THE CHURCH OF ST. ANDREW, PLYMOUTH. 243 
I have still to glance rapidly at some other matters which must 
not be passed over in an account of this our Church. 
The monuments and tablets within the building deserve especial 
attention. 
The oldest inscription, I believe, is the one supposed to be a 
memorial of one of the Sparke family. When last I saw it it 
was in two pieces, having been broken in removal. I hope it has 
been preserved. It is stated by Mr. Worth to be of the date of 
1583, and bears the following lines :— 
‘*T was once as thou art now, 
A man, could speake and goe 
But now I ly in silence here 
Serve God, thou must be so. 
When death did me assail 
To God then did I cry 
Of Jacob’s well to newist my soule 
That it might never die.”’ 
If the date assigned to this stone is right (and it may be earlier), 
it is only two years later than the commencement of the Registers ; 
but, as far as 1 know, there is nothing to connect the stone with 
the Sparke family. We have, however, a stone with 1583 upon 
it against the north wall :— 
‘“‘ Here lyeth the body of Mr. John Sparke 
Departed this life the xix August 
Anno Domini 1603, and also of Julian his 
Wife who departed this life the xxviii 
Of Dec: a.p. 1583.” 
There was a large stone, partly covered by the altar flooring, 
bearing the date 1598, and the Fownes’ slab, formerly on the floor 
in the Foulstonian vestry in memory of Joane, late the wife of 
Master Humphrey Fownes, is dated 1589. It has the lines :— 
‘*O that my words were now written 
or graven with an iron pen in 
lead or stone to continue: for 
I know that my Redeemer liveth and 
that I shall rise out of the earth 
in the last day and shall be 
covered again with my skin and 
I shall see God in my flesh yea 
and my sight shall behold him, 
not with other but with these same eyes.” 
