4)3(5 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XVI. 



been deprived of the honour of the customary 

 pubhc funeral by the opposing voice of the people.'* 

 *' The effect of this," adds the historian," was 

 that succeeding kings, fearing so disgraceful a 

 censure after death, and the eternal stigma at- 

 tached to it, studied by their virtuous conduct to 

 deserve the good opinion of their subjects*; and 

 it could not fail to be a great incentive to virtue, 

 independent of the feelings arising from a wish to 

 deserve the gratitude of men, and the fear of for- 

 feiting the favour of the Gods." 



The custom of refusing funeral rites to a king 

 was not confined to Egypt; it was common, also, 

 to the Jews t, who forbade a wicked monarch to re- 

 pose in the sepulchres of his fathers. Thus Joash, 

 though *' buried in the city of David," was not in- 

 terred "in the sepulchres of the kingst;" Manas- 

 seh§ " was buried in the garden of his own house," 

 and several other kings of Judah and Israel were 

 denied that important privilege. That the same 

 continued to tlie time of the Asmoneans, is shown 

 by the conduct of Alexander Janneus, who, feeling 

 the approach of death, charged his wife, " on her 

 return to Jerusalem, to send for the leading men 

 among the Pharisees, and show them his body, 

 giving them leave, with great appearance of sin- 

 cerity, to use it as they might please, — whether 

 they would dishonour the dead body by refusing it 

 burial, as having severely suffered through him, or 



* Vide Vol. II. p. G9., of the (inititiulc of the Egyptians towards their 

 Kings. 



+ 1 Kings, xiv. 13. 2 Kings, ix. 10. 



J 2 Chron. xxiv. 25. § 2 Kings, xxi. 18. and 2G. 



