A complete dictionary of the Greek and Roman antiquities explaining the obscure places in classic authors and ancient historians relating to the religion, mythology, history, geography and chronology of the ancient Greeks and Romans, their ... rites and customs, laws, polity, arts and engines of war : also an account of their navigations, arts and sciences and the inventors of them : with the lives and opinions of their philosophers / compiled originally in French ... by Monsieur Danet ; made English, with the addition of very useful mapps.

CADAVER,

a dead Corpse. Lucian in his treatise of Mourning has made a pleasant and useful Description of the Ceremonies used about dead Persons, and says.

After the nearest Relation has received a dead Person, and closed his Eyes, his

next Business is to put a piece of Money into his Mouth to pay the Ferry-man of Hell, who is Charon, but never considers whether it be Money that is current in that Country, so that in my Opinion he had better give him nothing, than that he should be constrained to send it back again. After this Ceremony he washes the Body of the dead Person with warm Water, as if there were no Water below, or that he were to assist at a Festival, at his first Arrival: Besides this, he per∣fumes him, crowns him with Flowers, and puts him on his best Cloths, either because they fear he will dye of cold by the way, or that otherwise he will not be treated according to his Quality. All is accompanied with Complaints and Mourning, Tears and Sobs, to agree with the Master of the Ceremony, who orders all Matters, and recites with such a mournful Voice all his former Calamities it would make them weep, if they had never seen him. Then some tear their Hair, others beat their Breasts, or scratch their Faces, some rend their Cloaths and cast dust up∣on their Heads, or fall down upon the Ground, or throw themselves against the Walls. So that the dead Man is the most happy of all the Company, for while his Friends and Relations torment themselves, he is set in some eminent Place, washed, cleansed, perfumed, and crowned, as if he were to go into Company. Then his Father or Mother if he had any, leave the Company and go to him to embrace him with such ridiculous Lamentations, as would make him burst with Laughter, if he could be sensible of it. There are some, who at the Death of their Rela∣tions, kill their Horses and Slaves, to send them for their Use into the other World, and burn or bury with them, their most valuable Goods, as if they would be use∣ful to them. Nevertheless, all that these People do, is neither for the Dead, who can know nothing of it, though they cried Ten Times as loud, nor for them∣selves, for then they might act in Silence. So that, if it be not done meerly for Custom sake, 'tis only for fear they should be thought to have no Friendship for, or good Opinion of their Neighbours. If he could be sensible of what they do, doubtless he would say, why do ye lament me so much, and torment your selves for me, who am happier than you? Is it because the Darkness wherein I am frights you, or because you think I am smothe∣red with the Weight of my Tomb? But a Dead Man has nothing to fear, since now he is past all Apprehensions of Death, and my burnt or putrified Eyes have no need to see the Light. Besides, were I miserable, what good could all your Com∣plaints do, or the smitings of your Breasts to the Tunes of Instruments, and this crowned Tomb, these Tears, and Lamen∣tation of Women? Do you think this Wine which you pour out, runs down to Hell, or is good to drink in another World; as for the Beasts which you but in Sacrifice one part of them rises in Smoke and the rest is consumed into Ashes, whic are very indifferent Food.

This sort of mourning for the Dead, was much alike at Rome and Greece. But their Burials differ according to the Di∣versity of Nations; for the one burn, or bury them, and the other embalm them. I have been present at the Feasts in Aegypt, where they set them at the end of their Table; and sometimes a Man or Woman is forced to deliver up the Body of his Father or Mother to conform to that Custom.

As for Monuments, Columns, Pyramids, and Inscriptions, nothing is more use∣less; there are some that celebrate Plays in Memory of the Dead, and make Fu∣neral Orations at their Burials, as if they would give them a Certificate or Te∣stimonial of their Life and Manners.

After all this, some treat the Company, where the Friends comfort you, and de∣sire you to eat. How long say they, will you lament the dead? You can't re∣call them to Life again, by all your Tears? Will you kill your selves with Despai•• for your Friends, and leave your Chil∣dren Orphans? You ought at least to eat, because by this means you may mourn the longer.

Thus far Lucian.

When the Body is laid upon the Pile of Wood to be burnt, some Person opens his Eyes, as it were to make him look up to Heaven, and having called him several Times with a loud Voice, his next Relation sets Fire to the Pile of Wood with a Torch, turning his Back upon it to shew that he does that Service for the Dead with Regret.

Pliny is of Opinion, that burning of the Bodies of the Dead was not ancient at

Rome. We do not, says he, find, that any of the Cornelian Family were burnt, till Syl∣la; but Pliny seems to contradict himself, when he writes, that King Numa forbad to pour Wine upon the Fires, which were kindled for the burning of the Dead; and Plutarch assures us, that Numa did strictly forbid that his Body should be burnt after his Death, but he ordered Two Tombs of Stone to be built, in one of which his Body should be laid, and in the other those holy Books which be had written about Re∣ligion, and the Worship of the Gods, which is Proof that burning of Bodies was very ancient, and that it was at least used in his Time. The Laws of the XII Tables, which were made Three Hundred Years after the building of Rome, which forbad the Burial, or burning of Bodies within the City, does not at all favour the first Opinion of Pliny, for nothing else can be concluded; but that there were Two ways of disposing of dead Bodies in use, burying, or burning, and both were forbidden within the City to avoid Infection, and secure it from the danger of Fires, which might happen by that means.

Cicero teaches us, that the Custom of bu∣rying Bodies was introduced at Athens, by Cecrops, and that they buried them with their Faces to the West, whereas at Megara they turned their Faces to the East. The Custom of burying Bodies lasted a very long time throughout all Greece, and that of burning them came from the Gymnosophists of India, who had used it long be∣fore.

The Aegyptians embalm the Bodies of the Dead, to preserve them from Corruption. The Aethopians had diverse ways; some∣times they cast them into the Currents of Brooks and Rivers, sometimes they burnt them or put them in Earthern Vessels, ac∣cording to the Testimony of Herodotus and Strabo.

The Indians eat them, that by this cu∣rious Secret, they might give them a second Life by converting them into their own Substance.

Those People whom Herodotus calls, the Macrobies, or Long-lived dry the Bodies, then paint their Faces with white, and so restore them to their Natural Colour and Com∣plexion.

Then they wrapt them up in a Pillar of Glass, in which having kept the Body a whole Year they set it up in some place near the City, where all might see it.

Diodorus Siculas relates that there were cer∣tain People, who after they had burnt the Bodies, put their Ashes and Bones into Sta∣tues of Gold, Silver, and Earth, covering them over with Glass.

The Garamantes bury their dead on the Shore in the Sand, that they may be wash∣ed by the Sea.

When the Body of the dead is consumed by the Fire, and all present have taken their last farewell, Vale aternum nos eo ordine, quo Natura vlouerit, sequemur, the nearest Relations gather up the Ashes and Bones, which they sprinkle with holy Water, and then put them into Urns of different Mat∣ter, to set them in their Tombs, pouring out Tears upon them, which being catched in small Vessels, called Lacrymatoriae, they are likewise reposited with the Urn in the Tomb.

It is very uncertain how they could gather the Ashes, and keep them mingling with those of the Wood and other things, which were burnt with the Bodies. Pliny mentions a sort of Linnen which grows in the Indies, called by the Greeks, Asbestos, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 not to be burnt, of which is made a Cloath that will not burn, although it be cast into the Fire. In this the Body being wrapped up, the Ashes of it may easily be kept together without mixing with those of the Wood; but this is not probable, since the same Pliny tells us, that this Cloth was very rare, and was preserved for the Kings of the Country only.

Perhaps they made use of another Cloath made of the Stone Amiantus, which Pliny says, they had the Art of spinning at that Time, and Plutarch assures us, that in his Age there was a Quarry of that Stone in the Isle of Negropont, and the like is found in the Isle of Cyprus, Tines, and else∣where.

They might have also some other Inven∣tion, as to set the Body upon the Fire in a Coffin of Brass or Iron, from whence it was easy to gather the Ashes and Bones that were not consumed.