Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1872-02-24
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CURIOsITIES OF MATRIMONY.
From the Chambers Journal we take the
following In 1925, a woman petitioned
King George l, praying she might win
pardon tor a malefactor by wedding him
under Tyburn Tree. The belief that a
condemned felon could be thus rescued
from the hands of the executioner, is placed
by Darlington in the category of legal vul-
gar errors. 1t is one, of course but such
a singular idea could hardly, one would
think, have taken possession of the popular
mind unless there had been some founda-
tion for it. Supposing such custom ever
prevailed anywhere, it is difficult to decide
ifit were complimentary or uncomplimen-
tary to the saving sex. Women might in
deed claim it is an acknowledgment that
love is lord of all, when the professed love
override the decree of justice while, on
the other hand. il may ha argued that the
criminal had only choice of equal punish
ments.
If Manningham, himself a lawyer, gives
a true version of the condition, the latter
view is the correct one, for marriage in
such case might well prove worse than
hanging. He says: at is the custom,
not the law, in France and Italy, that if
any professed strumpet will beg for hus-
band a man who is goiug to execution, he
shall be reprieved, and she may obtain
pardon and marry him that both their
ill-lives may be bettered by so holy an ac-
tion. Hence grew n jest, when q scotling
gentlewonian told gentleman she heard
that he was in some danger of being hang
ed for some villainy, he answered Truly,
madam, | was afraid of nothing so much
as you would have begged me !! In Eng
land it has been used, that if woman will
beg condemned person for her husband,
she must come in her smock only, aud
white wand in her nand, as Sterill said he
had seen."
Among The ballads preserved in the Rox-
burghe collection is one dating from the
early part of the seventeenth century, set
ting forth merchant 0: Chichester killed
German at Emdcn town, and how, after
he had made his last dying speech on the
scaflold, no less than ten goodly maidens
begged for his hand and life.
I "This Is our laws quoth they
''We may your death remove,
If YOU, In lieu of our good will,
Will grant to us your love-
None of the compassionate virgins, how
ever. were goodlg enough for his taste, and
he quietly asked the executioner to do his
office, then another damsel intervened, and
by force of her charms or her eloQuence
persuaded the merchant to accept her kind
| offer so .a....
Hand iH hanl they went
| Up to the church that day;
| Aud they were married presently
| In samptuous rich array.
| Less impressonab was the fellow whose
obdurate ungallantry is commemorated in
the lines l.s = ..s ..t-..-.r
''Come, marry a wife, and save your life !"
The judge aloud did cry.
ooh, why should ! corrupt my life ~
| The victim did reply.
''For here's crowd of every sort,
| And why shoud prevent their sport 7
| The bargains bad in every part # 81
The wife is worst-dIive ON the cart"
Montaigne tells n similar story OF Pi
cardian, Hho, seeing lame damsel ad
yancing to claim him for her own, cried
out "She lInps, she limps; dispatch mt
quickly !" The famous border thief, Scot
of Harden, had the like alternative, rope ol
ring, given him. He had driven the cattl,
of Murray of Elbank but the latter man
aged in turn to drive Scott, his followers
and the stolen beasts back TO Elbank Cas-
tie. Upon telling his wife he should han:
the thief, now he had caught him. she sug
gested it were a pity to hang such win
some fellow when they had three sucl
sorry girls pining in single bessedness a
home. Taking the shrewd hint of his bet
terhalf. Murray sent for the ugliest of hi
daughters, and presented Meg-o- mout|
Murray, as she was called, to his astonish
ed prisoner, gave him his choice, either t.
make Meg his wife or dangle from tree
The cattle raider fatty refused to take tn
lady until he felt the rope tightening roun,
his neck, then he gave in returning L
Harden married and sadder man, +
repent at leisure the unlucky raid that ha'
i brought him to such pass.
If the belief in gallows' matches was
! strange one, IL was no stronger than tn
: notion, that if bride lacked modesty a
well as money, she could throw OIL he
dress, and by going to church in but on
garment, make her creditors shift for thei
dues as though law were lion. losin
' all ferceness before an unclad Una. !
e beauty was unadorned once skipped acros
Ludgate Hill to change her name by til
4 aid of Fleet parson. On the 18th oil u
: tober, liza, John Bridmore and Anne Sci
wood, of Chiltern, AL Saints, Wiltshr,
a were made one and against the record |
s the parish register was written: "Th
h aforesaid Annie Sellwood was married
> her shift, without any clothes or head ges
; on.'' Some ten years later similar pc
!. formance took place at Ulcombe, Ken
: Kalru, in his Travels in North America
Q747) relates that q poor widow who's
!. husband had left her nothing but debt
i upon marrying second time went
!. church in her chemise, thereby relievin
e herself aud her partner from all liabilities
b and in recording the fact, Kahn remark
!, that such things often took place. In l7t
y a Whitehaven bride sought 10 attain Il
y same end by going to church as became
decent woman, undressing herself Ia h