1inter a dead Body, ſays the old Law, be ſacred;
and we ſtill profeſs the ſame Belief, namely,
that Sepulchres belong to Religion. As Reli
gion therefore ought to be preferred before all
Things, I ſhall treat of theſe, though intended
for the Uſe of private Perſons, before I proceed
to profane Works of a publick Nature. There
ſcarce ever was a People ſo barbarous, as to be
without the Uſe of Sepulchres, except, perhaps,
thoſe wild Ichthyophagi in the remote Parts of
India, who are ſaid to throw the Bodies of their
Dead into the Sea, affirming that it mattered
little whether they were conſumed by Fire,
Earth, or Water. The Albani of Scythia too
thought it to be a Crime to take any Care of
the Dead. The Sabæans looked upon a Corpſe
to be no better than ſo much Dung, and ac
cordingly they caſt the Bodies, even of their
Kings, upon the Dunghill. The Troglodytes
uſed to tie the Head and Feet of their Dead to
gether, and ſo hurried them away, with Scoffs
and Flouts, to the firſt convenient Spot of
Ground they could find, without more Regard
to one Place than to another, where they threw
them in, ſetting up a Goat's Horn at their
Head. But no Man who has the leaſt Tinc
ture of Humanity, will approve of theſe bar
barous Cuſtoms. Others, as well among the
Ægyptians as the Greeks, uſed to erect Sepul
chres not only to the Bodies, but even to the
Names of their Friends; which Piety muſt be
univerſally commended. It was a very lauda
ble Notion among the Indians, that the beſt
Monument was to live in the Memory of Poſ
terity; and therefore they celebrated the Fu
nerals of their greateſt Men no otherwiſe than
by ſinging their Praiſes. However, it is my
Opinion, that Care ought to be taken of the
dead Body, for the Sake of the Living; and
for the Preſervation of the Name to Poſterity,
there can be no Means more effectual than Se
pulchres. Our Anceſtors uſed to erect Statues
and Sepulchres, at the publick Expence, in
Honour of thoſe that had ſpilt their Blood and
loſt their Lives for the Commonwealth, as a
Reward of their Services, and an Incitement to
others to emulate their Virtue: But perhaps
they ſet up Statues to a great many, but Sepul
chres to few, becauſe they knew that the for
mer were defaced and conſumed by Age;
whereas the Sanctity of Sepulchres, ſays Cicero, is
ſo annexed to the very Ground itſelf, that nothing
can either efface or remove it: For whereas
other Things are deſtroyed, Tombs grow more
ſacred by Age. And they dedicated theſe Se
pulchres to Religion, as I imagine, with this
View, that the Memory of the Perſon, which
they truſted to the Protection of ſuch a Struc
ture, and to the Stability of the Ground, might
be defended by the Reverence and Fear of the
Gods, from all Violence from the Hand of
Man. Hence proceeded the Law of the twelve
Tables, that the Veſtibule or Entrance of a Se
pulchre ſhould not be employed to any Man's
private Uſe, and there was moreover a Law
which ordained the heavieſt Puniſhment upon
any Man that ſhould violate an Urn, or throw
down or break any of the Columns of a Tomb.
In a Word, the Uſe oſ Sepulchres has been re
ceived by all the politeſt Nations, and the Care
and Reſpect of them was ſo great among the
Athenians, that if any oſ their Generals neglec
ted to give honourable Burial to one of thoſe
that were ſlain in War, he was liable to capital
Puniſhment for it. There was a Law among
the Hebrews, which injoined them to give Bu
rial even to their Enemies. Many and various
are the Methods of Burial and Sepulture which
we read of; but they are entirely foreign to
our Deſign: As for Inſtance, that which is re
lated of the Scythians, who thought the greateſt
Honour they could do their Dead, was to eat
them at their Meals; and others kept Dogs to
devour them when they died: But of this we
need ſay no more. Moſt of the wiſeſt Legiſla
tors have been careful to prevent Exceſs in the
Expence and Magnificence of Funerals and
Tombs. Pittacus ordained, that the greateſt
Ornament that ſhould be erected over any Per
ſon's Grave, ſhould be three little Columns,
one ſingle Cubit high; for it was the Opinion,
that it was ridiculous to make any Difference
in a Thing that was common to the Nature of
every Man, and therefore in this Point the
Richeſt and the Pooreſt were ſet upon the ſame
Foot, and all were covered with common Earth,
according to the old Cuſtom; in doing which it
was the received Notion, that as Man was origi
nally formed of Earth, ſuch a Burial was only lay
ing him once more in his Mother's Lap. We alſo
find an ancient Regulation, that no Man ſhould
have a more magnificent Tomb, than could be
built by ten Men in the Space of three Days.
The Ægyptians, on the contrary, were more
curious about their Sepulchres than any other
Nation whatſoever; and they uſed to ſay, that
it was very ridiculous in Men to take ſo much
Pains in the building of Houſes where they were
to dwell but a very ſhort Space of Time, and to
neglect the Structure of a Habitation where they
and we ſtill profeſs the ſame Belief, namely,
that Sepulchres belong to Religion. As Reli
gion therefore ought to be preferred before all
Things, I ſhall treat of theſe, though intended
for the Uſe of private Perſons, before I proceed
to profane Works of a publick Nature. There
ſcarce ever was a People ſo barbarous, as to be
without the Uſe of Sepulchres, except, perhaps,
thoſe wild Ichthyophagi in the remote Parts of
India, who are ſaid to throw the Bodies of their
Dead into the Sea, affirming that it mattered
little whether they were conſumed by Fire,
Earth, or Water. The Albani of Scythia too
thought it to be a Crime to take any Care of
the Dead. The Sabæans looked upon a Corpſe
to be no better than ſo much Dung, and ac
cordingly they caſt the Bodies, even of their
Kings, upon the Dunghill. The Troglodytes
uſed to tie the Head and Feet of their Dead to
gether, and ſo hurried them away, with Scoffs
and Flouts, to the firſt convenient Spot of
Ground they could find, without more Regard
to one Place than to another, where they threw
them in, ſetting up a Goat's Horn at their
Head. But no Man who has the leaſt Tinc
ture of Humanity, will approve of theſe bar
barous Cuſtoms. Others, as well among the
Ægyptians as the Greeks, uſed to erect Sepul
chres not only to the Bodies, but even to the
Names of their Friends; which Piety muſt be
univerſally commended. It was a very lauda
ble Notion among the Indians, that the beſt
Monument was to live in the Memory of Poſ
terity; and therefore they celebrated the Fu
nerals of their greateſt Men no otherwiſe than
by ſinging their Praiſes. However, it is my
Opinion, that Care ought to be taken of the
dead Body, for the Sake of the Living; and
for the Preſervation of the Name to Poſterity,
there can be no Means more effectual than Se
pulchres. Our Anceſtors uſed to erect Statues
and Sepulchres, at the publick Expence, in
Honour of thoſe that had ſpilt their Blood and
loſt their Lives for the Commonwealth, as a
Reward of their Services, and an Incitement to
others to emulate their Virtue: But perhaps
they ſet up Statues to a great many, but Sepul
chres to few, becauſe they knew that the for
mer were defaced and conſumed by Age;
whereas the Sanctity of Sepulchres, ſays Cicero, is
ſo annexed to the very Ground itſelf, that nothing
can either efface or remove it: For whereas
other Things are deſtroyed, Tombs grow more
ſacred by Age. And they dedicated theſe Se
pulchres to Religion, as I imagine, with this
View, that the Memory of the Perſon, which
they truſted to the Protection of ſuch a Struc
ture, and to the Stability of the Ground, might
be defended by the Reverence and Fear of the
Gods, from all Violence from the Hand of
Man. Hence proceeded the Law of the twelve
Tables, that the Veſtibule or Entrance of a Se
pulchre ſhould not be employed to any Man's
private Uſe, and there was moreover a Law
which ordained the heavieſt Puniſhment upon
any Man that ſhould violate an Urn, or throw
down or break any of the Columns of a Tomb.
In a Word, the Uſe oſ Sepulchres has been re
ceived by all the politeſt Nations, and the Care
and Reſpect of them was ſo great among the
Athenians, that if any oſ their Generals neglec
ted to give honourable Burial to one of thoſe
that were ſlain in War, he was liable to capital
Puniſhment for it. There was a Law among
the Hebrews, which injoined them to give Bu
rial even to their Enemies. Many and various
are the Methods of Burial and Sepulture which
we read of; but they are entirely foreign to
our Deſign: As for Inſtance, that which is re
lated of the Scythians, who thought the greateſt
Honour they could do their Dead, was to eat
them at their Meals; and others kept Dogs to
devour them when they died: But of this we
need ſay no more. Moſt of the wiſeſt Legiſla
tors have been careful to prevent Exceſs in the
Expence and Magnificence of Funerals and
Tombs. Pittacus ordained, that the greateſt
Ornament that ſhould be erected over any Per
ſon's Grave, ſhould be three little Columns,
one ſingle Cubit high; for it was the Opinion,
that it was ridiculous to make any Difference
in a Thing that was common to the Nature of
every Man, and therefore in this Point the
Richeſt and the Pooreſt were ſet upon the ſame
Foot, and all were covered with common Earth,
according to the old Cuſtom; in doing which it
was the received Notion, that as Man was origi
nally formed of Earth, ſuch a Burial was only lay
ing him once more in his Mother's Lap. We alſo
find an ancient Regulation, that no Man ſhould
have a more magnificent Tomb, than could be
built by ten Men in the Space of three Days.
The Ægyptians, on the contrary, were more
curious about their Sepulchres than any other
Nation whatſoever; and they uſed to ſay, that
it was very ridiculous in Men to take ſo much
Pains in the building of Houſes where they were
to dwell but a very ſhort Space of Time, and to
neglect the Structure of a Habitation where they