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can be expofed, and even under the veil of night, 

 there palTes nothing which trangreffes the rules of 

 the molt rigid decorum, and that not a word is 

 uttered which can offend the chafteft ear. I flatter 

 myfelf your Grace will not be offended, that I do 

 not enter into the fame detail on this fubject with 

 other authors ; and efpecially as all they have faid 

 contributes nothing to the credit of their ac- 

 counts. 



I find many different relations with regard to the 

 preliminaries and ceremonies of marriage amongft 

 thefe nations ; whether this proceeds from the dif- 

 ferent cuftoms of different nations, or from the 

 want of care in thofe authors to inform themfelves 

 exactly in thofe points ; befides the whole of it 

 .feemed to me fo little v/orthy your curiofity, that 

 1 believed I ought not to take up your time with 

 it. It is the bridegroom who is to make the pre- 

 fents, in which, as indeed in every thing elfe, no- 

 thing can exceed the refpect and decorum he mews 

 his intended fpoufe ; in fome places the young 

 man goes and feats himfelf by the fide of the girl 

 in her own cabbin, which if fhe fuffers without 

 ftirring from her place, fhe is held as confenting 

 and the marriage is concluded ; but through all 

 this difference and refpecl he lets it plainly be feen, 

 that he is foon to be the mailer. 



In effect amongft: the prefents fhe receives, there 

 are fome which ought lefs to be underftood as tefti- 

 monies of friendfhip, than as fo many fymbols and 

 admonitions of the flavery, to which fhe is going 

 to be reduced ; fuch are the collar or flraps for 

 carrying burthens, the kettle and a faggot, which 

 are carried into her cabbin ; this is done in order 

 to give her to underftand, that it is to be her of- 



