When I look upon the tombs of the great, every emotion of envy dies in me;
when I read the epitaphs of the beautiful, even inordinate desire goes out;
when I meet with the grief of parents upon a tombstone, my heart melts with compassion;
when I see the tomb of the parents of themselves,
I consider the vanity of grieving for those whom we must quickly follow:
when I see kings lying by those who deposed them, when I consider rival wits placed side by side,
or the holy men that divided the world with their contests and disputes,
I reflect with sorrow and astonishment on the little competitions, factions,
and debates of mankind. When I read the several dates of the tombs, of some that died yesterday,
and some six hundred years ago, I consider that great when we shall all of us be contemporaries,
and make our appearance together.
Excerpt from Westminster Abbey by Joseph Addison