Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

MATRALIA. MATRiMONIUM. 7:35
in supposing that it was necessary under tlie Athe- admitted into the temple. (Compare Hartung, Die
nian law to convict more than half the number of Relig. der Romer, vol. ii. p. 75.) [L. S.]
the witnesses. This appears from the passage above MATRIMO'NIUM, NU'PTIAE (?ydos),
cited from Isaeus on the estate of Hagnias. marriage. 1. GREEK. The ancient Greek legisWe conclude by noticing a few expressions. lators considered the relation of marriage as a
Maprupesiv rtvL is to testify in favour of a man, matter not merely of private, but also of public or
KaTraaprvpeT Y'ruvos to testify against. McPT-r.. general interest. This was particularly the case
peOaem to call to witness (a word used poetically), at Sparta, where the subordination of private inaeteapvrperoar and sometimes ierqlapTripEoOat, terests and happiness to the real or supposed exi-,rous 7rapo'Tas, to call upon those who are present gencies of the state was strongly exemplified in the
to take notice of what passes, with a view to give regulations on this subject. For instance, by the
evidence. (Demosth. c. Euerg. et Ma1nes. 1150.) laws of Lycurgus, criminal proceedings might be
YEvuo1Aap-rupefY and i7rnopce~'v are never used in- taken against those who married too late (ypaerp7
differently, which affords some proof that testi- d4t-yaifou) or unsuitably (ypa~/7 scaKo3yaiovU), as
mony was not necessarily on oath. The c' pros well as against those who did not marry at all
(witness in the cause) is to be distinguished from (/YPapi &yayuov). (Pollux, viii. 4 0; Plut. Lycury.
the ItcAr'lp or Ktxir7WP, who merely gave evidence 15.) These regulations were founded on the
of the summons to appear. [C. R. K.] generally recognised principle, that it was the duty
MASTE'RES (pae'T7pes). [ZETETAE.] of every citizen to raise up a strong and healthy
MASTI'GIA. [FrAGRUM.] progeny of legitimate childien to the state. (MiilMASTIGO'PHORI or MASTIGO'NOMI ler, Dorians, iv. 4. ~ 3.) So entirely, in fct, did
(pleaar7yoqLpo t or eyaTo'ryovL soo ), the name of the the Spartans consider the retc'yroLta, or the prolower police officers in the Greek states, who car- duction of children, as the main object of marriage,
ried into execution the corporal punishments in- and an object which the state was bound to profiicted by the higher magistrates. Thus Lycurgus mote, that whenever a woman had no children by
assigned mastigophori to the Paedonomus at Sparta, her own husband, she was not only allowed, but
who had the general superintendence of the edu- even required by the laws, to cohabit with another
canton of the boys. (Xen. Rep. Lac. ii. 2, iv. 6; man. (Xen. de Riep. Lac. i. 8.) On the same
Plut. Lyc. 17.) In the theatre the mastigophori principle, and for the purpose of preventilng
preserved order, and were stationed for this pur- the extinction of his family, the Spartan kilng,
pose inll the orchestra, near the thymlele. (Schol. Anax-andrides, was allowed to cohlabit with two
ad Plat. p. 99, Ruhnken; Lucian, Pisc. 33.) In wives, for whom he kept two separate establishthe Olympic games the PaCeoOxos performed the ments: a case of bigamy, which, as Herodotus
same duties. At Athens they were discharged by (vi. 39, 40) observes, was not at all consistent
the public slaves, called bowmen (rotomTat), or with Spartan nor indeed with Hellenic customs.
Scythialns (cKV0aem). [DEMOSII.] Thus the heroes of Homer appear never to have
MATARA. [HASTA, p. 589, a.] had more than one xovpaiLs. da{oxos (Buttmann,
MATERFAMI'LIAS. [MATRIiONIUM.] Lexzilogus, 73); though they are frequently repreMATHEMA'TICI. [ASTROLOGIA.] semted as living in concubinage with one or more
MATpRA'LIA, a festival celebrated at Rome w raNXamca. Solon also seems to have viewed marevery year on the 11th of June, in honour of the ringe as a matter in which the state had a right to
goddess Mater Matuta, whose temple stood in the interfere, for we are told that his laws allowed of a
Forum Boarium. It was celebrated only by Ro- ypacp a&yaeLov, though the regulation seems to
man matrons, and the sacrifices offered to the god- have grown obsolete in later times; at any rate
dess consisted of cakes baked in pots of earthen- there is no instance on record of its application.
vware. (Varro, de Lingc. Lat. iv. p. 31, Bip.; Ovid. (Platner, Process, &c. vol. ii. p. 248.) Plato too
Fast. vi. 475, &c.) Slaves were not allowed to may be quoted to prove how general was this feeltake part in the solemnities, or to enter the temple ing, for according to his laws (Left. iv. p. 721),
of the goddess. One slave, however, was admitted any one who did not marry before he was thirtyby the matrons, but only to be exposed to a humi- five was punishable not only with -rTuIla, but also
liatillg treatment, for one of the matrons gave her with pecuniary penalttes: and he expressly states
a blow oin the cheek and then sent her away from that ill choosing a wife every one ought to consult
the temple. The matrons on this occasion took the interests of the state, and not his own pleawith them the children of their sisters, but not sure. (Leg. vi. p. 773.)
their own, held them in their arms, and. prayed for But independent of any public considerations
their welfare. (Plut. Canl. 5, Qzmaest. Reot. p. there were also private or personal reasons (peculiar
267.) The statue of the goddess was then crowned to the ancients) which made marriage an obligawith a garland, by one of the matrons who had tion. Plato (I. c.) mentions one of these, viz.
not yet lost a husband. (Tertull. MIonoyma7. c; 17.) the duty incumbent upon every individual to proThe Greek writers and their Roman followers, vide for a continuance of representativesto succeed
who identify the Mater Matuta with Leucothea or himself as ministers of the Divinity ('ri OeE Vh7r1nIno, explain the ceremonies of the Matralia by pE'as &,O' avroD 7rapabldvam). Another was the
aneans of the mythological stories which relate to desire felt by almost every one, not merely to perthese Greek goddesses. But the real import of petuate his own name, but also to prevent his
the worship of the Mater Matuta appears to have "heritage being desolate, and his name being cut
been to inculcate upon mothers the principle, that off" (0'7rCs mo iepEP7,sc0ocoi'oVs'ope-epcmmlnov avremV
they ought to take care of the children of their c'covs), and to leave some one who might make
sisters as much as of their own, and that they the customary offerings at his grave ( Axx' Esare
should not leave them to careless slaves, the con-'ris Kal 6 E'VaLdYo', Isaeus de Apoll. H.ered. p. 66.
tempt for whom was symbolically expressed by Bek.). We are told that with this view childless
the infliction of a blow on the cheek of the one persons sometimes adopted children.