Overdue message

What does a stonecutter do when he reaches the end of the stone before the end of the sentence? Work around; adapt; deal with it. Thus it was done, and has served well all these centuries.

This is actually a throwback to almost a month ago. It should be dated Tuesday, June 26 (or rather, that's when I should have written it).

Walking back from a meeting in the heat of the day, I paused to explore the churchyard of an old church in Norfolk. A slab on the ground marks the spot where Alexander Ross was laid to rest, in September 1760, beneath a few details of his lineage that end with this moving thought:

"Praises On Tombs Are Here But Vainly Spent
For Man's Name Is His Best Monument"

If you look carefully, you'll notice that at the end of the line one must read the last word, "spent," just above the word "vainly" (after the equal sign-like thing).

The expedient little adjustment in spacing doesn't diminished the point these three and a half centuries later. A good message is still a good message. REQUIESCAT IN PACE.