in Roman antiquity, a piece of money put into the mouth of a person deceased, to enable him to pay Charon the ferryman for his passage. It was to be of the current coin of the reigning emperor; so that from this money the time of the person's death may be known. The sum for poor men was a farthing, but the rich in general were very liberal to Charon, as appears from the number of coins often found in the neighbourhood of Rome on opening the graves of great men. Charon was looked upon as a very morose and obstinate old fellow, who would not carry over any man without his fare; and hence the proverbial use of that verse in Juvenal,

Furor est post omnia perdere nauam.

A similar custom took place among the Greeks: The money put into the mouth of the deceased was by them called Δάκρυα.