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

738 MATRIMONIUM. MATRIMONIUM.
bride's residence in her new abode, was called the his guests when he had company. (Isaeus, do
sravLa: on which their friends sent the customary Pyrr. her. p. 139; Demosth. c. Neater. p. 1352.)
Iresents to the newly married couple. On another The duties of a good housewife are summed up
day, the &aravma, perhaps the second after mar- by Plato (Leg. vii. p. 805) under the heads of
riage, the bridegroom left his house to lodge apart TaYeLisa, aepamretfa, and iraeioTpoeia. The first of
from his wife at his father's-in-law, and the bride these included the domestic arrangements of the
presented him with a garment called areavXiLr-Tpla, house and superintendence of the furniture, proviin connection with which, Pollux (iii. 39) observes, sions, cookery, and servants; in fact every thing
that the gifts made to the bride after the marriage that came under the name of housekeeping. (Becker,
were called'7ravAia. Some of the presents made C/arikles, vol. ii. p. 476.) But a trust of this kind
to the bride by her husband and friends were was not reposed in a young wife till she had gained
called &varaXvwrXrTpia, as being given on the occa- some experience; for what, says Xenophon (Oecon.
sion of the bride first appearing unveiled (Harpocr. 7. ~ 4), could a wife, married at fifteen, be likely
s. v.); they were probably given on the E'ral'Aa, or to know, who had lived in complete seclusion, and
day after the marriage. had only been taught by her mother to conduct
Another ceremony observed after marriage was herself virtuously (0axpoeVY7v)? The repaerEna inthe sacrifice which the husband offered up on the eluded the attendance upon the sick inmates of the
occasion of his bride being registered amongst his house, whether free or slaves. (Xen. Oecon. 7. ~ 37.)
own phratores (?yaXyfla'av, scil. vaav ro 7s (PCiarop- The 7rao8Trpopia was the physical education of the
Lev oCffiesyYIces, Demosth. c. Eubel. pp. 1312, 1320; children, on which Plutarch (de Educat. Pitter. 5.
Isaeus, de Pgyrr. her. p. 45). p. 9) observes that mothers ought themselves to
The statement above made of the solemnities nurture and suckle their children, though frequently
connected with marriage cannot of conrse be con- female citizens were hired as wet-nurses. (Demosth.
sidered as applicable to all ages and circumstances, c. Eubul. p. 1309.) The Spartan nurses were so
but rather as a representation of the customs gene- famous, that they were engaged even in foreign
rally observed at Athens in later times. states; thus Alcibiades we are told was suckled by
At Sparta the betrothal of the bride by her a Laconiai nurse. (Plut. Lycurg. 16.) It is scarcely
faither or guardian (Kcprlos) was requisite as a pre- necessary to remark that we have been speaking of
liminary of marriage, as well as at Athenis. (Miil- the house'hold of a citizen in good circumstances,
ler, Dorians, ii. 4. ~ 2.) Another customl pecu- to which only our observations can apply.
liar to the Spartans, and a relic of ancient times, The consideration in which women were held by
-was the seizure of the bride by her intended their husbands, and the respect paid to them in anhusband (see IHerod. vi. 65), but of course with cient:Greece, would naturally depend, in some dethe sanction of her parents or guardians. (Pltt. gree, on their iIltellectiual and moral character; but.LTyc'r. 15; Xen. doe Re)p. Lac. i. 5.) She was generally speaking the GCreeks entertained comparalnot, however, immediately domiciled in her hus- tively little regard for the female character. They
blnld's house, but cohabited with himn for solme considered women, in fact, as decidedly inferior to
time clandestinely, till he brought her, and fre- men, quali'fied to discharge only the subordinate
quently her mother also, to his home. (Miller, fuinctions ill life, and rather necessary as helpDoristns,. c.) A simlilar custom appears to have iiiates, than agreeable as companions. To these
prevailed in Crete, where, as we are told (Strabo, notions female education for the most part cor'ex. p. 482), the young men when dismissed finom sponded, and in fact confirmed them; it did not
the a&yEA/ of their fellows, were immediately mar- supply the elegant accomplishments and refinement
tied, but did not take their wives home till some of manners which permanently engage the affectime afterwards. Miiller suggests tihat the chil- tions, wlhen other attractions have passed away.
dren of this furtive kind of intercourse were called Aristotle (de Rep. i. 2) states, that the relation of
wap~Oorm0. man to woman is that of the governor to the sub-'We subjoin some particulars concerning the re- ject; and Plato (Aleno, p. 71), that a woman's
lation between man and wife amongst the ancient virtue may be sumlmed up in a few words, for she
Greeks, prefaicing them with a descriptioniof do- has only to manage the house well, keeping what
inestic married life, from Lysias (de Caoede Eratos. there is in it, anld obeying her husband. Nor is it
p. 92). The speaker there says, " I have a small uimportant to renlark, that Athenians, in speaking
two-story house, of equal dimensions onl the base- of their wives and children, generally said -rfECa
ment and first floor, both in the male and female eal yvva7icas, putting their wives last: a phrase.apartments (rcaT'&'r 7TiV yalKvcjtlL K. T. A.). Now which indicates very clearly what was the tone of
m;fter our little boy was born, his mother used to feeling on this subject. Moreover, before marriage
suckle it, and that she might not meet with any Grecian women were kept in a state of confinemelt,
accident in going down the ladder (X7 Ktcfsae), which amounted to little short of a deprivation of
whenever she Wanted to wash, I lived up stairs, liberty, so that they are even said to have been
and the women below. And it was usual for my watched and guarded in strong apartments,
wife to leave mle very frequently and sleep down ra
stairs with the child, to give it the breast and keep
it from crying. And one day after dinner the (Eurip. Iphig. inz Aulid.), nor was it thought belittle fellow cried ald fretted, and T told my wife coling in them to be seen in public (Eurip. Orest.
to go and suckle it; now at first she would not, 108), except oil sonime particular occasions, wrhen
but at last I got angry with her, and ordered her they appeared as spectators of, or participators in
to go:' yes,' said she,' that you may play with religious processions; of which, young men dethe servant maid,'" &c. sirous of being married would naturally avail thesmNow, though the wife, as appears by this tale, selves to determine the object of their choice.
usually took her meals with her husband, she did Even after marriage the restrictions imposed upon
not go out with him to dinner, nor sit at table with young women of the middle and higher classes