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And if the Perfons that are to be married, dwell in divers Parishes, the Banns must be asked in both Parifbes; and the Curate of the one Parish fhall not folemnize Matrimony betwixt them, without a Certificate of the Banns being thrice afked, from the Curate of the other Parish.

At the day and time appointed for Solemnization of Matrimony, the Perfons to be married fhall come into the body of the Church with their friends and neighbours: and there standing together, the Man on the right hand, and the Woman on the left, the Priest fhall fay,

EARLY beloved, we are gathered together here

DEA

in the fight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honourable eftate, inftituted of God in the time of man's innocency, fignifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Chrift and his Church: which holy eftate Chrift adorned and formation all this was brushed away, nor is there any canon or custom of the realm, which prevents the parties from being joined together in holy matrimony on any one day of the year, provided they obferve the legal regulations in that cafe made. It is a falfe notion alfo, that marriages muft be folemnized in the church of the parish to which the woman belongs. This arose from an ufage of the ecclefiaftical court, which allowed a fee to the curate of the woman's parish, whether she was married there or not; which was referved in the words of the licence; but these words have been omitted in the licences granted fince Act of 26th Geo. II. which makes no mention of the woman's parish, and leaves the parties at liberty to marry in which parijh they pleafe. The Archbishop of Canterbury has the privilege (of great antiquity, in virtue of the ancient legatine power) of granting licences, called Special licences, for perfons to be married qu libet loco aut tempore boneflo; i. e. in any decent time or place, which is exprefsly referved to him by ftatute 26th Geo. II.-N. B. Most of the rubrics in the marriage fervice were adopted, with certain alterations, from the Manual in ufum Sar.

And then standing, &c.] This part of the rubric was inferted in 1662, and taken from the Manuale Sarifburienfi. "In primis ftantur vir et mulier ante oftium ecclefiæ, coram Deo, facerdote, et populo, vir a dextris mulieris et mulier a finiftris viri." Man. Sar. fol. xlvii. edit. 1554. These refpective fituations of the man and woman are affigned by the ancient church, to fignify that the husband is the head of the wife.—Euch. Græc. Offic. Sponfal. 380.

Dearly beloved, &c.] This first paragraph is tranflated nearly verbatim from the exhortation in the Popish Manual in ufum Sar. as well as the concluding paragraph, "therefore," &c. the remainder of it was compofed at the Reformation, and inferted in Edw. VIth's first book.

beautified with his prefence, and firft miracle that he wrought, in Cana of Galilee; and is commended of Saint Paul to be honourable among all men: and therefore is not by any to be enterprized, nor taken in hand unadvifedly, lightly, or wantonly, to fatisfy men's carnal lufts and appetites, like brute beafts that have no understanding; but reverently, difcreetly, advifedly, foberly, and in the fear of God; duly confidering the caufes for which Matrimony was ordained.

First, it was ordained for the procreation of children, to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord, and to the praife of his holy Name.

Secondly, it was ordained for a remedy against fin, and to avoid fornication; that fuch perfons as have not the gift of continency, might marry, and keep themselves undefiled members of Chrift's body.

Thirdly, it was ordained for the mutual fociety, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, both in profperity and adverfity.

Into which holy eftate thefe two perfons prefent come now to be joined. Therefore, if any man can fhew any juft caufe, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now fpeak, or elfe hereafter for ever hold his peace. ག And alfo, Speaking unto the perfons that shall be married, be fhall fay,

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Require and charge you both, (as ye will answer at the dreadful day of judgment, when the fecrets of all hearts fhall be difclofed) that if either of you know any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully joined together in Matrimony, ye do now confefs it. For be ye well affured, that fo many as are coupled together otherwife than God's Word doth allow, are not joined together by God neither is their Matrimony lawful.

At which Day of Marriage, if any Man do allege and declare any impediment, why they may not be coupled togeAnd alfo, &c.] This rubric and the charge are nearly verbatim in Edw. VIth's firft book. The latter occurred in the form of a rubric in the Manual in ufum Sar.

which day, &c.] This rubric is found nearly verbatim in Edw.VIth's

ther in Matrimony, by God's Law, or the Laws of this Realm; and will be bound, and fufficient fureties with him, to the parties; or clfe put in a Caution (to the full value of fuch charges as the perfons to be married do thereby fuftain) to prove his allegation; then the folemnization must be deferred, until fuch time as the truth be tried.

If no impediment be alleged, then fhall the Curate fay unto the Man,

M.WILT thou have this Woman to thy wedded

wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in fickness and in health; and forfaking all other, keep thee only unto her, fo long as ye both fhall live?

N.

The Man fall answer, I will

¶ Then Shall the Pricft fay unto the Woman,

NWILT

TILT thou have this Man to thy wedded Hufband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy eftate of Matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and ferve him, love, honour, and keep him in fickness and in health; and forfaking all other, keep thee only unto him, fo long as ye both fhall live?

The Woman fhall answer, I will.

Then fhall the Minifter fay,

Who giveth this Woman to be married to this Man? ¶ Then shall they give their troth to each other in this

manner :

¶ The Minifter, receiving the Woman at her Father's or Friend's hands, shall caufe the Man with his right

If no impediment, &c.] This rubric, the queftions, and answers, are all found in the firit book of Edw. VI. and are nearly literally translated from the forms in Manual Sar.

Then fhall they, Sc.] This rubric was added at the laft review.

Her father's, &c.] The father (or a friend, his reprefentative) giving the daughter to wife was practifed from great antiquity both in the

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band to take the Woman by her right hand, and to fay after him as followeth :

M. take thee N. to my wedded Wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worfe, for richer for poorer, in fickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth.

Then shall they loofe their hands; and the Woman, with her right hand taking the Man by his right hand, shall likewife fay after the Minifter,

N. take thee M. to my wedded Hufband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth. T Then shall they again loofe their hands, and the Man

shall give unto the Woman a Ring, laying the fame upon Jewish efpoufals, in the Heathen forms of marriage, and in the Christian church; Gen. xxix. 19. Cic. Orat.pro. Flac. Auguft. de Gen. ad lit. I. ii. c. 41. tom. iii. p. 1. col. 295. And the joining of hands has been used, in like manner, by Heathens, Jews, and Chriftians, in all ages, as a folemn emblem of contracting a firm friendship, and making an indiffoluble covenant, 2 Kings x. 15; Prov. xi. 21; Alex. ab Alex. Gen.; Dier. l. 2. c. 19. Tobit vii. 13. The Romish rubric directed that if the female were a virgin, the fhould have her hand uncovered; if a widow, it should be covered.

1 M. take thee, &c.] This and the fubfequent form of ftipulation were ufed in the Romish form of marriage before the Reformation, with fome verbal alterations; and it is remarkable that, although all the other. forms of the fervice were in Latin, (fave the declaration about the ring) thofe were in English. In the Salisbury Manual the firft form runs like ours till the word health, (or Heale, as it there is) and then goes on, "till death us do part, if holy church it well ordain, and think &c." In Edw. VIth's first book, the words "to love and to cherish" were introduced, and the other words omitted. In the woman's ftipulation, the form in the Sar. Manual runs thus after the word health, "to be bonere buxum (i. e. meek and obedient) in bed and at bord, till death, &c. if holy church, &c."

A ring, &c.] In the first book of Edw. VI. after this word come the following," and other tokens of spousage as gold or filver;" which were omitted in the fecond book. The words gold and filver occurred in the ancient Romish rubric, and were the remains of that moft ancient custom, of purchafing a wife, by laying down a certain fum of money, or else performing certain conditions to the father in lieu thereof. Gen. xxxiv.

11 xxix. 18, 27, 30. From the Jews the custom descended to the

the book with the accustomed duty to the Prieft and Clerk. And the Prieft, taking the Ring, shall deliver it unto the Man, to put it upon the fourth finger of the Woman's left hand. And the Man holding the Ring there, and taught by the Pricft, shall fay,

WIT

WITH this Ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, an of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

¶ Then the Man leaving the Ring upon the fourth finger of the Woman's left hand, they shall both kneel down, and the Minifter fhall fay,

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Let us pray.

Eternal God, Creator and Preferver of all mankind, Giver of all spiritual grace, the Author of everlafting life; Send thy bleffing upon thefe thy fervants, this man and this woman, whom we blefs in thy Name;

Romans, and from them to the ancient Chriftians. The giving and receiving of a ring was an ancient ceremony ufed by the Romans at their efponfals, and adopted from them by the Chriftians, as highly emblematical. Selden Uxor. Heb. lib. ii. c. 14. ch. 25. p. 253. It was made of gold to fignify the purity of the attachment. It was made round, (the emblem of eternity) to point out the duration of conjugal love. In the old Romifh ceremony the priest enquired whether the ring had been bleffed, if not, he read a prayer, and bleed and croffed it.

Fourth finger, &c. The Salisbury Manual gives a curious reason for preferring this finger;"quia in medico ett quædam vena procedens ufque ad cor;" becaufe, as medical men fay, there is a vein goes thence quite to the heart an opinion which was fanctioned by many great names in former times.

I thee wed] After thefe words in Edw. VIth's first book came the following, (adopted from the Sal. Manual, where this declaration is in English)" this gold and filver I give thee;" on repeating which it was cuftomary to give the woman a purfe of money, as livery and feizen of the hufband's eftate. Thefe words however were omitted in Edw. VIth's fecond book; and the custom appendant thereon was difcontinued.

Worship That is, bonour; or admit you to a participation of all the honours which are belonging to me, or due to my perfon. The Jews an ciently used the fame phrafe," Be unto me a wife, and I according to the word of God will worship, honour, &c."-Godwin's Jew. Customs.

Then the man From this rubric to the end of the bleffing the fervice is exactly the fame as in Edward VIth's first book. The bleffing is adopted from the Salisbury Manual.

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