Analysis of Epitaph on Don Francisco
John Arbuthnot 1667 (Kincardineshire) – 1735
Here lieth the Body of Colonel
DON FRANCISCO;
Who, with inflexible Constancy,
And inimitable Uniformity of Life,
Persisted, in Spite of Age and Infirmity,
In the Practice of every human Vice,
Excepting Prodigality and Hypocrisy;
His insatiable Avarice
Exempting him from the first,
And his matchless Impudence
From the latter.
Nor was he more singular
In that undeviating Viciousness of Life,
Than successful in accumulating Wealth;
Having,
Without Trust of public Money, Bribe,
Worth, Service, Trade, or Profession,
Acquired, or rather created
A Ministerial Estate.
Among the Singularities of his Life and Fortune
Be it likewise commemorated,
That he was the only Person in his Time
Who could cheat without the Mask of Honesty;
Who could retain his primaeval Meanness
After being possessed of 10,000 Pounds a Year;
And who, having done, every Day of his Life,
Something worthy of a Gibbet,
Was once condemned to one
For what he had not done.
Think not, indignant Reader,
His Life, useless to Mankind.
Favoured, or rather connived at
His execrable Designs,
That he might remain,
To this, and future Ages,
A conspicuous Proof and Example
Of how small Estimation
Exorbitant Wealth is held in the Sight
Of the ALMIGHTY,
By his bestowing it on
The most unworthy
Of all the Descendants
of Adam.
Scheme | AX BC B XB DEBF FCX XXGXX GXXBD XC E GG FX XXXXAGXBXBXX |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11010110 1010 110100100 001000010011 010011100100 00101100101 10100100 10100100 0101101 0111 1010 1111100 01110011 1010001001 10 011110101 11011010 010110010 0010001 0101111010 1110100 11101010011 11101011100 11011110 1010011101 011011001111 1010101 110111 111111 1101010 1110111 111011 110001 11101 1101010 0010010010 111010 0100111001 10010 1101011 01010 110010 110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,276 |
Words | 218 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 13 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 2, 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 5, 2, 1, 2, 2, 12 |
Lines Amount | 43 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 80 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 16 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:05 min read
- 121 Views
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"Epitaph on Don Francisco" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/21936/epitaph-on-don-francisco>.
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