ariondas/full_text_dataset · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 1.91k
it is constantly observed among them, and is accounted perfectly
consistent with wisdom. Before marriage some grave matron presents the
bride, naked, whether she is a virgin or a widow, to the bridegroom, and
after that some grave man presents the bridegroom, naked, to the bride.
We, indeed, both laughed at this, and condemned it as very indecent. But
they, on the other hand, wondered at the folly of the men of all other
nations, who, if they are but to buy a horse of a small value, are so
cautious that they will see every part of him, and take off both his
saddle and all his other tackle, that there may be no secret ulcer hid
under any of them, and that yet in the choice of a wife, on which depends
the happiness or unhappiness of the rest of his life, a man should
venture upon trust, and only see about a handsbreadth of the face, all
the rest of the body being covered, under which may lie hid what may be
contagious as well as loathsome. All men are not so wise as to choose a
woman only for her good qualities, and even wise men consider the body as
that which adds not a little to the mind, and it is certain there may be
some such deformity covered with clothes as may totally alienate a man
from his wife, when it is too late to part with her; if such a thing is
discovered after marriage a man has no remedy but patience; they,
therefore, think it is reasonable that there should be good provision
made against such mischievous frauds.

"There was so much the more reason for them to make a regulation in this
matter, because they are the only people of those parts that neither
allow of polygamy nor of divorces, except in the case of adultery or
insufferable perverseness, for in these cases the Senate dissolves the
marriage and grants the injured person leave to marry again; but the
guilty are made infamous and are never allowed the privilege of a second
marriage. None are suffered to put away their wives against their wills,
from any great calamity that may have fallen on their persons, for they
look on it as the height of cruelty and treachery to abandon either of
the married persons when they need most the tender care of their consort,
and that chiefly in the case of old age, which, as it carries many
diseases along with it, so it is a disease of itself. But it frequently
falls out that when a married couple do not well agree, they, by mutual
consent, separate, and find out other persons with whom they hope they
may live more happily; yet this is not done without obtaining leave of
the Senate, which never admits of a divorce but upon a strict inquiry
made, both by the senators and their wives, into the grounds upon which
it is desired, and even when they are satisfied concerning the reasons of
it they go on but slowly, for they imagine that too great easiness in
granting leave for new marriages would very much shake the kindness of
married people. They punish severely those that defile the marriage bed;
if both parties are married they are divorced, and the injured persons
may marry one another, or whom they please, but the adulterer and the
adulteress are condemned to slavery, yet if either of the injured persons
cannot shake off the love of the married person they may live with them
still in that state, but they must follow them to that labour to which
the slaves are condemned, and sometimes the repentance of the condemned,
together with the unshaken kindness of the innocent and injured person,
has prevailed so far with the Prince that he has taken off the sentence;
but those that relapse after they are once pardoned are punished with
death.

"Their law does not determine the punishment for other crimes, but that
is left to the Senate, to temper it according to the circumstances of the
fact. Husbands have power to correct their wives and parents to chastise
their children, unless the fault is so great that a public punishment is
thought necessary for striking terror into others. For the most part
slavery is the punishment even of the greatest crimes, for as that is no
less terrible to the criminals themselves than death, so they think the
preserving them in a state of servitude is more for the interest of the
commonwealth than killing them, since, as their labour is a greater
benefit to the public than their death could be, so the sight of their
misery is a more lasting terror to other men than that which would be
given by their death. If their slaves rebel, and will not bear their
yoke and submit to the labour that is enjoined them, they are treated as
wild beasts that cannot be kept in order, neither by a prison nor by
their chains, and are at last put to death. But those who bear their
punishment patiently, and are so much wrought on by that pressure that
lies so hard on them, that it appears they are really more troubled for
the crimes they have committed than for the miseries they suffer, are not
out of hope, but that, at last, either the Prince will, by his
prerogative, or the people, by their intercession, restore them again to
their liberty, or, at least, very much mitigate their slavery. He that
tempts a married woman to adultery is no less severely punished than he
that commits it, for they believe that a deliberate design to commit a
crime is equal to the fact itself, since its not taking effect does not
make the person that miscarried in his attempt at all the less guilty.

"They take great pleasure in fools, and as it is thought a base and
unbecoming thing to use them ill, so they do not think it amiss for
people to divert themselves with their folly; and, in their opinion, this
is a great advantage to the fools themselves; for if men were so sullen
and severe as not at all to please themselves with their ridiculous
behaviour and foolish sayings, which is all that they can do to recommend
themselves to others, it could not be expected that they would be so well
provided for nor so tenderly used as they must otherwise be. If any man
should reproach another for his being misshaped or imperfect in any part
of his body, it would not at all be thought a reflection on the person so
treated, but it would be accounted scandalous in him that had upbraided
another with what he could not help. It is thought a sign of a sluggish
and sordid mind not to preserve carefully one's natural beauty; but it is
likewise infamous among them to use paint. They all see that no beauty
recommends a wife so much to her husband as the probity of her life and
her obedience; for as some few are caught and held only by beauty, so all
are attracted by the other excellences which charm all the world.

"As they fright men from committing crimes by punishments, so they invite
them to the love of virtue by public honours; therefore they erect

it is constantly observed among them, and is accounted perfectly

consistent with wisdom. Before marriage some grave matron presents the

bride, naked, whether she is a virgin or a widow, to the bridegroom, and

after that some grave man presents the bridegroom, naked, to the bride.

We, indeed, both laughed at this, and condemned it as very indecent. But

they, on the other hand, wondered at the folly of the men of all other

nations, who, if they are but to buy a horse of a small value, are so

cautious that they will see every part of him, and take off both his

saddle and all his other tackle, that there may be no secret ulcer hid

under any of them, and that yet in the choice of a wife, on which depends

the happiness or unhappiness of the rest of his life, a man should

venture upon trust, and only see about a handsbreadth of the face, all

the rest of the body being covered, under which may lie hid what may be

contagious as well as loathsome. All men are not so wise as to choose a

woman only for her good qualities, and even wise men consider the body as

that which adds not a little to the mind, and it is certain there may be

some such deformity covered with clothes as may totally alienate a man

from his wife, when it is too late to part with her; if such a thing is

discovered after marriage a man has no remedy but patience; they,

therefore, think it is reasonable that there should be good provision

made against such mischievous frauds.

"There was so much the more reason for them to make a regulation in this

matter, because they are the only people of those parts that neither

allow of polygamy nor of divorces, except in the case of adultery or

insufferable perverseness, for in these cases the Senate dissolves the

marriage and grants the injured person leave to marry again; but the

guilty are made infamous and are never allowed the privilege of a second

marriage. None are suffered to put away their wives against their wills,

from any great calamity that may have fallen on their persons, for they

look on it as the height of cruelty and treachery to abandon either of

the married persons when they need most the tender care of their consort,

and that chiefly in the case of old age, which, as it carries many

diseases along with it, so it is a disease of itself. But it frequently

falls out that when a married couple do not well agree, they, by mutual

consent, separate, and find out other persons with whom they hope they

may live more happily; yet this is not done without obtaining leave of

the Senate, which never admits of a divorce but upon a strict inquiry

made, both by the senators and their wives, into the grounds upon which

it is desired, and even when they are satisfied concerning the reasons of

it they go on but slowly, for they imagine that too great easiness in

granting leave for new marriages would very much shake the kindness of

married people. They punish severely those that defile the marriage bed;

if both parties are married they are divorced, and the injured persons

may marry one another, or whom they please, but the adulterer and the

adulteress are condemned to slavery, yet if either of the injured persons

cannot shake off the love of the married person they may live with them

still in that state, but they must follow them to that labour to which

the slaves are condemned, and sometimes the repentance of the condemned,

together with the unshaken kindness of the innocent and injured person,

has prevailed so far with the Prince that he has taken off the sentence;

but those that relapse after they are once pardoned are punished with

death.

"Their law does not determine the punishment for other crimes, but that

is left to the Senate, to temper it according to the circumstances of the

fact. Husbands have power to correct their wives and parents to chastise

their children, unless the fault is so great that a public punishment is

thought necessary for striking terror into others. For the most part

slavery is the punishment even of the greatest crimes, for as that is no

less terrible to the criminals themselves than death, so they think the

preserving them in a state of servitude is more for the interest of the

commonwealth than killing them, since, as their labour is a greater

benefit to the public than their death could be, so the sight of their

misery is a more lasting terror to other men than that which would be

given by their death. If their slaves rebel, and will not bear their

yoke and submit to the labour that is enjoined them, they are treated as

wild beasts that cannot be kept in order, neither by a prison nor by

their chains, and are at last put to death. But those who bear their

punishment patiently, and are so much wrought on by that pressure that

lies so hard on them, that it appears they are really more troubled for

the crimes they have committed than for the miseries they suffer, are not

out of hope, but that, at last, either the Prince will, by his

prerogative, or the people, by their intercession, restore them again to

their liberty, or, at least, very much mitigate their slavery. He that

tempts a married woman to adultery is no less severely punished than he

that commits it, for they believe that a deliberate design to commit a

crime is equal to the fact itself, since its not taking effect does not

make the person that miscarried in his attempt at all the less guilty.

"They take great pleasure in fools, and as it is thought a base and

unbecoming thing to use them ill, so they do not think it amiss for

people to divert themselves with their folly; and, in their opinion, this

is a great advantage to the fools themselves; for if men were so sullen

and severe as not at all to please themselves with their ridiculous

behaviour and foolish sayings, which is all that they can do to recommend

themselves to others, it could not be expected that they would be so well

provided for nor so tenderly used as they must otherwise be. If any man

should reproach another for his being misshaped or imperfect in any part

of his body, it would not at all be thought a reflection on the person so

treated, but it would be accounted scandalous in him that had upbraided

another with what he could not help. It is thought a sign of a sluggish

and sordid mind not to preserve carefully one's natural beauty; but it is

likewise infamous among them to use paint. They all see that no beauty

recommends a wife so much to her husband as the probity of her life and

her obedience; for as some few are caught and held only by beauty, so all

are attracted by the other excellences which charm all the world.

"As they fright men from committing crimes by punishments, so they invite

them to the love of virtue by public honours; therefore they erect