bride a silver ring. The grooms-man then changes the rings, whilst the priest, in a long prayer, sets forth the import of the rings. After which the whole is closed with a prescribed form of prayer. These espousals usually took place some time previous to the consummation of the marriage. According to some authorities two years usually intervened between the espousals and the marriage.

2. The act of crowning the parties was appropriately the initiatory rite in solemnizing the marriage covenant. The preliminaries of this were the same as those of the espousals, with the exception that in this instance the 128th psalm was sung with the responses and doxologies. After this a discourse was delivered setting forth the importance and responsibilities of the marriage relation. Then various interrogations, relating to the marriage covenant and the unmarried state, were presented next followed the larger collects, varied according to circumstances; after which a long prayer was offered, in three parts, each of which was announced in the customary form by the deacon, τou zupiov druεv. After this, the priest sets the nuptial crowns, which have been lying on the altar, first upon the head of the bridegroom and then upon that of the bride, saying, "This servant of the Lord hereby crowns this handmaid of the Lord, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, world without end, Amen." This ceremony is followed by prayers, doxologies, and the reading of the Scriptures, particularly Eph. 5: 20-33 and John 2: 1-11, and the alternate prayers of the priest and the deacon. The whole is concluded by the assembly, repeating the Lord's prayer with the customary responses; and the usual form of benediction.

During these solemnities the priest presents to the newly married couple a glass of wine, of which each drinks three times, and then the glass is immediately broken, to denote the transitory nature of all earthly things.

The minister then joins the hands of the parties, and leads them three times around in a circle, whilst the whole assembly unite in singing a nuptial song, the grooms-man meanwhile accompanying the married couple with his hands resting upon their heads, which are still adorned with the crown.

3. The laying off of the crown. Upon the eighth day, the married pair present themselves again in the church, when the minister, with appropriate prayer, lays off the nuptial crown, and dismisses

them with his benediction, offered in a prescribed form of words. This ceremony however was not uniformly observed.

In all these rites the reader will observe a studied analogy to those of baptism.

The second and third marriage was solemnized in much the same manner, the ceremonies being abridged, and the prayer of penance substituted in the place of the nuptial prayer. The church thus treated these as just occasions for discipline, and refused altogether to sanction a fourth marriage, but regarded it as a criminal offence.

4. REMARKS UPON THE MARRIAGE RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE ANCIENT CHURCH.

In the works of early ecclesiastical writers, especially in those of Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Augustine, Jerome, Basil, and Chrysostom, we find many allusions to particular rites and ceremo nies, but no entire, or general account of them. In the former part of the seventh century, a writer attempted to enumerate the mar. riage ceremonies which the church had recognized as innocent and convenient, or symbolical. We possess also an official account of the ceremonies used in the Roman church, A. D. 860, from the pen of the pope Nicolas I.*

* Morem quem sancta Romana suscepit antiquitus et hactenus in hujusmodi conjunctionibus tenet ecclesia, vobis monstrare studebimus. Nostrates siquidem tam mares quam feminae non ligaturam auream, vel argenteam, aut ex quolibet metallo compositam, quando nuptialia foedera contrahunt, in capite deferunt. Sed post sponsalia, quae futurarum sunt nuptiarum promissa foedera, quaecunque consensu eorum, qui haec contrahunt, et eorum, in quorum potestate sunt, celebrantur, et postquam arrhis sponsam sibi sponsus per digitum fidei a se annulo insignitum desponderit, dotemque utrique placitam sponsus ei cum scripto pactum hoc continente coram invitatis ab utroque parte tradiderit; aut mox, aut apto tempore, ne videlicet ante tempus lege definitum tale quid fieri praesumatur, ambo ad nuptialia foedera perducuntur. Et primum in ecclesia Domini cum oblationibus, quas offerre debent Deo per sacerdotis manum, statuuntur, sicque demum benedictionem et velamen coeleste suscipiunt. . . . Verumtamen velamen illud non suscipit, qui ad secundas nuptias migrat. Post haec autem de ecclesia egressi coronas in capitibus gestant quae in ecclesia ipsa sunt solitae reservari. Et ita festis nuptialibus celebratis ad ducendam individuam vitam Domino disponente de cetero diriguntur. . . . Tanta solet arctare quosdam rerum inopia, ut ad haec praeparanda nullum his suffragetur auxilium: ac per hoc

To proceed however with our general remarks. 1. The office of grooms-man, or attendant of the bridegroom, is of high antiquity; common alike to the Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans. He is designated by the names παράνυμφος, νυμφαγωγός, νυμφευτής, etc. had various duties to perform in connection with the nuptial contract and dowry, such as the following,-to accompany the parties to the church at their marriage,-to act as sponsor for them in their vows, to assist in the marriage ceremonies,-to accompany them to the house of the bridegroom,-to preside over, and direct the festivities of the occasion, etc.2

2. The use of the ring, in the rites both of espousal and of marriage is very ancient. It is mentioned both by Tertullian,3 and Clement of Alexandria 4 the latter of whom says, “It was given her not as an ornament, but as a seal, to signify the woman's duty in preserving the goods of her husband, because the care of the house belongs to her." Isodorus Hispalensis says, "that it was presented by the husband either as a pledge of mutual affection, or rather as a token of the union of their hearts in love."5

3. The crowning of the married pair with garlands, was a marriage rite peculiar to many nations professing different forms of religion. Tertullian inveighs against it with all the zeal of a gloomy Montanist ; but it is spoken of with approbation by the fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries, from whom it appears that the friends and attendants of the bridal pair were adorned in the same manner.7 These chaplets were usually made of myrtle, olive, amarinth, rosemary, and evergreens intermingled with cypress and vervain. The crown, appropriately so called, was made of olive, myrtle, and rosemary, variegated with flowers, and sometimes with gold and silver, pearls, precious stones, etc. These crowns were constructed in the form of a pyramid, or tower.

Both the bride, and the bridegroom were crowned in this manner, together with the grooms-man, and the brides-maid. The bride fre

sufficiat, secundum leges, solus eorum consensus, de quorum conjunctionibus agitur. Qui consensus, si solus in nuptiis forte defuerit, cetera omnia etiam cum ipso coitu celebrata frustantur. . . . Haec sunt praeter alia, quae ad memoriam non occurrunt, pacta conjugiorum solemnia. Peccatum autem esse, si haec cuncta in nuptiali foedere non interveniant, non dicimus, quemadmodum Graecos vos adstruere dicitis.-Nicol, I. Respons, ad Consulta Bulgar. c. 3.

quently appeared in church thus attired on the day when proclamation of the banns was made.

Chaplets were not worn by the parties in case of second marriage, nor by those who had been guilty of impropriety before marriage.

In the Greek church the chaplets were imposed by the officiating minister at the altar. In the Western church it was customary for the parties to present themselves thus attired.

4. The wearing of a veil by the bride, was borrowed from the Romans.* It was also conformable to the example of Rebecca, Gen. xxiv.

From this marriage rite arose the custom of taking the veil in the Catholic church. By this act, the nun devotes herself to perpetual virginity as the spouse of Christ, the bridegroom of the church.

5. It appears to have been customary also to spread a robe over the bridegroom and bride, called vitta nuptialis, pallium jugale, etc., and made of a mixture of white and red colors.t

6. Torches and lamps were in use on such occasions both among the Jews and pagan nations.9 No mention is made of them in the church previous to the time of Constantine, though they may have been in use at an earlier date.

7. All the marriage rites and ceremonies indicate that the day was observed as a festive occasion, while measures were carefully taken to guard against all excesses and improprieties of conduct. These festivities were celebrated by nuptial processions, going out to meet the bridegroom and conducting him home,-by nuptial songs, and music,10 and marriage feasts. These festivals are frequently the subject of bitter animadversion by the fathers, especially

*Tertull. De Veland. Virg. lib. xvii. c. 11.-The velamen nuptiale, of which Ambrose (Ep. 70) says, “Conjugium velamine sacerdotali sanctificari oportet," is usually regarded as "signum pudoris et verecundiae." According to Isidor. Hispal. (De Off. Eccl. ii. c. 19) it is rather "signum humilitatis et subjectionis erga maritum." He says, Feminae, dum maritantur, velantur, ut noverint per hoc se viris esse subjectas et humiles.

+ Qoud nubentes post benedictionem vitta invicem quasi uno vinculo copulantur, videlicet ideo fit, ne compagem conjugalis unitatis disrumpant. Ac eadem vitta candido purpureoque colore permiscetur; candor quippe est ad munditiem vitae, purpura ad sanguinis posteritatem adhibetur, ut hoc signo et continentia et lex continendi ab utrisque ad tempus admoneantur, et post hoc reddendum debitum non negetur.-Isidor. Hispal. de Off. Eccl. lib. ii. c. 19.

by Chrysostom, and often called for the interposition of the authority of the church. It appears, however, that the efforts of the church were, not to abolish these convivial entertainments and festivities, but to restrain them within the bounds of decency and good order.12 The clergy were expected to refrain from attending them.13*

8. In connection with these festivities, it was customary to distri bute alms to the poor, and instead of the old Roman custom of scattering about nuts, to throw out pieces of money to the children, and 10 the poor.

CHAPTER XX.

FUNERAL RITES AND CEREMONIES.1

1. TREATMENTt of the Dead.

The early Christians were distinguished by their care for the dead, and their sympathy with the afflicted. Their funeral solemnities they celebrated with gravity and propriety, with the intent of showing due respect for the deceased, and of administering consolation to survivors. These funeral services were performed as a public religious duty. This is one of the three points for which they were commended by the apostate Julian.3

The christian church manifested, from the beginning, a decided preference for the custom of burying the dead, for which they had the example of Jews, Gen. 3: 9. 23: 19. Deut. 24: 6. Matt. 19: 28, etc. But the custom of burning the dead at that time prevailed throughout the Roman empire, to which they were zealously oppos

Presbyteri, diaconi, sub-diaconia vel deinceps, quibus ducendi uxores licentia modo non est etiam aliarum nuptiarum evitent convivia, nec his coetibus miscantur ubi amatoria canuntur et turpia, aut obsceni motus corporum choreis et saltationibus efferuntur, ne auditus et obtuitus sacris ministeriis deputati turpium spectaculorum atque verborum contagione polluantur.-Conil. Agath, c. 39.