259 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 
suffered to overtake the bride; he leads her away in triumph, and the 
scene is concluded with feasting and festivity.” 
Similar survivals are to be found in different branches of the Teutonie 
race. Language, scientifically studied, is beginning to yield a rich harvest 
of pre-historie knowledge: I am told that the word for marriage is, in old 
German, brüt-laufti, and in old Norse, quan fang; and that the meaning of 
these words is bride-lifting, bride-cate hing, bride-racing. The Scotch still 
speak of cattle-lifting, and eattle-lifter; and in some dialects of northern 
Europe the bridegroom is styled the bride-lifter ; and the meaning in the 
two cases is, no doubt, the same—carrying off by violence. Even in the 
Britain of our day this mock imitation of marriage by capture still exists, 
but smoothed and attenuated into a piece of fun and frolie all but unin- 
telligible. Amongst ourselves, the marriage ceremony and luncheon being 
over, the newly-married pair prepare to leave; and, as they are moving 
towards the door, a cannonade of slippers, old shoes, ete., opens upon them. 
There ean be no doubt there is a survival of marriage by capture in the 
ceremony of the slippers thrown in mock anger after the bride and bride- 
groom. 
2. The ring which is put on a woman's finger in the marriage ceremony 
has given rise to many poetic fancies. It has become associated with a 
multitude of fine thoughts and sentiments. It is put on the third finger of 
the left hand, because, it is said, fiom that finger, and that alone, there 
runs a nerve direct to the heart. The ring being round, and having no end, 
is regarded as an emblem of the love then pledged, a love fondly fancied 
at the time to be everlasting. Passing from the realm of F ancy to that of 
Fact, I must state that the marriage-ring, like the ear-ring, is a relic of the 
remote past, a survival from the times of capture and slavery. Among the 
ancient Jews, and other nations, the ears were bored of those who had 
become slaves, and rings were hung in them. This custom, belonging to 
the days of slavery, is perpetuated in the ear-rings of our times. And, 
painful as it is to disillusionize poetic minds, I must state the truth, that 
the wedding-ring is traceable to the same servile origin. ** What," asks 
Max Müller, Vol. II., p. 285, “ What is the meaning of the wedding-ring 
which the wife has to wear? There is no authority for it either in the Old 
or New Testament. It is simply a heathen custom, whether Roman or 
Teutonie we shall not attempt to decide, but originally expressive of the 
fetter by which the wife was tied to her husband." 
9. There is a wide-spread prejudice against being married in May. This 
prejudiee or superstition has been noted in most of the countries included 
in the Roman empire, and wherever Europeans have colonized. Now why 
"should marriages be held objectionable in May more than in any other 
