The inscription on the centre of the wheel, _Rota vite que septima notatur_,—“The wheel of life which seven times is noted:” on the outer rim,—_Est velut aqua labuntur deficiens ita. Sic ornati nascuntur in hac mortali vita_,—“It is as water so failing, they pass away. So furished are they born in this mortal life.” The figures for the seven ages are inscribed, _Infans ad vii. annos_,—“An infant for vii. years.” _Pueritia_[171] _ad xv. años_,—“Childhood up to xv. years.” _Adolescẽtia ad xxv. años_,—“Youthhood to xxv. years.” _Iuvẽtus ad xxxv. annos_,—“Young manhood to xxxv. years.” _Virilitas ad l. annos_,—“Mature manhood to 50 years.” _Senatus ad lxx. annos_,—“Age to 70 years.” _Decrepitus usque ad mortem_,—“Decrepitude up to death.” The angel with the scrolls holds in her right hand that on which is written _Beuerano_, in her left, _Corruptio_,—“Corruption;” below her left, _clav_, for _clavis_, “a key.” Some parts of the Latin stanzas are difficult to decipher; they appear, however, to be the following, read downward,— “Est hominis status in flore significatus Situ sentires quis esses et unde venisses Sunt triaque vere quæ faciunt me sæpe dicere, Secundum timeo quia hoc nescio quando Flos cadit et periit sic homo cinis erit Nunquam rideres sed olim sæpe fleres Est primo durum quare scio me moriturum Hinc ternum flebo quare nescio ut manebo.” The lines, however, are to be read across the page,— “Est hominis status in flore significatus, Flos cadit et periit sic homo cinis erit. Situ sentires quis esses et unde venisses, Nunquam rideres sed olim sæpe fleres. Sunt triaque vere quæ faciunt me sæpe dicere, Est primo durum quare scio me moriturum. Secundum timeo quia hoc nescio quando, Hinc ternum flebo quare nescio ut manebo.” They are only doggerel Latin, and in doggerel English may be expressed,— “Lo here is man’s state—in flowers significate: The flower fades and perishes,—so man but ashes is; Who mayst be thou feelest,—whence com’st thou revealest; Laugh shouldst thou never,—but be weeping for ever; Three things there are truly,—which make me say duly, The first hard thing ’tis to know,—that to death I must go; The second I fear then,—since I know not the when;— The third again will I weep,—for I know not in life to keep.” The celebrated speech of Jaques to his dethroned master, “All the world’s a stage,” from _As You Like It_ (act ii. sc. 7, lines 139–165, vol. ii. p. 409), is closely constructed on the model of the Emblematical Devices in the foregoing Block-print. The simple quoting of the passage will be sufficient to show the parallelism and correspondence of the thoughts, if not of the expressions,—