a particular dress or habit worn to signify grief on some melancholy occasion, particularly the death of friends or of great public characters.—The modes of mourning are various in various countries; as also are the colours that obtain for that end. In Europe, the ordinary colour for mourning is black; in China, it is white; in Turkey, blue or violet; in Egypt, yellow; in Ethiopia, brown. White obtained formerly in Caliphate on the death of their princes. Herrera observes, that the last time it was used was in 1408, at the death of Prince John. Each people pretend to have their reasons for the particular colour of their mourning: white is supposed to denote purity; yellow, that death is the end of human hopes, in regard that leaves when they fall, and flowers when they fade, become yellow; brown denotes the earth, whither the dead return; black, the privation of life, as being the privation of light: blue expresses the happiness which it is hoped the deceased does enjoy; and purple or violet, sorrow on the one side, and hope on the other, as being a mixture of black and blue.

among the ancients, was expressed various ways.

Amongst the Jews, on the death of their relations or intimate friends, grief or mourning was signified by weeping, tearing their clothes, smiting their breasts, or tearing them with their nails, pulling or cutting off their hair and beards, walking softly, i.e. barefoot, lying upon the ground, fasting, or eating upon the ground. They kept themselves close shut up in their houses, covered their faces, and abstained from all work, even reading the law, and saying their usual prayers. They neither dressed themselves, nor made their beds, nor shaved themselves, nor cut their nails, nor went into the bath, nor saluted any body: so that fullness seems to have been an indication of sorrow, and dirtiness of distress. The time of mourning among the Jews was generally seven days; though this was lengthened or shortened according to circumstances; but 30 days were thought sufficient upon the funeral occasions. The different periods of the time of mourning required different degrees of grief, and different tokens of it.

The Greeks, on the death of friends, showed their sorrow by excluding themselves from all gaiety, entertainments, games, public solemnities, the enjoyment of wine, and the delights of music. They sat in gloomy and solitary places, stripped themselves of all external ornaments, put on a coarse black stuff by way of mourning, tore their hair, shaved their heads, rolled themselves in the dust and mire, sprinkled ashes on their heads, smote their breasts with their palms, tore their faces, and frequently cried out with a lamentable voice and dawling tone, reiterating the interjection ο, ο, ο; hence funeral lamentations were called Ελέος. If they appeared in public during the time of mourning, they had a veil thrown over their faces and heads. During the funeral procession, certain persons called Σεβαστοί, marched before, and sung melancholy strains called ορεγνυμενοι Ἰάκωβος, Ἀπόστολος, and Ἀπόστολος. These vocal mourners sung thrice during the procession round the pile and round the grave. Flutes were also used to heighten the solemnity. At the funerals of soldiers, their fellow soldiers who attended, as a testimony of their affliction, held their shields, their spears, and the rest of their armour, inverted.

The tokens of private grief among the Romans were the same as those already observed as customary among the Greeks. Black or dark brown were the colours of the mourning habits worn by the men; they were also common to the women. The mourning of the emperors at first was black. In the time of Augustus, the women wore white veils, and the rest of their dress black. From the time of Domitian they wore nothing but white habits, without any ornaments of gold, jewels, or pearls. The men let their hair and beards grow, and wore no wreaths of flowers on their heads while the days of mourning continued. The longest time of mourning was ten months: this was Numa's establishment, and took in his whole year. For a widow to marry during this time was infamous. Mourning was not used for children who died under three years of age. From this age to ten they mourned as many months as the child was years old. A remarkable victory, or other happy event, occasioned the shortening of the time of mourning: The birth of a child, or the attainment of any remarkable honour in the family, certain feasts in honour of the gods, or the consecration of a temple, had the same effect. After the battle of Cannae, the commonwealth decreed that mourning should not be worn for more than 30 days, that the loss might be forgotten as soon as possible. When public magistrates died, or persons of great note, also when any remarkable calamity happened, all public meetings were intermitted, the schools of exercise, baths, shops, temples, and all places of concourse were shut up, and the whole city put on a face of sorrow; the senators laid aside the laticlave, and the consuls sat in a lower seat than ordinary. This was the custom of Athens also, and was observed upon the death of Socrates not long after he had been sentenced to death by their judges.

Prayse, or mourning women, (by the Greeks called Σεβαστοί ἐπικοινωνοί), went about the streets: this was customary