Berkeley Lords, Deceased

These are the Berkeley lords of Gloucestershire, grandly entombed at Bristol Cathedral. They were mighty men in their day, the son of this one, Maurice, even holding captive King Edward II, and in whose custody he was murdered. Not men to be crossed, evidently. 

The prophet Ezekiel remarks on the great Assyrian warlords of his day, and the silent grave which was their destination:

“Assyria is there, and all her company,

With their graves all around her,

All of them slain, fallen by the sword.

Her graves are set in the recesses of the Pit,

And her company is all around her grave,

All of them slain, fallen by the sword,

Who caused terror in the land of the living."

Ezekiel 32:22-24: (New King James Version)

Those who cause terror while alive can cause no harm in death. Bullies, knights, thugs and murderers- their days are numbered, their judgement swift. The strong men of today are tomorrow's piles of bones and dust. The God of heaven suffers their strutting only for a season.