OBEISANCES. 127 



originally a religious ceremony among the Greeks: from 

 the earliest times the &quot; worship of Apollo was connected 

 with a religious dance.&quot; King Pepin, &quot; like King David, 

 forgetful of the regal purple, in his joy bedewed his costly 

 robes with tears, and danced before the relics of the blessed 

 martyr.&quot; And in the Middle Ages there were religious 

 dances in churches; as there are still in Christian churches 

 at Jerusalem. 



387. To interpret another series of observances we 

 must go back to the prostration in its original form. I refer 

 to those expressions of submission which are made by put 

 ting dust or ashes on some part of the body. 



Men cannot roll over in the sand in front of their king, 

 or crawl before him, or repeatedly knock their heads against 

 the ground, without soiling themselves. Hence the adher 

 ing dirt is recognized as a concomitant mark of subjection; 

 and comes to be gratuitously assumed, and artificially in 

 creased, in the anxiety to propitiate. Already the associa 

 tion between this act and the act of prostration has been in 

 cidentally exemplified by cases from Africa; and Africa 

 furnishes other cases which exemplify more fully this self- 

 defiling as a distinct form. &quot; In the Congo regions prostra 

 tion is made, the earth is kissed, and dust is strewed over the 

 forehead and arms, before every Banza or village chief; &quot; 

 and Burton adds that the Dahoman salutation consists of 

 two actions prostration and pouring sand or earth upon 

 the head. Similarly &quot; in saluting a stranger, they [the 

 Kakanda people on the Xiger] stoop almost to the earth, 

 throwing dust on their foreheads several times.&quot; And 

 among the Balonda, 



&quot;The inferiors, on meeting their superiors in the street, at once 

 drop on their knees and rub dust on their arms and chest. . . . Dur 

 ing an oration to a person commanding respect, the speaker every 

 two or three seconds picked up a little sand, and rubbing it on the 

 upper part of his arms and chest. . . . When they wish to be exces- 



