Excerpt from The Elevation Procession of the Ceri at Gubbio: An Account of the Ceremonies, Together With Some Suggestions as to Their Origin, and an Appendix Consisting of the Iguvine Lustration in English
Readers of this Essay may think that its construction neglects the order of history. Instead of proceeding from ancient to modern times, we deal first with the present and find our way back to the remote past. Probably this is the best, because the most natural, and also the most logical, method of dealing with the subject in question. Having observed a remarkable custom, and heard current comments on it, our reflection upon the patent facts leads to questioning. The life of the person celebrated must be our first concern. We should then inquire into the meaning of other ceremonies which history shows were of the same nature as our observance. After dealing with these, and with such parentage as they seem to disclose, we may notice any parallel which appears between them all, and primeval customs. And if we find records of ceremonies anciently observed at the place where the modern custom is followed, we must inquire into these.
The further we look back from the firm position of the present, the less likely is our view to catch traces of an explanation. But rustic rites of little account to our modem social life may be the means of elucidating customs which cannot at once be fully explained. I request the reader, not indeed to favour the following discussion with any kindness or indulgence (for in questions of true interpretation no such attitude is desirable), but to carefully weigh the facts laid before him, and the suggestions made towards their explanation.
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