MAR 
MARR, a divifion of the county of Aberdeen, in Scot¬ 
land, towards the fouth, between the rivers Dee and Don. 
MARRABOO', a town of Africa, in the kingdom of 
Bambarra, on the Niger; a confiderable mart for fait, 
which the Moors bring to fell to the Negroes. It is 150 
miles fouth-weft of Sego. Lat. 12. 50. N. Ion. 5. 10. W. 
MARRAC'CI. See Maracci, p. 325- 
MARRA'DI, a town of Etruria; north-north-eaft of 
Florence. 
MAR'RAH, a town of Syria, anciently alfo called Arra 
Maronias. This town was fuppofed to be inhabited by 
the Maratocupreni, and deftroyed by the emperor Valens, 
on account of the devaftations they committed through¬ 
out the whole country. It is a mean town, governed by 
an independent aga, to whom the Franks pay a caphar, 
or toll. It is thirty miles north of Hama, and forty fouth- 
weft of Aleppo. 
MAR'RAM,/ in botany. See Arundo. 
MARRA'T, a town of France, in the department of 
the Puy de Dome : nine miles fouth of Thiers. 
MAR'RER, f. One who fpoils or hurts any thing.— 
You be indeed makers, or marrers, of all men’s manners 
within the realm. Afcham's Schoolmajler. 
MAR'RIAGE,/. [marriage, Fr. maritagium, low Lat. 
from maritus.] The a£l of uniting a man and woman for 
life.—Some married perfons, even in their marriage, do 
better pleafe God than fome virgins in a Hate of virginity : 
they, by giving great'examples of conjugal affection, by 
preferving their faith unbroken, and by educating chil¬ 
dren in the fear of God, pleafe God in a higher degree 
than thofe virgins whofe piety is not anfwerable to their 
opportunities. Taylor, 
If that thy bent of love be honourable, 
Thy purpofe marriage, fend me word to-morrow. Shake/p. 
The eflence of marriage confifts in the mutual confent 
of the parties. Marriage is a part of the law of nations, 
and is in ufe among all people. The Romanifts account 
it a facrament. 
The public ufe of marriage-inftitutions confifts, accord¬ 
ing to archdeacon Paley, (Philof. vol. i.) in their pro¬ 
moting the following beneficial effefts; x. The private 
•comfort of individuals. 2. The production of the greateft 
number of healthy children, their better education, and 
the making of due provifion for their fettlement in life. 
3. The peace of human fociety, in cutting off a principal 
fource of contention, by afligning one or more women to 
one man, and protecting his exclufive right by far.ftions 
of morality and law. 4. The better government of fo¬ 
ciety, by diftributing the community into feparate fami¬ 
lies, and appointing over each the authority of a matter 
of a family, which has more aClual influence than all civil 
authority put together. 5. The additional fecurity which 
the ftate receives for the good behaviour of its citizens, 
from the folicitude they feel for the welfare of their chil¬ 
dren, and from their being confined to permanent habita¬ 
tions. 6. The encouragement of induftry. 
Marriage among the Hebrews is a matter of ftriCl obli- 
gation. They underftand literally, and as a precept, the 
words uttered to our firft parents, (Gen. i. 28.) Be fruit¬ 
ful, and multiply , and replenijh the earth. They believe that 
lie who does not marry his children, deprives God of the 
glory due to him, becomes in fome fort a homicide, de- 
Itroys the image of the firft man, See, See. The following 
queftion is moved in the Talmud : “ Who is he that prof- 
titutes his daughter?” It is anfwered, “ The father that 
keeps her too long in his houfe, or that marries her to an 
old man.” The age at which wedlock becomes an obliga¬ 
tion is at twenty years; but the Jews ufually marry their 
children fooner. However, if a father marries his daugh¬ 
ter before the age of puberty, which is at twelve years 
and a half, (he may be feparated from her liufband for any 
flight difguft. 
In the firft ages, marriage between brothers and filters 
was neceflary, becaufe of the fmall aumber of perfons 
VOI. XIV. No. 983, 
MAR 4 or> 
then in the world. After mankind was become numerous, 
they were unlawful; and were prohibited under great pe¬ 
nalties. However, the patriarchs (till efpoufed their near 
relations, even after the world was greatly peopled, intend¬ 
ing by this to avoid alliances with families corrupted by the 
worfhip of falfe gods. For this reafou, Abraham married 
his After, or his niece, Sarah ; and alfo fent his (teward 
Eliezer to fetch a wife for his fon from the daughters of 
his nephews; and Jacob efpoufed his couiins, the daugh¬ 
ters of his uncle. See the article Law, vol. xi. p. 338. 
The Hebrews generally married young. According to 
the rabbins, men fliould marry at eighteen; and whoever 
is not married at that age offends againft the command¬ 
ment given by God to increafe and multiply. They may 
anticipate this age, but fliould not exceed it. After thir¬ 
teen years they may marry; and they think a man cannot 
live in celibacy without fin, or at lead without great dan¬ 
ger of fin. Their maidens are contracted very early; but 
not married till after twelve years complete. Whence 
come thefe expreflions. The Jpoufe of one's youth, or one 
efpoufed in our youth ; and the guide of one's youth, (Prov. ii. 
17.) exprefling a hulband married young. From thefe 
principles it is eafy to account why celibacy and barren- 
nefs were a reproach in Ifrael; and why the daughter of 
Jepthah went to bewail her virginity, Jud. xi. 37. i. e. to 
deplore her condition, becaufe (lie was to die unmarried 
and childlefs. Hence proceeds their exaftnefs in caufing 
the brother of a hulband who died without iflue to marry 
the widow ; and the difgrace that attended him who fliould 
refufe this duty. Gen. xxxviii. j 1. Ruth iv.5. Hence thofe 
threatenings of the Lord by Ifaiah, (iv. 1.) And in that 
day feven women fhall take hold of one man, faying. We will eat 
our own bread, and wear our own apparel ; only let us be called 
by thy name, to take away our reproach ; that we may have 
to fay—fuch an one is our hulband 5 and that we may 
no longer be regarded with contempt. See alfo Jeremiah 
xxxi. 22. and Solomon’s Song, viii. r. 
Maids before their marriage feldom appeared in public. 
They were called alma, virgin, “ fecret, (hut up.” Often¬ 
times they were fought in marriage, without having feen 
the perfons who defired them. Jefus the fon of Sirach 
lays, Ecclefiafticus xlii. 2. The father waketh for the daugh¬ 
ter when no man knoweth, and the care for her taketh away 
feep: when Jhe is young, lejl jhe pafs away the fower of her age, 
[without being demanded in marriage;] and, being married , 
lejl fie be hated. We may fee the manner in which a daugh¬ 
ter was demanded in marriage, in the addrefs of Hamor 
the father of Shechem, and of Shechem himfelf, when he 
demanded Dinah of Jacob, (Gen. xxxv. 8, 11, 12, See.) 
The foul of my fon Shechem longeth for your daughter-, l pray 
you give her him to wife. Let me find grace in your eyes, and 
what ye flail fay unto me I will give. AJk me never fo muck 
dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye fall fay unto 
me ; but give me the damfel to wife. See alfo, in Genefis xxiv. 
33. the manner in which Eliezer makes a demand of Re- 
bekah for Ifaac; and in Tobit, viii. 10, 11. the demand 
that Tobias made of Sara the daughter of Raguel; and 
laftly. Song of Solomon, viii. 8. What fall we do for our 
ffer in the day when fe fall be fpoken for? i. e. when her 
family (hall be fpoken to, in order to her marriage. The 
hulband ufed to give a dowry to his wife; it was a kind 
of purchafe made by the man, of the perfon whom he de¬ 
fired to marry. Before the contraft, they agreed on what 
portion the liufband fliould give his bride, and his pre- 
fents to her father and brethren. So Hamor, father of 
Shechem, tells Jacob and his fons, that they might alk 
what portion and what prefents they pleafed, and they 
would gladly give it for Dinah. Jacob ferves feven years 
for Rachel, and feven more for Leah; (Gen. xxix.) and 
the two filters complain, fome years afterwards, that their 
father Laban had applied their portions to his own ufe; 
(Gen. xxxi. 15.) Saul did not give his daughter Michal 
to David, till after he had received one hundred forelkins 
of the Phililtines. When it was infinuated to. David that 
he might be the king’s fon-in-law, he anfwered, that he 
5 L was 
