Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 May 1895 — The First Wills. [ARTICLE]

The First Wills.

Wills were at first oral, as were also gifts of lands, and were only morally binding on the survivors. Origen and other fathers of the early church credited Noah with having made tt will, and In the fourth century the Bishop of Brescia declared all those heretical who denied Noah’s division of the world to his three sous by will. The oldest known wills are those of Egypt. Both oral aud written wills-not infrequently contained Imprecations on those who should neglect them. The earliest written will.ln existence Is that of Sennacherib, which was found In the Royal Library of Ivouyunjik. There is a great satneuess about our own royal wills. They mainly relate to beds, beddlug, clothes, personal ornaments, gold and silver cups, and payments for masses, and are generally as prosaic as one could contrive.— The Westminster Review.