MARK X A G E, 
cenfommation of the marriage, they fent the bride’s moue¬ 
ables and jewels from the feraill to the bridegroom’s lodg¬ 
ing, with this order and (irate that follovveth : Firft there 
marched five hundred janizaries on foot, being followed 
by the grand prouoft of Cbn'ftantinople, and the general 
furueiour, both on horfebacke, and attired in cloth of 
gold : the aga or colonell of tire janizaries, verie proudly 
adorned and enuironed with fome janizaries, marched 
alone on horfebacke: after thefe, two hundred men of 
qualitie, well mounted and richly attired, followed with a 
flow pace. The laft which marc lu in this pompe or cere- 
monie, were the talifmans, centons, emirs, and other mi- 
nifters of Mahomet’s clergie. And prefently followed after 
the baffa Achmat deftardaorhigb treafurer, who conduced 
the moueables, as chofen by the fultan to be godfather 
or fagois to the bride, being enuironed with twelve foot¬ 
men attired in long robes of gold. After him followed 
the moueables, apparel!, and jewels, which made the 
bride’s truffe, having in the head excellent muficke, after 
the Turkifii manner, of hoboyes and kettledrums on 
horfebacke. Thefe moueables, or this truffe, confuted of 
twc-nty-feven prefents. Tire firft was a little hat all of 
gold, covered with precious fton.es, and with pantofles or 
women’s fhoes after the Turkifh fafiiion of pure gold, en- 
richt with turquoifes and rubies : a booke of Mahomet’s 
law', the couering whereof was of maffie gold all fet wdth 
diamonds ; many bracelets and other rare deuices for wo¬ 
men, of pure gold, with many precious (tones: a little 
coder a cubit long, and halfe as broade, all of chriftall of 
the rocke, having the corners of gold, in the which were 
to be feene great diamonds and huge pearles to the value 
of 80,000 pounds llerling. After this precious coffer were 
carried many fmockes embroidered with gold and pearle, 
and headbands for the forehead, with many robes of 
cioath of gold. All this was diftributed into twenty-fe- 
ven prefents, as we haue faid, and carried by twenty-feven 
men on foot. After thefe prefents followed eleven caro- 
ches (coaches) full of yong maidens, (laues to ferae the 
bride ; thefe caroches were couered and (hut, and either 
of them attended by two eunuchs, Moores: after thefe 
followed twenty-eight virgins, flaues, attired in cloth of 
gold, and accompanied by twenty-eight blacke eunuchts 
all on horfebacke, and richly clad. After which were 
feene 240 mules, loaden with tents of tapiftrie, cioath of 
gold, fatin, veluet, with the ground of gold, with many 
culhions, which are the chaires the ladies of Turkie ufe, 
with many other rich and fumptuous moueables. 
“ The marriage-day being come, the bride was con¬ 
duced to her hufband’s lodging with no lefs pompe and 
flate than her moueables. The janizaries marched firft, 
as they had formerly done, being followed by the grand 
prouoft, the furueior, their aga, and many other officers of 
the Port. The emirs (who are defcended from Mahomet, 
and alone carrie greene turbans) marched after, to the 
number of eighty. -The name of emir is as much as to 
fay “lord:” they which weare them anfwer not, and 
obey none but their chiefe, called Mirabachi; and their 
voice in judgment (lands for two. They were followed 
by the talifmans, or priefts of Mahomet’s law, and by a 
great number which ftudie it, and which afpire to the 
offices of cadis or judges, and of cadilefqui'ers or muftis. 
The vifiers or fupreme judges of the Turk’s eftate, who 
judge of all affaires in couniell, came after with the grand 
vifier, who is lieutenant-general to the Turkiih emperour 
throughout his whole empire, and keepes the feales of 
the empire. He had on his left hand (which is the mod 
honourable ranke in Turkie) thegrand mufti, or fupreme 
bifiiop of their law. The muficke followed after on horfe¬ 
backe, confiding of thirfie men with drums and hcboies, 
being followed by eight Egyptians, which carried bifcaine 
tabors, and did a thoufand apifti trickes. Thefe were 
followed by forty mufitians, marching two and two, home 
playing of citrons, others of harps, and fome of lutes, 
after the Turkifii .manner. A foole, (held for a fainte 
among them,) being muffled with a cap and cloke couered 
Vol. XIV. No. 984. 
4T)3 
with mutton-bones, danced and fung with thefe inftru- 
ments : fifty of the chiefe officers of the arfenall marcht 
after them, and thirty men with hammers and other iron 
inftruments to breake down whatfoeucr aduanced too far 
in the ftreets, and might hinder the free paffage of two 
trees of an immenfe height, laden with diuers forts of 
fruits all of wax, carried by many men, and fupported 
from the top and the midft with many ropes. After thefe 
trees came twenty officers belonging to Achmat baffa the 
high treafurej, godfather to the bride. And he himfelf 
alone richly attired, and proudly mounted : after whom 
came two great torches light, carried by many (laues, and 
then a third torch of a wonderful! bigneffe, all couered 
with plates of gold, and (hining more with precious ((ones 
than the flame which burns. The raiffer aga, with fifty 
of the princeffes officers, followed thefe lights ; and after 
them was carried a great canopie of crimfon veluet, and 
after it another greater, couered with plates of gold, whole 
curtaines, being 111ut on all fides, hung downe to the 
ground. Vnder this canopie was the princefs on horfe¬ 
backe, with fome of her black eunuches; her caroch fol¬ 
lowed couered with cloth of gold, and drawne by foure 
great white horfes, wonderfull beautifull. Then followed 
eight other caroches, in which a great number of the 
bride’s maids, with many negroes gelt; and finally, twen¬ 
ty-five virgin (laues, chofen among the faireft, all on horfe¬ 
backe, haueing their haire confuiedly banging vpon their 
fhoulders. Such was the pompe of this marriage; but 
many times the nuptual feait is intermixt with funeral! 
mourning. For not many days after the fultan’s fecond 
daughter, promifed to Naffuf baffa, was carried to her 
grave without any pompe or honour: for the Turks 
make no great efteeme of women.” 
In Ruflia, when a marriage is propofed, the lover, ac¬ 
companied by a friend, goes to the houfe of the bride, 
and fays to her mother, “ Show us your merchandife, we 
have got money 5” referring, no doubt, by this exprefflon, 
to the ancient cuftom of buying a wife. And accordingly 
the marriage-contraft is made with mercantile punctuality ; 
the betrothing is performed with ecclefiaftical rites, gene¬ 
rally eight days previous to the marriage, and is indiflo- 
luble. The marriage is folemnized in the church before 
the altar, to which they proceed with the figure of fome 
faint carried before them ; and during the ceremony a 
crown is put on each of the heads of the married pair. 
The prieft, with due forms, changes their rings, adrno- 
niflies them of their reciprocal duties, gives them a cup 
to drink, in token of the union of their fortunes, and 
difmiffes them with his blefling. 
Among the Perfians, marriages are concluded by female 
mediation ; and the ceremonies fomewhat refemble the 
Ruffian. Polygamy is allowed ; but the firft married is the 
chief wife. See the article Law, vol. xii. p. 352. 
By the ancient municipal regulations of Caftille, great 
privileges and exemptions were conferred on married 
perfons who had children; while unmarried men were 
fubjecled to many burdens and privations, and in fome 
places excluded from the offices of magiftracy, and even 
from the common rights of citizens: Tcdo home que en 
Plafencia morare 6 fea vetino 6 morador, 6 Jca fie cn la cibdat 
6 en Ju termino, e mugier con fijos echo menfies non inviere, el 
rejpondd lodes e nadie non rejponda a el. So anxious were 
thefe municipal legiftators to multiply the number of de¬ 
fenders in their little republics, that, repugnant as all illi¬ 
cit connexions of the fexes are to the genius and lpirit of 
Chriftianity, they not merely tolerated, but pofitively en¬ 
couraged, concubinage. Every man, whether married or - 
unmarried, might entertain a harragana, or concubine, 
without fcandal or reproach ; and, though the practice 
was reprobated by the canons of the church, .priefts them- 
felves were tempted to (bare in this indulgence. The 
harragana, though inferior to the lawful yvife, had various 
rights’and privileges fecured to her: La harragana fi prj- 
bclda futre fid d fu fennor, e bitcna, hereae la raeatad que.anias 
en mio ganaren ai viilebles , e en raiz. Where there were no 
5 M legitimate 
