THE FIRST SIX CENTURIES. 9 



(') Sepulcrum : — 84. 



VOSPER CRISTVM 

 NEMIIIIABALIQVOVIO 

 LENTIAMFIATETNESEPVL 

 C UVBIMEVMVIOLET Vll 

 DEPDIEVIIIDAVGYSTAS 

 ADELFIO VC CONSS 



(/« Mtis. Lat. ; De Rossi, n. '752.) 



[Adjuro] vos per Cristnm (Christum), «e mihi ah alujuo violentiam 

 (violentia), f.at et ne sepulcrum meum violetur. Deposiius, die VII 

 Idus Augustas, Adeljio (Adelphio), Vivo Clarissiono, Consule. 



"I conjure you by Christ that no Violence may be offered to me by any one, 

 and that my sepulchre may not bo violated. Buried on the seventh day before 

 the Ides of August, in the Consulship of Adelphius, a most distinguished man," 

 ». c. August Vth, 451 A. D. 



Such Sprayers and injunctions to respect the sanctity of the sepul- 

 chre are found in Pagan epitaphs : in both also the stronger form of 

 imprecations is used. In a Heathen epitaph, we have siquis violaverit 

 adivferos non recipiahir; in a Christian, male pereat, insepidtus jaceat, 

 non resurgat, cum Juda pcwfewi haheat, si qtiis sepulcrum Jiunc 

 violaverit. 



Sometimes the anathema is resorted to, as in the following, found in 

 the island of Salamis, and given by Kirchhoff, n. 9303 : 



OJy.oq aiioviog 'AydOcovo^ avayvdxTTOu xal Ev^7jfj.{aq iu duiri dyjxatq I8ia 

 ixdffTco YjiiaJ'j. El 8i riq rm idlcjv ^ irepug tj^ zoXirjcrj ffwiia y.azaOladat 

 ivraZOa Tvaps^ rihv 8uo i^pM'j, Xuyov dai-q rw Oeui y.ai d'^ddsiia -qrw 

 fiapoyaOdv. i, e. 



" The everlasting- dwelling of Agatho, a reader, and Euphcmia, in two graves, 

 one for each of lis separately. If any one of our relatives or any one else shall 

 presume to bury a body here, besides us two, may he give account to God and 

 let him be anathema maranatha " 



* la Henzen'a n. 6511 there is a similar prayer. I subjoin the inscription, as 

 it is in some respects peculiar : — Alexander Angg. ser. fecit'' se bivo Marco filio 

 dalcisimo, capiitafricesi, qui deputabatur inter bestUores (vestitores) qui vixit annt's 

 XV III mensibti VIIl diebu V. Peto a bobis (vobis) fratres boni per unum Deum 

 ne quis vii lltelo molestet post mortem. See Orelli, n. 2C85. 



