EMBALMING, is the opening a dead body, taking out the intestines, and filling the place with odoriferous and desicca tive drugs and spices, to prevent its pu trefying. The Egyptians excelled all other nations in the art of preserving bo dies from corruption ; for some that they have embalmed upwards of 2000 years ago remain whole to this day, and are often brought into other countries as great curiosities. Their manner of em balming was thus ; they scooped the brains with an iron scoop out at the nos trils, and threw in medicaments to fill up the vacuum : they also took out the en trails, and having filled the body with myrrh, cassia, and other- spices, except frankincense, proper to dry up the hu mours, they pickled it in nitre, where it lay soaking for seventy days. The body was then wrapped up in bandages of fine linen and gums, to Make it stick like glue ; and so was delivered to the kin dred of the deceased, entire in all its features, the very hairs of the eye-lids be ing preserved. They used to keep the bodies of their ancestors, thus embalmed, in little houses magnificently adorned, and took great pleasure in beholding them alive, as it were, without any change in their size,features, or complexion. The Egyptians also embalmed birds, &c. The prices for embalming were different ; the highest was a talent, the next 20 mime, and so decreasing to a very small mat ter ; but those who had not wherewithall to answer this expense, contented them selves with infusing, by means of a syringe, through the fundament, a cer tain liquor extracted from the cedar, and, leaving it there, wrapped up the body in salt of nitre : the oil thus preyed upon the intestines, so that, when they took it out, the intestines came away with it, dried, and not in the least putre fied : the body, being inclosed in grew dry, and nothing remained besides the skin glued upon the bones.
The method of embalming used by the modern Egyptians, according Mai tlet, is, to wash the body several urnes with rose-water, which, he elsewhere observes, is more fragrant in that country than w Alt us. They afterwards perfume it with in cense, aloes, and a quantity of other odours, of which they are by no means sparing ; and then they bury the body in a winding-sheet, made partly of silk and partly of cotton, and moistened, as is sup posed, with some sweet-scented water or liquid perfume, though Maillet uses only the term moistened; this they cover with another cloth of unmixed cotton, to which they add one of the richest suds of clothes of the deceased. The expense, he says, on these occasions, is very great, though nothinglike what the genuine em balming cost in former times.