_Of their ceremonies that they vse in the celebrating the
Marriages._
[Sidenote: They that haue most daughters are most richest.]
[Sidenote: They may marrie with many wiues.]
[Sidenote: Honest women.]
The people of this kingdome haue a particular care to giue state vnto
their children in time, before that they be ouercome or drowned in vices
or lasciuious liuing. The which care is the occasion, that in this
countrie, being so great, there is lesse vice vsed than in any other
smaller countries: whose ouer much care doth cause them many times to
procure to marrie their children being verie yoong: yea, and to make
consort before they bee borne, with signes and tokens, making their
writings and bandes for the performance of the same in publike order. In
all this kingdome--yea, and in the Ilands Philippinas--it is a
customable vse, that the husband doth giue dowrie vnto the wife with
whom he doth marrie; and at such time as they doe ioyne in matrimonie,
the father of the bride doth make a great feast in his owne house, and
doth inuite to the same the father and mother, kinsfolkes and friends,
of his sonne in lawe. And the next day following, the father of the
bridegroome, or his next parent, doth the like vnto the kinsfolkes of
the bride. These bankets being finished, the husbande doth giue vnto his
wife her dowrie in the presence of them all, and she doth giue it vnto
her father or mother (if she haue them) for the paines they tooke in the
bringing her vp. Whereby it is to be vnderstoode, that in this kingdome,
and in those that doe confine on it, those that haue most daughters are
most richest; so that with the dowries their daughters do giue them,
they may well sustaine themselues in their necessitie; and when they
die, they doo giue it that daughter that did giue it them, that it may
remaine for their children, or otherwise vse it at their willes. A man
may marrie with so manie wiues as he can sustaine, so it be not with his
sister or brothers daughter; and if any doo marrie in these two degrees,
they are punished very rigorously. Of all their wiues, the first is
their legitimate wife, and all the rest are accompted but as lemanes or
concubines. These married men doo liue and keepe house with his first
wife, and the rest he doth put in other houses; or if he be a merchant,
then he doth repart them in such villages or townes whereas hee doth
deale in, who are vnto him as seruantes in respect of the first. When
the father doth die, the eldest sonne, by his first wife, doth inherite
the most part of all his goods, and the rest is reparted in equall
partes amongest the other children, both of his first wife and of all
the other wiues. For lacke of a sonne by his first wife, the first borne
of the other wiues doth inherite the most part: so that few times, or
neuer, there is none that dieth without heyres, eyther by his first
wife, or by the others. And if it so fall out that any of these his
wiues do commit adulterie (the which seeldome chaunceth, by reason of
their keeping in, and great honestie, as also it is great infamie unto
the man that doth offer any such thing), then may the husband, finding
them togither, kill them: but after that first furie being past, he
cannot but complaine of the adulterers vnto the Justic, and although it
be proued verie apparent, yet can they giue them no more punishment but
beate them cruelly vpon their thyghes, as is the custome and lawe of the
countrie, as shalbe declared vnto you in his place. Then may the husband
afterwardes sell his wife for a slave, and make money of her for the
dowrie he gaue her. Notwithstanding, there be amongst them that for
interest will dissemble the matter--yea, and will seeke opportunities
and occasion. Yet if such be spied or knowen, they are righteously
punished. They say in the prouinces that bee neere vnto Tartaria, and in
the selfe same Tartaria they doo vse a custome and manner of marriage
very strange, that is: the vizroys or gouernors doo limit and appoint a
time when that all men and women shall meete together, such as will
marrie, or receive the order of religion.
[Sidenote: A strange kind of marriage.]
The time being accomplished, all such as would be married, do meete
together in a citie of that prouince appointed for that purpose; and
when they come thither, they doo present themselues before 12 auncient
and principall men, appointed there by the king for the same purpose,
who doo take a note of their names, both of men and women, and of what
state and degree they are, and of their substance for to dowrie their
wiues with whom they shalbe married. Then do they number all the men and
women that be there, and if they do find more men than women, or, to the
contrarie, more women than men, then they cast lots, and do leaue the
number that doth so beare in register til the next yeare; yt they may
be the first that shalbe married. Then sixe of those ancient men do put
the men in three parts; the rich they put in one part, without any
consideration of gentilitie or beautie, and those that are rich in a
meane in an other parte, and the poor in the thirde part. In the meane
time that these sixe men be occupied in the reparting of the men, the
other sixe doe repart the women in three parts--to say in this manner,
the most fairest in one part, and them not so faire in an other, and the
fowlest in an other. This diuision being made, then do they marrie them
in this order: vnto the riche men they doo giue the fairest, and they
doo giue for them the prise that is appointed by the judges, and vnto
them that are not so rich they do giue them that are not so faire,
without paying for them anye thing at all; and vnto the poore men they
giue the fowlest, with all that which the rich men do pay for the faire
women, diuiding it into equall partes. Sure it is a notable thing if it
bee true. This being done, they are all married in one daie, and holpen
(although peraduenture not all content), the marriages being doone,
there is greate feastes made, in such houses as the king hath ordeyned
in euerye citie for the same purpose, the which are furnished with beds,
and all other necessaries belonging thereunto, for that the new married
people may be serued of all that is needful for the time that the feast
do indure. This solemnitie beeing finished, which they saye doth indure
fiftie dayes, these newe married people doo goe vnto their owne houses.
You must vnderstande that this custome of marriage is ordeyned for the
common and poore people, and not for lords nor gentlemen, who are not
bound to obey this ordinaunce, but to marrie whereas they like best,
euerie one to seeke and marrie with his equall, or else by an order
which the king hath set downe vnto the viceroys and gouernors, what to
be done therein.
When that the King of China is married, then dooth he choose thirtie
concubines, the principallest persons in all his kingdome, the which hee
dooth keepe and maintayne within his pallace so long as hee doth liue.
But after that hee is dead, and his funerall ended, as is accustomed,
then doth the heire or successor of the kingdome apparell these thirtie
women maruelous gorgeously, with many iewelles; then doth hee cause them
to set in an estrado, or rich pallet, gallantly dressed and furnished,
in one of the three halles (as shall be declared in the second chapter
of the third booke), with their faces couered, in such sort as they may
not be seene nor knowen; and being set in this order, then doth there
enter in thirtie gentlemen of the principallest of the kingdome, (those
whom the king left named in his testament), the which goeth by
antiquitie, or according vnto order set by the king; and eyther of them
doth take one of these ladies by the hand, and looke howe they found
them, so they doo carrie them with their faces covered till they bring
them home to their houses, whereas they haue them for their wiues, and
do maintaine and keepe them all the dayes of their liues. Towards the
mainteyning of them, the king doth leaue in his testament great
reueneues, and the successor in the kingdome doth accomplish and
performe the same with great diligence and care.
In old time, when that the kinges of China would marrie one of his
children or kingsfolkes, he did make in his pallace a great and solemne
banket, to the which he did inuite all the principallest lordes and
gentlemen of his court, commaunding to bring with them their sonnes and
daughters, who did accomplish the same, striuing who should apparell
their children most richest and most gallantest. The banket being done,
the young princes do go whereas are these young ladies, euerie one
placed in order according to their age, and there he doth chuse his wife
according to his owne will or desire, and where he liketh best. But at
this time, this custome is left off, for that the princes and gentlemen
do marry with their kinsfolkes, so that it be not in the first or
seconde degree: yet many times they do not keepe the second.