head, and went on in this manner: They have also many wise and excellent laws touching marriage. They allow no polygamy. They have ordained that none do intermarry or contract until a month be past from their first interview. Marriage without consent of parents they do not make void, but they mulct it in the inheritors; for the children of such marriages are not admitted to inherit above a third part of their parents' inheritance.24 I have read in a book of one of your men of a feigned commonwealth, where the married couple are permitted, before they contract, to see one another naked.25 This they dislike, for they think it a 24 An act of injustice, which while aimed at the parents strikes only the children. It is not a little surprising that when about to propose a reformation of laws, men should so pertinaciously cling to palpable wrong. 25 The "feigned Commonwealth" here glanced at, the reader will discover to be no other than the "Utopia," in which, p. 143 of the present volume, the regulation here condemned is found. It strikes me that his lordship has by no means improved upon Sir Thomas More; but, on the contrary, for a bad practice has substituted a worse. Very little of the unhappiness of marriage ever springs from defects of the person. It is the character that, if possible, men should be anxious to behold naked. It is in that the deformity is likely to lie that shall blast their hopes, and render their days cheerless, and life itself a burden. Familiarity, which dissipates the illusion of a beautiful face, when the face alone is beautiful, actually confers beauty on a plain one, if the mind within be lovely. Projects such as the above, therefore, must be regarded as mere fantastic vagaries, unworthy of their authors; though history furnishes examples of men who reduced the theory of our polity-builders to practice. Thus" Francis Sforza, Duke of Milan, was so curious in this behalf, as old Burton remarks, that he would not marry the Duke of Mantua's daughter, except he might see her naked first."-Anatomy of Melancholy, II. 472. scorn to give a refusal after so familiar knowledge: but because of many hidden defects in men and women's bodies, they have a more civil way; for they have near every town a couple of pools, which they call Adam and Eve's pools, where it is permitted to one of the friends of the man, and another of the friends of the woman, to see them severally bathe naked." And as we were thus in conference, there came one that seemed to be a messenger, in a rich huke, that spake with the Jew; whereupon, he turned to me, and said, "You will pardon me, for I am commanded away in haste." He was The next morning he came to me again, joyful, as it seemed, and said, “There is word come to the governor of the city that one of the fathers of Solomon's House will be here this day seven-night; we have seen none of them this dozen years. His coming is in state, but the cause of his coming is secret. I will provide you and your fellows of a good standing to see his entry." I thanked him and told him, "I was most glad of the news." The day being come, he made his entry. a man of middle stature and age, comely of person, and had an aspect as if he pitied men. clothed in a robe of fine black cloth, with wide sleeves and a cape: his under garment was of excellent white linen down to the foot, girt with a girdle of the same, and a sindon or tippet of the same about his neck: he had gloves that were curious, and set with stone, and shoes of peachcoloured velvet; his neck was bare to the shoul He was ders: his hat was like a helmet or Spanish montera, and his locks curled below it decently, they were of colour brown: his beard was cut round, and of the same colour with his hair, somewhat lighter. 25 He was carried in a rich chariot, without wheels, litter-wise, with two horses at either. end, richly trapped in blue velvet embroidered, and two footmen on either side in the like attire. The chariot was all of cedar, gilt, and adorned with crystal, save that the fore-end had pannels of sapphires set in borders of gold, and the hinder end the like of emeralds of the Peru colour. There was also a sun of gold, radiant upon the top, in the midst; and on the top before a small cherub of gold, with wings displayed. The chariot was covered with cloth of gold, tissued upon blue. He had before him fifty attendants, young men all, in white satin loose coats up to the mid-leg, and stockings of white silk, and shoes of blue velvet, and hats of blue velvet, with fine plumes of divers colours set round like hatbands. Next before the chariot went two men bare-headed, in linen garments down to the foot, girt, and shoes of blue velvet, who carried the one a crosier, the other a pastoral-staff like a sheep-hook, neither of them of metal, but the crosier of balm-wood, the pastoral staff of cedar. Horsemen he had none, neither before nor behind his chariot, as it seemeth, to avoid all tumult and trouble. Behind his cha 26 And yet, as Lord Bacon must have been aware, the beard is usually darker than the hair. riot went all the officers and principals of the companies of the city. He sat alone upon cushions of a kind of excellent plush, blue, and under his foot curious carpets of silk of divers colours, like the Persian, but far finer. He held up his bare hand as he went, as blessing the people, but in silence. The street was so wonderfully well kept, so that there was never any army had their men stand in better battle array than the people stood. The windows likewise were not crowded, but every one stood in them as if they had been placed. When the show was past, the Jew said to me, "I shall not be able to attend you as I would, in regard of some charge the city hath laid upon me, for the entertaining of this great person." Three days after, the Jew came to me again, and said, "Ye are happy men! for the father of Solomon's House taketh knowledge of your being here, and commanded me to tell you, that he will admit all your company to his presence, and have private conference with one of you that ye shall choose; and for this hath appointed the next day after tomorrow. And, because he meaneth to give you his blessing, he hath appointed it in the forenoon." We came at our day and hour, and I was chosen by my fellows for the private access. We found him in a fair chamber, richly hung, and carpeted under foot, without any degrees to the state.25 was seated upon a low throne richly adorned, and a rich cloth of state over his head of blue satin, 27 That is, without any steps. He embroidered. He was alone, save that he had two pages of honour, on either hand, one finely attired in white. His under-garments were the like that we saw him wear in the chariot; but instead of his gown, he had on him a mantle, with a cape of the same fine black, fastened about him. When we came in, as we were taught, we bowed low at our first entrance; and when we were come near his chair, he stood up, holding forth his hand ungloved, and in posture of blessing; and we every one of us stooped down and kissed the hem of his tippet. That done, the rest departed, and I remained. Then he warned the pages forth of the room, and caused me to sit down beside him, and spake to me thus in the Spanish tongue :— "God bless thee, my son, I will give thee the greatest jewel I have; for I will impart unto thee, for the love of God and men, a relation of the true state of Solomon's House. Son, to make you know the true state of Solomon's House, I will keep this order :--first, I will set forth unto you the end of our foundation; secondly, the preparations and instruments we have for our works; thirdly, the several employments and functions whereto our fellows are assigned; and fourthly, the ordinances and rites which we observe. "The end of our foundation is the knowledge of causes and secret motions of things,28 and the en 28 Solomon's House, therefore, was simply a college, instituted for the study of natural philosophy. Lord Bacon evidently experienced the influence of his own favourite pursuit, in erecting |
