Under the old _régime_, there was no medium in them; they were either
very indecorous or very expensive. I have been positively assured
that eighteen francs were paid for what was called a parish-funeral,
and not unfrequently a quarrel arose between the agent of the rector
and the relations of the deceased. However, as it was necessary to
bury every one, the _Commissaire de police_ declared the fact, if the
relations were unable to pay. Those for whom eighteen francs were
paid, had a coffin in which they were buried; the others were laid in
a common coffin or shell, from which they were taken to be put into
the ground. In a parish-funeral, whether paid or not, several dead
bodies were assembled, that is, they were carried one after the
other, but at the same time to the same ground. They were conducted
by a single priest, reciting by the way the accustomed prayers.
Other funerals were varied without end, according to the fortune or
pleasure of the relations. For persons of the richest class, a
flaming chapel was constructed at the entrance of the house. This
chapel was hung with black cloth, and in it was placed the corpse,
surrounded by lighted torches. The apartments were also hung with
black for the reception of the persons who were to attend the funeral
procession. The priests came to conduct the corpse from the house of
the deceased. They were more or less numerous, had or had not wax
tapers, according to the will of those who defrayed the expenses. If
the presentation of the corpse at the parish-church took place in the
morning, a mass was sung; if in the evening, obsequies only were
chaunted, and the former service was deferred till the next morning.
The relations and friends, in mourning, followed the corpse. These
persons walked in the procession, according to their degree of
relationship to the deceased, and besides their complete
mourning-suit, wore a black cloak, more or less long, according to
the quality of the persons (or the price paid for it), and a flapped
hat, from which was suspended a very long crape band. Their hair,
unpowdered, fell loose on their back. In lieu of a cloak, lawyers,
whether presidents, counsellors, attornies, or tipstaffs, wore their
black gown. On the cuff of their coat, men wore weepers, consisting
of a band of cambric. Every one wore black gloves, and likewise a
long pendent white cravat. People of the highest rank wore _cottés
crépés_, that is, a sort of crape petticoat, which fell from the
waist to the feet. This was meant to represent the ancient coat of
arms.
Servants in mourning, or pages for princes, supported the train of
the cloak or gown of persons above the common rank. Other servants,
also in mourning, surrounded the relations and friends of the
deceased, holding torches with his armorial bearings, if he was a
_noble_. Persons extremely rich or very elevated in rank, hired a
certain number of poor (from fifty to three hundred), over whom were
thrown several ells of coarse iron gray cloth, to which no particular
form was given. They walked before the corpse, holding large lighted
torches. The procession was closed by the carriages of persons
belonging to it; and their owners did not get into them till their
return from the funeral. Sometimes on coming out of the
parish-church, where the presentation of the corpse was
indispensable, the rector performing the office of magistrate in
regard to the delivery of the certificate of presentation, the
corpse was carried into a particular church to be buried. This was
become uncommon before the revolution, as to do this it was
necessary to possess a vault, or pay extremely dear, it being
prohibited by law, except in such cases, to bury the dead in
churches.
When the deceased belonged to a society or corporation, they sent a
deputation to attend him to the grave, or followed in a body, if he
was their chief. At the funeral of a prince of the blood, all his
household, civil and military, marched in the procession. The
_corbillard_, or sort of hearse, in which his highness was carried to
_St. Denis_, was almost as large as the moveable theatre which Mr.
Flockton transports from fair to fair in England. Calculated in
appearance for carrying the body of a giant, it was decorated with
escutcheons, and drawn by eight horses, also caparisoned to
correspond with the hearse. These, however, were but the trappings of
woe.
While this funereal car moved slowly forward amidst a concourse of
mourners, its three-fold hangings concealed from the eye of the
observer the journeymen coach and harness makers, drinking, and
playing at dice on the lid of his highness's coffin, by way of
dispelling the _ennui_ of the journey. These careless fellows were
placed there to be at hand to repair any accident that might happen
on the road; so, while, on the outside of the hearse, all wore the
appearance of sadness; within, all was mirth; no bad image of the
reverse of grandeur and the emptiness of human ostentation.
Such were the ceremonies observed in funerals before the revolution.
Passing over the interval, from its commencement in 1789 to the end
of the year 1801, I shall describe those practised at the present
day. It now depends on the relations to have the corpse presented at
the parish-church; but there are many persons who dispense with this
ceremony. The priests receive the corpse at the door of the church.
It is carried thither in a _corbillard_. Each municipality has its
own, and there are twelve municipalities in Paris. Some of them have
adopted the Egyptian style; some, the Greek; and others, the Roman,
for the fashion of their _corbillard_, according to the taste of the
municipality who ordered its construction. It is drawn by two horses
abreast, caparisoned somewhat like those of our hearses. The coachman
and the four bearers are clothed in iron gray or black. An officer of
the police, also clothed in black, and holding a cane with an ivory
head, walks before the _corbillard_ or hearse. Each corpse has its
particular coffin furnished by the municipality. Arrangements have
been so made that the rich are made to pay for the poor. The coffin
is covered with a black cloth, without a cross, for fear of scaring
philosophers and protestants. The relations follow on foot, or in
carriages, even in town. Few of them are in mourning, and still fewer
wear a cloak.
At the _Sainte Chapelle_, near the _Palais de Justice_, is a private
establishment where, mourning is let out for hire. Here are to be had
_corbillards_ on a more elegant plan. These are carriages hung on
springs, and bearing much resemblance to our most fashionable
sociables with a standing awning; so much so, that the first of them
I saw I mistook for a _mourning_ sociable. Some are ornamented with
black feathers. Caparisons, hangings, every thing is in black, as
well as the coachman. This speculator also lets out mourning coaches,
black without and within, like those in use in London. At a few
funerals, these are hired for the mourners, and at a recent one,
fifteen of these carriages were counted in the procession. However,
this luxury of burials is not entirely come again into fashion. In
the inside of the church, every thing passes as formerly.
I shall now proceed from the _grave_ to the _gay_, and conclude this
letter with a concise observation on