An abridgement of the notable woorke of Polidore Vergile conteignyng the deuisers and firste finders out as well of artes, ministeries, feactes & ciuill ordinaunces, as of rites, and ceremonies, commo[n]ly vsed in the churche: and the originall beginnyng of the same. Co[m]pendiously gathered by Thomas Langley

❧The .iiii. Chapiter. ¶The beginnyng of mariage and sundry rightes of the same.

GOD after that he had ful¦ly accomplished, and per∣fectly polished the world and the rest of his creatu∣res were in their kind cō∣summate, then (as Moses teacheth) made man last of all, to be lorde and souereigne of the whole bodye of the world, as one to whom the other his worke should be subiect in obedience bycause he was fashioned after his owne lykenes. And lest so worthye a creature should by death peryshe, or the world might wante his gouernor and ruler,* 1.1 it lyked him to make wo∣man out of the bodye of man, and so with the bond of matrimony combi∣ned them together, y^t they should not lyue after the maner of brut beastes: Therefore hath God ioyned Adam & Eue in mariage in Paradyse afore they knewe sinne,* 1.2 that by the cōgres∣sion and company of these two sexes and kyndes, their yssue might be en∣larged & replinishe the whole world.

In this sorte was matrimonye insti∣tuted, albeit antiquitee feyneth Ce∣crops kyng of the Atheniās to haue ordained matrimony,* 1.3 for which cause he was reported to haue had two fa∣ces. But all countries dyd not entre like bond of matrimony,* 1.4 nether kept it after one fashion. For the Numi∣dians, Egiptians, Indians, Hebre∣wes, Persians, Parthians, Thra∣cians, and almost al the Barbarians, euery one accordyng to his substaūce maried wyfes, some .x. some mo. The Scithians, the Scottes, and Atheni∣ens vsed their children and wyfes in common, and occupied with them a∣brode openly lyke beastes, The Mas∣sagites maried euery one a wyfe but they vsed thē cōmonly.* 1.5 Among Ara∣bians it is the maner that al kynsmē should haue but one wife, and he that came to meddle with her, shoulde set his staffe at y^e doore: for their custome was to beare a staffe, albeit she lay e∣uery night by the eldest: by this mea∣nes they were all brethren. An ad∣uouterer was there condemned too death,* 1.6 whiche was perceiued by this if he were of another familie or kyn∣red.

Where chaunced on a tyme a straūge thing worthy to be had in me¦morye,* 1.7 there was a certayne kynges doughter of excellent beutie, whiche had .xv. brethren, that loued her all interely well, and vsed therefore one after another to resorte and compa∣nye with her: she beganne by suche dayly daliaunce to be werye of theyr wanton companye, and deuised this fea••e, she prepared staues lyke her brothers staues, and bi and bi, as one was gone, she set a staffe at the doore lyke to hys, and by that deceyte the other when they came too the doore, supposyng one to be within preased no further: and it fortuned on a day when they were all together in the court, one of them departed from the other and repaired to her house, and when hee espied a staffe at the gate, thinkyng it too be some aduouterer, for he was assured that he lefte hys brethren in the court, he ranne to his father and accused hys syster of ad∣uouterye: but when the matter was knowē, it was perceiued that he had falsely sclaundered her.* 1.8 The Assiri∣ans and y^e Babilonians bought theyr

wyues in open market at a common pryce, whiche custome among the Sa¦racens and Arabiens yet styl remay∣neth.* 1.9 The Nasamones when they be fyrst maried, vse to suffer their wifes the fyrst night to lye with all her ge∣stes, in the worshyp of Venus, & from thencefurth they kepe them selues chast, and pure of liuyng. A certayn people of the Carthagens, whiche border on Egypt, were wont to offre suche maydes as should bee maryed to the kyng of that regiō, to defloure whom it pleased him.* 1.10 In Scotland also the vsage was that the Lorde of the soile should lye with the bryde a∣fore her husbande: but for somuche as it was vnsittyng to be frequented among Christians,* 1.11 their kyng Mal∣colme the third of that name aboute the yere of our Lorde .M.xcix. dyd a∣bolishe that beastly abhominacion, & ordeyned that euerye mayde should geue the Lorde for the redempcion of her maydenheade a croune of golde.* 1.12 Some people liued single, as certain nacions called Cristae & Esseni amōg the Hebrues, whiche did abhorre the calamities and trouble in Mariage.

Wedlocke was obserued syncerelye and reuerently of the Romaynes tyl deuorcement began,* 1.13 which although it be an occasion that women should more earnestly keape theyr chastitee, yet our religion doth scarcely permit it. One Spurius Seruilius,* 1.14 the yere after the cytie was foūded. CCCCC.xxii. (Marcus Pomponius and Cai∣us Papirius beyng Consulles) fyrste sued a deuorce frō his wyfe, because she was barren: for whiche facte al∣beit he toke openly another afore the censoures that he dyd it because too haue yssue, yet he was among the co∣mon sorte euyl spoken of. This de∣cre of deuorcyng was takē out of the lawes of Moses,* 1.15 which made y^e fyrst constitucion of that matter, yet was there thys dyfference, for by Moses it was onely lawful for the husband to forsake his wyfe, but the Romay∣nes decree gaue theim bothe lyke ly∣bertye.* 1.16 The rytes of Mariage were diuers in Rome, the maner was that two chyldren should leade the bryde and another bare afore her a torche of whyte thorne in worshyppe of Ce∣res, that lyke as she wyth fruytes of

the yearth dothe noryshe menne: so the newe Bryde lyke an housewyfe shuld bryng vp her children. Whiche maner is vsed in Englande, sauyng y^t in steade of the torche, there is borne here a basen of siluer or golde before. A garlande also of corne eares was set on her heade: or elles she bare it in her hande, or if that were not, when she came home whea••e was scatered abroade ouer her heade in tokenyng of plentie and fruytfulnesse. Also a∣fore she came to bedde to her hus∣bande Fyre and Water were geuen her,* 1.17 whiche haue powre too puryfye and clense: sygnifiyng thereby that she should be chast and honeste of her body. There were besydes these dy∣uerse rytes whiche I omit.* 1.18 The mai∣des of Grece and Rome (as it maye appeare by Homere and Catullus) vsed customablye to gyrde their pre∣uitie with a lase or swathell tyll the daye of their mariage. The Bryde anoynted the poostes of the doores wyth swynes grease, because she thought by that meanes to dryue a∣waye all misfortune, wherof she had her name in Latyn * 1.19. Neither might

she step ouer the thresholde, but must be borne ouer, to declare that she lo∣seth her Virginitie vnwillyngly, with manye other supersticious cere∣monies whiche be to long to reherse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Institucion of wedlocke.
• * 1.2

  Mariage beganne in paradise.
• * 1.3

  Cecrops.
• * 1.4

  The maners of diuers na∣cions in ma∣riages.
• * 1.5

  Massagites. Arabians.
• * 1.6

  Punishment for aduoutry
• * 1.7

  A storye.
• * 1.8

  Biyng of wi∣ues.
• * 1.9

  Nasamones.
• * 1.10

  The vse of Scotland.
• * 1.11

  Malcolme kyng of the Scottes.
• * 1.12

  Single liuers
• * 1.13

  Deuorcemēt.
• * 1.14

  Spurius Seruilius.
• * 1.15

  Moses ordei∣ned deuorce∣mentes.
• * 1.16

  Rites of ma∣riages▪
• * 1.17

  Fyre and wa¦ter geuen in token of cha∣stitee.
• * 1.18

  Maydes of Rome and Grece.
• * 1.19

  Vxor abvn gendo.