Many noble instances are recorded by ancient historians of the
practice of this noble virtue; but in the reminiscences of our
youthful studies, there is no incident that occurs with more freshness
to the memory than that of the continence of Scipio Africanus, related
by Livy. It appears that the soldiers of Scipio's army, after the
taking of new Carthage, brought before him a young lady of great
beauty. Scipio inquiring concerning her country and parents,
ascertained that she was betrothed to Allutius, prince of the
Celtiberians. He immediately ordered her parents and bridegroom to be
sent for. In the meantime he was informed that the young prince was so
excessively enamoured of his bride, that he could not survive the loss
of her. For this reason, as soon as he appeared, and before he spoke
to her parents, he took great care to talk with him. "As you and I are
both young," said he, "we can converse together with greater freedom.
When your bride, who had fallen into the hands of my soldiers, was
brought before me, I was informed that you loved her passionately;
and, in truth, her perfect beauty left me no room to doubt of it. If I
were at liberty to indulge a youthful passion--I mean honourable and
lawful wedlock, and were not solely engrossed by the affairs of my
republic, I might have hoped to have been pardoned my excessive love
for so charming a mistress; but as I am situated, and have it in my
power, with pleasure I promote your happiness. Your future spouse has
met with as civil and modest treatment from me, as if she had been
amongst her own parents, who are soon to be yours too. I have kept her
pure, in order to have it in my power to make you a present worthy of
you and of me." The magnanimity of his behaviour did not close here,
for when the parents of the fair captive brought an immense sum of
money to ransom her, they were much surprised at Scipio's noble
conduct, and in the ecstacy of joy and gratitude, they pressed him to
accept it as a token of thankfulness. Scipio, unable to resist their
importunate solicitations, told them he accepted it; but ordering it
to be laid at his feet, he thus addressed Allutius:--"To the portion
you are to receive from your father-in-law, I add this, and beg you
would accept it as a nuptial present:" thus exhibiting in the whole
transaction a rare instance of modesty, disinterestedness, and
benevolence, well worthy of imperishable record, as a moral lesson for
mankind.
When Araspes had commended the fair Panthea to Cyrus, as a beauty
worthy his admiration, he replied--"For that very reason I will not
see her, lest if by thy persuasion I should see her but once, she
herself might persuade me to see her often, and spend more time with
her than would be for the advantage of my own affairs."--Alexander the
Great would not trust his eyes in the presence of the beauteous Queen
of Persia, but kept himself out of the reach of her charms, and
treated only with her aged mother. These, as they were peculiar acts
of continence, so were they as absolutely checks of curiosity, which
never sleeps in youthful breasts when beauty elicits admiration.
Cicero, treating of the many degrees of human commerce and society,
places matrimony in the first rank. In fact, marriage is not only a
state capable of the highest human felicity, but it is an institution
well calculated to destroy those rank and noxious weeds of the
passions which, by their pestiferous influence, spread misery and
death around the social hemisphere. Marriage is the basis of
community, and the cement of society;--it is, or ought to be, that
state of perfect friendship in which there are, according to
Pythagoras, "two bodies with but one soul." It is in the genial
atmosphere of this noble communion of sentiment and affection that the
virtue of continence comes forth in all its dazzling splendour. Milton
has touched this subject with so chaste and elegant a pen, that the
description, one would think, must confirm the husband in his
happiness, and reclaim the man of profligate and licentious
principles:--
"Hail, wedded love! mysterious law! true source
Of human offspring, sole propriety
In Paradise, of all things common else.
By thee adultrous lust was driven from men,
Among the beastial herds to range; by thee,
Founded in reason, loyal, just, and pure,
Relations dear, and all the charities
Of father, son, and brother, first were known.
Perpetual fountain of domestic sweets,
Whose bed is undefiled and chaste pronounc'd,
Present or past, as saints or patriarchs us'd.
Here Love his golden shafts employs; here lights
His constant lamp, and waves his purple wings:
Reigns here, and revels not in the bought smile
Of harlots, loveless, joyless, unendear'd,
Casual fruition; nor in court amours,
Mix'd dance, or wanton mask, or midnight ball;
Or serenade, which the starv'd lover sings
To his proud fair, best quitted with disdain."