' F U N E R A 
The funeral rites among the Hebrews were folemn and 
inagniticent. When any perlbn died, his relations and 
friends rent their clothes; which cnftom is but faintly 
imitated by tlie modern Jews, wlio now cut off a bit of 
their garment, in token of affliction. When they came to 
the biirying-placc, they made a fpeech to the dead, con¬ 
cluding with, “ BleQ'ed be God, who has formed thee, 
fed thee, maintained thee, and taken away thy life. O 
dead! he knows your numbers, and fliall one day reftore 
you to life.” Then they fpoke the elogium, or funeral 
oration; after which they faid a prayer, called the rigkte- 
cufritfs cf judgment ; then turning the face of the deccafed 
towards the heavens, they exclaimed, “ Go in peace.” 
Among the ancient Greeks, the rites and ceremonies 
by witich they exprefTed their forrow forthe death of their 
friends, were folemn and various. They abflained from 
banquets and entertainments ; they diverted themfelves 
of all ornaments ; they cut off, or fhaved, their hair, 
which they cart into the funeral pile, to be confumed with 
the body of theirdeceafed friend. Sometimes they threw 
themfelves on the ground, and rolled in the duft, or 
covered their head witli allies; they beat their brearts, 
and even tore their flefli, upon the lofs of a perfon they 
much erteemed. When perfons of rank, fuch as public 
magirtrates or great generals, died, the whole city put on 
mourning; all public meetings were interdifted ; the 
fchools, baths, (hops, temples, and all places of public 
refort, were (hut up. 
The Grecian foldiers who died in war, had not only 
their tombs adorned with inferiptions (bowing their names 
and exploits, but were al(b honoured with an oration in 
their praife. Particularly the curtom among the Atheni¬ 
ans in the interment of their foldiers was as follows : 
“ They ufed to place the bodies of their dead in tents 
three days before the funeral, that all perfons might have 
opportunity to find out their relations, and pay their re- 
fpefls to them. Upon the fourth day, a coffin of cyprefs 
was fent from every tribe, to convey the bones of their 
own relations ; after which went a covered hearfe, in 
memory of thofe whofe bodies could not be found. All 
thefe, accompanied with the whole body of the people, 
were carried to the public burying place, called Cerami- 
cus, and there interred. One oration wasfpoken in com¬ 
mendation of them all, and their monuments adorned 
with pillars, inferiptions, and all other ornaments ufual 
about the tombs of the molt honourable perfons. The 
oration was pronounced by the fathers of the deceafed pe.- 
fons who had behaved themfelves mod valiantly. Thus, 
after the famous battle at Marathon, the fathers of Galli- 
maciius and Cynasgyrus were appointed to make the fu¬ 
neral oration. And upon the return of the day, upon 
which the folemnity was iirft held, the fame oration was 
repeated annually.” 
Interment, or laying the dead in the ground, feems to 
have been the moft ancient practice among the Greeks; 
though burning came afterwards to be generally ufed 
among them. It wascuftomary to throw into the funeral 
pile thofe garments the deceafed ufually wore. The pile 
was lighted by one of the deceafed’s neareft relations or 
friends, who made prayers and vows to the winds to af- 
(irt tlte flames, that the body might .quickly be reduced 
to allies; and during the time the pile was burning, the 
dead perfon’s friends (food by it, pouring libations of 
wine, and calling upon the deceafed. 
The funeral rites among the ancient Romans were equal¬ 
ly folemn and ceremonious. The deceafed was kept feven 
days ; and every day waflied with hot water, and fome- 
times with oil, that, in cafe he were only in a trance, he 
might be thus awaked ; and every now and then his friends 
meeting, made a loud outcry or (hout, with the fame 
view; which lart addion they called co;;c/fl?naizb. The third 
conclamation was on the feventh day ; when, if no figns 
of life appeared, the defundl was drelfed and embalmed 
by the pollindlores; placed in a bed near the door, with 
VoL. VIII. No. 489. 
L li I T E S. ici 
his face and heels towards the rtreet ; and the outfdc of 
the gate, if the deceafed were of condition, wasgarnidied 
W'ith cyprefs boughs. In the courfe of thefe feven d.iys, 
an altar was railed near his bed-fide, called ac^rriz; on 
which his friends every day oft'ered incenfe; and thclibi- 
tinarii provided for the funeral. On the feventh day a 
crier was fent about the city to invite the people to the 
funeral in thefe words : Exequias L. Tit. L.filii, quil/iis ejl 
commoduvi ire, jam tempus ejl. Ollus (i. e. ilk) cx erdibus 
ejfcrtiir. The people being aiTembled, the lart conclama¬ 
tion ended, and the bed was covered with purple: a 
trumpeter marched forth, followed by matrons called 
praJiciE, (inging fongs in praife of the deceafed : lartly, 
the bed followed, borne by the next relations ; and if the 
perfon were of quality and office, the waxen images of all 
ills predeceflbrs were carried before him on poles. The 
bed was followed by his children, kindred, &c. in mourn¬ 
ing: from which adt of following the,corpfe, thefe lune- 
ral rites were called exequia. The body thus brought to 
the rortra, the next of kin, laudabat defunBum pro rojiris, 
made a funeral oration in his praife, and in that of his aii- 
certors. This done, the body was carried to the funeral 
pile, and there burnt: his friends firll cutting oft'a finger, 
to be buried with a fecond foletnnity. 1 he body being 
confumed, the affies were gathered ; and the pried fprink- 
ling the company thrice with clean water, the eldelt of 
thecrying aloud, ilicct, difmilTed the people, who 
took their leave of the deceafed in this form, Vak, vale, 
vale: nos te ordine quo natura permiferit, Jequemur. The 
allies, inclofed in an urn, were laid in the fepulchre or 
tomb. 
It was curtomary alfo for perfons of quality, among the 
ancient Greeks and Romans, to inrtitute games, with all 
forts of exercifes, to render the death of their friends more 
remarkable. This pradfice was generally received, and 
is frequently mentioned by ancient writers. Patroclus’s 
funeral games take up the greatert part of one of Homer’s 
Iliads; and Agamemnon’s ghoft is introduced by the fame 
poet, telling the ghoft of Achilles, that he had been a 
Ipedfator at a great number of fuch folemnities. 
7 'he celebration of thefe games among the Greeks con¬ 
fided chiefly of horfe-races; the prizes were of dilferent 
value, according to the quality and magnificence of the 
perfon that celebrated them. The garlands given to vic¬ 
tors on this occafion were uftially of parfley, which was 
thought to have fome particular relation to tlie dead. 
The(e games, among the Romans, confifted chiefly of 
procelfions; and fometimes of the combats of gladiators 
around the funeral pile. They, as well as the Greeks, 
had alfo a curtom of executing criminals before the pile, 
as vidtims to appeafe the manes of the deceafed. The 
funeral games were finally abulilhed by the emperor Clau¬ 
dius, as unfuitable to fo melancholy an occafion. 
In the various accounts given of Egyptian interment, 
maybe perceived the firft rudiments of funeral orations, 
and what was the fubjedl of them, which were afterwards 
moulded into a more regular form by oth.er nations, w ho 
adopted this curtom. Nor can we omit remarking, that 
thofe funeral folemnities were attended not only with ora¬ 
tions in praife of the deceafed, but with prayers for him ; 
which prayers were ufually made by one who peifonaied 
the deceafed : an entire form of one of which is preferved 
by Porphyry, as follows: ‘‘0 lord, the (tin, and all the 
gods who give life to men, receive me, and admit me in¬ 
to the fociety ot the immortal ones ; for as long as 1 lived 
in this world, I religioufly worfhipped the gods whom 
my parents (bowed me, and have always honoured thofe 
who begat my body: nor have I killed any man, nor have 
I defrauded any of what has been committed to my trurt, 
nor have I done any thing which is inexpiable. Indeed, 
whilrt I was alive, if I have finned either by eating or 
drinking any thing which was not lawful ; not through 
myfelf have I finned, but through thefe, (fhowing the 
chert; where the entrailswere). And having thus fpoke, he 
1 i carts 
