54 ON THE INTERMENTS OF PRIMITIVE MAN. 



varied. Yet the practice itself leads to a safe inference 

 of the utmost interest in the history of the human race. 

 It satisfactorily proves that man has always aspired to a 

 continuance of his existence in a future life. This is 

 perhaps the surest and most essential evidence of the 

 community of human nature, that mankind are animated 

 and actuated by the same hopes. The Ancient Britons, 

 at the earliest and rudest period, must have had ideas of 

 a life after the tomb, or they could not have buried in 

 the barrows vessels containing food, articles of dress, orna- 

 ments, and objects employed in the chase and in war. 

 Even when they went beyond these simple provisions for 

 the future life, and sacrificed the chief's favourite horse, 

 his slaves, and his wives, to be buried with him, it was 

 in obedience to the same dictates of a hope in the future. 

 That our ancient predecessors here upon British soil prac- 

 tised such dreadful customs there is no reasonable doubt. 

 In some British barrows, where interment has been by in- 

 cremation, it has been repeatedly observed that besides 

 the ashes of the principal interment in the centre, there 

 have been found heaps of ashes around this principal body, 

 which there are adequate reasons for regarding to be those 

 of slaves or wives sacrificed at the funeral rites. 



About ten years ago two large barrows were opened, 

 one in Gloucestershire, by the Rev. Canon Lysons, and 

 the other by the late Dr. Thurnam, in Wiltshire, which 

 gave singular and, it may be said, appalling testimony to 

 the practices which have been mentioned. In these bar- 

 rows human skulls were found. In the first-mentioned 

 there were no less than four of them which had been 

 cleft by frightful blows, no doubt during the lives of their 

 possessors, in order to do honour to the obsequies of a 

 chief. They belonged to young men in the vigour of age. 



