Epitaph

(ep'e-taf.) [From Gr. epi, upon, and tap hos, a tomb. An inscription upon a tombstone, or mortuary monument. Among the early ancients,E. were originally inscribed only upon the tombs of those who had deserved well of their country. Among the Greeks, also, the term E. was also applied to what is more properly a monody or elegy. E. demand two e entials-brevity of expre ion, and truthful application. Many E. are remarkable for their quaint, not to say burlesque and epigrammatic, humor and originality; so much so, indeed, that a collection of the more curious ones would form both an amusing and instructive volume. [s. 335]