12 ANTIQUITIES OF NORTHUMBERLAND. 



Salt was ufed in their folemn facrifices, as well as in urn-burial: 



Eant frugcs manibus falfas. Virg. JEn. xii. v. 173. 



Urn-burial is not fo antient as the prefent practice of inter- 

 ment. Burning the dead is firfl attributed to the Greeks, and Her- 

 rules is faid to be the firfl of the Greeks \vho ufed it. This he did 

 to free himfelf from the obligation of an oath. He had fworn 

 to bring back a youth (u) to his father (v) from the fiege of Troy, . 

 and he had no other way of doing it, but by prefenting him with 

 his afhcs. From the Greeks this cuflom paffed to the Romans, but 

 it was not general among them. From the authority of Pliny (iv), 

 it appears, that it v/as not ufed by many families, and that Sylla. 

 the dictator was the firft of the Cornelii whofe body was burnt; 

 which is the reafon afligned by Antiquaries why we find Roman 

 bones both burnt and unburnt. It was the choice of fome, be- 

 caufe they would preferve their bodies from the refentment of 

 their enemies. This was probably Syl/a's motive. It is fuppofed 

 the Gauls had it from the Romans ; the Celtics or antient Britons 

 from the Gauls ; but it is not fo eafily accounted for how the 

 Danes, and other nations, called Juti and Angli, Saxons and Ger- 

 mans, came by it. It is believed they had it from the Grecian cuf- 

 toms and learning, and that they all laid it afi.de on the introduc- 

 tion of Chriftianity. 



To diftinguifh which arc Roman, Briti/Jj, or Dani/h tumuli, has 

 been obferved to be difficult. Some antiquaries pretend to fix 

 them from their fhape. But that is reckoned guefs-work, unlefs 

 infcriptions, arms, or coins, be found in them ; the latter of gold, 

 filver, or copper, but neither of them of brafs ; inilruments and 



(u) Argius. (v) Licimnius. (w) L. 7. C. 54. 



coins 



