The public celebration of this contract, or what was termed espousals*, was formerly in this country, as well as upon the continent, a constant preliminary to marriage. It usually took place in the church, and though nearly, if not altogether, disused, towards the close of the fifteenth century, is minutely described by Shakspeare in his Twelfth Night. Olivia, addressing Sebastian, says,- "Now go with me, and with this holy man, Into the chantry by: there before him That my most jealous and too doubtful soul A description of what passed at this ceremony of espousals or betrothing, is given by the priest himself in the first scene of the subsequent act, who calls it "A contract of eternal bond of love Confirm'd by mutual joinder of your hands, Strengthened by interchangement of your rings; Seal'd in my function, by my testimony.” ‡ These four observances, therefore; 1st, the joining of hands; 2dly, the mutually given kiss; 3dly, the interchangement of rings; and 4thly, the testimony of witnesses: appear to have been essential parts of the public ceremony of betrothing or espousals, which usually preceded "Vincent de Beauvais, a writer of the 13th century, in his Speculum historiale, lib. ix. c. 70., has defined espousals to be a contract of future marriage, made either by a simple promise, by earnest or security given, by a ring, or by an oath." Douce's Illustrations, vol. i. p. 109. + Reed's Shakspeare, vol. v. p. 395. Act iv. sc. 3. Reed's Shakspeare, vol. v. p. 403. Act v. sc. 1. the marriage rite by the term of forty days. The oath indeed, administered on this occasion, was to the following effect:-" You swear by God and his holy saints herein and by all the saints of Paradise, that you will take this woman whose name is N. to wife within forty days, if holy church will permit." The priest then joining their hands, said—“ And thus you affiance yourselves;" to which the parties answered, -"Yes, sir."* So frequently has Shakspeare referred to this custom of troth-plighting, that, either privately or publickly, we must conclude it to have been of common usage in his days: thus, in Measure for Measure, Mariana says to Angelo, "This is the hand, which with a vow'd contract, Was fast belock'd in thine:" + and then addressing the duke, she exclaims, "As there is sense in truth, and truth in virtue, I am affianc'd this man's wife." t So in King John, King Philip, and the Arch-duke of Austria, encouraging the connection of the Dauphin and Blanch: "K. Phil. It likes us well;-Young princes, close your hands. That I did so, when I was first assur'd." § One immoral consequence arising from this custom of public betrothing was, that the parties, depending upon the priest as a witness, frequently cohabited as man and wife. It would appear, indeed, from a passage in Shakspeare, that the ceremony of troth-plight, at * Douce's Illustrations, vol. i. p. 113. + Reed's Shakspeare, vol. vi. p. 395. Reed's Shakspeare, vol. vi. p. 396. Reed's Shakspeare, vol. x. p. 405. Here assur'd is taken in the sense of affianced or contracted. If necessary, many more instances of betrothing, and troth-plighting, might be brought forward from our author's dramas. least among the lower orders, was considered as a sufficient warrant for intercourse of this kind; for he makes the jealous Leontes, in his Winter's Tale, exclaim, We must not forget, however, to remark, while on the subject of betrothing, that a singular proof of delicacy and attention to the fair sex, on this occasion, during the sixteenth century, has been quoted by Mr. Strutt, from a manuscript in the Harleian library, and which runs thus: "By the civil law, whatever is given ex sponsalitia largitate, betwixt them that are promised in marriage, hath a condition, for the most part silent, that it may be had again if marriage ensue not; but if the man should have had a kiss for his money, he should lose one half of what he gave. Yet with the woman it is otherwise; for kissing or not kissing, whatever she gave, she may have it again." † Concerning the customs attendant on the celebration of the marriage rite, among the middle and inferior ranks, in the country, during the period which we are endeavouring to illustrate, much information, of the description we want, may be found in Shakspeare and his contemporaries. The procession accompanying a rural bride, of some consequence, or of the middle rank, to church, has been thus given us: “ The bride being attired in a gown of sheep's russet, and a kirtle of fine worsted, her hair attired with a 'billement of gold, and her hair as yellow as gold hanging down behind her, which was curiously combed and plaited, she was led to church between two sweet boys, with bride laces and rosemary tied about their silken sleeves. There was a fair bride-cup of silver, gilt, carried before her, wherein was a goodly branch of rosemary, gilded very fair, hung about with silken ribbands * Reed's Shakspeare, vol. ix. p. 240. + Strutt's Manners and Customs, vol. iii. p. 155. of all colours. Musicians came next, then a groupe of maidens, some bearing great bride-cakes, others garlands of wheat finely gilded; and thus they passed on to the church.” * Rosemary being supposed to strengthen the memory, was considered as an emblem of fidelity, and, at this period, was almost as constantly used at weddings as at funerals: "There's rosemary," says Ophelia, "that's for remembrance." Many passages, illustrative of this usage at weddings, might be taken from our old plays, during the reign of James I., but two or three will suffice. "will I be wed this morning, Thou shalt not be there, nor once be graced with A piece of rosemary.” ‡ "Were the rosemary branches dipp'd, and all The hippocras and cakes eat and drunk off; Were these two arms encompass'd with the hands Of bachelors to lead me to the church." § "Phis. Your master is to be married to-day? Of the peculiarities attending the marriage-ceremony within the church, a pretty good idea may be formed from the ludicrous wedding * History of Jack of Newbury, 4to. chap. ii. + Reed's Shakspeare, vol. xviii. p. 294. Ram Alley, or Merry Tricks, by Barry, 1611. Vide Ancient British Drama, vol. ii. § Beaumont and Fletcher's Scornful Lady, 1616. A Faire Quarrel, by Middleton and Rowley, 1617. Besides rosemary, flowers of various kinds were frequently strewn before the bride as she passed to church; a custom alluded to in a well-known line of Shakspeare, "Our Bridal Flowers serve for a buried corse:" and more explicitly depicted in the following passage from one of his contemporaries : "Adriana. Come straw apace, Lord shall I never live To walke to Church on flowers? O'tis fine, As if her new Choppines would scorne to bruise A silly flower!" Barry's Ram Alley, or Merry Tricks, act v. sc. 1. 4to. 1611. of Catharine and Petruchio in the Taming of the Shrew. It appears from this description, that it was usual to drink wine at the altar immediately after the service was closed, a custom which was followed by the Bridegroom's saluting the bride. "He calls for wine: - A health, quoth he; as if In the account of the procession just quoted, we find that a bridecup was carried before the bride; out of this all the persons present, together with the new-married couple, were expected to drink in the church. This custom was prevalent, in Shakspeare's time, among every description of people, from the regal head to the thoroughpaced rustic; accordingly we are informed, on the testimony of an assisting witness, that the same ceremony took place at the marriage of the Elector Palatine to King James's daughter, on the 14th day of February, 1612-13: there was "in conclusion," he relates," a joy pronounced by the king and queen, and seconded with congratulation of the lords there present, which crowned with draughts of Ippocras out of a great golden bowle, as an health to the prosperity of the marriage, (began by the prince Palatine and answered by the princess.) After which were served up by six or seven barons so many bowles filled with wafers, so much of that work was consummate." + This bride-cup or bowl was, therefore, frequently termed the knitting *Reed's Shakspeare, vol. ix. p. 114, 115, 116. Act iii. sc. 2. + Finet's Philoxenis, 1656, p. 11. quoted by Mr. Reed in his Shakspeare, vol. ix. p. 115. note. |