ring spark of life, extinguishing it as the
ebbing sea recedes."

We may compare, too, the following passage in "2 Henry IV." (iv. 4),
where Clarence, speaking of the approaching death of the king, says:

"The river hath thrice flow'd, no ebb between;
And the old folk, time's doting chronicles,
Say it did so a little time before
That our great grandsire, Edward, sick'd and died."

This was an historical fact, having happened on October 12, 1411.

The prayers of the Church, which are used for the recovery of the sick,
were, in the olden time, also supposed to have a morbific influence, to
which Gloster attributes the death of the king in "1 Henry VI." (i. 1):

"The church! where is it? Had not churchmen pray'd,
His thread of life had not so soon decay'd."

Once more, the custom of closing the eyes at the moment of death is
touchingly referred to in "Antony and Cleopatra" (v. 2), where Charmian
may be supposed to close Cleopatra's eyes:

"Downy windows, close;
And golden Phoebus never be beheld
Of eyes again so royal."

Passing on from that solemn moment in human life when the soul takes its
flight from the fragile tenement of clay that contained it during its
earthly existence, we find that, even among the lowest savages, there
has generally been a certain respect paid to the dead body; and,
consequently, various superstitious rites have, from time to time, been
associated with its burial, which has been so appropriately termed "the
last act." While occasionally speaking of death, Shakespeare has not
only pictured its solemnity in the most powerful and glowing language,
but, as opportunity allowed, given us a slight insight into those
customs that formerly prevailed in connection with the committal of the
body to its final resting-place in the grave. At the present day, when
there is an ever-growing tendency to discard and forget, as irrational
and foolish, the customs of bygone years, it is interesting to find
chronicled, for all future time, in the immortal pages of our
illustrious poet, those superstitious rites and social usages which may
be said to have been most intimately identified with the age to which
they belonged. One custom, perhaps, that will always retain its old
hold among us--so long as we continue to bury the remains of our departed
ones--is the scattering of flowers on their graves; a practice, indeed,
which may be traced up to pagan times. It is f