Chapter III (1)

The sundial is an interesting device for indicating the solar time of the place, or places other than where fixed. Its construction is founded upon the astronomical theory of the sun’s apparent motion; and from these its rules and operations have been deduced by the aid of geometry and trigonometry.

The sundial, at the present time, is made in many forms, the one usually met with being the horizontal form seen on a pedestal in many gardens. The next is the vertical dial to be seen on many old churches and houses. There are also a number of others, such as the hemispherical, cruciform, cylindrical, polygonal, armillary sphere—commonly known as the “globe”—reclining, inclining, and a great variety of pocket dials.

=THE HORIZONTAL GARDEN DIAL= consists usually of a circular metal plate, divided into five-minute spaces, the hours, compass points, ornamental star, border and motto nicely engraved by hand, and a metal gnomon for casting the shadow to indicate the time of day. The larger dials, from 15 ins. in diameter, are divided to single minutes, but this is not always advisable, especially in low latitudes, as the minute divisions come too close together between the hours of 10 o’clock and 12 o’clock, and from 12 o’clock until 2 o’clock, so that the lines appear almost as one. When making a sundial of this description it is necessary for the maker to know the latitude, or name of the place where the dial is going to be fixed.

=THE VERTICAL SUNDIAL=, which in construction is similar to a horizontal dial, is for placing in an upright position, such as on the wall of a church or house, or one of the side faces of a tall upright pillar. It should be made for, and fixed on, a wall having a southerly aspect, so as to receive as much sun as possible.

Before constructing a vertical dial it is necessary for the maker to know the declination or true aspect of the wall, expressed in degrees, in addition to the latitude of the place. These figures must be absolutely correct, for the whole accuracy of the dial depends upon the figures given. The makers prefer to ascertain the declination themselves, for they alone then hold themselves responsible for the dial to indicate correct _solar_ time.

There are many ways of measuring the length of a day in use in this country (the British Isles), but not one of them is perfect as a system for universal daily use. The three chief kinds of time used in this country are Greenwich mean time, Solar, or apparent time, and Sidereal, or star time; this latter is the only exact time and is used by astronomers alone. The time varies by several minutes between each of the methods mentioned.

The difference between sundial time and clock time is due partly to the irregular motion of the earth travelling in its path round the sun. Sometimes it travels faster and sometimes slower. It is also due partly to the fact that the time shown by our clocks and watches, called _Greenwich mean time_, is purely artificial and imaginary, not agreeing with any natural time at all, nevertheless for commercial purposes, it answers very well.

The sun crosses the meridian at Greenwich at 12 by the clock upon only four days in the year; on all other days it is either before or after the clock, the difference varying from a few seconds up to as much as a little over 16 minutes.

On looking at the map of England it will be seen that from the extreme east coast (Lowestoft) to the extreme west coast (Land’s End) the country extends from Greenwich 1° 45′ on the East 5° 40′ 25″ on the West. Now, as the sun appears to travel from an easterly to a westerly direction each day, and takes four minutes to travel over one degree of longitude, it can be seen that it will take about 30 minutes to travel across the whole country, and the time of all places east of Greenwich is fast, whilst at others west the time is slow. For example, supposing a sundial in position at each of the following places, Lowestoft, Greenwich, and Land’s End, and it was noon at Lowestoft by the sundial, the time indicated at the moment by each dial would be as follows: Lowestoft, 12 o’clock; Greenwich, 7 minutes to 12; Land’s End, about 22¾ minutes to 12. But our watches would have given the time as 12 o’clock at all places at the same moment, so we see that something is required in the way of a table calculated for every day of the year, giving the variations daily between the sundial and the watch.

The following table, called an “Equation Table,” gives the difference in minutes, and you will notice that the sundial and clock both agree on four occasions during the year: 15th April, 14th June, 1st September, 25th December.

EQUATION TABLE.

FAST MEANS THAT THE WATCH SHOULD BE FASTER THAN THE DIAL. SLOW, SLOWER.

════════════════╤════════════════╤════════════════╤════════════════
JAN. │ FEB. │ MARCH. │ APRIL.
────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────
Days. Mins.│Days. Mins.│Days. Mins.│Days. Mins.
2 Fast 4│ 3 Fast 14│ 4 Fast 12│ 1 Fast 4
4 5│ 20 14│ 8 11│ 5 3
7 6│ 27 13│ 12 10│ 8 2
9 7│ │ 16 9│ 12 1
11 8│ │ 19 8│ 15 0
14 9│ │ 23 7│ 20 Slow 1
17 10│ │ 26 6│ 25 2
20 11│ │ 29 5│
24 12│ │ │
28 13│ │ │
│ │ │
│ │ │
│ │ │
│ │ │
│ │ │
════════════════╧════════════════╧════════════════╧════════════════

════════════════╤════════════════╤════════════════╤════════════════
MAY. │ JUNE. │ JULY. │ AUG.
────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────
Days. Mins.│Days. Mins.│Days. Mins.│Days. Mins.
2 Slow 3│ 4 Slow 2│ 4 Fast 4│ 4 Fast 6
15 4│ 10 1│ 10 5│ 12 5
28 3│ 14 0│ 19 6│ 17 4
│ 20 Fast 1│ │ 22 3
│ 24 2│ │ 26 2
│ 29 3│ │ 29 1
│ │ │
│ │ │
│ │ │
│ │ │
│ │ │
│ │ │
│ │ │
│ │ │
│ │ │
════════════════╧════════════════╧════════════════╧════════════════

════════════════╤════════════════╤════════════════╤════════════════
SEPT. │ OCT. │ NOV. │ DEC.
────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────┼────────────────
Days. Mins.│Days. Mins.│Days. Mins.│Days. Mins.
1 0│ 1 Slow 10│ 11 Slow 16│ 1 Slow 11
5 Slow 1│ 4 11│ 17 15│ 4 10
8 2│ 7 12│ 22 14│ 6 9
11 3│ 11 13│ 25 13│ 6 8
13 4│ 15 14│ 29 12│ 11 7
16 5│ 20 15│ │ 13 6
19 6│ 27 16│ │ 15 5
22 7│ │ │ 17 4
25 8│ │ │ 19 3
28 9│ │ │ 21 2
│ │ │ 23 1
│ │ │ 25 0
│ │ │ 27 Fast 1
│ │ │ 29 2
│ │ │ 31 3
════════════════╧════════════════╧════════════════╧════════════════

The sundial, as already mentioned, shows _solar_ time, but by adding or deducting the differences, as shown above, _local mean time_ is found, and by again adding or deducting the difference of longitude, _Greenwich mean time_ is the result. For instance, a sundial at Wrexham (3° West longitude) on the 11th March indicates 11 o’clock, and we want to find Greenwich mean time. We proceed as follows:—

H. M.
Wrexham Sundial 11 0
Difference of Equation, _add_ 0 10
—— ——
Local Mean Time 11 10
Difference of Longitude, _add_ 0 12
—— ——
Greenwich Mean Time 11 22
—— ——

We see by the above, that the watch should be 22 minutes faster than the dial.

A well-made sundial should have engraved upon it an equation table and the longitude of the place where it is fixed, and the consequent allowance of time to be added or subtracted to find _Greenwich mean time_.

=SUNDIALS SHOULD BE FIXED= on a bright, sunny day, a horizontal dial being fixed as follows:—First see that the stone pedestal on which the dial is to be fixed is perfectly rigid, also flat and level on top. Remove with a pair of pinchers or plyers the three button-headed studs that are usually fitted on the back of the dial, then place the dial approximately in position by moving it about until the shadows show the time within a few minutes, and with a pencil, mark the positions of the studs on the stone through the holes in the plate. Remove the dial and replace the studs in the dial; cut the three holes about twice as large as the heads, so that the dial has plenty of play to the right and left to facilitate final adjustment. Mix with water a little Portland cement, which is known as “grouting,” damp the holes in the stone and pour the grouting in and place the dial in its place, turning it until it shows correct _solar time_ of the place, taking care that the plate is level, and then allow the cement to set. The dial is now fixed, and requires no further refixing at any time.

To ascertain correct _solar time_ for fixing purposes proceed as in the example given here, and for the purpose we will take Andover (1½° West) as the place where the dial is about to be fixed on 1st October.

H. M.
Greenwich Mean Time 10 30
Difference of Longitude, _deduct_ 0 6
—— ——
Local Mean Time 10 24
Difference of Equation, _add_ 0 10
—— ——
Andover Solar Time 10 34
—— ——

So we see that on 1st October the dial must be fixed 4 minutes faster than the watch.

The gnomon of a horizontal sundial is always fixed on the XII. o’clock line, which represents the _true_ north and south meridian, and its edge is elevated above the plane to an angle equal to the latitude of the place. In the northern hemisphere XII. o’clock and the elevated end of the gnomon are always placed towards the north, but in the southern hemisphere the elevated end and XII. o’clock are placed facing the south.

In northern latitudes the sun is always _due south_ at XII. o’clock by the sundial throughout the year, and in southern latitudes it is always _due north_ at XII. In both hemispheres the sun is always due east at VI. a.m. and due west at VI. p.m.

Sundials can be fixed in dull weather, but a magnetic compass will then have to be employed; and although the fixing is simpler than when the sun is used the result is not so accurate.

The directions are as given here:—

Remove the studs and place the dial on the pedestal; take the compass, which should have a square box with needle, and lay it on the dial plate with the east or west side of the box close against the gnomon, and allow the needle to settle. Then, knowing the “magnetic variation” of the spot—for example, we will take London, which is 16° west of the _true north_—turn the sundial until the north end of the needle coincides with the 16° division west of the N. of compass dial. Take a pencil and mark the holes for studs; cut the holes and fill with grouting; place the dial on the pedestal and finally adjust with the compass before the cement sets.

Sundials can be fixed by the compass, and by the sun, providing the sun is shining on the dial, at any time during the day. To read the time shown by a horizontal sundial, stand facing the sun, and for the morning hours take the right hand edge of the shadow, and for the afternoon hours take the left hand edge.

Sundials of good make have the hour-lines and other divisions radiating from two centres, which are at a distance apart equal to the thickness of the gnomon, consequently there appears to be two hour lines at XII. o’clock, but really it is one, as the shadow at noon fills the space between the two lines.

A sundial cannot be said to be complete without a motto of some description, and by inscribing one on the dial or pedestal it gives a fitting voice to the dignified dial.

F. B. & SN.

MY DESIRE.

I.

O that the gentle Muse would stir my brain,
And give expressive words for me to pen.
Would put in verse great thoughts born to remain,
A wondrous poem prized by Englishmen.

II.

O that before I leave this frail abode,
And talents granted me have passed to clay,
Would that I, too, could claim that I’d bestowed,
Like poets great, a work that lives for aye.

T. G. W. H.

REMEMBER.

In your sunny hours remember
Summer days soon come and go;
And a mournful, sad November
All too soon this truth will show.

In your darkest hours remember,
Every cloud is silver lined,
And though life’s oft like December,
Still there lurks the Spring behind.

THE SUNDIAL.

When the shadow is on the sundial
Above the dear old garden door,
And summer days once more now smile,
As they so often have before.

When morning light transforms to noon,
And noon to the closing day,
And brightest hours have passed so soon
That we all would have wished to stay.

When life has reached its eventide,
And each ray is from the west,
And sunbeams to the dial confide
That the hour they’ve marked calls rest;

Then I wander midst the flowers
Until the gloaming ends the day,
And the dew has soaked, like showers
Which descend in glorious May.

I pause before the door awhile,
Watch the glimmering light depart,
Note that darkness hides the sundial,
Although great peace has filled my heart.

T. G. W. H.

CHANGE.

Learn a lesson from this dial,
Dwell not on the past;
Greet the present with a smile,
For future cannot last.

To-morrow soon becomes to-day,
The present falls behind,
And as each moment glides away
My maxim comes to mind.

THE DIAL’S MOTTO.

I.

A butterfly to a dial exclaimed,
“How short is the period of sun!
And how few are the cheering hours of light
Before brightness of day is done!”

II.

“Oh! if only the sun would always shine,
And its greatest power maintain,
No reason to grumble then could be mine,
And no wish to ever complain.”

III.

A moth by chance overheard the remark,
And answered, “I’d have you to know
I hate the day and I long for the dark,
And _I_ wish that all hours were so.”

IV.

“I delight in the cooling breath of night,
And I long for the close of day;
I wish I could shorten the hours of light,
And then hasten each sunset ray.”

V.

They both gazed in turn at the sundial bold,
And each read in motto God’s plan:
“I created the light and dark of old,
Proportioned for all that this world should hold
From the insect that flies to man.”

T. G. W. H.

ETERNITY.

We mention time, then heave a sigh,
There’s not enough, we all, all cry;
Too soon, too soon’s eternity.

Ah, fellow mortals, let me say,
’Tis you who have made time’s little day.
We are all, all in eternity.

THE MAID AND THE SUNDIAL

I.

A maiden glanced at a sundial old,
For to learn both the time of the day
And to read its motto written bold,
Made so clear by each sun-lightened ray.

II.

Beauty, it said, is a thing of naught,
And true love, like the sun, sinks ever;
For the joys that please can all be bought,
Time only shall last on for ever.

III.

The maiden laughed as she read this rhyme,
And exclaimed, “But man could compose it
Who had loved and lost, upon a time,
And so now on a stone he shows it.”

IV.

“Beauty,” she said, “is a thing to hold,
Both women and men they adore it.
Love is eternal, far above gold,
Mark well how the world doth implore it.”

V.

“Money that buys some beautiful thing,
And which gives what is called love a place,
Ends with the bell, the gift of a ring,
Will not change the rich purchaser’s face.”

VI.

“Love, like the sun, may sink down to rest,
But daily the heavens renew it;
So learn of all gifts love is the best—
Go win, and not buy, lest you rue it.”

T. G. W. H.

UTILITY.

He who fashioned me for ornament and use,
To please the eye and to impart the time,
Foreshadowed, too, a possible disuse,
And fearing this inscribed on me a rhyme.

Though forgotten for a season,
Since I mark but hours of sun;
Still, I’ve value for this reason—
I lend grace for years to come.

THE MOON AND THE DIAL.

I.

The moon peeped out on a cloudy night,
And shone on an old stone wall;
It lit up the face of the dial bright
That stood to the view of all.

II.

A traveller blessed its silvery beams
That guided him on his way,
And called with laughter, Faith, it seems
You’re worth all the light of day!

III.

His eye detected the sundial’s rhyme,
And he read the writing clear:
I work for the sun alone through time,
For his light rules only here.

IV.

Continue your work, the traveller said;
But, still, I would have you know
That working for moon when sun has fled
A greater power would show.

V.

He who made your dial and penned yon verse
Could never to sea have been,
Or felt the force of a sailor’s curse
When no star or moon were seen.

VI.

He could not have heard the blessings given
On a sky as bright as day,
Or known beside sun’s light in heaven
The value of moonshine ray.

VII.

Doubtless he was not able to plan
A dial to do for two;
But surely the most untutored man
A better verse could do.

T. G. W. H.

VERSES AND SUNDIAL SKETCHES.

SUNDIAL ON CHARTRES CATHEDRAL, FRANCE.

Date 1573.
]

Lord of light and dark we pray,
Guide us to the end of day,
And when hours of light are run,
Guard us till the hours of sun.

SUNDIAL ON KELWAYS’ BRIDGE, CHIPPENHAM, WILTS.
]

I have a lesson for all who have eyes,
And a motto for all who will learn.
Then hasten in time to be wise,
And the value of hours discern.

SUNDIAL ON OLD GRAMMAR SCHOOL, HAWKSHEAD.
]

Go, love thy Maker as thou ought,
The brotherhood as well;
Then honour England’s King as taught,
Nor let thy native land be bought,
While hours I have to tell.

SUNDIAL AT DENTON, Nr. CANTERBURY
]

If some hardship you do mourn,
Remember hours soon flee.
Thus every living creature born,
Though by some distraction torn,
Must take things as they be.

SUNDIAL ON ASHURST CHURCH, KENT.

Dated 1643.
]

Men worry ’til ’tis light;
Then ’til it is dark;
They worry through the hours bright,
Forgetting how soon lost to sight,
Is time, that leaves its mark.

SUNDIAL, 20th CENTURY.
]

Men grumble at the sun,
And also at the rain;
They grumble whilst the hours each one,
Speed on and show by minutes none,
True cause why they complain.

SAXON SUNDIAL BUILT IN OVER A NORMAN WINDOW.
]

The Saxons divided time into tides,
The Normans for hours found place;
But the English with minutes and seconds besides,
Added more lines than my dial divides,
And now fractions I’m likely to grace.

SUNDIAL, OPHIR FARM, WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK.
]

In Æsop’s great race, ’twixt the tortoise and hare,
The former he makes out the winner,
But the sun which took part on that day, I’ll declare,
Defeated the tortoise and outran the hare,
Though not placed by Æsop “the sinner.”

SAXON SUNDIAL, GREAT EDSTONE.
]

By this dial and ancient sign,
Mark men hours of sun;
But the Architect Divine,
Portions out such things as time,
Suited to each one.

SUNDIAL IN ECCLESFIELD CHURCHYARD, YORKSHIRE.

Dated 1862.
]

Finite men with finite minds,
Can measure finite things;
But limitation always binds
Each power, and Nature ever finds,
Infinity needs wings.

SUNDIAL, EARLY 18th CENTURY.
]

Flowing water runs apace,
Swiftly and is gone;
So upon this dial’s face,
Time, like water, takes its place,
Ever moving on.

SUNDIAL AT LYDNEY, GLOUCESTERSHIRE.

Date about 1688.
]

Hope, like the sun, doth rise
Where care has set,
And though clouds veil her skies,
And disappointment vies,
Hope shineth yet.

SUNDIAL AT CATTERICK, YORKSHIRE.
]

Now patience, mortals, patience know,
Who seek an hour to swiftly go,
For time when gone ne’er comes again,
And what’s achieved will not remain.

SUNDIAL AT PUTNEY CHURCH.
]

O, swift are the wings of a swallow,
And the vibrating sound of a chime;
But naught has been borne that can follow,
Such a thing as a moment of time.

SUNDIAL ON MELBURY CASTLE, DORSETSHIRE.

Date 1890.
]

Learn to value life, each one,
Judge by gifts received;
Count as gold the hours of sun,
Helping us in all works done,
Far more than we’d believed.

SUNDIAL.

Date about 1740.
]

Nature may teach the time of year,
Frail man record the past;
But hours and minutes, ever dear,
Are noted surely by me here,
So long as I may last.

SUNDIAL AT ALLOA, SCOTLAND

Date 1695.
]

Some men will give you of their time,
And others of their gold;
Let me but tend this simple rhyme,
Go, work your best while in your prime
Remembering you grow old.

SUNDIAL IN ABBEY GROUNDS, DRYBURG.

Date 1640.
]

I watch the tints of early dawn,
The flickering light depart,
And through the hours of night ’til morn,
Patient I wait like one forlorn,
The new-born day to start.

SUNDIAL, 17th CENTURY.
]

He who hath no use for time,
Is either a fool or dead;
And, if compulsory choice were mine,
The latter I’d be in halls sublime,
Than a fool with useless head.

SUNDIAL, 17th CENTURY.
]

Earthly kings may rise and fall,
And rule with best endeavour;
But time supreme outlives them all,
Demands obedience to each call,
And keeps his throne for ever.

SAXON SUNDIALS ON PORCH AT MERSHAM CHURCH, KENT.
]

Thoughts eternal cast a gloom
Over things of time;
Save with minds where there is room
To think beyond the world and tomb,
About the sphere divine.

SUNDIAL, EARLY 17th CENTURY.
]

The glorious past all men recall,
The present they pass by;
But every hour that now doth pall,
Shall live some mortal to enthral
As part of history.

SUNDIAL ON OLD BUILDING, MONTHEY CANTON, VALAIS.

Date 1756.
]

Like the ivy on a wall,
Fond memory ever clings,
Bringing back the hours to all,
Those that please and those that pall,
’Till death oblivion brings.

SUNDIAL AT THORPE PERROW, YORKSHIRE.

Date 1756.
]

Life soon will be a dream,
A shadow of the past;
And years that now each one doth deem
Momentous, soon shall cease to seem
Aught but a flash at last.

SUNDIAL ON A CHURCH, TUNBRIDGE WELLS.

Dated 1678.
]

To-morrow is a dream,
Thus when we awaken,
To all men it doth seem,
Unless this view is taken,
A day they must redeem.

SUNDIAL AT SCOTSCRAIG, FIFESHIRE.

Date 17th Century.
]

This sundial cast away I found,
Bad men could not abide it,
It taught a lesson far too sound—
Stedfast to keep the daily round,
And never stray outside it.

SUNDIAL, LATE 18th CENTURY.
]

We depict the sun with smiling face,
While the man in the moon looks dour,
Because old Sol keeps in his place,
Nor, Luna-like, gets in disgrace,
But shines with all his power.

SUNDIAL ON HAYDON BRIDGE CHURCH, NORTHUMBERLAND.

Date about 1796.
]

Our life is like a spark,
It dies while it doth burn,
And though fond eyes its passage mark,
Yet when ’tis gone and all is dark,
None of its place can learn.

SUNDIAL OVER A SHOP AT RYE.
]

Time’s scythe is always sharp and keen,
Since he needs it hour by hour.
With steady step though never seen,
He swings his blade with serious mien,
And levels bud and flower.

SUNDIAL ON CHÂTEAU DE JOSSELIN, FRANCE.

Dated 1578.
]

No matter how common a stone may be,
How simple a ray of sun;
Yet man with the aid of both, you see,
And the use of a gnomon continually,
Shows the pace of each hour that’s run.

SUNDIAL AT ELMLEY CASTLE, WORCESTERSHIRE.
]

Time’s called our enemy, and why?
Because he goes so fast;
But when in grief to Time we cry,
And seek his aid with tear or sigh,
He’s found our friend at last.

SUNDIAL AT GREAT FOSTERS, NEAR EGHAM.

Date about 1700.
]

’Tis ever later than we thought,
By minutes or by hour;
Simply because though men are taught,
To read the time, as all men ought.
They fail to use the power.

A GERMAN SUNDIAL.
]

Infants all are moments dear
Upon life’s ancient dial,
Children as minutes too appear,
The youth an hour, the man a year,
Old age a flickering shadow there,
That lingers for awhile.

SUNDIAL NEAR ROSS, HEREFORDSHIRE.

17th Century.
]

O Time, consoler of our grief,
Physician great are you,
Bringing, as no one else, relief,
When things seemed hopeless past belief,
And pain had robbed us, like a thief,
Of faith in all we knew.

SAXON SUNDIAL, WITH INSCRIPTION, AT BISHOPSTONE.
]

We remember the years, the months, and days,
That some notable acts recall;
But fail to note what this dial displays,
How the hours and minutes, in various ways,
Work out for each life that such time obeys;
A record that all must appal.

GREEK SUNDIAL IN THE LOUVRE, PARIS.
]

To the heavy heart the hours go slow,
To the merry always fast;
Simply to teach and all men show,
That though some hours go fast or slow,
Equal chances men may know
Of life’s pleasures while they last.

SUNDIAL, 18th CENTURY.
]

Like the psalmist each man says,
Remember not my youthful ways;
Present let my sins ne’er be,
When I pray think Thou of me.
And dear Lord, through life we find,
Sins forgiven, mercy kind.

SUNDIAL, AUSSEE, GERMANY.
]

No man can hope to save of time,
For ever on the move;
’Tis like the sand unsoaked with brine,
Which, firmly held, and we call mine,
Leaks through the fingers just like slime,
And simple claims disprove.

GREEK SUNDIAL.
]

The sun is my best friend;
Pray who is thine?
Learn, man, where’er you wend,
True kindness to extend
To thy friends to the end,
As I to mine.

SUNDIAL, GRÆCO-ROMAN, THE VATICAN, ROME.
]

Like me, true loyalty go show,
Ought else is simply treason.
He only serves his king below,
Who prays each day that he may know,
How best his foes to overthrow,
And get his wants in reason.

SUNDIAL, GERMAN TOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.
]

All the world’s a-sighing,
A-crying and a-dying,
But spite of every trial,
That e’er shall vex or rile,
I stand a happy dial.

ROMAN SUNDIAL, THE MUSEUM, DOVER.
]

With me no deceiving,
For seeing’s believing.
The hours that I send,
Learn thou to extend,
Or if broken go mend.

SAXON SUNDIAL, LANGFORD CHURCH, BERKS.
]

Youth and age can ne’er agree
On the pace I go,
But they ask continually;
Youth I move more rapidly,
Age less speed I show.

SAXON SUNDIAL AT KIRKDALE, YORKSHIRE.
]

Time may rob us of our gold,
Or of some high estate;
But cannot for a day withhold,
Learning and wisdom manifold,
Reward of labour great.

SUNDIAL ON OLD GRAMMAR SCHOOL, HAWKSHEAD.
]

How are you, mortal, did you say?
Why, just the same as yesterday.
But, questioner, let me ask you,
How is the day? and how are you?

SUNDIAL AT UPTON, NORTHANTS.
]

If any fault with me you claim,
The man who altered me’s to blame.
Let not then the dial or sun
Suffer for another one.

SUNDIAL ON DIAL HOUSE, TWICKENHAM.

Date 1715.
]

Go, let this day a pattern be
Of each lived for eternity,
And let the hours, every one,
Show evils vanquished, good deeds done.

SUNDIAL, BADMINTON HOUSE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
]

Believe me, mortals, when I say,
The past is what we make to-day;
So let us heed each hour of time,
E’er age gives way to youth and prime.

SUNDIAL AT WIMBORNE MINSTER, DORSETSHIRE.
]

O, Light of Light, come ever shine,
And show to me Thy way, not mine;
Nor let the hours wasted be,
That all too soon return to Thee.

SUNDIAL AT ABERDOUR.
]

Let the present ever be
Thy greatest care continually;
Future is not in thy hand,
Or past again at thy command.

SUNDIAL IN CLOISTER GARDENS, WINCHESTER COLLEGE.

Dated 1712.
]

Like the smoke I soon shall go,
Journeying where no man doth know;
Though with the smoke doubtless I must
Revisit earth again in dust.

SUNDIAL IN ASHLEWORTH CHURCHYARD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
]

Learn to make the most of time,
For to waste it is a crime,
And some day we give account
Of loss and gain’s exact amount.

GLASS SUNDIAL, 17TH CENTURY.
]

If you threw yesterday away,
Then make up for your loss to-day;
Life is short and quickly run,
Haste, for soon the day is done.

ROMAN SUNDIAL IN DOVER MUSEUM.
]

Memory echo of the past,
Faint or clear for ever last;
Bring back happy hours each one,
But hide the rest, let not them come.

SUNDIAL, EARLY 17TH CENTURY.
]

No matter how the hours fly,
Men with faith on me rely;
Neither have they found me wrong,
Though I have lived so very long.

SUNDIAL, EARLY 17TH CENTURY.
]

God made the sun to rule the day,
And man made me to mark each ray;
Therefor with the two, you know,
Nought’s amiss with light below.

SUNDIAL.

Date 1735.
]

Pilgrim dedicate each hour
To the source of light and power;
Thus before thy journey ends
No fears shall cloud the last He sends.

SUNDIAL AT CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE, OXFORD.

Date 1581.
]

Soldier, though the time you mark,
Mark not time ’till it is dark.
Good drill, like mine, I’d have you know;
Turn to the right and forward go.

SUNDIAL, HOLLAND, 17TH CENTURY.
]

On every hostelry a dial you’d see,
Could some but have their way throughout this land,
Thus clocks within and dials without, surely,
“Time, gentlemen,” they’d better understand.

SUNDIAL ON AN ANCIENT CANNON.
]

Man, like a brave ship on the ocean of life,
Sets out for a country sublime;
And when he has weathered each turbulent strife,
He is beached on the sands of time.

SUNDIAL AT BLEADON, SOMERSET.
]

If I fall into decay,
Man must note the time of day;
And himself the hours must mark,
From early dawn until the dark.

SUNDIAL AT WOODHOUSELEE.
]

My dial is a picture rare,
On which the lives of all appear;
And he who studies me shall know
The value of his days below.

SUNDIAL IN MALVERN PRIORY CHURCHYARD.
]

He who would a fortune show,
Must expect some care to know,
For the same is never free
From wealth men seek incessantly.

SUNDIAL AT INISCALTRA, OR HOLY ISLE, LOUGH DERG.
]

Love like a ring it hath no end,
Nor yet the path I daily wend;
Time and love do therefore show
Eternity to all below.

SUNDIAL ON AN INN AT ROUGEMONT, SWITZERLAND.
]

Every hour improved by thee,
Is banked by Father Time,
And in future years to be,
The Interest is thine.

SUNDIAL AT MINLEY MANOR.
]

Take like me what is given
Whose source is in heaven,
For all gifts from above
Are sent us in love.

SUNDIAL ON AN OLD HOUSE, SARUM CLOSE, SALISBURY.

Date 1749.
]

If to-night in peace you’d rest,
Let this day know of your best;
It is not late to make amends
Or to improve the time He sends.

SUNDIAL 20th CENTURY.
]

Time enough with all if they
Would do the day’s work in the day;
But men delight to change the year,
Upsetting hours as they appear.

SUNDIAL, NORTH STOKE, OXFORDSHIRE.
]

Our life’s a chain,
Which doth comprise,
No link the same,
In shape or size.

SUNDIAL ON LAON CATHEDRAL, FRANCE.

Date 1748.
]

Learn to live,
Man say I;
E’er I give,
Learn to die.

SUNDIAL 18th CENTURY.
]

He who dedicates each hour,
To a power divine;
Receives full oft the Christian dower,
Life’s water turned to wine.

SUNDIAL AT EMERY PLACE, BRIDGEWOOD, COLUMBIA.
]

Never let true friendship rust,
Through lack of kind attention.
For without a friend to trust,
Life’s troubles won’t bear mention.

SUNDIAL AT COMPTON WYNYATES, WARWICKSHIRE.
]

Would’st thou be great?
Then let each hour
For thee create,
Fresh springs of power.

SUNDIAL AT KILMALKEDAR, IRELAND.
]

May thy hours be long,
And thy days be bright;
May thy cares be few,
And thy burdens light.

SUNDIAL ON THE DUTCH REFORM CHURCH, NEW YORK.
]

I am watching,
Nor alone,
Mark I hours,
Upon this stone.

SUNDIAL OF MARY WASHINGTON, FREDRICKSBERG, VIRGINIA.
]

When you find,
You’re behind,
Time is kind,
Never mind.

SUNDIAL ON CHELSEA OLD CHURCH.

Date 1860.
]

Time’s too short
To dream away;
All men ought
To watch and pray.

SUNDIAL LATE 19th CENTURY.
]

Each day is new;
Some rays of light,
Are born for you,
Then lost to sight.

SUNDIAL 17th CENTURY.
]

From darkness to light,
From the light to dark,
I to and from sight,
Pass on to my mark.

SUNDIAL WILTON CROSS, WILTSHIRE.
]

Good morning, Sir
Pray note ye time;
I’ve kept my hour,
Hast thou kept thine?

SUNDIAL ON THE CITY TEMPLE.

Date 1872.
]

Traveller think of the chances there be
To philosophise on this dial;
Think thou of thy life against Eternity,
Go, ponder and pray for awhile.

SUNDIAL 20th CENTURY.
]

Speech is silver, so I have been told,
And some virtue for copper there be,
But far above all is a silence that’s gold
What a valuable sundial you see.

SUNDIAL ON LEE CHURCH.

Date 1760.
]

Amen it is so,
Amen so let it be.
Mortals learn to know
Time’s of Eternity.

SUNDIAL ON A CHURCH, MARWENSTOW, CORNWALL.
]

Lead kindly light,
Illuminate my way;
Let thy effulgence bright,
Turn night to day.

SUNDIAL 20th CENTURY.
]

Such is life,
Short as a day;
Full of strife,
Work, thought, and play.

SUNDIAL AT WALTON HALL, NEAR WAKEFIELD.

Date 1813.
]

Halt I’ll never,
Stop me if you can;
I move for ever,
In spite of man.

EARLY GREEK DIAL, ORCHOMENOS, BOEOTIA.
]

I have no use for twilight,
For the rays of the silvery moon;
Sol’s brightest beams are my light,
Depart they ever so soon.

SUNDIAL AT HADDINGTON, SCOTLAND.
]

When man a fortune would repair,
Hours and minutes take their share;
But when the same he throws away,
He reckons life but by the day.

SUNDIAL AT STOKE D’ABERNON, SURREY.
]

We liken boundless things to time,
To teach unending span,
But fail to show in prose or rhyme,
Its origin’s from man.

SUNDIAL AT TRAVELLER’S REST, NEW YORK. 1770.
]

Traveller, gaze on this dial and pray
That your life may be full of sun;
With hours retarded day by day,
And pleasure in every one.

SUNDIAL IN GREYSTOKE CHURCHYARD.

Date 1810.
]

Upon the evil and the good,
Ever sun doth shine;
But what’s so seldom understood,
Is charity divine.

SUNDIAL AT SHENSTONE VICARAGE, LICHFIELD.
]

If I mark a day of loss,
Gain one shade can give,
’Tis the shadow of the cross,
That bids dead hours live.

SUNDIAL AT BOLTON ABBEY.
]

Smile traveller, smile,
Look happy and banish all care;
There’s time on the face of this dial,
For a laugh, but never a tear.

SUNDIAL, 18th CENTURY.
]

Necessity’s the mother of invention,
Found true in every clime,
Then let this dial now mention,
She’s the grandmamma of time.

SUNDIAL ON BAKEWELL CHURCH.

Date 1793.
]

An hour to live.
An hour to spend.
An hour to give,
Help to a friend.

EARLY GREEK SUNDIAL IN THE BERLIN MUSEUM.
]

To age, good-day,
To youth, good-bye,
Man like each ray,
Is born to die.

SUNDIAL, HERIOT’S HOSPITAL, SCOTLAND.

Date about 1632.
]

No enemy have I,
I treat all men the same,
And daily do I try,
Lost friendships to reclaim.

SUNDIAL, GRAYFRIARS BURIAL GROUND, PERTH.
]

Learn thou to live;
You question me, then I
This answer give:
Thus shall you learn to die.

SUNDIAL AT YARROW KIRK.

Date 1640.
]

I serve all men the same,
Kings, nobles, rich and poor,
For all go whence they came,
In time to earth once more.

SUNDIAL FROM PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A.
]

No man can ever calculate
Of years the present sum,
Or tell by certain estimate
How many are to come.

SUNDIAL ON THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL, RYE.

Date 1831.
]

Time moveth steadily away;
And, save for this dial,
We should never know the day,
Or hours that now do smile.

SUNDIAL 19th CENTURY.
]

Time dissolves like the dew,
It descends like the rain,
For it visits this earth,
But will never remain.

A SCHOOL SUNDIAL AT ST. ANDREWS.

Late 19th Century.
]

Be hours light or dim,
All of a chain are links;
Then evil be to him,
Who any evil thinks.

SUNDIAL AT TONGUE HOUSE, SUTHERLAND.

Date 1714.
]

Get on with your work,
It will soon be night,
And all that you shirk
Sees to-morrow’s light.

SUNDIAL ON OLD WILLESDEN CHURCH, MIDDLESEX.
]

O, let no ruthless act destroy,
Aught that our Maker doth employ,
To live a life and so to teach,
Some mutual lesson each to each.

SUNDIAL AT CHEESBURN, NORTHUMBERLAND.
]

Time, passes fast away,
And like grasses turned to hay,
Holding a fragrance of the past,
So time a memory while we last.

SUNDIAL, BAVERHAUS, GERMANY.

Date 1618.
]

I bid you all good day,
For there’s no time to waste,
So look, then turn away;
And haste, haste, haste.

SUNDIAL IN THE NORMAN KEEP, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE.
]

This day may be your last,
To revel in the light,
So let no hour go past
To sadden what is bright.

SUNDIAL ON PERIVALE, MIDDLESEX.

Date 1818.
]

Since all things change,
Time, I, and thou,
O, let’s arrange
To live well now.

SUNDIAL, GERMANY. 18th CENTURY.
]

We’re a long time dead,
And life is short,
So keep this day,
As all men ought.

SUNDIAL EARLY 17th CENTURY.
]

The end inevitable face,
All hours too soon are run;
And for those who take thy place,
Leave record of work done.

SUNDIAL, ALL SOULS, OXFORD.
]

This day that Thou hast given, Lord,
To waste no mortal can afford,
For from its hours can fashioned be,
Ladders to lift us up to Thee.

SUNDIAL AT ST. BARBARA MISSION, CALIFORNIA.

Date 1786.
]

Enjoy the day, live every hour,
And let this thought stick fast—
That if for killing time we’ve power,
Time killeth us at last.

SUNDIAL 18th CENTURY.
]

The ocean is likened to time,
Because of its boundless expanse;
But men who have sailed to each clime,
Discredit such talk as romance.

SUNDIAL ON LIBERTON HOUSE, MIDLOTHIAN.

Date 1683.
]

Each moment finds the past increased,
So swiftly Time moves on;
The bells for Matins scarce have ceased,
Ere it is Evensong.

SUNDIAL AT WASHINGTON’S HOUSE, LITTLE BRIGHTON, NORTHANTS.
]

’Tis man alone divides the day,
Observing hours called Time,
But birds and beasts the sun’s bright ray
With care in every clime.

SUNDIAL NEAR DANBY MILL, LEYBURN, YORKSHIRE.
]

Ever keep a smiling face,
Finding mirth some room;
Hours and minutes flow apace,
Life’s too short for gloom.

SUNDIAL AT GRAFTON REGIS.
]

Our life is like a chain,
Made up of hours now passed,
Yet only those remain
Fashioned for such to last.

SUNDIAL AT SAUL, Co. DOWN, IRELAND.
]

I number none but cloudless hours,
So through the years to be,
May the King of heavenly powers
Reckon bright hours to thee.

SUNDIAL AT THE OLD MANOR HOUSE, WESTWOOD, Nr. BRADFORD, WILTS.
]

Whereso’er your treasure lies,
There will be your greatest ties;
Ever, then, your riches send,
Forward to your journey’s end.

GERMAN SUNDIAL, EARLY 17th CENTURY.
]

“All’s well that ends well”,
Bear this fact in mind.
Start at the end then you can tell,
That all your hours were kind.

SUNDIAL, GRITTLETON HOUSE, CHIPPENHAM, WILTS.
]

Traveller, note this hour that I mark,
It shall never return;
Though hours I register after dark,
Count not from these to learn.

SUNDIAL ON BUILDING, “THE BELFRY TOWER,” PRA, THE RIVIERA.
]

Nothing is certain,
Not even the hour,
For clouds like a curtain,
Restrict the sun’s power.

SUNDIAL, SCOTLAND, 17th CENTURY.
]

Go, reckon my hour,
Then note time of day;
But remember I’ve power,
To mark thine the same way.

SUNDIAL IN THE FELLOWS’ GARDENS, CHRIST’S COLLEGE.
]

Love’s like ye sun,
It comes and it goes;
Love’s like ye tide,
It ebbs and it flows.

SUNDIAL ON ST. CUTHBERT’S CHURCH, DARLINGTON.
]

I divide ye hours,
And man ye days,
But ye heavenly powers
Ye sun’s bright rays.

SUNDIAL. Date 1674.
]

This hour is thine,
To mark if fine.
All hours are mine,
When sun doth shine.

SUNDIAL IN THE GROUNDS, LEE CASTLE, LANARKSHIRE.
]

Fear not the dark,
Fear thou the light;
For men but mark,
Things clear to sight.

SUNDIAL AT ABBEYFIELD, Nr. SHEFFIELD.
]

He put me high up for to make,
Men ever upward glances take;
So by degrees in times they see,
God’s light and love reflect in me.

SUNDIAL IN LEYLAND CHURCHYARD, LANCASHIRE.

Date 1714.
]

Blessed the hours which are dead,
For they died in the Lord.
More blessed men of whom ’tis said,
They kept His holy word.

SUNDIAL, 17th CENTURY.
]

Insure against the ravages of time,
Provide some years of rest for thy old age;
Go, make good use of days while in your prime,
The Sun gives chances to enrich life’s page.

SUNDIAL IN GUNNERSBURY PARK.
]

Rise up with the birds, go to bed with the same,
And at the sundial you will never complain.
But if time you’d know in the midst of the night,
Then mark each cock-crow before it is light.

SUNDIAL, 18th CENTURY.
]

Why time is likened to a wheel,
The reason I don’t know,
For only dials are truly leal,
A clock may cease to go.

SUNDIAL, SCOTLAND.
]

I note the hours of every day,
From early morn ’till dark;
Then all my work the hours repay,
And leave on me their mark.

SUNDIAL, TURKEY.
]

While there is life there is hope,
And with all are minutes to spare;
Strive, then, with trials to cope;
Look happy, and banish all care.

SUNDIAL IN THE GROUNDS OF ROCKINGHAM CASTLE.
]

O swift is seen the lightning’s flash,
And soon is passed the thunder crash;
But naught can ever faster be,
Than time going imperceptibly.

GLASS SUNDIAL, OLD PARSONAGE, DIDSBURY.
]

Ruled by the light,
In space ruled you see,
Men tell aright,
What time it may be.

SUNDIAL, 17th CENTURY.
]

Love where you may,
Hate where you must,
Our life’s but a day,
And we are but dust.

SUNDIAL ON THE CLOISTERS OF VALDEMORA, MAJORCA.
]

I stand a relic of the past,
Revered by some, I trow.
Rain, hail, and snow, heat, cold, and blast,
Of such I’ve had enou’.

EARLY SUNDIAL ON POTTERSPURY CHURCH.
]

“The good old times” are always claimed
By the people of to-day,
Superior, when they have defamed,
Their own in every way.

SUNDIAL, LATE 18th CENTURY.
]

Many a man with sunless heart,
Envies me my simple part;
Yet a cheerful face like mine,
They can have when sun doth shine.

SUNDIAL, COUNTESS OF PEMBROKE’S, APPLEBY.
]

I stand a monument to all,
Of hours that are beyond recall.
I stand a monument to some,
The hour you see, and hours to come.

SUNDIAL, 20th CENTURY.
]

Put not off from day to day,
Work for time that hastes away,
For too soon thy hours are run,
And this work remains undone.

SUNDIAL IN THE GROUNDS OF BROWNSEA CASTLE.
]

Ye look on ye face of ye sky,
To learn what ye day shall be;
But look on this dial for why,
Ye hour is dearer to thee.

SUNDIAL IN PRIESTGATE, PETERBOROUGH.

Date 1663.
]

Were I a mirror
You’d gaze at me;
Neglect, that error,
All men would flee.

SUNDIAL IN THE GROUNDS OF WALTHAM RECTORY, GRIMSBY.
]

I mark ye hours,
Man notes ye time;
Spite storme and showers
Ye sun will shine.

EARLY SUNDIALS, ST. MICHAEL’S, ISEL, COCKERMOUTH.
]

The ancients regarded the face of the sky
To determine the time of day;
But moderns, economy anxious to ply,
A watch or a dial obey.

SUNDIAL, 17th CENTURY.
]

Let time be likened to a bridge,
Each stage of life a span,
Which crowns the piers that do support
In crossing every man.

SUNDIAL OVER THE PORCH OF ST. GREGORY’S, MINSTER.
]

If death should take you by surprise,
So that some work unfinished lies;
Remember, mortal, ere you fall,
Men but complete the best of all.

SUNDIAL ON THE MARKET CROSS, CARLISLE.

Date 1682.
]

Like the plough I forward go,
Turning life’s furrows, and I show
Lines so straight that all will find,
I have never looked behind.

SUNDIAL, ST. BEAT HAUTES, PYRENEES.
]

Watches and clocks can never agree,
Though they’re kept for ever in motion;
Give up the lot and make use of me,
For of change I’ve never a notion.

SUNDIAL, 19th CENTURY.
]

All circular things were made to go,
With smallest friction, I’d have you know;
Thus with the time no trouble is found,
Since ever it moves so steadily round.

SUNDIAL ON WARWICK CASTLE.
]

It is well written in that book of gold,
By Solomon, the wisest man of old,
That fathers for their children should make store,
And not expect their sons to earn them more.

SUNDIAL AT WYCLIFF-ON-THE-TEES.
]

Far, far away, beyond these realms of time,
There shines perpetual day in halls sublime,
But here awhile light fails, the shadows fall,
Still love divine prevails, with rest for all.

SIR ISAAC NEWTON’S SUNDIAL IN COLSTERWORTH CHURCH.
]

Reverence my age,
Though you hate the truth,
That hours soon fly,
And so doth youth.

SUNDIAL AT MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY.
]

The brighter the light,
The deeper the shade,
And man sees aright,
How true I am made.

SUNDIAL AT FOUNTAINHALL, MIDLOTHIAN.
]

The gloom of our life’s darkest days,
The shadows that appal,
Shall fade before the sun’s bright rays,
That shine upon us all.

SUNDIAL AT GRACECHURCH RECTORY, NEW YORK.
]

Hours of sleep and rest remember,
I mark for every one,
Like trees and plants we keep December,
Before a summer’s sun.

SUNDIAL ON WINGFIELD MANOR.

Date 1678.
]

Watchman, what of the night?
To this I’ve nought to say,
But when men ask what of the light?
I tell the time of day.

SUNDIAL IN THE GROUNDS OF GLAMIS CASTLE, SCOTLAND.
]

Make the most of every hour,
Old age brings sure reflection;
Strive, then, while you have the power,
To work towards perfection.

SUNDIAL AT KIRK MAUGHOLD, ISLE OF MAN.
]

The Lord’s name is praised,
From early light ’til dark;
And every hour to Heaven is raised,
Some songs, which angels mark.

SUNDIAL, LATE 19th CENTURY.
]

Who will err when Heaven’s light,
Teaches us to do aright?
Who will wander when the sun,
Lights the path of everyone?

KING EDWARD’S SUNDIAL, SANDRINGHAM
]

Somewhere ’tis always day,
Somewhere ’tis always night;
Somewhere each sunset ray,
Gives stronger light.

SUNDIAL IN THE GROUNDS OF CHILHAM CASTLE, KENT.
]

Injure not this dial,
Damage not your friend;
But let me teach awhile
Life’s hours to better spend.

SUNDIAL, BASTAL HALL, KENT.

Dated, 1878.
]

True friendship is not known by length of days,
Nor gauged is it by what man says.
Good deeds, not words, the value shall assign
The proof of friendship for all time.

SUNDIAL AT DRYBURGH ABBEY.

Date 1640.
]

Gossip, you waste not your hours alone,
Or the few minutes recorded by me;
Neighbours who listen lost time will bemoan.
Still, I will mark the whole lot down to thee.

SUNDIAL, 17th CENTURY.
]

Like the sound of a bell o’er the water,
That is heard from some distant chime;
So the brain oft recalls what was taught her,
Though lost for a period of time.

SUNDIAL FROM AN OLD CURIOSITY SHOP.

Date 1700.
]

Good deeds of men through time shall show,
Like footprints on this earth below;
And each impress that is now given,
Shall make for them a road to heaven.

SUNDIAL AT THE TEMPLE, LONDON.
]

Come, learn ye hour, then haste away,
For time is moving on;
Ye work of life will brook no stay,
Take notice, and be gone.

SUNDIAL, 20th CENTURY.
]

Be thankful ’tis not always day,
Nor yet perpetual night;
Be thankful for the fading ray,
And for returning light.

SUNDIAL ON CHARTERHOUSE SCHOOL, GODALMING.
]

I’m placed upon this wall to prove,
That pleasant is the light above;
And I am also bidden show,
How man should mark the same below.

SUNDIAL AT CARBERRY, HADDINGTONSHIRE.
]

Woman, silently learn well,
To give the message you would tell.
Man, in patience, note from me,
To give and take continually.

SUNDIAL, 18th CENTURY.
]

I silently point to the hours that speak,
To a present that soon will be past,
To a shadow that ever fresh seconds seek,
And to minutes that glide away fast.

SUNDIAL IN THE DEANERY GARDEN, ROCHESTER.
]

Let the glory of departing day,
The radiance of the early morn,
Chase sleepless hours of night away,
Give sweet expectancy of dawn.

SUNDIAL ON THE CHURCH OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, DOVER.
]

Ye hours that pass beyond recall,
Our God hath taken count of all.
Determine, then, all time shall be
Not wasted, but improved by thee.

SUNDIAL AT LAINSHAW, AYRSHIRE, SCOTLAND.
]

Pray not for ye day or night,
Too soon thy time is run;
And how canst thou discern aright,
The hours of dark or sun.

SUNDIAL OVER JOHN BUNYAN’S PRISON, BEDFORD BRIDGE.
]

Some days with sorrow are so full up,
’Twould take but a drop to spill the cup;
But that drop in mercy, ne’er is sent,
For troubles to kill were never meant.

SUNDIAL, EARLY 18th CENTURY.
]

If thou in life some grief shall find,
Then, mortal, try to bear in mind;
No man has lived out every day,
And found each month that it was May.

SUNDIAL OVER THE STABLES, CHORLEY WOOD.
]

Upward turn thy gaze, not down,
Forward ever be thy look.
Cultivate a smile, nor frown,
At life’s perplexing story book.

SUNDIAL, 19th CENTURY.
]

Come, let this dial prove to you
The brevity of life,
And preach to all of hours too few
To waste in foolish strife.

SUNDIAL, 17th CENTURY.
]

O take time in time,
For time must go;
And time is no time
After life’s flow.

SUNDIAL IN ST. MARY’S AND ST. EANSWYTHE’S CHURCHYARD,
FOLKESTONE.
]

Time calms all fears,
And lays to rest,
Eyes full of tears,
And trembling breast.

SUNDIAL ON QUEENS’ COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.
]

The hours lost
Are beyond all cost;
The one you see,
Is the hour for thee.

SUNDIAL AT WRESTS, BEDFORDSHIRE.
]

Come man, awake,
And knowledge take,
No sleep is won,
’Til day is done.

SUNDIAL ON WEST HAM ABBEY CHURCH.

Date, 1803.
]

Learn from the mirror effect of time,
On thy face e’en day by day;
But reckon the minutes seen on mine,
That work thy life’s decay.

SUNDIAL, 17th CENTURY.
]

Men quarrel on things of the past,
Or on years that never may come;
But the present which glides away fast,
Is hardly remembered by some.

SUNDIAL ON ST. SEPULCHRE’S CHURCH, NEWGATE STREET.
]

’Tis time for bed, ’tis time to rise,
’Tis time for food and exercise;
This is my round and common task,
To tell men time when they do ask.

SUNDIAL IN THE GROUNDS OF MADELEY COURT, SHROPSHIRE.

Date 17th Century.
]

I serve you, the sun serves me;
I serve the sun, the sun serves thee.
Who serves most, can you not see?
Man made this dial, he serves three.

SUNDIAL AT THURSLEY, SURREY.
]

Ne’er heave a sigh or call alas,
At hours that ever quickly pass;
For all I mark our God doth send,
To hasten on thy journey’s end.

SUNDIAL IN THE GROUNDS OF CAWSTON LODGE, RUGBY.

Date 1863.
]

Our life’s a shadow man hath said;
And death is like to endless shade;
But only those departed know,
Value of time and light below.

SUNDIAL ON INNES HOUSE, MORAYSHIRE, SCOTLAND.

Date 1640 to 1653.
]

All lines are straight upon my face
Like every line of duty;
But he who made this stone found place
For extra lines of beauty.

SUNDIAL FROM PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A.
]

O were this dial a mirror bright,
Then all would gaze at me,
And strive from morn ’til late at night
Each lineament to see.

SUNDIAL AT “THE COTTAGE,” CHORLEY WOOD.
]

Increase thy knowledge, ample store
I keep on dial mine;
Nor ever reckon cheap or poor
The rudiments of time.

SUNDIAL, EARLY 18th CENTURY.
]

Shifty as the wind is life,
The lot of everyone,
Swayed by pleasure, work, and strife;
How opposite the sun!

SUNDIAL OVER A SHOP AT LEIGHTON BUZZARD, BEDFORDSHIRE.
]