096 



MARRIAGE. 



covered her hair with the villa recta, put on a 

 wreath of flowers, the tunic of matrons, and encircled 

 her \v;ii>t with a woollen zone, tied in a Hercules 

 knot (so called), at which moment she implored 

 the Juno cinxia. A red or fire-coloured veil now 

 covered her face (allusion to bashfulness) ; shoes of 

 a like colour were put on. After the auspices were 

 taken, and sacrifices had been offered to the gods of 

 matrimony, particularly to Juno, the bile being thrown 

 away, the couple seated themselves upon the fleece 

 of the victim, in allusion to the original dress of 

 men, and to the domestic duties of the wife. In the 

 evening, the bride was led home by the bridegroom . 

 The bride rested in the arms of her mother, or one of 

 the next relatives, and the bridegroom carried her 

 off, in allusion to the rape of the Sabines. The 

 bride was led by boys ; others preceded her, bearing 

 torches. The bride (or female slaves) carried dis- 

 taffs, wool, &c. The music of the lyre and the flute 

 accompanied the procession, during which the bride- 

 groom threw walnuts among the people. The bride 

 was lifted, or stepped gently over the threshold of 

 her parents' house, and of that where she entered, 

 this part of the dwelling being sacred to Vesta, the 

 protectress of virgins. These thresholds were orna- 

 mented with flowers, &c. She was followed, or, 

 according to some, preceded by the boy Camillas.* 

 Relations and friends accompanied the procession, 

 where jokes and merriment abounded. Arrived at 

 her new house, she hung woollen bands, as signs of 

 chastity, at the door-posts, and rubbed the posts 

 with the fat of hogs and wolves, to guard against 

 enchantment. Her first step in the house was made 

 on a fleece (symbol of domestic industry). The keys 

 were handed over to her, and both she and the 

 bridegroom touched fire and water, as signs of chas- 

 tity and purity. With the water the feet were 

 washed. In the times of the republic, the bride 

 carried three pieces of the coin called as. One she 

 held in her hand, and gave to the bridegroom, as if 

 purchasing him ; another, lying in her shoe, she put 

 on the hearth of the new house ; the third, which she 

 had in a pocket, she put on a cross-way. After 

 some more ceremonies, followed the wedding meal, 

 accompanied by epilhalamia. The bride was then 

 conducted by matrons, only once married (pronubce), 

 into the nuptial chamber (thalamim) and laid on the 

 bed (genialis leclus). Virgins now sung epithalamia, 

 in praise of the couple, and, in order not to excite 

 Nemesis by such praises, boys used to sing indecorous 

 songs. After the husband had given another feast, 

 (repotia), the wife entered on her new duties. 



Of the marriage rites of the ancient Celtic and 

 German tribes, as little is known as of the ancient 

 Asiatic tribes ; and in the little which is recorded, 

 the ancient authors contradict each other. They are 

 almost unanimous, however, in stating that the cere- 

 mony of buying the wife was customary with them: but 

 it is doubtful whether polygamy existed among them 

 or not. Cassar says it prevailed among the Britons; 

 others say the same of the inhabitants of Spain. 

 The Germans and Gauls seem to have had, generally, 

 but one wife ; yet exceptions are known (for instance, 

 Ariovistus). According to the historian Adam, of 

 Bremen, polygamy was common with the ancient 

 Saxons and people of Ditmarsh. Among the ancient 

 Germans, the marriage of a free person with a slave 

 was punished. If a slave had seduced a free girl, 

 he was beheaded, and she burned. They married 

 late : marriage was prohibited before the twentieth 

 year. The suitor paid a price to the father of the 

 girl, from which, afterwards, the morning gift, so 



* His office was to carry the bride's ornaments, and the amu- 

 leU for the future offspring, in a small box. 



called, originated. If a girl was betrothed, she was 

 watched by the friends of the wooer ; if the latter 

 delayed the marriage longer than two years, the 

 en-aircineiit was dissolved. After marriage, the 

 wife was inseparable from the husband : she followed 

 him to the chase, in war, &c., and often betrayed 

 herself when the husband had fallen. Divorce was 

 very rare; violation of matrimony was punished by 

 death. 



The Mohammedans consider matrimony as a mere 

 civil contract. They practise polygamy. The Mo- 

 hammedans may have four regularly married wives ; 

 they may, besides, purchase concubines (generally 

 Circassian and other slaves) ; they have, also, hired 

 wives, whose obligation to live with a man lasts only 

 for a certain time. Generally, the Mohammedans 

 have but one wife ; the wealthier sort have two ; the 

 very rich, still more. With the Turks, the marriage 

 is concluded upon between the parents, and at the 

 most, the contract is only confirmed before the cadi. 

 Generally, the bridegroom has to buy the bride ; 

 most commonly, they do not see each other before 

 marriage. The bride is conducted on horseback, 

 closely veiled, to the bridegroom. Entertainments 

 follow, and, in the evening, the bride is led, by a 

 eunuch (or, with the poorer classes, by a maid ser- 

 vant), into the bride chamber It is a real misfortune 

 for a Turk to be obliged to marry a daughter of the 

 sultan. He prescribes the present to be made to 

 his daughter ; the husband is obliged to follow her 

 will in all things. He must give so many presents, 

 that he is frequently ruined. 



In Arabia, if a young man is pleased with the 

 appearance of a girl in the street, where the women 

 appear always veiled, he endeavours to get a sight 

 of her face, by procuring admission into a house 

 where she frequently comes, and remaining concealed 

 there by the aid of some kind relatives. If he is 

 pleased, he makes a bargain with the father ; the 

 contract is signed before the sheik. After several 

 ceremonies, baths, entertainments, &c., the Arab 

 awaits his bride in his tent. Matrons conduct her 

 there, where the bride bows, and receives a gold 

 piece pressed on her forehead. She is then carried 

 by him into the interior of the tent. The bride and 

 other women dance around it all night. 



In Barbary, the marriage contract is concluded 

 with the father or some relation, or, in default of 

 them, with the cadi, a price paid for the bride, and a 

 sum assigned for her support in case of divorce. The 

 evening before the marriage, the bridegroom pro- 

 ceeds, on horseback, accompanied by many friends, 

 to the house of the bride. The bride is then carried 

 on a mule, covered with a sort of box (or among the 

 wealthier classes, on a camel, bearing a sort of tent), 

 to the house of the bridegroom. The bridegroom 

 and his friends accompany her, the latter expressing 

 their joy by the discharge of fire-arms. The bride 

 is then conducted to the bridegroom, in a dark apart- 

 ment, and it is not till after the completion of the 

 marriage that he obtains a sight of her face. He 

 cannot go out of the house for eight days ; she, not 

 for two months. Formerly the bridegroom, at the 

 end of the eight days, played the king, and decided 

 a number of petty disputes ; but since the middle of 

 the eighteenth century, when the emperor of Mor- 

 occo had eight of such kings tied to the tails of mules 

 and dragged to death, this custom has ceased. The 

 wedding ceremonies, among the Mohammedans in 

 Hindostan, are similar, only the procession is ac- 

 companied by music and song. 



With the Persians, the bridal purchase-money IF 

 agreed upon by the bridegroom and the father of 

 the bride ; this is either left to the father, or given 

 to the bride in case of divorce. The contract u 



