k

to themselves and the mosques. From thence have arisen a multitude of mosques and kubbets, which at that time, when Ramadan was near approaching, had been almost all whitewashed. These kubbets are little buildings, built over the tombs of rich Mohammedans, who pass for saints.""

The Passover was at hand when our LORD made this comparison, as is evident from the context, and therefore, it is likely they were just then whited afresh, when the season for such rainy and bad weather as is wont to wash off these decorations was just over, and the time was at hand when Israel were about to assemble in Jerusalem at their national solemnities, which were all held in the dry part of the year, or nearly so the rain being at least just over at the time of the Passover, by the time of Pentecost it was gone in Judea, and the feast of Tabernacles was observed before the rain was wont to return.

But whatever was the time of white-washing the Jewish sepulchres anew, we may believe it was often done; since to this day, the people of those countries have not discovered any way of so whitening these buildings as to make it durable.

* Which is a kind of Mohammedan Lent, followed by a festival, as Lent with us is followed by Easter.

1 These kubbets are, I apprehend, not only built over the graves of them that pass for saints, but over the graves of other people who are wealthy, as, if I mistake not, Niebuhr himself observes in other places of this volume.

OBSERVATION XXIX.

Provisions placed near to or on the Graves of departed Relatives.

THE custom of placing provisions on, or near the graves of those for whom they mourned, is not only very ancient, but practised by. nations remote from each other, referred to in the Apocrypha, and, it may be, adopted by the Jews, of the time between the closing of the writings of the Old Testament, and the appearances of those of the New.

One of the first observations that Olearius made, on the customs of the ancient Russians, relates to this practice. He had the curiosity, he tells us, to go on the 24th of May, 1634, the day before Whit-Sunday, to that part of Narva which was inhabited by Russians, to observe the anniversary ceremonies of that time, and their behaviour with regard to their departed relations and friends. "The whole burial-place was full of Moscovite women, who had spread handkerchiefs upon the graves, embroidered at the corners with silk of various colours, upon which they had set dishes full of roast and fried fish, custards, cakes, and

painted eggs. Some were standing, others kneeling, putting many questions to their relations, pouring out tears on their graves, and P. 11, 12, 13.

expressing their affliction by most lamentable cries; but with so little steadiness, that they lost no opportunity of speaking, and even laughing with such of their acquaintance as passed by. The priest, followed by two of his. clerks, walked up and down the burial-place, with a censor in his hand, into which he put from time to time little pieces of gum to cense the graves. The women gave him an account of the relations and friends they wanted him to pray for, pulling him by the surplice, in order to gain the advantage of being first. The priest performed these devotions in a very perfunctory manner, and paid so little attention to them, as hardly to deserve the piece of copper money they gave him, and by no means the provisions, which the clerks took care to gather together for their master's benefit."

It is well known that the ancient heathens practised something of this kind, from whence it was early introduced into the Christian church. St. Austin mentions it, as well as the feasting at the graves of the martyrs, and seems to suppose these things were practised more in Africa, than in any other place in the world he was acquainted with, which had received the Gospel. There, it seems, the lower class of Christians thought 'these feasts and drinkingbouts were not only honourable to the martyrs, but of advantage to the common and ordinary dead buried there." He complains of these

n

August. Aurelio, Ep. 64, tome 2, p. 203, 204, Ed. Bas. 1528.

managements in other places, with great warmth and life, and endeavoured to have them suppressed. But I have not been fortunate enough to find any place in St. Austin, in which he supposes this was an ancient custom of the Phoenicians, derived from them to the people of Africa, and remaining to his time, which the celebrated expositor Grotius seems to insinuate, in his comment on Ecclus. xxx. 18.

It was certainly a Pagan custom; and it might, in particular, be practised by the Phonicians, and carried from them into Africa, with their language, which undoubtedly was derived from thence. But this practice was of much greater extent among the Gentiles, and was brought among the Russians, it seems, from the Greeks, derived by them from their heathen fathers. That it was known in the East, appears to be highly probable, if there were no other evidence for it, than that passage of the book of Ecclesiasticus just now cited, which evidently alludes to it: Delicates poured upon a mouth shut up (by bad health and continual sickness, of which he had been speaking,) are as messes of meat set upon a grave.1 Accordingly Sir John Chardin, in his manu

• De Moribus Eccl. Cathol. lib. 1, tome 1. p. 538. Novi multos esse sepulchrorum et picturarum adoratores: novi multos esse, qui luxuriosissimè super mortuos bibant, et epulas cadaveribus exhibentes, super sepultos seipsos sepeliant, et voracitates ebrietatesque suas deputent religioni. Ubi supra, tome 2, p. 204.

It is also plainly pointed at by the author of the book of Baruch, ch. vi. 27.-They set gifts before (idols) them as unto dead men.

script note on this passage of Ecclesiasticus, observes, that it was the custom of all the Gentiles, and especially in China, to place food in great quantities upon the tombs of their relations; and that many of the Oriental Christians do the same thing.

But the great point I would enquire into here, is, whether the Jews, in the intermediate time, between the prophesying of Malachi and the apostolic age, (in which time, I apprehend, it is commonly thought many of the apocryphal books were written, and this of Ecclesiasticus in particular, whether, I say, the Jews of that time) adopted this custom of placing food on, or near the graves of their dead, by way of alms, which they hoped might be beneficial to the souls of those whose bodies were deposited there.

These words of Ecclesiasticus certainly determine nothing upon this point; the son of Sirach might allude to it as a well-known custom among the Gentiles, as well as if it had been practised at that time among those of his own nation; but it may not be improper to enquire, whether traces of it may not appear elsewhere. What, it may be asked, is the precise meaning of Tobit iv. 17? Pour out thy bread on the burial of the just, but give nothing to the wicked. Does this zealous old Jew direct his son, to send provisions to those families only of his nation that mourned the death of relations that were good people; or does he direct them to set food by way of alms,