114 



BURIAL. 



Burial, clothes, according to the ancient custom of the He- 

 v brews. The dead body is then placed on a sheet 

 spread on the pavement, with the thumb turned in- 

 ward to the hand, and a wax taper burning at the head 

 or feet. The deceased is washed, and a clean shirt put 

 up n him, and over the shirt a garment of fine linen, 

 which he wore on the day of solemn expiation ; then 

 his taled, which is a piece of square cloth with tufts. 

 Lastly, a white cap is put on his head, and he is then 

 shut up in the coffin. Anciently, it appears to have 

 been a custom in Palestine, to embalm the bodies of 

 persons of distinction and fortune ; hut this was ne- 

 ver generally practised. After the body has been ex- 

 posed, the relations meet to accompany it to the ground. 

 In ancient times, they had women hired t;> cry, and 

 persons who played on doleful instruments, and 

 who walked in procession. Persons who met the 

 funeral procession in civility joined the company, and 

 mingled their groans. At the place of burial, the 

 coffin is set down on the ground ; then, if the de- 

 ceased was a person of rank, some one makes bis en- 

 comium : after which they walk ten times about the 

 grave, repeating a long prayer, beginning, " God is 

 the rock, his way is perfect," Sec. (Deut. xxxii. 4.) 

 The body is then let down into the grave, with its 

 face turned towards heaven ; the nearest relations 

 throw the earth upon it, and the grave is filled. 

 When they depart from the spot, they walk back- 

 ward, and pulling up some grass three several times, 

 they throw it behind their backs, repeating, " They 

 shall flourish like the grass of the eaith." Ps. Ixxii. 

 16. (See Calmet's Diet, of the Bible, v. DEAD.) 



The funeral solemnities of the Greeks seem to 

 have varied, according to the peculiar sentiments and 

 habits of the different states, and the rank and con- 

 dition of the deceased. In general, the poorer 

 classes were interred in public cemeteries, without 

 any great external pomp or mark of distinction. 

 Persons of fortune, on the other hand, were usually 

 buried with much splendor. Of these, some were 

 burnt to ashes on a magnificent pyre, and their ashes 

 carefully collected and deposited in an ornamented 

 urn ; while others were embalmed, after the Egyp- 

 tian fashion, and then removed to some stone or 

 marble tomb provided for the express purpose. 



The Athenians were much more ceremonious than 

 any other people in regard to the burial of their dead. 

 Their funerals were frequently celebrated with the 

 most extravagant pomp ; which at one period was 

 carried to such an extreme, that Solon was compelled 

 to introduce and enforce a law for its moderation. 

 Dirges, or funeral songs, often of exquisite beauty, 

 were adapted to music, and not only sung or repeat- 

 ed over the grave or funeral pyre, but afterwards re- 

 cited, in full band, while funeral games and exercises 

 were performed at the place of sepulture. But this 

 extravagant pageantry, which was conferred upon all 

 who were rich enough to afford it, was greatly ex- 

 ceeded on the death of any distinguished patriot or 

 warrior ; on which occasions, the expence incurred, 

 which was generally enormous, was always dischar 

 ged by the community. Of this extreme prodigali 

 ty we have an example in the funeral of Evagoras ; 

 and also in that of Demetrius, which is related at 

 large by Plutarch, in Vit. Demetr. See Mason Good's 



Lucretius, b. Hi. v. 923, N. But the most magnifi- Burial, 

 cent public funeral, perhaps, of which we have any 

 account, was that of Alexander the Great, when his 

 body was brought from Babylon to Alexandria ; a 

 minute description of which is given by Diodorus Si- 

 culus. 



The manner in which the funerals of those who 

 died in defence of their country were solemnized at 

 Athens, is worthy of particular notice, as it cannot 

 fail to afford us an elevated idea of that polished and 

 patriotic people. On a day appointed, the bones of 

 the deceased, contained in a number of coffins made 

 of cypress wood, were placed beneath a large tent 

 erected for the purpose, and exposed to the public 

 view ; so that all those who had relations to deplore, 

 might assemble to weep over them, and to perform 

 the duties which tenderness dictated, or religion en- 

 joined. Various sorts of odoriferous herbs and flower* 

 were brought to the spot by the friends of the de- 

 parted, and strewn around the tent. Three days af- 

 terwards, the coffins were placed upon as many cars 

 as there were tribes ; with an empty hearse, in me- 

 mory of those who could not be found. These were 

 carried slowly, in procession, through the town to 

 the Ceramicus, or public place of burial, where fu- 

 neral games were celebrated in honour of the decea- 

 sed. The bodies were then committed to the earth, 

 amidst the weep'ng and lamentation of a numerous 

 train of mourners. An orator, appointed by the re- 

 public, pronounced, from an elevated spot, a funeral 

 oration, in praise of his valiant countrymen ; and each 

 tribe raised ovtr the graves of its members a column, 

 or monument o some kind, upon which were in.-cri- 

 bed the names of the deceased, their age, and the 

 places where they had fallen. See Beloe'b Herodot. 

 vol. ii. p 65. N. 



Some interesting particulars, regarding the funeral 

 ceremonies observed by other ancient nations, have 

 been preserved by Herodotus. 



Among the Egyptians, when a man of any conse- 

 quence died, the females of the family disfigured their 

 faces with dirt, left the corpse in the house, and ran 

 publicly about, accompanied by their female rela- 

 tions, with their garments in disorder, their breasts 

 exposed, and beating themselves severely. The men 

 on their part did the same ; after which the body 

 was carried to the embalmers. Certain persons were 

 legally appointed to the exercise of this profession ; 

 who treated the body in different modes, according 

 to the rank and fortune of the deceased. Herodot. 

 Enterp. p. 85, 86. For an account of the different 

 methods of embalming and preserving dead bodies, 

 see the article MUMMY. 



By the ancient Ethiopian practice, which is rela- 

 ted by Herodotus according to the traditions of Cam- 

 byses* spies, after all the moisture was extracted from 

 the body, by the Egyptian, or some other process, 

 they covered it entirely with a kind of plaster, which 

 they decorated with various colours, so as to make it 

 convey as near a resemblance as possible of the per- 

 son of the deceased. They then inclosed it in a hol- 

 low pillar of crystal, which was dug up in great 

 abundance, and of a kind that was easily wrought. 

 The body of the deceased was very conspicuous 

 through the crystal, had no disagreeable smell, nor any 



