es,
And what Assyria's wealthy confines send,
And tears, sad offering, to my memory lend.

_Eleg. iii._ 2-17.

The ashes thus collected were then finally deposited in the urn, which
was made of different materials, according to the quality of the dead;
usually of clay or glass, but sometimes of marble, bronze, and even
the precious metals. The ceremony thus over, the praefica gave the
word, _Ilicet_ (the contracted form of _Ire licet_, It is lawful to
go), and the bystanders departed, having been thrice sprinkled with a
branch of olive or laurel dipped in water, to purify them from the
pollution which they had contracted, and repeating thrice the words,
_Vale_, or _Salve_, words of frequent occurrence in monumental
inscriptions, as in one of beautiful simplicity which we quote:

"Farewell, most happy soul of Caia Oppia. We shall follow thee in such
order as may be appointed by nature. Farewell, sweetest mother."

The distinction between cenotaphs and tombs has been already
explained. Cenotaphs, however, were of two sorts: those erected to
persons already duly buried, which were merely honorary, and those
erected to the unburied dead, which had a religious end and efficacy.
This evasion of the penal laws against lying unburied was chiefly
serviceable to persons shipwrecked or slain in war; but all came in
for the benefit of it whose bodies could not be found or identified.
When a cenotaph of the latter class was erected sacrifices were
offered, the names of the deceased were thrice invoked with a loud
voice, as if to summon them to their new abode, and the cenotaph was
hallowed with the same privileges as if the ashes of the deceased
reposed within it.

The heir, however, had not discharged his last duty when he had laid
the body of his predecessor in the tomb; there were still due solemn
rites, and those of an expensive character. The Romans loved to keep
alive the memory of their dead, showing therein a constancy of
affection which does them honor; and not only immediately after the
funeral, but at stated periods from time to time, they celebrated
feasts and offered sacrifices and libations to them. The month of
February was especially set apart for doing honor to the manes, having
obtained that distinction in virtue of being, in old times, the last
month of the year. Private funeral feasts were also celebrated on the
ninth day after death, and indeed at any time, except