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- Herausgeber: Science & Technology Publishing
- Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
- Sprache: Englisch
Aristotle's Works: Containing the Master-piece, Directions for Midwives, and Counsel and Advice to Child-bearing Women with Various Useful Remedies is a comprehensive and influential compendium that has served as a cornerstone of popular medical literature for centuries. Despite its attribution to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, the book is a product of early modern Europe, reflecting the era’s fascination with natural philosophy, reproduction, and the mysteries of human generation. This volume is divided into several sections, each addressing different aspects of human sexuality, conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and women’s health. The Master-piece section delves into the secrets of generation, offering detailed explanations of male and female anatomy, the process of conception, and the development of the fetus. It provides practical advice on increasing fertility, understanding the signs of pregnancy, and predicting the sex of the unborn child. The text is rich with folklore, traditional wisdom, and early scientific theories, blending observation with myth in its quest to explain the wonders of human reproduction. Directions for Midwives serves as a manual for those assisting in childbirth, outlining the duties and responsibilities of midwives, the stages of labor, and the management of common complications. It emphasizes the importance of experience, compassion, and skill, offering guidance on everything from the proper positioning of the mother to the use of herbal remedies and techniques for easing pain. The section on Counsel and Advice to Child-bearing Women addresses the physical and emotional challenges faced by expectant mothers. It provides recommendations for diet, exercise, and hygiene, as well as remedies for common ailments such as morning sickness, swelling, and fatigue. The book also discusses the care of newborns, including advice on breastfeeding, swaddling, and early childhood development. Throughout the work, readers will find a wealth of Various Useful Remedies, drawn from herbal medicine, traditional practices, and early medical theory. These remedies are intended to support women’s health at every stage of life, from menstruation to menopause, and to address a wide range of conditions related to reproduction and childbirth. Aristotle's Works is notable for its candid discussion of topics that were often considered taboo, making it a valuable resource for generations of readers seeking knowledge about the mysteries of life and birth. Its blend of practical advice, moral guidance, and curiosity about the natural world offers a fascinating glimpse into the beliefs and practices of the past, while its enduring popularity attests to the universal importance of the subjects it addresses.
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ARISTOTLE’S WORKS: CONTAINING THE MASTER-PIECE, DIRECTIONS FOR MIDWIVES, AND COUNSEL AND ADVICE TO CHILD-BEARING WOMEN. WITH VARIOUS USEFUL REMEDIES.
ADVERTISEMENT.
CONTENTS.
THE MASTER-PIECE.
THE MATRIMONIAL STATE CONSIDERED.
CHAPTER I. FALSE STEPS IN MATRIMONIAL ALLIANCES.
CHAPTER II. THE ORIGINAL APPOINTMENT OF MARRIAGE.
CHAPTER III. THE HAPPY STATE OF MATRIMONY.
CHAPTER IV. PRECAUTIONARY HINTS.
CHAPTER V. THE VAGARIES OF NATURE, IN THE BIRTHS OF MONSTERS.
CHAPTER VI. OF THE WOMB IN GENERAL.
CHAPTER VII. OF THE RETENTION OF THE MENSES.
CHAPTER VIII. OF THE OVERFLOWING OF THE MENSES.
CHAPTER IX. OF THE WEEPING OF THE WOMB.
CHAPTER X. OF THE FALSE MENSES, OR WHITES.
CHAPTER XI. OF THE SUFFOCATION OF THE MOTHER.
CHAPTER XII. FALLING OF THE WOMB.
CHAPTER XIII. OF THE INFLAMMATION OF THE WOMB.
CHAPTER XIV. OF SCHIRROSITY OR HARDNESS OF THE WOMB.
CHAPTER XV. OF THE DROPSY IN THE WOMB.
CHAPTER XVI. OF MOLES AND FALSE CONCEPTIONS.
CHAPTER XVII. OF CONCEPTION, AND HOW A WOMAN MAY KNOW WHETHER SHE HAS CONCEIVED OR NOT, AND WHETHER MALE OR FEMALE.
CHAPTER XVIII. OF UNTIMELY BIRTHS.
CHAPTER XIX. DIRECTIONS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN.
CHAPTER XX. DIRECTIONS TO BE OBSERVED BY WOMEN, AT THE TIME OF THEIR FALLING IN LABOUR.
CHAPTER XXI. IN CASES OF EXTREMITY, WHAT OUGHT TO BE DONE.
THE MIDWIFE. GUIDE TO CHILD-BEARING WOMEN.
BOOK I.—CHAPTER I.
Sect. I. Of the Womb.
Sect. II.—Of the Difference between the Ancient and Modern Physicians, touching the Woman’s contributing Seed to the Formation of the Child.
CHAPTER II. OF CONCEPTION; WHAT IT IS; HOW WOMEN ARE TO ORDER THEMSELVES AFTER CONCEPTION.
Sect. I. What Conception is.
Sect. II. How a Woman ought to order herself after Conception.
CHAPTER III. Of the Parts proper to a Child in the Womb. How it is formed there, and the Manner of its Situation therein.
Sect. I. Of the Parts proper to a Child in the womb.
Sect. II. Of the Formation of the Child in the Womb.
Sect. III. Of the manner of the Child’s lying in the Womb.
CHAP. IV. A Guide to Women in Travail, showing what is to be done when they fall in Labour, in order to their Delivery.
Sect. I. The Signs of the true Time of a Woman’s Labour.
Sect. II. How a woman ought to be ordered when the Time if her Labour is come.
CHAPTER V. OF NATURAL LABOUR; WHAT IT IS; AND WHAT THE MIDWIFE IS TO DO IN SUCH A LABOUR.
Sect. I. What Natural Labour is.
Sect. II. Of the Cutting of the Child’s Navel-String.
Sect. III. How to bring away the After-burden.
Sect. IV. Of Laborious and Difficult Labours, and how the Midwife is to proceed therein.
Sect. V. Of Women labouring with a dead Child.
CHAPTER VI. Of unnatural Labour.
Sect. I. How to deliver a Woman of a Dead Child, by Manual Operation.
Sect. II. How a Woman must be Delivered, when the Child’s Feet come first.
Sect. III. How to bring away the Head of the Child, when separated from the Body, and left behind in the Womb.
Sect. IV. How to deliver a Woman when the Child’s Head is presented to the Birth.
Sect. V. How to Deliver a Woman when the Child presents one or both Hands together with the Head.
Sect. VI. How a Woman ought to be delivered, when the Hands and Feet of the Infant come together.
Sect. VII. How a Woman should be delivered that has Twins, which present themselves in different Postures.
CHAPTER VII. DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD-BEARING WOMEN IN THEIR LYING-IN.
Sect. I. How a Woman newly Delivered ought to be ordered.
Sect. II. How to remedy those Accidents which a Lying-in Woman is subject to.
CHAPTER VIII. Directions for the Nurses, in ordering Newly-born Children.
CHAPTER IX.
Sect. I. Of Gripes and Pains in the Bellies of young Children.
Sect. II. Of Weakness in newly-born Infants.
Sect. III. Of the Fundament being closed up in a newly-born Infant.
Sect. IV. Of the Thrush, or Ulcers in the Mouth of the Infant.
Sect. V. Of Pains in the Ears, Inflammation, Moisture, &c.
Sect. VI. Of Redness, and Inflammation of the Buttocks, Groin, and the Thighs of a Young Child.
Sect. VII. Of Vomiting in young Children.
Sect. VIII. Of breeding Teeth in young Children.
Sect. IX. Of the Flux of the Belly, or Looseness in Infants.
Sect. X. Of the Epilepsy and Convulsions in Children.
PROPER AND SAFE REMEDIES FOR CURING ALL THOSE DISTEMPERS THAT ARE PECULIAR TO THE FEMALE SEX.
CHAPTER I. The Diseases of the Womb.
Sect. I. Of the Hot Distemper of the Womb.
Sect. II. Of the Cold Distemper of the Womb.
Sect. III. Of the Inflation of the Womb.
Sect. IV. Of the Straitness of the Womb, and its Vessels.
Sect. V. Of the Falling of the Womb.
CHAPTER II. OF DISEASES RELATING TO WOMEN’S MONTHLY TERMS.
Sect. I. Of Women’s Monthly Terms in General.
Sect. II. Of Terms coming out of order, either before or after the usual Time.
ARISTOTLE’S BOOK OF PROBLEMS, WITH OTHER ASTRONOMERS, ASTROLOGERS, AND PHYSICIANS, CONCERNING THE STATE OF MAN’S BODY.
Of the Head.
Of the Eyes.
Of the Nose.
Of the Ears
Of the Mouth.
Of the Teeth.
Of the Tongue.
Of the Roof of the Mouth.
Of the Neck.
Of the Shoulders and Arms.
Of the Hands.
Of the Nails.
Of the Paps and Dugs.
Of the Back.
Of the Heart.
Of the Stomach.
Of the Blood.
Of the Urine.
Of the Gall and Spleen.
Of Monsters.
Of Infants.
Of the Child in the Womb.
Of Abortion and Untimely Birth.
Of Divers Matters.
THE PROBLEMS of MARCUS ANTONIUS ZIMARAS SANCTIPERTIAS.
THE PROBLEMS OF ALEXANDER APHRODISEUS.
DISPLAYING THE SECRETS OF NATURE, RELATING TO PHYSIOGNOMY.
CHAPTER I.
Sect. I Of Physiognomy, showing what it is, and from whence it is derived.
CHAPTER II. Of the Judgment of Physiognomy.
CHAPTER III. Of Judgments drawn from several other parts of Man’s Body.
CHAPTER IV. Of Palmistry, showing the various Judgments drawn from the Hand.
CHAPTER V. Judgments according to Physiognomy, drawn from the different parts of the Body, from the Hands to the Feet.
Of Crooked and Deformed Persons.
Of the divers Manners of going, and particular Posture both of Men and Women,
Of the Gait or Motion in Men or Women.
Judgments drawn from the Stature of Man.
CHAPTER IV. Of the Power of Celestial Bodies over Men and Women.
THE MIDWIFE’S VADE-MECUM; CONTAINING PARTICULAR DIRECTIONS FOR MIDWIVES, NURSES, &c.
GENUINE RECIPES FOR CAUSING SPEEDY DELIVERY.
Approved Directions to Nurses.
Choice Remedies for increasing Milk.
THE VENEREAL DISEASE.
OF THE VIRULENT GONORRHŒA.
OF GLEETS.
OF THE SWELLED TESTICLE.
OF BUBOES.
OF CHANCRES.
OF A CONFIRMED LUES.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.
CONCLUSION.
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Transcriber’s Note:
The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
ARISTOTLE’S MASTER-PIECE.
ARISTOTLE’S WORKS:CONTAININGTHE MASTER-PIECE,DIRECTIONS FOR MIDWIVES,ANDCOUNSEL AND ADVICETOCHILD-BEARING WOMEN.WITHVARIOUS USEFUL REMEDIES.
ADVERTISEMENT.
At the present time, when so many of the female sex, in the hour of Nature’s extremity, depend solely upon the skill and practical experience of the Midwife, we regard every attempt to assist the female accoucheur in her difficult, and sometimes dangerous operation, as a blessing conferred upon society.
This treatise enters fully into every department of Midwifery; and lays down excellent rules, and proposes valuable suggestions for the guidance of the female operator, which, if acted upon, will not only redound to the credit of the practitioner, but will be of immense benefit to those operated upon. Another valuable feature of this work is, that it contains important directions for the guidance of child-bearing women during the time of their pregnancy: how they should conduct themselves with regard to regimen, medical treatment, and other matters, each month, until the time of their delivery. In short, we venture to assert that if the counsel and advice given in the Experienced Midwife be strictly adhered to by all parties interested therein, the travail in child-birth, instead of being many times difficult and dangerous, will be safe, speedy, and comparatively easy.
CONTENTS.
THE MASTER-PIECE.
PAGE
The Matrimonial State considered
9
Chap.
I.
—False Steps in Matrimonial Alliances
10
„
II.
—The original appointment of Marriage
14
„
III.
—The happy state of Matrimony
20
„
IV.
—Precautionary Hints
29
„
V.
—The Vagaries of Nature in the birth of Monsters
34
„
VI.
—Of the Womb in general
41
„
VII.
—Of the retention of the Terms
43
„
VIII.
—Of the overflowing of the Terms
49
„
IX.
—Of the Weeping of the Womb
53
„
X.
—Of the false Terms, or Whites
54
„
XI.
—Of the Suffocation of the Mother
57
„
XII.
—Falling of the Womb
62
„
XIII.
—Of the Inflammation of the Womb
64
„
XIV.
—Of the Schirrosity or Hardness of the Womb
66
„
XV.
—Of the Dropsy of the Womb
68
„
XVI.
—Of Moles and False Conceptions
70
„
XVII.
—Of Conception, and how a woman may know whether she has conceived or not, and whether male or female
74
„
XVIII.
—Of untimely Births
76
„
XIX.
—Directions for Pregnant Women
77
„
XX.
—Directions to be observed by women at the time of their falling in labour
80
„
XXI.
—In cases of extremity, what ought to be done
82
THE MIDWIFE.
CHAPTER I.
Sect. I.
Of the Womb
85
Sect. II.
Of the Difference between Ancient and Modern Physicians, touching the Woman’s contributing Seed for the formation of the Child
90
CHAPTER II.
Sect. I.
What Conception is
93
Sect. II.
How a Woman ought to order herself after Conception
ib.
CHAPTER III.
Sect. I.
Of the Parts proper to a Child in the Womb. How it is formed there, and the Manner of its Situation therein
104
Of the Secundine, or After-Birth
107
Sect. II.
Of the Formation of the Child in the Womb
109
Sect. III.
Of the manner of the Child’s lying in the Womb
110
CHAPTER IV.
A Guide for Women in Travail, shewing what is to be done when they Fall in Labour, in order to their Delivery
113
Sect. I.
The Signs of the true Time of Woman’s Labour
114
Sect. II.
How a Woman ought to be ordered when the time of her Labour is come
116
CHAPTER V.
Sect. I.
What Natural Labour is
123
Sect. II.
Of the Cutting of the Child’s Navel-String
128
Sect. III.
How to bring away the After-burden
130
Sect. IV.
Of Laborious and Difficult Labours, and how the Midwife is to proceed therein
131
Sect. V.
Of Women Labouring with a dead Child
138
CHAPTER VI.
Of Unnatural Labour
142
Sect. I.
How to deliver a woman of a Dead Child, by Manual Operation
143
Sect. II.
How a Woman must be Delivered, when the Child’s Feet come first
146
Sect. III.
How to bring away the Head of the Child, when separated from the Body, and left behind in the Womb
149
Sect. IV.
How to deliver a Woman, when the Child’s Head is presented to the Birth
151
Sect. V.
How to deliver a Woman when the Child presents one or both Hands together with the Head
153
Sect. VI.
How a Woman ought to be delivered, when the Hands and Feet of the Infant come together
154
Sect. VII.
How a Woman should be delivered that has Twins, which present themselves in different Postures
156
CHAPTER VII.
Sect. I.
How a Woman newly delivered ought to be ordered
160
Sect. II.
How to remedy those Accidents which a Lying-in Woman is subject to
162
CHAPTER VIII.
Directions for Nurses, in ordering Newly-born Children
168
CHAPTER IX.
Sect. I.
Of Gripes and Pains in the Bowels of young Children
171
Sect. II.
Of Weakness in newly-born Infants
173
Sect. III.
Of the Fundament being closed up in a newly-born Infant
174
Sect. IV.
Of the Thrush, or Ulcers in the Mouth of the Infant
176
Sect. V.
Of Pains in the Ears, Inflammation, Moisture, &c.
177
Sect. VI.
Of Redness, or Inflammation of the Buttocks, Groin, and the thighs of the Young Child
178
Sect. VII.
Of Vomiting in young Children
179
Sect. VIII.
Of breeding Teeth in young Children
180
Sect. IX.
Of the Flux in the Belly, or Looseness in Infants
182
Sect. X.
Of the Epilepsy and Convulsions in Children
185
Proper and Safe Remedies for Curing all those Distempers that are Peculiar to the Female Sex
186
THE MASTER-PIECE.
THE MATRIMONIAL STATE CONSIDERED.
The subject of Matrimony is one of deep interest to both sexes: and it behoves every one before marriage to study it with the most serious attention, and ponder over it with an earnest desire to acquire a full knowledge of its duties, responsibilities, and enjoyments. It is an attractive subject to both male and female, except those who subscribe to the principles of Malthus; and old bachelors and old maids are looked upon with contempt and scorn by the generality of young people. Celibacy is regarded now with different views from that with which it used to be some centuries back; and this change is perceptible in some portions of the Romish church. The celibacy of the priesthood is not now insisted on with that strictness which was the case in former times. Marriage is considered the legitimate and proper order of things: husband and wife the relative condition of male and female, and celibacy ought to be, if possible, avoided.
It is our intention to examine the subject in regard to the prejudicial influence which arises from the false steps which are often taken in matrimonial alliances; the original appointment of marriage; and the happy state of matrimony when in strict accordance with that which was originally appointed; with other subjects connected with Love and Marriage.
CHAPTER I.FALSE STEPS IN MATRIMONIAL ALLIANCES.
When we peruse the yearly returns which are furnished by the Registrar General of the marriages which have taken place in our own country, we are forcibly struck with the many false steps which have been taken by both males and females, even in one year. Parties joined together of the most unequal ages—May and December—plainly declare that there are other motives actuating the one or the other, in the step taken, than the one that should always be predominant at the hymeneal altar.
Another list in the Registrar’s Return will show us what numbers enter the marriage state long before they have come to the age of maturity. In Oriental countries the custom is to marry at an early age; but there the climate, it is said, has an influence on the human frame which earlier developes the state of puberty than is the case in our own northern clime; and that in those countries human decay commences earlier than it does in Europe. Still we hesitate not to say, that early marriages even in hot climates, are injudicious. We are not advocating marriages taking place between the sexes when the vigour and stamina have begun to decay; on the other hand, we would say, that early marriages are preferable to those contracted when the bloom of youth has passed away. But when those are joined together who are not physiologically prepared for the requirements and enjoyments of the matrimonial state, they attempt that for which nature has not fitted them, and impair their physical organs, debilitate their vital powers, and exhaust their strength. We would, therefore, caution our readers not to marry too young.
Another false step taken by those who enter the marriage state is one that requires great discrimination and judgment to avoid: we allude to the bodily or mental disqualification of the one or the other for the true enjoyment of that state. What misery has been experienced by thousands for want of a thorough knowledge of each other bodily and mentally before the knot was tied. The Divorce Court has been, and is, crowded with applicants for redress, who are the victims of their own folly, and who rushed into the connubial state without having a clear and perfect understanding of each other’s qualifications for rendering the marriage state one of enjoyment.
Again, much misery is often productive of the want of a thorough knowledge of the temper and disposition of each other before the consummation of marriage. The lover finds in the object adored, all perfection; and neglects to view this object in its true light, until the irrevocable vow is uttered, and wedded life reveals the unwholesome truth that the temper and disposition of the one, or the other, or both, are of such a nature as to render the domestic hearth any thing but pleasant.
Again, a common error committed by those wishing to enter the marriage state, is that of being dazzled and decoyed by the beauty of the object sought. The beauty of the face is not among women one of universal agreement, as is generally supposed. Voltaire has said, “Ask a toad what is handsome, and he will answer, ‘My mate, with his big eyes and slimy skin.’” The negro’s type of beauty, no doubt, consists in a blackness equal to his own; but is there no specific and positive state of perfection, regularity, harmony, organization, in each species? Have not all their ideas of beauty, independent of the preferences or prepossessions of others? The face of a woman is a mirror of the affections of her soul, as has been often remarked, but the fact has not yet been promulgated, that the different features of a face indicate a particular species of affection.
Again, an error frequently committed by those anxious to enter the matrimonial life is that of seeking for wealth, not the true enjoyment of domestic happiness. Alas! what numbers have made fatal shipwreck by being dashed to pieces, like Sinbad, on this loadstone rock! The man that wishes to find the true enjoyment of married life should not look for a large dower along with the partner of his life, but for a woman of a virtuous, well-educated, and amiable disposition. Such a partner will be of more value than all the gold that has been discovered in California, Australia, and all the other El Dorados yet heard of. But although the lover should not be actuated by an inordinate craving after wealth, still there should be a due foresight exercised to provide for a proper maintenance before entering the marriage state. Many couples get united together before they have provided a home of their own wherein to dwell, and are therefore compelled to be dependent upon others, for a habitation. This is a sad state of things; and has frequently been the cause of embittering the married life of those who would otherwise have enjoyed much of its sweets.
Again, another error which is often committed by those entering the married state, is that of an utter disregard for the tastes and inclinations of each other. For want of due appreciation of the unity of feeling on this subject much unhappiness has been experienced by husband and wife. The husband, perhaps, has a taste for a particular class of literature, and takes a delight in perusing his favourite authors, whilst the wife takes a pleasure in reading works of quite a different description altogether, and persists in maintaining her judgment in opposition to that of her husband, hence unpleasant bickerings and recriminations take place. And as their tastes disagree in regard to the food for the mind, so also they disagree in regard to the food for the body. What she likes, he dislikes, and what he likes, she dislikes. It behoves every one, entering the matrimonial state to have a perfect understanding, and a reciprocity in taste and inclination with each other.
Again, another error into which many fall who are entering the wedded life, is a departure from that candour and uprightness which ought to govern and actuate mankind in every transaction of daily life but more especially in the important one now under consideration. What lamentable consequences have resulted from the deception and subterfuge which have been practised by both male and female, when about to be joined together in the holy bands of wedlock! The man who would deceive the partner whom he vows to cherish and comfort, or the woman who would practice deception on him whom she vows to honour and obey, deserve to taste the bitter fruit of their own sin and folly. It should ever be known by those who are about to become man and wife, that every matter which they are anxious to conceal before marriage, will, very probably, be disclosed at one time or another; and perhaps disclosed in such a way so as to make the secret appear of ten times more importance than it really is. Unbosom every secret, confide in each other; and be assured that, whatever may be the consequence, a clear conscience, truth, and uprightness will comfort and sustain you in every trouble.
CHAPTER II.THE ORIGINAL APPOINTMENT OF MARRIAGE.
The Author of our being, when he formed the first pair of human beings, left them not to the mere instincts of nature, as he did in the case of the inferior animals; but for them he especially instituted the contract of marriage; so that marriage is a divine appointment. At the Almighty’s command the waters brought forth in abundance; myriads of fishes swam in the sea; innumerable birds of every description winged their way in the firmament; animals of all kinds, from the gigantic elephant to the smallest creature imaginable, wandered up and down on the earth, and every kind of creeping thing; the largest of the feathered tribe built nests on the inaccessible cliffs; the lion and the tiger, with other ferocious beasts, prowled the forests; cattle and sheep and the mild animals cropped the herbage; the dove chose her mate; the nightingale warbled her song; the small insects, to which the leaf was a world, and the minute animalcule, whose universe was a water-drop—all were formed by the Almighty—and He commanded that they were to “Be fruitful, and multiply, in the earth.”
It was different, however, with regard to the human family. As the members of that family were formed with an elaboration not displayed in other departments of creation, as their structure was different from that of any other creature, as man was formed from the dust of the earth, and God breathed into him the breath of life, as the woman was made from a portion of the man—bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh,—consequently there was a difference in the way in which they were directed to fulfil the great purpose of their creation, namely, to replenish the earth.
The Almighty declared that it was not good for man to be alone, therefore woman was formed for an helpmeet for him. Throughout the teeming earth, the blue expanse, and the deep water, there was not a creature but what had found a mate; our first parent stood alone, without the society of one bearing his nature—isolated from the company of one with whom he could hold converse, and who could share in the enjoyments of the happy sphere in which he was at first placed. The Great Creator made woman, brought them together, and instituted marriage. Equal power and dominion over the inferior creatures was given to the woman, as that exercised by the man; and it was not until the disobedience and sin of our first parents, that the original order of things was changed, and that anything was heard of the subjection of Eve to Adam.
The institution of Marriage was a wise and judicious arrangement, and peculiarly adapted to the position of the human race. It was of the greatest consequence to man that he should have a companion, a friend, a wife; and for this purpose it was ordained that a man should leave his father and mother, and cleave unto his own wife, and they twain should be one flesh.
In what emphatic language is the union of husband and wife enforced: “they twain shall be one flesh.” For the future their joys and their sorrows are to be identical. They are not separate individuals as two male persons are considered, but male and female—wife and husband—one. Alas! how frequently is this oneness marred and broken—a diversity of interest and feeling appears to exist between many married couples, and how often the adage of, “a house divided against itself cannot stand,” is verified. It would be well if such couples would oftener remember the solemn injunction—“they twain shall be one flesh.” It seems to an observer, that if such couples ever loved one another, they lavished and exhausted that love in the early days of marriage, and filled up the void by feelings of enmity and strife. This ought not to be the state of a domestic household; for though the wife may be possessed of the key of every drawer and cupboard in the house, if she does not possess the key of her husband’s heart, she is destitute of that which is of more value to her than every other earthly treasure. The husband may be affectionate, kind, and respectful to his wife, but if she is not identical with himself, the depository and confidante of all his feelings and aspirations, there is something amiss. It is an impossibility for married people to love and trust each other too much, and as impossible for them to feel a strong and deep affection for each other, if they do not consider their interests to be identical.
When Adam awoke out of the deep sleep into which he had been cast by the Almighty, and beheld the lovely being in his presence, he was told by his and her maker, that the woman was given to be with him, not given to him; for so we understand by the words of Adam, when he would have framed an excuse for his sin—“The woman that thou gavest to be with me.” Therefore the inference is plain that woman was not given to man to be his slave, nor the victim of his caprice or violence, nor the plaything of an hour, but a partner and confidante in all that concerned him; the sharer of his joys and sorrows, of his prosperity and adversity. Woman was not to be subjected to harsh and cruel treatment, but to be cherished and protected; and to be on an equality in every way with man. There is great force and truth in what was penned by an aged writer—“Man and wife are equally concerned to avoid all offences to each other in the beginning of their conversation; a very little thing can blast an infant blossom; and the breath of the south can shake the little rings of the vine, when first they begin to curl like the locks of a new-weaned boy; but when by age and consolidation they stiffen into the hardness of a stem, and have by the warm embraces of the sun, and the kisses of heaven, brought forth their clusters they can endure the storms of the north, and the loud noise of the tempest, and yet never be broken.”
Peculiar scope is given for the exercise of the highest qualities of the heart, through the obligations which belong to the state of matrimony. The presence of our Lord and Saviour at a marriage feast, and the example of the early Christians, give force to the statement that marriage is a divine institution. Marriage was held in great esteem by the venerable fathers of ancient days, and considered highly honourable, whilst celibacy was discountenanced by them.
Among the Jews, marriage was held in the greatest esteem and favour, and it is said that the early Christians would never allow any one to sustain the office of a magistrate except those who were married. Laws were made by the Pagans to promote the institution of marriage. A festival was instituted by the Lacedæmonians, at which those men, who were unmarried, were reviled and scourged by the women, and deemed unworthy to serve the republic. Among the Romans, those who had been several times married were distinguished, and received great honour from their fellow countrymen, crowns and wreaths, were placed on their heads, and in their public rejoicings they appeared with palms in their hands, signifying that they had been instrumental in adding to the glory of the empire. It is related by St. Jerome, that they covered a man with bays, and ordered him to accompany his wife’s corpse in funeral pomp, with a crown on his head, and a palm branch in his hand, it being considered highly necessary that he should be thus honoured and carried in triumph, seeing that he had been married twenty times, and his wife twenty-two.
The marriage ceremony being solemnized in accordance with the rites of the early Christian Church, the veil (a Pagan custom of former times) was preserved, and from this observance of veiling the word nuptials is derived. The use of the ring was also a matter of importance in the ceremony; the solemn kiss was imparted, and the practice of joining hands was observed. Usually, at the conclusion of the ceremony, the bride was crowned—occasionally both the bride and the bridegroom—with wreaths of myrtle.—The lace veil and the wreath of orange blossoms, which is now such a necessary adornment in bridal attire, may be traced to the practice pursued by bridal parties in former times.
The wedding ring is an emblem of many significant qualifications. Gold being the noblest and purest, as well as the most enduring—it is made of that metal.—Its circular form denotes that form to be the most perfect of all figures, and the hieroglyphic of eternity. Its being entirely free from ornament denotes the perfect simplicity and plainness of wedded life. The ring is put on the left hand because of its being nearest the heart; and on the fourth finger on account of some supposed connection between that finger, more than the others, with the seat of life. The ring is the acknowledged pledge of the bestowal of authority, as in former times the giving of it was regarded as the delegation of all the husband’s authority, and conferred upon the person receiving it, entire supremacy over every thing in the husband’s possession.
It would be an easy task to continue this chapter much farther, by attempting to pourtray the beauty and virtue of marriage, and endeavouring to enforce the obligation of it on all who are proper subjects to engage in it, but we will now close the chapter by saying, that the instincts of nature yearn towards the opposite sex. We long to love and be loved. We feel that within us which inclines us to seek the society of the other sex; a monitor that warns us to refrain from unhallowed love: and a voice which invites us to seek that state of matrimony, which is sanctioned by human and divine law.
CHAPTER III.THE HAPPY STATE OF MATRIMONY.
Without doubt the uniting of hearts in holy wedlock is of all conditions the happiest; for then a man has a second self to whom he can reveal his thoughts, as well as a sweet companion in his labours, toils, trials, and difficulties. He has one in whose breast, as in a safe cabinet, he can confide his inmost secrets, especially where reciprocal love and inviolable faith is centred: for there no care, fear, jealousy, mistrust, or hatred can ever interpose. For base is the man that hateth his own flesh! And truly a wife if rightly considered, as Adam well observed, is or ought to be esteemed of every honest man as “Bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh,” &c. Nor was it the least care of the Almighty to ordain so near a union, and that for two causes; the first, for the increase of posterity; the second, to restrain man’s wandering desires and affections; nay, that they might be yet happier, when God had joined them together, he “blessed them,” as in Gen. ii. An ancient writer, contemplating this happy state, says, in the economy of Zenophon, “that the marriage-bed is not only the most pleasant, but profitable course of life, that may be entered on for the preservation and increase of posterity. Wherefore since marriage is the most safe, and delightful situation of man, he does in no ways provide amiss for his own tranquillity who enters into it, especially when he comes to maturity of years.”
Enviable is the state of that man who has fixed his choice upon a virtuous, chaste wife, centring her entire love upon her husband, and submitting to him as her head and king, by whose directions she ought to steer in all lawful courses, will like a faithful companion, share patiently with him in all his adversities, run with cheerfulness through all difficulties and dangers, though ever so hazardous, to preserve or assist him in poverty, sickness, or whatever misfortune may befall him, acting according to her duty in all things.
“Marriage,” says one of our most gifted poets—who had experienced some varieties of married life—“is a covenant, the very being whereof consists not in a forced cohabitation and counterfeit performance of duties, but in unfeigned love and peace. Matrimonial love, no doubt, was chiefly meant, which by the ancient sages was thus parabled: Love, if it be not twin-born, yet hath a brother wondrous like him, called Anteros; whom, while he seeks all about, his chance is to meet with many false and feigning desires, that wander singly up and down in his likeness: by them, in their borrowed garb, Love though not wholly blind, as poets wrong him, yet having but one eye—on being born an archer, aiming—and that eye not the quickest in this region here below—which is not Love’s proper sphere—partly out of the simplicity of credulity, which is native to him, often deceived, embraces and consorts him with these obvious and suborned striplings, as if they were her mother’s own sons; for so he thinks them, while they subtly keep themselves most on his blind side. But, after a while, as the manner is, when soaring up into the high tower of his opqueum, above the shadow of the earth, he darts out the direct rays of his then most piercing eye-sight upon the impostures and trim disguises that were used with him, and discerns that this was not his genuine brother, as he imagined. He has no longer the power to hold fellowship with such a personated mate; for straight his arrows lose their golden heads, and shed their purple feathers, his silken braids entwine, and slip their knots, and that original and fiery virtue given him by fate, all on a sudden goes out, and leaves him undeified and despoiled of all his force; till, finding Anteros at last, he kindles and repairs the almost faded ammunition of his deity, by the reflection of a coequal and homogenial fire.”
This is a deep and serious verity, showing us that love in marriage cannot live nor subsist unless it be mutual, and where love cannot be, there can be left of wedlock nothing but the empty husk of an outside matrimony, as undelightful and unpleasing to God, as any other kind of hypocrisy.
Man experiences a feeling of want for some one to whom he can unbosom himself of all his secrets, and tell the longings and aspirations of his heart; and who so fit and proper to be trusted as the partner of his joys and sorrows, and the wife of his bosom? In his boyish days he may confide in some youthful companion, but as he verges towards manhood, he hesitates to entrust the secrets of his heart to his equals in age, fearful of a betrayal of confidence. Men are following the bent of their inclinations and pursuits—seeking wealth, reputation, or pleasure—in various ways; and if you told your dearest friend the secrets of your heart, he would soon be wearied with your officiousness, however much he might appreciate your friendship, and might be anxious for your success, but your success, or even your friendship, are not of paramount importance in his estimation. Very different, however is the case with a wife. When you conducted her to the altar, and vowed to love and cherish her so long as life should last, she became one with you—“no more twain but one flesh.” To her you may safely confide all your wishes, difficulties, and disappointments. Pleasure is all the more ecstatic when there are two to partake of it; and every burden feels lighter, when there are two to help to bear it. Pliny, speaking of his wife, says,—“Her ingenuity is admirable; her frugality is extraordinary; she reads my writings, studies them, and even gets them by heart. You would smile to see the concern she is in when I have a cause to plead, and the joy she shows when it is over. She finds means to have the first news brought to her of the success I meet with in court, how I am heard, and what decree is made. She feasts upon my applauses. Sometimes she sings my verses, and accompanies them with the lute without any other master, except love, the best of instructors.” Ecstatic and soul-cheering are the delights which spring from a trusting, loving, and honourable marriage. How the very presence of the loved wife is prized! For should circumstances cause a short separation, with what anxiety does the fond husband look for the return of her on whom his soul doats; and whose returning presence throws a halo of sunshine over his domestic hearth, which gladdens the heart of the loving husband. How the faithful husband will seek to shield the loving wife from every harm; and how firmly he relies on her faith and purity! What energy does the thought of her sterling fidelity give him in life’s struggles! What a peculiar charm is imparted to enjoyments when we can share them with one whom we fondly love, and by whom we are fondly loved in return. Sympathy renders such communion ecstatic, but if that is taken away, the remains are but the hollow mockery of pleasure, vanity, and vexation of spirit.
A clever female writer thus speaks of marriage—“Many a marriage begins like the rosy morning, and then falls away like a snow-wreath. And why? Because the married pair neglect to be as well pleasing to each other after marriage as before. Endeavour always to please one another; but at the same time keep God in your thoughts.—Lavish not all your love on to-day, for remember that marriage has its to-morrow, likewise, and its day after to-morrow, too. Spare, as one may say, fuel for the winter.—Deceive not one another in small things or in great. One little lie has, before now, disturbed a whole married life.—A small cause has often great consequences.—Fold not the hands together and sit idle. ‘Laziness is the devil’s cushion!’ Do not run much from home. ‘One’s own hearth is gold-worth.’—The married woman is her husband’s domestic faith; in her hands he must be able to confide house and family; be able to entrust to her the key of his heart, as well as the key of his eating-room. His honour and his home are under her keeping; his well-being is in her hand. Think of this, oh wife!—Young men, be faithful husbands and good fathers of families. Act so that your wives shall esteem and love you. Read the word of God industriously; that will conduct you through storm and calm, and safely bring you to the haven at last.”
Much happiness may result from the state of matrimony. The good man beholds his children rising around him, like olive branches; he feels himself strengthened and encouraged to fulfil the responsibilities devolving upon him; and he had before no idea of the fountain of joy that was in the word “father.” It appears to him as if his boyish days were returned, when he is surrounded by two or three of the pledges of his affection, witnessing their youthful gambols, and listening to their clear ringing shouts of glee and delight as they scamper up and down before him. He takes a pride in his children. No toil or trial appears harassing which is endured for their benefit. He indulges in bright anticipations regarding their future career, and prays and hopes that they will be a comfort and honour to his declining years; and he endeavours to train them up in the way they should go, trusting that when they are old, they will not depart from it. And this is not a selfish feeling; he is well aware that the man who gives a brave son or a virtuous daughter to society, has conferred an inestimable blessing on society. When declining age approaches, and the partner of his joys and sorrows manifests the effects of time’s corroding blight on the fair structure which won his youthful affections,—still the flame of love burns as pure if not as ardent, as when they stood before the hymeneal altar. The aged pair are still happy in each other’s smile; and the reflection that they have led their children in that good path which shall make their memory blessed, sustains and comforts them in life’s closing scene.
An old divine says, “They that enter into marriage, cast a die of the greatest contingency, and yet of the greatest interest in the world, next to the last throw for eternity. Life or death, felicity or lasting sorrow, are in the power of marriage.—A woman, indeed, ventures most; for she hath no sanctuary to retire to.—The man can run from many hours of sadness, yet he must return to it again, and when he sits among his neighbours, he remembers the dejection that is in his bosom, and sighs deeply.—After the hearts of the man and wife are endeared and strengthened, by a mutual confidence and experience longer than artifice and presence can last, there are a great many remembrances, and some things present, that dash all little unkindnesses in pieces.—Let man and wife be careful to stifle little things, that as fast as they spring they be cast down and trod upon; for if they be suffered to grow, by numbers, they make the spirits peevish, and the society troublesome, and the affections loose and easy by an habitual aversion. Some men are more vexed with a fly than with a wound; and when the gnats disturb our sleep, and the reason is disquieted but not perfectly awakened, it is often seen that he is fuller of trouble than if, in the day-light of his reason he were to contest with a potent enemy. In the frequent little accidents of a family a man’s reason cannot always be awake; and when the discourses are imperfect, and a trifling trouble makes him yet more restless, he is soon betrayed to the violence of passion.—Let them be sure to abstain from all those things which by experience and observation, they find to be contrary to each other.—Let the husband and wife avoid a curious distinction of mine and thine; for this hath caused all the laws, and all the suits, and all the wars of the world.—Let them who have but one purse, have but one interest.—There is nothing that can please a man without love; for nothing can sweeten felicity itself but love.—No man can tell, but he that loves his children, how many delicious accents make a man’s heart dance in the pretty conversations of those dear ones; their childishness, their stammering, their little angers, their innocence, their imperfections, their necessities, are so many little emanations of joy and comfort to him that delights in their persons and society.—A man should set a good example to his wife.—Ulysses was a prudent man, and a wary counsellor, sober and severe; and he formed his wife into such imagery as he desired; and she was chaste as the snows upon the mountains; diligent as the fatal sisters; always busy and always faithful, she had a lazy tongue and a busy hand.—A husband’s chastity should be unspotted, his faith inviolable, for this is the “Marriage Ring;” it ties two hearts by an eternal band; it is like the cherubim’s flaming sword, set for the guard of paradise.”
“Let a man love his wife even as himself,” and “be not bitter against her.” Marcus Aurelius said, that “a wise man ought often to admonish his wife, to reprove her seldom, but never to lay his hands on her.” The marital love is infinitely removed from all possibility of such rudeness; it is a thing pure as light, sacred as a temple, lasting as the world.
There is nothing can please a man without love; and if a man be weary of the wise discourses of the Apostles, and of the innocency of an even and private fortune, or hates peace or a fruitful year, he has reaped thorns and thistles from the choicest flowers of paradise, “for nothing can sweeten felicity itself, but love;” but when a man dwells in love, then the breasts of his wife are pleasant as the droppings upon the hill of Hermon, her eyes are fair as the light of heaven, she is a fountain sealed, and he can quench his thirst, and ease his cares, and lay his sorrow down in her lap, and can retire home to his sanctuary and refectory, and his gardens of sweetness and chaste refreshment.
CHAPTER IV.PRECAUTIONARY HINTS.
He that proposes to marry, and wishes to enjoy happiness in that state, should choose a wife descended from honest parents, she being chaste, well bred, and of good manners. For if a woman has good qualities, she has portion enough. That of Alcmena, in Plautus, is much to the purpose, where he brings in a young woman speaking thus:—
And undoubtedly she was right, for such a wife is more precious than rubies.
It is assuredly the duty of parents to be very careful in training up their children in the ways of virtue, and to have a due regard for their honour and reputation: and more especially to young women, when grown up to be marriageable. Parental authority in most cases ought to be obeyed by children; but when an undue severity is exercised by parents in attempting to thwart the affections of a son or daughter, and compel the one or the other to violently snap asunder the tenderest ties, then that authority becomes questionable; and except for the most weighty reasons, ought not to be exercised. Alas! what numerous lamentable illustrations of undue parental authority in regard to the affections of their children are constantly occurring—sons leaving the parental abode, rushing into the haunts of vice and dissipation, and wrecking their fair prospects on the numerous shoals and quicksands which are so fatal to the unwary—daughters flying from the domestic assylum, which ought to shelter them from every storm, and subjecting themselves to perhaps a far worse condition than that they are fleeing from, in being exposed to the attacks of the human wolves who are nightly prowling in the streets of our large cities, in search of the defenceless females who are wandering about homeless and disconsolate. And when these victims of parental severity have fallen into the pit which has been dug for them, probably the parents, too late, repent of their severity, which has brought an indelible stain upon their family. Parents, be cautious of thwarting the affection of your children.
Vicious indulgence is certain to produce its legitimate results, and bring down ruin upon the man or woman who is addicted to the same. Cast your eyes upon the blighted wrecks of what was once female beauty, but now loathsome to behold, notwithstanding the adventitious aid of paint, and all the adjuncts of tawdry finery that may be put on to hide the miserable wrecks of humanity. Traverse the streets in our large cities, and though illuminated by the glare of gaslight, numbers with unblushing fronts meet you at almost every step. These are the victims of vicious indulgence. Ask any of these to tell you whether she feels herself happy in the “gay” life she is pursuing; and if she is sincere, she will answer you with a heart-breaking sigh that she is far from being happy—that she is most miserable—that she remembers a happier time—remembrances which she attempts to stifle by quaffing liquid slow poison at the gin-palace. She had a home once—and she remembers her mother—dead a long time ago—and oh, agony! she remembers the day when her own foot first turned into the path of guilt. Peradventure she was the victim of some base libertine, and was decoyed away from virtue’s path by a deceptive tale; or, probably, she may have willingly swerved from that chaste and virtuous life which is the brightest adornment in female attire. Whatever was the cause there she is—a miserable wreck of humanity! Better, far better, that she had died; that the grass had grown rank over her corpse as it mouldered away in the portion of ground allotted to the pauper dead. Thus it is with the wretched female who gives way to vicious indulgence.—The once gay courtezan eventually is bereft of all splendour; no devoted admirer rushes to her aid; she coughs her way through life; and sinks into an early grave—perhaps a watery grave. Beware, young women, of the siren tempter! Deviate not in the least from the paths of virtue! Chastity is your brightest adornment, and that once sullied, your fair fame is irretrievably damaged.
The baneful effects of giving way to vicious indulgence may probably not, in every case, be so serious to the male portion of the creation as to that of the female, yet there are numerous instances of the libertine and debauchee having had to pay the penalty of their misdeeds by an emaciated frame, a broken constitution, and an early death. How many young men have commenced the struggle of life with fair fame and bright prospects, with business habits which gave them buoyant hopes of gaining an independence, who, giving way to vicious indulgence, have ruined their health, blighted their fair fame, and become bankrupts in every thing that belongs to the man of honour and integrity. Young man, beware of giving way to vicious indulgence!
Love is a passion of the human soul; and when properly under control, it is capable of affording the greatest amount of happiness; but, like other passions of the heart, when uncontrolled, or wrongly directed, it entails great misery on those who experience it. This may be the case with that love which is called forth by family relationship and intimate friendship, as well as that intense love which is felt by the opposite sex, man for woman, woman for man.
Various are the means which the libertine and debauchee adopt to gratify their sensual appetite. Some will follow the “strange woman”—the street harlot to her den of infamy and shame; others will attempt to allure the simple trusting maiden by promises, oaths as false and deceitful as ever were uttered by the arch enemy of our souls:—and by these means the trusting and confiding are lured to commit the sin which society condemns in the female, but which is treated with lenity and forbearance in regard to the male transgressor.
Examine the first of these two cases. “A young man deficient in understanding,” seeks the company of unfortunate women, and exhausts his precious vigour and stamina in criminal pleasure.
