Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-07-12
THE DAY. BOOK.
Y MONDAY MoRNINa, July II, 1869.
[Continued from First page.1

they abrogate none. All of
them are understood either
married, or to be married, and
their desires are subject to their
husband.
Women has divers special
ages in the matters of mar
riage and guardianship: At
seven years of age, her father
shall have the aid of his tenants
to marry her; at twelve, to con
sent to marriage; at fourteen,
to be hors du gard; at sixteen,
she is free to choose for her.
self, also free to enter into the
enjoyment of her own lands;
and at twenty-one, she is able
to make a feoffment. r.
At fourteen, woman was
held to be marriageble, because
able to order and dispose, to
have the key clog at her girdle
and to be a jolly stay to a
man. }et ...--.H b..
A woman was fit for work
and service at twelve. By a
statute made 5 Eliza. Chapter
4, 1.-TWO justices of peace in the
countrie, or the head officer
and 2 Burgesses in Cities, &C.,
may appoint any woman Of the
age of twelve yeares, being UNI
married and out of service, to
serve and bee retained by yeare
weeke, or day, in such sort and
for such wages as they shall
think meet, and if she refuse
they may commit her to prison
till she shall be bound to
serve!' . .. s.4,--7 -,.
In those old days, betrothal
was a more serious matter than
it is something like the
present German betrothal. 1t
was considered the FIRST plain
and simple, the two only bin
ding themselves to contract
matrimony hereafter; the sec
| ond, when an oath was made
or something taken as an ear
nest or pledge on both sides,
which pledge or gifts must be
returned in case of no mar
riage.
In marriage because it is in
some sort dangerous to expect
long the intertain returne of
an absent yoake fellowe, the
civil law did ordaine that aftir
a husband had been gone five
years, and nothing knowne
whether he lived or no, his
wife may marry again. - Il
81 am afraid my femme ac-
Equaintances will say l writ as
4 live. I talke much of mar
riage, but | come not forward.
Stay awhile yet; I pray you. l
| know many an honest woman
more repenting her haste
marriage ere she was wooed,
| than all the other sennes that
| ever she committed. IL were
good nature we speak a little of
wooing but to handle that mat
ter per genus ct species would
take us as much roome as an
Indian igge-tree, every third
] whereof where if faileth to the
ground groweth to a wool.
81 A woman, as soon as she is
married, is, as it were, yelled,
clouded, overshadowed, and
continually under the power
of her husband. Boacton
terms her under the sceptre of
her husband; her new self is
her superior, her companion,
her master, The mastership
she has fallen into may be cal
led 'leonina societate,' and she
must take the name of her hus-
band. 'Alice Greene becom-
eth Alice Musgrave; shee that
II the morning was Faire-
weather, is at night perhaps
Raienbow or Good wife Foule,
Sweetheart going to church and
Hoistbrick coming home. The
rest follows Justin Brooke
affermeth plainly that if a man
beat an outlaw, a traitor, a
Pagan, his william, or his wife,
it is dispunishable, because of
the law common these persons
can have no action. God send
gentle women better sport or
better companie ?
"A wife, how gallant soever
she be, glisteneth but in the
richestof her husbands, as the
morne hath. no light but it is