This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
Our Discipline looking upon the marriage of a man with his Wifes Aunt to be Incestuous, it hath reason not to suffer it to be celebrated in the midst of us, whatever permission the Magistrate may give for the same, because the Authority of the Magistrate cannot render a marri∣age lawful which of it self is Incestuous. The Ancient Cannons have not fully explained themselves on this mat∣ter,
nevertheless they have so well understood the nature of Incestuous marriages, that I make no doubt but they would have included in the number that which we Ex∣amine; at least it appears to me it may be so gather'd from their conduct in such like Occasions. However it be, I can't tell, but Pope Zachary, who condemn'd the marriage with the Widow of his Uncle, would also have condem∣ned it with the Aunt of his Wife, deceased.
The Authors of our Discipline, treat after the same manner, Marriage with the Neece, and second Neece of ones Wife deceased; the reason is, because the Husband and Wife by Marriage become one Flesh, and as it may be said, one Person, and so by reason of this strait and intimate Union, the Aunts and Neeces of one, are the Aunts and Neeces of the other; now marrying with the Aunt, and Neece, or second Neece, is forbidden not only by the Word of God, but also by the Discipline of An∣cient Christians, as may easily be proved by a great num∣ber of Cannons, if it were necessary; but because the thing is without difficulty, I'le content my self to shew that St. Ambrose highly condemns marriage with the Neece, in his 48 Letter, Book 6. Gregory I. does Ana∣thematize it in a Roman Synod. The Popes, Eugenius XI. and Leo IV. in the 9th. Century, does the same as Gre∣gory I. did in the 6th. having each of them held a Synod at Rome, where Anathema is pronounced in the 38th. Cannon, against those that marry with their Neeces. Nevertheless Popes at this time are not so scrupulous, nor so observant of the Decrees of their Predecessors, but that they have sometimes dispensed an Uncle to marry his own Neece, we have seen examples of it in our Days, altho' the Holy Scriptures expresly forbid it; and as for mar∣rying with an Aunt, it is also reckoned amongst Incestu∣ous Marriages, by the first Cannon of the Synod of Mètz in the Year 753.
Ep. 1. ad Bonifac. Tom. 5. Conc. pag. 497.
To. 5. p. 306, 307.
Collect. Rom. p. 2. pag. 46. & 94.
Tom. 2. Conc. Gall. p. 5.