B IT R 



fligjlu to the heavenly manfions with moi'e freedom. This 

 latter opinion obtaintd fo much, that the Indian philofo- 

 phers had not pitience to wait for burning till after dtatli ; 

 they had reci>m le to it in their hfe-time ; ercfted themfelves 

 piles for the purpofe, to loofen tluir fouls from confinement. 

 Calanvis, who followed Alexander out of India, finding him- 

 fcU indifpofcd, obtained that prince's leave to prevent the 

 growth of his dificmper, by committing Inmfelf to the 

 flames ; and Hercules, before his rtceptiou into heaven, was 

 purified from the dregs of earth by the fame means. Q^iin- 

 til. Declam. x. Potter, ubi fupra. 



Pliny afTuris us, that binning i\'a3 brought into ufe among 

 the Romans, on occafion of the cruel ufage svhich tlie bodies 

 of the dead Romans underwent in enemies' countries. But 

 this mull only be underllood in regard ot the common ufage; 

 fince \vc find mention of burning as practifed by fome even 

 in the earliell ages of Rome : Nunia forbad his own body 

 to be burned, comn?.aiiding it to be laid entire in a Hone cot- 

 fin, which (lievvs that the practice of burning was not then 

 unknown at Rome. Urider the emperors, as we learn from 

 Tacitus (Annal. xvi. g.), it became almotl univerfai. 



In fome cafes burning was exprefsly forbid, and looked 

 upon as the highcrll impiety. Thus infants who died before 

 the breedmg of teeth, were entombed unburnt, in the ground, 

 in a particular place fet apart for this ufe, called y«|-n-;-»ni-/a- 

 rium. The like was praftifed with regard to thofe who had 

 been ftruck dead witli lightning, who were never to be burnt 

 again, but buried in the fpot where they fell, called lidaihil, 

 which fee. 



Some fay, that burning was denied to fuicides as a pu- 

 nifhnient. 



The manner of burning among the Romans was not un- 

 like that of the Greeks : the corpfe being brought without 

 the city, if they dcfigned to burn it, was carried diretlly to 

 the place appointed for that purpole ; which, by the law of 

 the twelve tables, was without the city : (Cic. de Leg. ii. 

 2j.) according to the cultom of other nations, as the 

 Jews, (Matt, xxvii. 53. John, xix. 20 and 41.), the Athe- 

 nians, (Cic. Fam. iv. 12. Liv. xxxi. 24.), and others, (Cic. 

 Flacc. xxxi. Tufc. v. 23. Plut. in Arat. Strabo, 1.x.) 

 If this place joined to the fepulchre, it was called hujliim, if 

 fep?rate from it, ujlrina : the body, when brought thither, 

 was laid on the rogus, a pile of wood prepared to burn it on, 

 built in (hape of an altar, but of different height, accord- 

 ing to the quality of the deceafed ; and at the diftance of 

 60 feet from any houfe. The wood ufed was commonly 

 from fuch trees as contained moil pitch or rofin ; and if any 

 other were ufed, they fplit it for the more eafy catching fire : 

 round the pile they fet cyprefs trees, probably to hinder 

 the noifonie fmell of the corpfe. The body was not placed 

 on the bare pile, but on the couch or bed on which it lay. 

 The eyes of the dcccafed were opened, (Pliu. ii. 37.) to 

 which Virgil is thought to allude, jEn. iv. 214. This 

 done, the next of blood performed the ceremony of lighting 

 the pile, which they did with a torch, turning the face all 

 the while the other way, as if it were done with reluftance. 

 During the ceremony, more efpecially at the funeral of an 

 illuftrious commander or emperor, decurfions round the pile 

 were performed, with enfigns inverted, and games were cele- 

 brated ; after which, when the fire was extinguillied, and 

 the embers loaked with wine, came the ojfihg'iurr., or gather- 

 ing the bones and afhes ; alfo wadiing and arointing them, 

 and repofiting them in urns ; which were common to both 

 the Greeks and Romans. Tibull. lib. i. Eleg. i. Virg. 

 iEu. lib. VI. Kennet and Potter, lib. cit. It is commonly 

 fuppofed the practice of burning ceafcd at Rome under the 

 empire of the Antojiines. 



BUR 



The practice, prevalent among the Hindoos, and of which 

 fome rare inllauees Hill occur, of widows burning themfelves 

 on the funeral piles of their deceafed hrilbands, has been al- 

 ready mentioned ; (fee alfo the article Brachmans). Mr. 

 Cokbrooke, in a pnper " on the duties of a faithful Hindoo 

 widow," publiflied in the 4th volume of the Afiatic Rcfear- 

 ches, has eoUeded, from the ancient Sancrit books all the par- 

 ticulars that may ferve to elucidate this extraordinary ritual. 

 " Having fird bathed, the widow. drefT^d in two clean gar- 

 ments, and holding fome ciifa grafs, fips water from the pahn 

 of her hand. Bearmg cufa and ida, orfefamum, on her hand, 

 (lie looks towards tlie call or north, while the Brahmana 

 utters the myllic word Om. Bowuig to Ntrayaua, flie next 

 declares : " On this month, fo named in fuch a pacjha, on 

 inch a w/j;, I (naming herfelf and her family), that I may 

 meet Arumlhali, and refide in Siuarga ; that the years of my 

 Hay may be numerous as the hairs on the human body ; that 

 I may enjoy with my hulband the felicity of heaven, and 

 fanclify my pateruid ai:d maternal progenitors, and the 

 anceltry of my hiilband's father ; that lauded by the jlj'fa- 

 rcifcs, I may be happy wilh my lord, through the reigns of 

 14 Iiulras ; that expiation be ii^ade for my hufb.ind's of- 

 fences, whether he has k-ilhd a Brahmana, broken the ties 

 of gratitude, or murdered his friend : thus 1 afceud my 

 hufhand's burning pile. I call on you, ye guardians of the 

 eight regions of .the world! Sun and moon! Air, fire, 

 xther, earth, and water ! My own foul ! Yama L Day, 

 night, and twilight ! And thou, confcience, bear witnefs : 

 I follow my hufhand's corpfe on the funeral pile !" Having 

 repeated the above declaration, called the Saricalpa, flic walks 

 thrice round the pile ; and the Brahmana utters the follow, 

 ing Mantras : " Om ! Ltt thefe women, not to be 

 widowed good wives, adorned with collyrium, holding cla- 

 rified butter, confign themfelves to the. fire. Immortal, 

 not childlefs, nor hnfbandlefs, excellent, let them pafs into 

 fire, whofe original element is water." From the Rigveda: 

 " Om ! Let thefe wives, pure, beautiful, commit themfelves 

 to the fire with their hufbaud's corpfe," A pjuranka niuntra. 



With this benediction, and uttering the myllic Nama 

 Namah, file afcends the flaming pile. While the prefcribed 

 ceremonies are performed by the widow, the fon, or other 

 near kinfman, of the deceafed, applies the firft torch with the 

 forms dircfted for the funeral lites in the Gnhya (extrafts 

 or compilations from the facred buoks) ; by which his tribe 

 is governed. The lall rites in this tragic fccne, as we may 

 call it, but not fo deemed by thofe who praftife them, are 

 as follow : " Adorned with all jewels, decked v.-ith minium 

 and other cuflomary ornaments, with the box of minium in 

 lier hand, having made/i/)/i/ or adoration to the Devalas, thus 

 reflefting that this life is nought ; my lord and majlcr tn me ivat 

 all : — fhe walks round the burning pile; fhe bellows jewels on 

 the Brahmanas, comforts her relations, and (Tiews her friends 

 the attentions of civility ; while calling the fun and elements 

 to witnefs, file diftributes ?«;;)/;/m at plealurc ; and having re- 

 peated ihtj'a?icatpa, proceeds into the llamcs; there embracing 

 the corpfe, flie abandons lierfelf to the fire, calling Satya ! 

 Satya ! Salya ! The by-danders throw butter and vood on 

 the pile, which is reckoned an a£l tranfcendently merito- 

 rious, and even thofe who join in the piocefTion are rewarded 

 in heaven for every ftep of their march. Such liberal im- 

 munities are a proof, fays Mr. Colebrooke, that burning 

 could never be a frequent prailice in the call. 



The facrifice above defcribcd is not ablolutely enjoined ; 

 but it is recommended by all the allurements which en- 

 thufiafm can invent. There are, however, fome cafes of 

 exemption. If the widow has an infant child ; or if flie is 

 pregnant : and, among certain calls, if the hufband dies in a 



dillant 



