Alderson, John

IN MEMORY OF/JOHN ALDERSON, M.D./HE WAS BORN/AT LOWESTOFT, IN THE COUNTY OF SUFFOLK/ON THE 4TH DAY OF JUNE A.D. 1757./AND DIED AT THIS PLACE/ON THE 16TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER A.D. 1820/IN THE 73RD YEAR OF HIS AGE./AS A PHYSICIAN/HE UNITED TO LONG AND EXTENSIVE/EXPERIENCE/GREAT NATURAL SAGACITY AND ACUTENESS/AN UNABATED ZEAL AFTER KNOWLEDGE/AND A KINDNESS AND WARMTH OF FEELING/WHICH MADE HIM AT ONCE/THE SKILFUL ADVISER/AND AFFECTIONATE FRIEND/OF ALL WHO KNEW HIM/WHETHER RICH OR POOR/AS A PHILANTHROPIST/HE WAS EMINENTLY DISTINGUISHED/BY HIS LOVE OF SCIENCE AND THE ARTS./AND THE UNWEARIED INTEREST/WHICH HE TOOK/IN ALL THAT COULD ADORN OR IMPROVE/THE CONDITION OF THOSE AROUND HIM/OR INCREASE THE HAPPINESS/OF MANKIND/TO THIS END HE DEVOTED/THE RICH STORES OF HIS VARIED/INFORMATION/BY ENCOURAGING TO THE UTMOST/OF HIS POWER/THE NUMEROUS INSTITUTIONS IN THIS TOWN/FOR THE PROMOTION OF SOUND LEARNING/AND USEFUL KNOWLEDGE/HE CLOSED A CAREER/OF LABOUR AND TEMPERANCE/CHEERED BY THE PLEASING RECOLLECTION/OF A WELL SPENT LIFE/AND AMIDST THE UNIVERSAL REGRET/OF HIS FELLOW CITIZENS./ ERECTED BY HIS SURVIVING CHILDREN. HONORABLE AGE IS NOT THAT WHICH STANDETH ONLY IN/LENGTH OF TIME, NOR THAT IS MEASURED BY NUMBER/OF YEARS/BUT WISDOM IS THE GREY HAIR UNTO MAN, AND AN/UNSPOTTED LIFE IS OLD AGE./ WISDOM OF SOLOMON. [Photograph and transcription courtesy of Hull Minster website.]