424 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XVI. 



food and raiment, the mildness of the climate en- 

 abling them to go without shoes, or indeed without 

 any other clothing," For, judging from this, as 

 from others represented in the sculptures, we may 

 presume that the yearly bill for shoes, and all ar- 

 ticles of dress, pressed very lightly on the purses 

 of the parents in many classes of society. * 



Such are the principal funeral processions re- 

 presented in the tombs of Thebes, which, as I 

 have already observed, followed the same order in 

 going to the sacred lake as from thence to the tomb. 

 It remains for me to describe the preparatory 

 rites, and the remarkable ceremony that took place 

 on arriving at the lake, before permission could be 

 obtained to transport the body to the opposite 

 shore. 



We have seent that the first step taken by 

 the friends of the deceased at the moment of his 

 death was to run through the streets, throwing 

 dust upon their heads, and uttering bitter cries of 

 grief for his loss : *' after which the body was 

 conveyed to the embalmers.t The afflicted family 

 during seventy-two days § continued their lament- 

 ations at homey, singing the funeral dirge, and ful- 

 filling all the duties required both by custom and 

 their own feelings on this mournful occasion." ^ 



No opportunity was lost of showing their respect 



• Vk/r Vol. III. p. 363. 

 ■}• Vide supra, p. 402. 



j Herodot. ii.85. In order not to interrnpt the account of the 

 funeral, I defer the dcscri[)tion of embalininj,' for the present. 

 (J Vkic infra, on the enibalining, p. 459. 

 11 Gen. 1. 3. 

 f The same as at the tlcath of a king. Vide tuiprd, p.'408. 



