1from the Fatigue of Travelling. For which
Reaſon, as I had always the higheſt Eſteem for
the Prudence oſ our Anceſtors in all their In
ſtitutions, ſo I particularly commend them for
that Cuſtom of theirs, whereof we ſhall ſpeak
immediately, by which, though in it they aim
ed at much greater Ends, they afforded ſo much
Rccreation to Travellers. It was a Law of the
twelve Tables, that no dead Body ſhould be
interred or burnt within the City, and it was
a very ancient Law of the Senate that no
Corpſe ſhould be interred within the Walls,
except the Veſtal Virgins, and the Emperors,
who were not included within this Prohibition.
Plutarch tell us, that the Valeri and the Fa
bricii, as a Mark of Honour, had a Privilege to
be buried in the Forum; but their Deſcend
ants, having only ſet their dead down in it,
and juſt clapt a Torch to the Body, uſed im
mediately to take it up again to bury it elſe
where; thereby ſhewing that they had ſuch a
Privilege, but that they did not think it decent
to make uſe of it. The Ancients thereſore
choſe their Sepulchres in convenient and conſpi
cuous Places by the Side of Highways, and em
belliſhed them, as far as their Abilities and the
Skill of the Architect would reach, with a per
fect Profuſion of Ornaments. They were built
after the nobleſt Deſigns; no Columns or Pi
laſters were ſpared for, nor did they want the
richeſt Incruſtations, nor any Delicacies that
Sculpture or Painting could afford; and they
were generally adorned with Buſts of Braſs or
marble finiſhed after the moſt exquiſite Taſte:
By which Cuſtom how much that prudent Peo
ple promoted the Service of the Common
wealth and good Manners, would be tedious
now to recapitulate. I ſhall only juſt touch
upon thoſe Points which make to our preſent
Purpoſe. And how, think ye, muſt it delight
Travellers as they paſſed along the Appian
Way, or any other great Road, to find them
full of a vaſt Number of Tombs of the moſt
excellent Workmanſhip, and to be every Mo
ment picking out ſome more beautiful than the
reſt, and obſerving the Epitaphs and Effigies of
their greateſt Men? Do you not think that
from ſo many Monuments of ancient Story,
they muſt of Neceſſity take continual Occaſion
to diſcourſe of the noble Exploits perſormed by
thoſe Heroes of old, thereby ſweetning the Te
diouſneſs of their Journey, and exalting the Ho
nour of Rome, their native City? But this was
the leaſt of the good Effects which they pro
duced; and it was of much more Importance
that they conduced not a little the Preſervation
of the Commonwealth, and of the Fortunes of
private Perſons. One of the chief Cauſes why
the Rich rejected the Agrarian Law, as we
are inſormed by the Hiſtorian Appian, was be
cauſe they looked upon it to be an Impiety to
ſuffer the Property of the Tombs of their Fore
fathers to be transferred to others. How many
great Inheritances may we therefore ſuppoſe
them to have left untouched to their Poſterity,
merely upon this Principle of Duty, Piety or
Religion, which elſe would have been prodi
gally waſted in Riot and Gaming? Beſides
that thoſe Monuments were a very great Ho
nour to the Name of the City itſelf, and of a
great Number of private Families, and was a
conſtant Incitement to Poſterity to imitate the
Virtues of thoſe whom they ſaw ſo highly re
vered. Then again, with what Eyes think
you, whenever ſuch a Misfortune happened,
muſt they behold a furious and inſolent Enemy
ranſacking among the Sepulchres of their An
ceſtors? And what Man could be ſo baſe and
cowardly, as not to be immediately inflamed with
Rage and Deſire of revenging ſuch an Inſult
upon his Country and his Honour? And what
Boldneſs and Courage muſt Shame, Piety and
Grief ſtir up in the Hearts of Men upon ſuch
an Occaſion? The Ancients therefore are great
ly to be praiſed; not that I preſume to blame
the preſent Practice of burying our Dead within
the City, and in holy Places, provided we do
not lay them in our Temples, where our Ma
giſtrates and great Men are to meet for the
Celebration of holy Rites, ſo as to pollute the
moſt ſacred Offices with the noiſome Vapours
of a rotting Corpſe. The Cuſtom of burning
the Dead was much more convenient.
Reaſon, as I had always the higheſt Eſteem for
the Prudence oſ our Anceſtors in all their In
ſtitutions, ſo I particularly commend them for
that Cuſtom of theirs, whereof we ſhall ſpeak
immediately, by which, though in it they aim
ed at much greater Ends, they afforded ſo much
Rccreation to Travellers. It was a Law of the
twelve Tables, that no dead Body ſhould be
interred or burnt within the City, and it was
a very ancient Law of the Senate that no
Corpſe ſhould be interred within the Walls,
except the Veſtal Virgins, and the Emperors,
who were not included within this Prohibition.
Plutarch tell us, that the Valeri and the Fa
bricii, as a Mark of Honour, had a Privilege to
be buried in the Forum; but their Deſcend
ants, having only ſet their dead down in it,
and juſt clapt a Torch to the Body, uſed im
mediately to take it up again to bury it elſe
where; thereby ſhewing that they had ſuch a
Privilege, but that they did not think it decent
to make uſe of it. The Ancients thereſore
choſe their Sepulchres in convenient and conſpi
cuous Places by the Side of Highways, and em
belliſhed them, as far as their Abilities and the
Skill of the Architect would reach, with a per
fect Profuſion of Ornaments. They were built
after the nobleſt Deſigns; no Columns or Pi
laſters were ſpared for, nor did they want the
richeſt Incruſtations, nor any Delicacies that
Sculpture or Painting could afford; and they
were generally adorned with Buſts of Braſs or
marble finiſhed after the moſt exquiſite Taſte:
By which Cuſtom how much that prudent Peo
ple promoted the Service of the Common
wealth and good Manners, would be tedious
now to recapitulate. I ſhall only juſt touch
upon thoſe Points which make to our preſent
Purpoſe. And how, think ye, muſt it delight
Travellers as they paſſed along the Appian
Way, or any other great Road, to find them
full of a vaſt Number of Tombs of the moſt
excellent Workmanſhip, and to be every Mo
ment picking out ſome more beautiful than the
reſt, and obſerving the Epitaphs and Effigies of
their greateſt Men? Do you not think that
from ſo many Monuments of ancient Story,
they muſt of Neceſſity take continual Occaſion
to diſcourſe of the noble Exploits perſormed by
thoſe Heroes of old, thereby ſweetning the Te
diouſneſs of their Journey, and exalting the Ho
nour of Rome, their native City? But this was
the leaſt of the good Effects which they pro
duced; and it was of much more Importance
that they conduced not a little the Preſervation
of the Commonwealth, and of the Fortunes of
private Perſons. One of the chief Cauſes why
the Rich rejected the Agrarian Law, as we
are inſormed by the Hiſtorian Appian, was be
cauſe they looked upon it to be an Impiety to
ſuffer the Property of the Tombs of their Fore
fathers to be transferred to others. How many
great Inheritances may we therefore ſuppoſe
them to have left untouched to their Poſterity,
merely upon this Principle of Duty, Piety or
Religion, which elſe would have been prodi
gally waſted in Riot and Gaming? Beſides
that thoſe Monuments were a very great Ho
nour to the Name of the City itſelf, and of a
great Number of private Families, and was a
conſtant Incitement to Poſterity to imitate the
Virtues of thoſe whom they ſaw ſo highly re
vered. Then again, with what Eyes think
you, whenever ſuch a Misfortune happened,
muſt they behold a furious and inſolent Enemy
ranſacking among the Sepulchres of their An
ceſtors? And what Man could be ſo baſe and
cowardly, as not to be immediately inflamed with
Rage and Deſire of revenging ſuch an Inſult
upon his Country and his Honour? And what
Boldneſs and Courage muſt Shame, Piety and
Grief ſtir up in the Hearts of Men upon ſuch
an Occaſion? The Ancients therefore are great
ly to be praiſed; not that I preſume to blame
the preſent Practice of burying our Dead within
the City, and in holy Places, provided we do
not lay them in our Temples, where our Ma
giſtrates and great Men are to meet for the
Celebration of holy Rites, ſo as to pollute the
moſt ſacred Offices with the noiſome Vapours
of a rotting Corpſe. The Cuſtom of burning
the Dead was much more convenient.
CHAP. II.
Of Sepulchres, and the various Manner of Burial.
I shall here take an Opportunity to inſert
ſome Things, which in my Opinion, are by
no means to be omitted, concerning the Struc
ture of Sepulchres, ſince they ſeem to partake
of the Nature of publick Works, as being de
dicated to Religion. Let the Place where you
ſome Things, which in my Opinion, are by
no means to be omitted, concerning the Struc
ture of Sepulchres, ſince they ſeem to partake
of the Nature of publick Works, as being de
dicated to Religion. Let the Place where you
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