1.26. The maner of reioysings at mariages and weddings.
As the consolation of children well begotten is great, no lesse but rather
greater ought to be that which is occasion of children, that is honorable
matrimonie, a loue by al lawes allowed, not mutable nor encombred with
such vaine cares & passions, as that other loue, whereof there is no
assurance, but loose and fickle affection occasioned for the most part by
sodaine sights and acquaintance of no long triall or experience, nor vpon any
other good ground wherein any suretie may be conceiued: wherefore the
Ciuill Poet could do no lesse in conscience and credit, then as he had before
done to the ballade of birth: now with much better deuotion to celebrate by
his poeme the chearefull day of mariages aswell Princely as others, for that
hath alwayes bene accompted with euery countrey and nation of neuer so
barbarous people, the highest & holiest, of any ceremonie apperteining
to man: a match forsooth made for euer and not for a day, a solace prouided
for youth, a comfort for age, a knot of alliance & amitie indissoluble:
great reioysing was therefore due to such a matter and to so gladsome
a time. This was done in ballade wise as the natall song, and was song
very sweetely by Musitians at the chamber dore of the Bridegroome and
Bride at such times as shalbe hereafter declared and they were called
Epithalamies as much to say as ballades at the bedding of the bride:
for such as were song at the borde at dinner or supper were other Musickes
and not properly
Epithalamies. Here, if I shall say that which
apperteineth to th'arte, and disclose the misterie of the whole matter, I
must and doe with all humble reuerence bespeake pardon of the chaste and
honorable eares, least I should either offend them with licentious speach, or
leaue them ignorant of the ancient guise in old times vsed at weddings (in
my simple opinion) nothing reproueable. This
Epithalamie was
deuided by breaches into three partes to serue for three seuerall fits or
times to be song. The first breach was song at the first parte of the night
when the spouse and her husband were brought to their bed & at the very
chamber dore, where in a large vtter roome vsed to be (besides the
musitiens) good store of ladies or gentlewomen of their kinsefolkes, &
others who came to honor the mariage, & the tunes of the songs were
very loude and shrill, to the intent there might no noise be hard out of the
bed chamber by the skreeking & outcry of the young damosell feeling the
first forces of her stiffe & rigorous young man, she being as all virgins
tender & weake, & vnexpert in those maner of affaires. For which
purpose also they vsed by old nurses (appointed to that seruice) to
suppresse the noise by casting of pottes full of nuttes round about the
chamber vpon the hard floore or pauement, for they vsed not mattes nor
rushes as we doe now. So as the Ladies and gentlewomen should haue their
eares so occupied what with Musicke, and what with their handes wantonly
scambling and catching after the nuttes, that they could not intend to harken
after any other thing. This was as I said to diminish the noise of the
laughing lamenting spouse. The tenour of that part of the song was to
congratulate the first acquaintance and meeting of the young couple,
allowing of their parents good discretions in making the match, then
afterward to sound cherfully to the onset and first encounters of that
amorous battaile, to declare the consort of children, & encrease of loue
by that meane chiefly caused: the bride shewing her self euery waies well
disposed and still
supplying occasions of new lustes and loue to her husband, by her obedience
and amorous embracings and all other allurementes. About midnight or one
of the clocke, the Musicians came again to the chamber dore (all the Ladies
and other women as they were of degree, hauing taken their leaue, and being
gone to their rest.) This part of the ballade was to refresh the faint and
weried bodies and spirits, and to animate new appetites with cherefull
wordes, encoraging them to the recontinuance of the same entertainments,
praising and commending (by supposall) the good conformities of them both,
& their desire one to vanquish the other by such frendly conflictes:
alledging that the first embracements neuer bred barnes, by reason of their
ouermuch affection and heate, but onely made passage for children and
enforced greater liking to the late made match. That the second assaultes,
were less rigorous, but more vigorous and apt to auance the purpose of
procreation, that therefore they should persist in all good appetite with an
inuincible courage to the end. This was the second part of the
Epithalamie. In the morning when it was faire broad day, & that
by liklyhood all tournes were sufficiently serued, the last actes of the
enterlude being ended, & that the bride must within few hours arise and
apparrell her selfe, no more as a virgine, but as a wife, and about dinner
time must by order come forth
Sicut sponsa de thalanio, very
demurely and stately to be sene and acknowledged of her parents and
kinsfolkes whether she were the same woman or a changeling, or dead or
aliue, or maimed by any accident nocturnall. The same Musicians came
againe with this last part, and greeted them both with a Psalme of new
applausions, for that they had either of them so well behaued them selues
that night, the husband to rob his spouse of her maidenhead and saue her
life, the bride so lustely to satisfie her husbandes loue and scape with so
litle daunger of her person, for which good chaunce that they should make a
louely truce and abstinence of that warre till next night sealing the placard
of that louely league, with twentie maner of sweet kisses, then by good
admonitions enformed them to the frugall & thriftie life all the rest of
their dayes. The good man getting and bringing home, the wife sauing that
which her husband should get, therewith to be the better able to keepe good
hospitalitie, according to their estates, and to bring vp their children (if
God sent any) vertuously, and the better by their owne good example. Finally
to perseuer all the rest of their life in true and inuiolable wedlocke. This
ceremony was omitted when men maried widowes or such as had tasted the
frutes of loue before (we call them well experienced young women) in whom
there was no feare of daunger to their persons, or of any outcry at all, at the
time of those terrible approches. Thus much touching the vsage of
Epithalamie or bedding ballad of the ancient times, in which if there
were any wanton or lasciuious matter more then ordinarie which they called
Ficenina lucentia it was borne withal for that time because of the
matter no lesse requiring.
Catullus hath made of them one or two
very artificiall and ciuil: but none more excellent then of late yeares a
young noble man of Germanie as I take it
Iohannes secundus who in
that and in his poeme
De bassus, passeth any of the auncient or
moderne Poetes in my iudgment.
