addison's west barbary. 429

'tffe told them that chafte celibate was impoffible, and that thofe who pretended to livetherein, were juftly to be fufpe&ed for unclean converfation. And hence perhaps itComes to pafs, that the Moors (who are the Puritans in Mahumetifm,) are fo generallyobfervant of this commandment; for few among them are found to live out of the Hateof wedlock, if they are able to purchafe a wife. But many are not very prone to takea ll the liberty in marrying indulged them by their Prophet; for albeit he permits themplurality of wives, yet there are feveral families that for many ages have confined them-felves to one : and I have met with thofe who abhor that filthy pofition fathered uponMuhumed, that the more they are fpiritual, the more liberty and abilities they haveto be carnal.

Unto the perfons that are to be married there is no converfation permitted till theknot be tied, fo that both parties take one the other upon trull, and the man perchancenever fees the woman till they be brought to the bride-chamber; a cuftom that wouldbe very hardly digefted by the Utopians, who think it very unreafonable that a manShould take a wile with lefs fcrutiny than he doth his horfe, and that he Ihould bring°ne to be the perpetual partner of his life, with lefs information than he doth a horfe tohis liable, which he may part with the next day.

But the contriver of the New Atlantis finds all thefe inconveniences avoidable by thecuflom of Benfalem : where (faith he) near every town there is a couple of pools (whichthey call Adam and Eve’s pools) ; in thefe it is permitted to one of the friends of theman, another of the woman, to fee them feverally both naked. And the Moors have acuftom not much differing from this of Benfalem, for upon the defign of marriage two°f the man’s female friends, who have lived long enough in wedlock to underftand itsperquifites, are appointed to view the intended bride, and to give the fuitor an accountof her bodily accomplilhments and defefts, which is exactly entered in the contract,a nd if any infirmity be concealed for which the hulband afterward dillikes her, he mayput her away; and this makes them very cautious to omit nothing in the fearch orreport; but there is no fuch examination palled upon the man, becaufe he is daily ex-pofed to a free cenfure.

If this inquifition be palfed with fatisfa&ion , then they proceed to frame thearticles of marriage, which is always done by the neareft friends or relations of theparties to be contra&ed. And when they have finilhed them, they are brought to thealcaddee to be confirmed under his hand and feal; for unlefs the bargain be thus rati-fied, the woman in cafe of her hufband’s death, or her own divorce, cannot recoverthe portion that was promifed her, or rather the price that was to be paid for her bythe man ; for I fuppofe that few are ignorant of the Morefco cuftom of buying theirwives. When the paper containing the bargain has palfed the alcaddee, it is carried tothe alfaqui, who having perufed and declared his approbation of its contents, he bidsthe man take home the woman when he pleafeth to be his wife; and this is all that isdone by the prieft in this, according to their eftimate.

And after this Ihort difpatch of wooing, contract, and marriage-, the bridegroom’snext confultation is with his own convenience in order to fetch home his bride: inwhich the warm clime fuffers him not to be tedious. But herein he- is obliged toobferve the appointed times; for neither all weeks in the year, nor all days in the week,nor all hours in the day, are free for this folemnity. For the taking home the bride isa ltogether prohibited during their Ramadan, or Lent : the like prohibition reacheth untothe Tuefdays, Wednefdays, and Fridays of every, week, and on the canonical or regulardays the afternoon and evening are the accuftomary hours. At the time whenmarriage is celebrated, they ufe all poflible fignifications of joy and hofpitality; and it.