ay bear her to church."

Queen Katharine, in "Henry VIII." (iv. 2), directs:

"When I am dead, good wench,
Let me be us'd with honour: strew me over
With maiden flowers."

It was formerly customary, in various parts of England, to have a
garland of flowers and sweet herbs carried before a maiden's coffin, and
afterwards to suspend it in the church. In allusion to this practice,
the Priest, in "Hamlet" (v. 1), says:

"Yet here she is allow'd her virgin crants,
Her maiden strewments, and the bringing home
Of bell and burial."

--crants[739] meaning garlands. It may be noted that no other instance
has been found of this word in English. These garlands are thus
described by Gay:

"To her sweet mem'ry flow'ry garlands strung,
On her now empty seat aloft were hung."

[739] The word in German is _kranz_, in other Teutonic dialects
_krants_, _krans_, and _crance_--the latter being Lowland
Scotch--and having _cransies_ for plural. Clark and Wright's
"Hamlet," 1876, p. 216.

Nichols, in his "History of Lancashire" (vol. ii. pt. i. p. 382),
speaking of Waltham, in Framland Hundred, says: "In this church, under
every arch, a garland is suspended, one of which is customarily placed
there whenever any young unmarried woman dies." Brand[740] tells us he
saw in the churches of Wolsingham and Stanhope, in the county of Durham,
specimens of these garlands; the form of a woman's glove, cut in white
paper, being hung in the centre of each of them.

[740] "Pop. Antiq." vol. ii. p. 303.

The funerals of knights and persons of rank were, in Shakespeare's day,
performed with great ceremony and ostentation. Sir John Hawkins observes
that "the sword, the helmet, the gauntlets, spurs, and tabard are still
hung over the grave of every knight." In "Hamlet" (iv. 5), Laertes
speaks of this custom:

"His means of death, his obscure burial,--
No trophy, sword, nor hatchment, o'er his bones,
No noble rite, nor formal ostentation,--
Cry to be heard, as 'twere from heaven to earth,
That I must call't in question."

Again, in "2 Henry VI." (iv. 10), Iden says:

"Is't Cade that I have slain, that monstrous traitor?
Sword, I will hallow thee for this thy deed,
And hang thee o'er my tomb when I am dead."

The custom of bearing the dead body in its ordinary habiliments, and
with the face uncovered--a practice referred to in "Romeo and Juliet"
(iv.