44§ The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book I. 
well as great Learning, hath given us a large Account of 
this Matter, cccafibned by an Inftance that fell out after a 
Battle between theS ucceffors oi Alexander the Great, in which 
Eumenes defeated Antigoiius. The latter had, in his Army, 
a Body of Troops that had been drawn out of 'India , 
where they had been left in Garifon by Alexander, and 
were commanded in this. Action by Ceteus, who, fighting 
very gallantly, was killed upon the Spot ; the reft of the 
Story, with his Obfervations upon it, I final 1 give you in 
the Author’s own Words. 
6 He left, fays he, two Wives behind him, who fol- 
4 lowed him all the Campaign. One he had lately mar- 
4 tied, the other had been his Wife for Tome Years •, and 
4 both loved their Hufband exceedingly. It had been an 
4 antient Cuftom in India , for Men and Women to marry 
4 the'mfelves according to their own Liking, without con- 
4 fulting their Parents ; and, in regard that young Peo- 
4 pie would rafihly marry, and often repent afterwards, as 
4 being deceived in their Choice, many Wives were cor- 
4 rupted, and fell in Love with other Men ; and becaufe 
4 they could not, with Credit and Reputation, leave 
4 their find Choice, they would often poifon their Huf- 
4 bands ; to the more ready effecting of which, the Coun- 
4 try chd not a little contribute, by bearing many poi- 
4 fonous Herbs ; fome of which, if mingled in ever fo 
4 final! a Quantity, in Meat or Drink, would infallibly 
4 kill the Perfon to whom it was given. This wicked Art 
4 growing every Day to a greater Perfedion, and many 
4 being deftroyed by this Means, notwithstanding the Ex- 
4 am pies that were made to prevent it, another Law 
4 was enacted to this Purpofe, that Wives fhould be burnt 
4 with the Bodies of their deceafed Hufbands, except they 
4 were with Child, or had borne Children ; and that fihe 
4 who would not obferve the common Law of the Land, 
4 fhould remain for ever after a Widow ; and, as one con- 
4 vided of the greateft Impiety, fhould be excluded from 
4 ail facred Rites, and all other Benefit and Privilege of 
4 the Laws. 
4 This being thus eftablifhed, henceforward this Wick- 
4 ednefs of the Wives was changed into a contrary Practice; 
4 for, as every Wife, to avoid that unfufferable Difgrace, 
4 was to die, they became not only careful to preferve the 
4 Health, and provide for the Well-being of their Huf- 
4 bands, as that which was likewife their own Prefervatiori, 
4 but the Wives (trove, one with another, who, by burn- 
4 ing with his Corpfe, fhould gain the higheft Reputation. 
4 An Example of which fell out at this Time ; for altho’, 
, 4 by the Law, one only waste be burnt with the Husband, 
4 yet, at the Funeral of Ceteus , both throve which fhould 
4 die, as for fome honourable Reward of their Virtue : 
4 Whereupon the Matter was brought before the Generals, 
4 for their Decifion. The younger declared, that the other 
4 was with Child, and therefore her Death could not 
4 fatisfy the Lav/ : The elder pleaded, that it was more 
4 agreeable to J uftice, that fhe, who Was before the other 
4 in Years, fhould be preferred before Mr in Honour ; 
4 for, in all other Cafes, the coilftant Rule is, to yield 
4 Refped to the Eider. 
4 The Captains being informed by the Mid wives that 
4 the Elder was with Child, preferred the Younger ; upon 
4 which, flie who loft her Caufe, went out weeping, rend- 
4 ing her V ail in Pieces, and tearing her Hair , as if fome 
4 fad and dreadful News had been told her ; the other, 
4 rejoicing in the Victory, made, forthwith to the funeral 
4 Pile, crowded by the Women of her Houfe, and, by her 
4 Kindred, brought forth, moft richly adorned, as to fome 
4 nuptial Feftival, all of them fetting forth her Praifes, as 
4 they went, in Songs fuited to that Occafion. 
4 As foon as fine came to the Pile, fhe threw off her 
4 Garments, and diftributed them amongft her Servants 
4 and Friends, leaving thefe behind her as Tokens to thofe 
4 who loved her. Her Ornaments confifted in Multitudes 
4 of Rings upon her. Fingers, let with all manner of pre- 
4 cious Stones, of divers Colours ; upon her Head, were 
4 a great Number of little golden Stars, between which 
‘ were placed fparlding Stones, of all Sorts •, about her 
& Neck, fhe wore, abundance of Jewels, fome fmall, others 
4 large, increafing by degrees in Bignefs, as they were 
4 put on, one after another *, at length, fhe took Leave of 
4 all her Family and Servants, and then her Brother placed 
4 her upon the Pile ; and, to the great Admiration of the 
4 People, (who flocked thither to the Sight)' with an heroic 
4 Courage, fhe there ended her Life. 
4 The whole Army, folemnly, in their Arms, marched 
4 thrice round the Pile, before it was kindled ; fhe, in the 
4 mean time, difpofing of herfelf towards her Husband’s 
4 Body, difeovered not, by any Shrieks, or otherwife, that 
4 fhe was at all daunted at the Noife of the crackling 
4 Flames; fo that the Spectators were affeded, fome with 
4 Pity, and others with Admiration and Aftonifhment of 
4 her Refolution ; however, there are fome who condemn 
4 this Lav/ as cruel and inhuman V 
Such are the Sentiments of this able Hiftorian ; and 
we find them confirmed by fome of the greateft Writers 
of Greece and Rome . Strabo , fpeaking of the fame cruel 
Cuftom, affigns the like Reafons for it ; and fo had Ci- 
cero , long before b . There cannot, therefore, be any 
Doubt made as to the Matter of Fad ; by which we 
plainly fee, that what was originally a peculiar Ad of Ge- 
nerofity, became in time a common Pradice, and was, in 
the End, eftablifhed by Law, and fo became a Principle 
of their Religion ; infomuch that Women, who refufe 
to comply with the Cuftom of their Country, are reputed- 
infamous; and accordingly the modern Pradice is, to (have 
them, and let them turn Whores, for a Livelihood ; for 
none of their own Relations will look upon them, or afford' 
them the leaft Support, becaufe they confider their 
Cowardice as a Refledion on their Family ; and, for this 
Reafon it is, that the Relations of the Woman, and not 
of the Hufband, always attend them to the funeral Pile, 
oblige them to drink a kind of ftupefying Liquor, called 
Dutry, and then thruft them into the Flames c . 
In many Places in the Indies , the Cuftom is now in 
fome meafure laid afide, but in others it (till prevails ; and 
they ereeft Monuments to the Memory of thefe heroic 
Ladies, in order thereby to encourage this Pradice : And, 
not far from Goa , there are at this Day a Cajl of Indians 
called Linguits , who have ftill a worfe Cuftom ; for, when 
the Men die, the Manner of interring them is, by fetting 
them in a Pit, where the living Wife (lands by the Body 
of her deesafed Husband, the Earth is ram’d down to their 
Shoulders, and then their Necks are twifted round, and 
broke ; after which, a little Hillock of Earth is raffed over 
their Heads d . 
I mention this, to fhew how tenacious the Indians are of 
their Cuftoms, whether good or bad, as well as to juftify 
the Truth of what the Antients have delivered in this 
refped. Before I quit this Subjed, I think it will be 
proper to fay fomewhat of its Antiquity ; for, undoubtedly, 
the Tyrians found it pradifed amongft them while they had 
the Monopoly of the Indian T rade ; fince the true Story 
of Dido is this ; that, to avoid a fecond Marriage, (lie vo- 
luntarily burnt herfelf, and, after the Indian Cuftom, be- 
came a living Sacrifice to the Manes of her deceafed 
Hufband e . 
The other Laws of the Indians were exadly of the fame 
Nature, founded on the Principles of ftrid Juftice, and 
executed with the utmoft Degree of Severity : For In- 
ftance, a Man who had given falfe Teftimony in any 
Caufe, civil or criminal, had his Elands and Feet cut off. 
He who maimed another, not only fuffered the Law of Re- 
taliation, that is to fay, loft the fame Member, whatever it 
was, but loft his Hand likewife with which he did the 
Fad ; but, in cafe he put out the Eye, or took away the 
Ufe of an Hand from a Mechanic, or one who got his 
Bread by his Labour, he fuffered Death without Mercy, 
as a juft Punifhment for depriving another Man of the 
Means of living. The fame Sentence was paffed upon 
him who difeovered any kind of Poifon, if he did not, at 
the fame time, difeover a Remedy capable of preventing 
its Effeds. We may eafily difeern, that the Defign of 
thefe Laws was, to fupport that ftrid Difcipline, which, 
was thought requifite for maintaining the Quiet and the 
Profperity of the State f . 
3 Diodor. SicuL lib. xix. p. 688. 
*■ id. p. 15 3. - * Icrtuilian. 
b Strabo, lib. XV. Cicer. I 'ufculan. lib. V. 
f Strabo, lib. xv. p. 710. 
c . 27. 
* Dr. Fryer's, Travels, 32. 153. 
In 
4 
