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priest, instead of three. The candles, too, rarely, if ever,exceed a dozen at the funerals of the humbler classes (andare provided by the candle-bearers themselves), whereas theyoccasionally reach a score or more at those of the wealthy;and, when the deceased is an unmarried female, maidens inlong black veils are employed to carry the lights.

Another more important funereal distinction is, that thevery rieh have the " Ilof-glocke" (town-bell) tolled at theirdecease, and, though the ringing of tliis bell costs ten thalers(about 30 Shillings), some persons give Orders for it wliilst ontheir death-bed.

Again our customs of the past Century were kindred tothe foregoing. " We have before us," says the author of theEighteenth Century, " an undertaker's bill of a date as lateas September, 1780, for the funeral of a person of the middleclass, which amounts to 611. odd, and contains, among others,the following items:—

£ s. d.

" To 32 men for carrying of ye lights at 2s. 6c?. 4 0 0

To 32 branches for ditto . . . .054

To 68 lbs. ofwax candles for dittoat 3s. per Ib. 10 4 0

To 2 beadles attending ye corps with silk

dressing and gowns, &c. &c. . . 1 10 0."

The priests employed on such occasions are (we wereassured by one who knew them well) great sticklers for theirfees, seldoni or never foregoing a groschen of their «erqui-sites, even in cases of extreme poverty. As an inst&ace ofthis, our friend (who, it should be stated, was himself aPapist) cited a case that had formed part of Ins own expe-rience. A peasant in the Hundsrück lost his wife in child-bed, and, though he was so poor that he could not even pro-vide a cofBn, and the neighbours had each to contribute a ooard