Page:Wanderings of a Pilgrim Vol 2.djvu/486

 further purification, after being sprinkled with water, stepped over a fire (ignem supergrediebantur), which was called suffitio. The house itself was also purified, and swept with a certain kind of broom. There were certain ceremonies for the purification of the family, when they buried a thumb, or some part cut off from the body before it was burnt, or a bone brought home from the funeral pile, on which occasion a soldier might be absent from duty. On the ninth day after the funeral, a sacrifice was performed, called novendiale, with which these solemnities were concluded.

Oblations or sacrifices to the dead (inferiæ, vel parentalia,) were afterwards made at various times, both occasionally and at stated periods, consisting of liquors, victims, and garlands; these oblations were to appease;—to revenge, an atonement was made to their ghosts.

The sepulchre was then bespread with flowers, and covered with crowns and fillets: before it, there was a little altar, on which libations were made, and incense burnt, and a keeper was appointed to watch the tomb, which was frequently illuminated with lamps. A feast was added, called silicernium, both for the dead and the living. Certain things were laid on the tomb, commonly beans, lettuces, bread, and eggs, or the like, which it was supposed the ghosts would come and eat; hence ''cœna feralis''; what remained was burnt; for it was thought mean to take away any thing thus consecrated, or what was thrown into the funeral pile. The Romans commonly built tombs for themselves during their lifetime; if they did not live to finish them, it was done by their heirs, who were often ordered by the testament to build a tomb. The highest honours were decreed to illustrious persons after death. The Romans worshipped their founder Romulus as a god, under the name of Quirinus. Hence afterwards the solemn consecration of the emperors, by a decree of the senate, who were thus said to be ranked in the number of the gods, also of some empresses: temples and priests were assigned to them—they were invoked with prayers—men swore by their name or genius, and offered victims on their altars.