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" every one is at liberty by the law to accuse the dead“ before the coffin be put aboard ; and if any accuser appears“ and makes good bis accusation that he lived an ill life,“ then the judges give sentence, and the body is debarred“ from being buried after the usual manner. But if the in-“ former be convicted of a scandalous and malicious accusa-“ tion, lie is very severely punished. If no informer appear,
“ or that the information prove false, all the kindred of the“ deceased leave off' mourning, and begin to set forth his“ praises; but say nothing of his birth, (as is the custom“ among the Greeks,) because they account all in Egypt “ equally noble. But they recount how the deceased was“ educated from a child, his breeding till he came to man’s“ estate, his piety towards the gods, and his justice towards“ men, his charity, and other virtues, wherein he ex-“ celled; and thus pray and call upon the deities to receive“ the deceased into the society of the just. The common“ people take it from the other, and approve of all that is“ said in his praise with a loud shout, and set forth his“ virtues with the highest praises and strains of commen-“ dation, as he that is to live for ever with the just in the“ kingdom of Jove. Then they who have tombs of their“ own inter the corpse in places appointed for that purpose.“ They who have none of their own, build a small apart-“ ment in their own houses, and rear up the coffin to the“ side of the strongest wall of the building. Such as are“ denied common burial, either because they are in debt,“ or convicted of some horrid crime, they bury in their own“ houses; and, in after times, it often happens that some“ of their kindred pay off the debts of the deceased to get“ him absolved, and then bury their ancestor with state“ and splendour: for among the Egyptians it is a sacred“ constitution that they should at their greatest cost honour. “ their parents and ancestors who are translated to an eter-“ nal habitation. It is a custom, likewise, among them to“ give the bodies of their parents in pawn to their creditors," and they who do not presently redeem them, fall under“ the greatest disgrace imaginable, and are denied burial“ after their death. One may justly wonder at the authors“ of this excellent constitution, who, both by what we see“ practised among the living, and by the decent burial of“ the dead, did as much as possibly lay within the power of“ men to promote honesty and faithful dealing one with“ another .” 3
3 Diodorus Siculta, Jib. i. cap. 7.