in St. Sepulcher’s parish, together with my best suit of apparel of a tawny color viz. hose, doublet jirkin and cloak,” “also, my trunk bound with iron bars standing in the house of Richard Hinde in Lambeth, together—­with half the books therein”; the other half of the books to Mr. John Tredeskin and Richard Hinde.  His much honored friend, Sir Samuel Saltonstall, and Thomas Packer, were joint executors, and the will was acknowledged in the presence “of Willmu Keble Snr civitas, London, William Packer, Elizabeth Sewster, Marmaduke Walker, his mark, witness.”

We have no idea that Thomas Packer got rich out of the houses, lands and tenements in the county of Lincoln.  The will is that of a poor man, and reference to his trunks standing about in the houses of his friends, and to his chamber in the house of Sir Samuel Saltonstall, may be taken as proof that he had no independent and permanent abiding-place.

It is supposed that he was buried in St. Sepulcher’s Church.  The negative evidence of this is his residence in the parish at the time of his death, and the more positive, a record in Stow’s “Survey of London,” 1633, which we copy in full: 

This Table is on the south side of the Quire in Saint Sepulchers, with this Inscription: 

To the living Memory of his deceased Friend, Captaine John Smith, who departed this mortall life on the 21 day of June, 1631, with his Armes, and this Motto,

Accordamus, vincere est vivere.

Here lies one conquer’d that hath conquer’d Kings,
Subdu’d large Territories, and done things
Which to the World impossible would seeme,
But that the truth is held in more esteeme,
Shall I report His former service done
In honour of his God and Christendome: 
How that he did divide from Pagans three,
Their heads and Lives, types of his chivalry: 
For which great service in that Climate done,
Brave Sigismundus (King of Hungarion)
Did give him as a Coat of Armes to weare,
Those conquer’d heads got by his Sword and Speare? 
Or shall I tell of his adventures since,
Done in Firginia, that large Continence: 
I-low that he subdu’d Kings unto his yoke,
And made those heathen flie, as wind doth smoke: 
And made their Land, being of so large a Station,
A hab;tation for our Christian Nation: 
Where God is glorifi’d, their wants suppli’d,
Which else for necessaries might have di’d? 
But what avails his Conquest now he lyes
Inter’d in earth a prey for Wormes & Flies?

O may his soule in sweet Mizium sleepe,
Untill the Keeper that all soules doth keepe,
Returne to judgement and that after thence,
With Angels he may have his recompence. 
Captaine John Smith, sometime Governour of Firginia, and
Admirall of New England.

This remarkable epitaph is such an autobiographical record as Smith might have written himself.  That it was engraved upon a tablet and set up in this church rests entirely upon the authority of Stow.  The present pilgrim to the old church will find no memorial that Smith was buried there, and will encounter besides incredulity of the tradition that he ever rested there.