Then weave thy chaplet of flowers, and strew the beauties of
nature about the grave; console thy broken spirit, if thou canst, with
these tender, yet futile tributes of regret; but take warning by the
bitterness of this thy contrite affliction over the dead, and
henceforth be more faithful and affectionate in the discharge of thy
duties to the living.
In writing the preceding article, it was not intended to give a full
detail of the funeral customs of the English peasantry, but merely
to furnish a few hints and quotations illustrative of particular
rites, to be appended, by way of note, to another paper, which has
been withheld. The article swelled insensibly into its present form,
and this is mentioned as an apology for so brief and casual a notice
of these usages, after they have been amply and learnedly investigated
in other works.
I must observe, also, that I am well aware that this custom of
adorning graves with flowers prevails in other countries besides
England. Indeed, in some it is much more general, and is observed even
by the rich and fashionable; but it is then apt to lose its
simplicity, and to degenerate into affectation.
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