The ancient Assyrians seem more thoroughly to have settled and digested
the affairs of marriage, than any of their cotemporaries. Once in every
year they assembled together all the girls that were marriageable, when
the public crier put them up to sale, one after another. For her whose
figure was agreeable, and whose beauty was attracting, the rich strove
against each other, who should give the highest price; which price was
put into a public stock, and distributed in portions to those whom
nobody would accept without a reward. After the most beautiful were
disposed of, these were also put up by the crier, and a certain sum of
money offered with each, proportioned to what it was thought she stood
in need of to bribe a husband to accept her. When a man offered to
accept of any of them, on the terms upon which she was exposed to sale,
the crier proclaimed that such a man had proposed to take such a woman,
with such a sum of money along with her, provided none could be found
who would take her with less; and in this manner the sale went on, till
she was at last allotted to him who offered to take her with the
smallest portion.--When this public sale was over, the purchasers of
those that were beautiful were not allowed to take them away, till they
had paid down the price agreed on, and given sufficient security that
they would marry them; nor, on the other hand, would those who were to
have a premium for accepting of such as were less beautiful, take a
delivery of them, till their portions were previously paid.