The Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1822-1822, 1822-05-25
From the Recreotioe ReUiep.
FUNERAL CUSTOMS AND CE
REMONIES.

HhePe naNGU OOo ~
Of burial, Charlemagne's was In a SIT
t;no posture. The interment of Char
lemagne, a thousand years, ago is very
interesting. His body. after being em-
h.lmed. was inferred in a vault, he was
seated on a throne, perhaps the only
-srson that ever was buried sitting
fEs was dressed in his imperial robes,
with a hair cloth underneath; his Joy-
suss was girt by his side, this was the
che name of his sword. He seemed to
Iook mn 10 heaven, and his head was or
ramen,ed with a golden chain in the
form of a diadem, he held golden globe
IN one hand, and the other rested upon
the book of the evangelists, which was
nlaced upon HE knees; his golden scsP-
ire and shield were hung against the
wall before him the vault, after being
filled with perfumes, aromatic herbs;
and great treasures, was shut and seal
ed up.
Tbe dead at Palermo are never burl-
ed. but their bodies are carried 10 the
Capuchin convent, where after funeral
service is formed, they are dried In a
stove, heated by a composition OF iime'
which makes the skin adhere to the
bones. they are then placed erect IN
inches. and fastened to the wall by the
back or neck; a piece of coarse drab Is
thrown over the shoulders &'round the
waist. and their hands are tied togeth-
er, holding a piece of paper. with their
epitaph, which is simply their names,
age, and when they died. When the
Prince Patagonia whose perverted taste
for monstrouy sculptures, which ne
continued forthirty years. died, he was
carried to this sepulchral convent, IN a
sedan, attended by all his household
As soon as he entered the chapel, the
sedan was opened, and two pages
supported him to an arm chair.
Here he was seated in state, dressed In
his richest clothes, his hair full powder
ed, a sword by his side, his hat under
his arm; the nobility o. the Island were
assembled to meet him; they all bowed
to the corpse, and after a short pause,
the funeral ceremony began.
At the funeral ceremonies of the Ro-
mans. a mimic was engaged, who was
nearly of the same height and figure as
the deceased, and who sometimes coun-
forfeited so well his air.. countenance.
and gestures, that it seemed as if he
himself walked in the procession.
Among the Romans, the deceased
was kept seven days. and daily wash
ed with warm water, and sometimes with
oil; that in case he was only in a slum-
Der, he might be thus walked; and ev-
cry now and then, his friends meeting,
made a horrible outcrv or shout, with
the same view, which last action they
called cont0matiO.
To remain unburied was regarded as
the greatest misfortune and disgrace
The inops, inhumataque turbG was
supposed to wander on the banks OF the
Styx excluded from the Eiysian fields,
restless and miserable, n hundred
years, unles their bones were previous
ly covered. In Spain it is considered
a work of piety tOcast a stone upon the
monumental heap surrounding the
wooden cross on the highway, denoting
that some uuhhaPy traveller there had
lost his life. The passer by r~eeites a
Pater n0Ster for each stone he casts up.
on the heap, and puts up a prayer for
the repose of the departed soul.
When Alaric, king of the Cloths
was buried 10 Calabria, 4l0, they turn.
ed the course of the river Vasento,
where It was most rapid; and having
dug a deep grave in the rivers bed,
there inferred their revered prince,
with many rich suits of armour, and
much gold and precious stones. They
then turned the river back into it's usuaI
course, and killed on the spot all who
Mad assisted in the work, that the place
Of his interment might never be dis,
covered.
The Late-acGke is a ceremony used
at Scottish funerals. The evening after
the death of any person, the relations
and friends of the deceased meet at the
house, attended BY a bagpige OF fiddle
the nearest of kin, be it wife, son or
daugter, ope 5 a melancholy ball, dan.
eng and greeting, 4. c. crying violently
at the same time; and this continues til
daylight, but with such gambols and
iroilcs among the Younger part of the
company, that the loss which occasion
ed them is often more than supplied by
the consequences Of tina. night. If the
corpse remains unburie6 for two night:
the same rites are renewed. Thus Sy.
THAN like, they rejoice at the deliver.
ance ct their friends out of this life OF