The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 3Browne, Thomas, Sir
Religion
The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 3
Browne, Thomas, Sir
Christianity; Ethics; Religion and medicine
Urnal enterrments, and burnt Reliques lye not in fear of worms, or to be
an heritage for Serpents; In carnal sepulture, corruptions seem peculiar
unto parts, and some speak of snakes out of the spinal marrow. But while
we suppose common wormes in graves, 'tis not easie to finde any there;
few in Church-yards above a foot deep, fewer or none in Churches, though
in fresh decayed bodies. Teeth, bones, and hair, give the most lasting
defiance to corruption. In an Hydropical body ten years buried in a
Church yard, we met with a fat concretion, where the nitre of the Earth,
and the salt and lixivious liquor of the body, had coagulated large
lumps of fat, into the consistence of the hardest castle-soap; whereof
part remaineth with us. After a battle with the _Persians_, the _Romane_
Corps decayed in few dayes, while the _Persian_ bodies remained dry and
uncorrupted. Bodies in the same ground do not uniformly dissolve, nor
bones equally moulder; whereof in the opprobrious disease we expect no
long duration. The body of the Marquess of _Dorset_ seemed sound and
handsomely cereclothed, that after seventy eight years was found
uncorrupted.[76] Common Tombs preserve not beyond powder: A firmer
consistence and compage of parts might be expected from Arefaction, deep
burial or Charcoal. The greatest Antiquities of mortal bodies may remain
in petrified bones, whereof, though we take not in the pillar of _Lots_
wife, or Metamorphosis of _Ortelius_,[77] some may be older then
Pyramids, in the petrified Reliques of the general inundation. When
_Alexander_ opened the Tomb of _Cyrus_, the remaining bones discovered
his proportion, whereof urnal fragments afford but a bad conjecture, and
have this disadvantage of grave enterrments, that they leave us ignorant
of most personal discoveries. For since bones afford not only rectitude
and stability, but figure unto the body; It is no impossible Physiognomy
to conjecture at fleshly appendencies; and after what shape the muscles
and carnous parts might hang in their full consistences. A full spread
_Cariola_ shews a well-shaped horse behinde, handsome formed sculls,
give some analogy of flesh resemblance. A critical view of bones makes a
good distinction of sexes. Even colour is not beyond conjecture, since
it is hard to be deceived in the distinction of _Negro's_ sculls.
_Dantes_[78] Characters are to be found in sculls as well as faces.
_Hercules_ is not onely known by his foot. Other parts make out their
comproportions, and inferences upon whole, or parts. And since the
dimensions of the head measure the whole body, and the figure thereof
gives conjecture of the principal faculties; Physiognomy out-lives our
selves, and ends not in our graves.
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