ad. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1558. 



in the streetes crie out and make a noyse in the meane 

 time, with very dishonest wordes. 



When they come home, the wife is set at the upper 

 end of the table, and the husband next unto her : they 

 fall then to drinking till they bee all drunke, they per- 

 chance have a minstrell or two, and two naked men, 

 which led her from the Church daunce naked a long 

 time before all the companie. When they are wearie 

 of drinking, the bride and the bridegrome get them 

 to bed, for it is in the evening alwayes when any of 

 them are married : and when they are going to bedde, 

 the bridegrome putteth certain money both golde and 

 silver, if he have it, into one of his boots, and then 

 sitteth down in the chamber, crossing his legges, and 

 then the bride must plucke off one of his boots, which 

 she will, and if she happen on the boote wherein the 

 money is, she hath not onely the money for her labor, 

 but is also at such choyse, as she need not ever from 

 that day forth to pul off his boots, but if she misse the 

 boot wherin the money is, she doth not onely loose 

 the money, but is also bound from that day forwards 

 to pull off his boots continually. 



Then they continue in drinking and making good 

 cheere three daies following, being accompanied with 

 certaine of their friends, and during the same three daies 

 he is called a Duke, & shee a dutches, although they 

 be very poore persons, and this is as much as I have 

 learned of their matrimony : but one common rule is 

 amongst them, if the woman be not beaten with the 

 whip once a weeke, she will not be good, and therefore 

 they looke for it orderly, & the women say, that if 

 their husbands did not beate them, they should not 

 love them. 



They use to marry there very yong, their sonnes at 

 16. and 18. yeeres olde, and the daughters at 12. or 

 13. yeeres or yonger : they use to keepe their wives 



[I. 3 2 3-] very closely, 1 meane those that be of any reputation, 

 so that a man shall not see one of them but at a chance, 



446 



