memory of persons whose bodies were 

 buried in the plains of Blenheim, or in the bosom of the 

 ocean. I could not but be very much delighted with several 

 modern epitaphs, which are written with great elegance of 

 expression and justness of thought, and therefore do honour 

 to the living as well as to the dead. As a foreigner is very 

 apt to conceive an idea of the ignorance or politeness of a 

 nation from the turn of their public monuments and inscrip- 

 tions, they should be submitted to the perusal of men of 

 learning and genius before they are put in execution. Sir 

 Cloudesly ShoveVs monument has very often given me great 

 offence : instead of the brave rough English admiral, which 

 was the distinguishing character of that plain gallant man, 

 he is represented on his tomb by the figure of a beau, 

 dressed in a long periwig, and reposing himself upon velvet 

 cushions under a canopy of state. The inscription is an- 

 swerable to the monument; for, instead of celebrating the 

 many remarkable actions he had performed in the service of 

 his country, it acquaints us only with the manner of his 

 death, in which it was impossible for him to reap any ho- 

 nour. The Dutch, whom we are apt to despise for want of 

 genius, shew an infinitely greater taste of antiquity and po- 

 liteness in their buildings and works of this nature, than 

 what we meet with in those of our own country. The 

 monuments of their admirals, which have been erected at 

 the public expense, represent them like themselves; and 

 are adorned with rostral crowns and naval ornaments, with 

 beautiful festoons of sea-weed, shells, and coral. But to 

 return to our subject. I have left the repository of our 

 English kings for the contemplation of another day, when I 

 shall find my mind disposed for so serious an amusement. 

 I know that entertainments of this nature are apt to raise 

 dark and dismal thoughts in timorous minds, and gloomy 

 imaginations; but, for my own part, though I am always 



