Motraye, Aubry de la: Travels through Europe, Asia, and into part of Africa. London, 1732, 3 vol.

 Lamentations of Jews

1707

The Jews have Motions something like Dancing, and make no less Noise than the afore-mention’d, seeming not so much to cry as to scold; for Instance, if the Person deceas’d is a married Man, one may hear his Wife, with many of her Friends, cry to him, Why didst thou die? He, he, he, he - hadst thou not a faithful Wife that loved thee only? Hu, Hu, Hu, Hu - hadst thou not a long Pipe with the best Tobacco? Hu, hu, hu, hu - which she herself lighted for thee? And at every Question she adds generally, why didst thou die? And the other Women make the Chorus, repeating the same with a great Noise and many Ha, he, hi, ho, hu &c. with many other Questions according to the Condition of the Deceased.