A Voyage to East India, Account of voyage · Section 17
SECT. 17.
Of the Marriages of the Mahometans, and of their Poligamy, &c.
AMongſt many other things that confirm the Mahometans in their irreligion, this certainly is not the leaſt, the indulgence which Mahomet gives them to take more wives than one (for they may take four if they pleaſe) and that further promiſe which that monſtrous Seducer hath made unto his followers of a fleſhly Paradiſe hereafter, wherein he will provide for them all wives which ſhall have large rowling eyes, which they look upon in that ſex as a great beauty. And it is a very ſuitable comfort for ſuch as walk ſo much after the fleſh.
For Poligamy, or the having of more wives than one, Lamech a great Grand-child of Cain, was the firſt that brought it into the World, Gen. 4. 19. And it was firſt brought into the Church by Abraham: which act of his, as of others after him (good men in their generation) though it found permiſſion, never had approbation from Almighty God. And further, though under the times of the Law it found ſome connivence, yet ſince the Goſpel there hath been no ſuch cuſtom in any of the Churches of Chriſt.
And in thoſe former times it was the charge of Almighty God to the Kings of Iſrael, even before they were, that they ſhould not multiply wives, Deut. 17. 17. Yet Solomon (who in this diſcovered a great deal of folly, as in other things abundance of wiſdom) went further beyond the bounds of that Law, than any other whom God owns in Scripture. The poor man in his later age loſt himſelf amongſt an houſe full of wives. For the ſtorie ſaith, that he loved many ſtrange women, 1 King. 11. 1. Every word had nothing but Bane in it. He loved women, many women, outlandiſh, idolatrous women, and theſe not onelyonly had, but doted on, he being ſo taken with their perſons, that he humour'd them in their ſins. And if one woman in the beginning undid all mankinde: it is no great marvel, if ſo many women did ſo much miſchief to one Solomon.
The Abiſſins ſay, that when the Queen of Sheba came to viſite Solomon, that ſhe returned back with Childe by him, from whoſe iſſue (they further ſay) have come the race of their Kings ever ſince. But here I leave my Reader to believe in that as much, and no more than he pleaſe. This is clear in the ſacred ſtorie, that Solomon, though he had a thouſand wives and Concubines, he had but three Children, Rehoboam his onelyonly Son, and Taphal, and Baſmah his two Daughters, 1 King. 4. 11. 15. an evident ſign that God never approved of his multitude of wives, when by his bleſſing on the ſingle and holy wedlock of others, he hath multiplied them in a very happy and numerous iſſue.
In the old World when the Sons of God ſaw the Daughters of men that they were fair, they took wives of all that they liked, Gen. 6. 2. and theſe multiplied not Children ſo much as iniquities.
Sampſon in the choiſe of his wife, had no other guides and counſellours but his own eyes. He went down to Timnah, and ſaw a Daughter of the Philiſtines, and preſently he ſpeaks to his Father get her for me to wife, for ſhe pleaſeth me well, Judg. 14. 1. 2. He who follows nothing but his eyes in the choiſe of a wife, that marries a beauty, or a face, or a portion, may after finde a Philiſtine in his bed, and be as unhappy in his choiſe as Sampſon was.
Sampſon ſees a woman (and we will ſuppoſe her beautifull) and as ſoon as ever his eyes fix on her, he muſt preſently have her to wife. Wiſdom and Paſſion cannot dwell under one roof, for a man cannot love, nor deſire, nor mourn, nor grieve, nor rejoice over much and be wiſe, for when the heart is taken up very much with the later, there is no room left in it for the former.
The Kings daughter is all glorious within, Pſal. 45. 13. and love, that reciprocally ſettles upon this inward beauty, muſt needs be laſting. Magnes amoris Amor. Love in this caſe is the Load-ſtone of love, ſo attractive that it draws love to it, and holds it faſt, when as he who marries a portion, or a face findes it often otherwiſe. The portion that flies, and the beauty that decayes; tres veniunt rugae.—Ju. the forehead begins to be wrinkled whereon love was firſt ſetled, and in thoſe wrinkles, or ſurrows it is immediately buried.
But yet for all this, as men are generally valued amongſt men by the pound and acre,
—Quot poſſidet agri Jugera:
Ju. Sat. 3.
So in the choiſe of wives virgins are uſually thus rated,
Protinus ad cenſum; de moribus ultima fiet Quaestio.—
Ju.
Men commonly asking the queſtion at the wrong end, as firſt, what hath ſhe? and then, what is ſhe? concerning which a Gentleman of this age wrote wittily, but it is good earneſt▪
Who wooes a wife for ſtate, or face:
May win a Mare to looſe a Race.
The truth is, that many a Childe hath been caſt away upon riches, and therefore wealth in peoples matches ſhould be as ſome Grains, or Scrupſes in a Ballance, ſuperadded unto the Gold of virtuous qualities, to weigh down the Scales. For when it is made the ſubſtance of the weight, and good qualities but the appendants, there is one earth poyſed with another, which whenſoever it is done, it is a wonder if either the Children prove not the Parents ſorrow, or the Parents theirs.
It was Balaams moſt damnable Counſel, to make the men of Iſrael wantons by the beauties of Moa…, that then they might be ſoon made Idolaters, and ſo they were, Numb. 25. Sin commonly enters in at the eye, and ſo creeps down to the heart, and therefore that Soul lies open unto very much hazard, when a Covenant is not made & kept with the eyes: which if Sampſon had done, he that had ſo much ſtrength, had not diſcovered ſo much weakneſſe, & Solomon (whom before I nam'd) ſo much renowned for wiſdom, had not manifeſted ſo much folly in miſcarrying ſo fearfully by wives, which turned away his heart from God; and therefore when he was come again to himſelf, he freely confeſſeth to all the world, Eccleſ. 7. 28. that he found more bitter than death the woman, whoſe heart is as ſnares and nets, and her hands as bands, who ſo pleaſed God ſhall eſcape from her, but the ſinner ſhall be taken by her.
But the Mahometans trouble not themſelves with theſe thoughts for though ſome of that people, as the ſtrict votaries there, marry not at all; and the Moolaas content themſelves with one wife, and ſo do ſome others: yet they that pleaſe may have four wives, and as many women beſide as they can get, and keep; whom they command as wives, and this liberty there is denied to none that will make uſe of it.
I remember that my Lord Ambaſſador had a ſervant of that Nation, who de…d leave to be abſent one day & being asked why, he told us, that he was then to marry a wife, though he had three living then, a man would think enough for his means but five ſhillings a Moon (the uſual pay of ſervants there (as before I obſerved) to maintain himſelf, and all the reſt of his family.
Often have I heard this queſtion put how theſe Mahomitans can do with ſo many wives, ſome of which they keep pent up in little Cottages, or Tents, and in other places and parts of the World, where mens dwellings are very large and ſpacious, there is ſcarce room enough to be found for one wife, in a great houſe.
The Mahometans, who have moſt wives, and women, are moſt jealous, and their jealouſie ſuch, as that they will not ſuffer the Brothers, or Fathers of their wives to come to them, or to have any ſpeech with them, except it be in their preſence. And a continued cuſtom by this reſtraint hath made it odious for ſuch women, as have the reputation of honeſty, to be ſeen at any time by any man, beſides their own husbands, or by thoſe before named, and by them but very ſeldom. But if they diſhonour their husbands beds, or being unmarried are found incontinent and filthy, profeſſing chaſtity, rather than they ſhall want the ſevereſt puniſhment, their own Brothers hands will be firſt againſt them to take away their lives, and for ſo doing, ſhall be commended, but nor queſtioned.
The women there of the greater quality have Eunuchs in ſtead of men to wait upon them, who in their minority are deprived of all that might provoke jealouſie.
Here is a free toleration for Harlots, who are liſted and enrouled (as they ſay) before they can have liberty to keep ſuch an open houſe. Which Creatures in general there, and ſo all the World over whoſoever they be, imbrace thoſe they pretend to love as Monkies and Apes do their little ones, for they kill them with kindneſſe, thoſe baſe proſtitutes are as little aſham'd to entertain, as others are openly to frequent their houſes.
Other Creatures (as they ſay) are there kept for baſe, and abominable ends, many of thoſe Nations being deeply engaged in thoſe ſins of the Gentiles, Rom. 1. in doing things which ſhould not be named, and make no ſcruple at all for their ſo doing, ut honeſte peccare videantur, (as Lactantius ſpeaks) as if they might ſin honeſtly.
Some of the finer ſort of thoſe baſe ſtrumpets before named, at certain times appear in the preſence of the Mogol, before whom they ſing their wanton ſongs, playing on their Timbrels.
The Marriages of all the Mahometans are ſolemnized with ſome Pomp, for after the Moolaa hath joyned their hands, and performed other ceremonies, and beſtowed on the parties ſome words of Benediction, (which is done in the evening) immediately after the night coming on, they begin their jollity, the man on horſe-back, be he poor, or rich, with his kindred and friends about him, many lights before him, with drums and winde inſtruments, and ſome mixt paſtimes to increaſe the merriments. The Bride ſhe follows with her women friends in Coaches covered, and after they have thus paſſed the moſt eminent places of the Citie, or Town they live in, return to the place of the married couples abode, (where (they ſay) if the parties be able they make ſome ſlight entertainment for them, immediately after which, they all diſperſe, & the ſhow is over.
Women there have a very great happineſſe, above all I have heard of, in their eaſie bringing forth of Children into the world; for there it is a thing very common, for women great with Childe, one day to ride, carrying their infants in their bodies, and the next day to ride again, carrying them in their arms.
How thoſe of the greater quality, order their little Children when they are very young, I could not obſerve, but thoſe of the meaner ſort keep them naked for ſome years after they are born, covering them onelyonly, and that but ſometimes, with ſlight Callico Mantles.
The Mahometans (as I have before obſerved) who pleaſe ſo to do, may take to themſelves each four wives, and that filthy liberty given unto them by their fleſhly Mahomet allows them in it. I have heard of ſome in this Nation of late times, who have been married here to more than ſo many at once, but that wickedneſſe here is not (as amongſt them) committed by a Law, but by Law made Capital, and ſo puniſhed.
Yet there are amongſt us of the greater ſort (and made ſo by their luxurient eſtates) which though they take but one wife whom they marry (as they ſay) for convenience, that they may have Heirs to inherit (if their ſin conſume not all their Patrimony.) But, ſome of theſe believing the bonds of Wedlock to ſtraight, muſt have one other at the leaſt whom they call a Miſtreſſe (too good a name for ſuch a creature) and though in this caſe the wife bears the mans name, the Proſtitute hath the greateſt ſhare by far of his affection, who will ſometimes ſay that he cannot love his wife, be ſhe never ſo amiable and lovely, and onelyonly for this reaſon, becauſe ſhe is his wife, and if ſhe were not ſo, could he at any expence to gain her company. To what an height of wickedneſſe can licentiouſneſſe raiſe up a man, in making him to urge ſuch a relation as a wife (and becauſe a wife) to be the onelyonly reaſon of his diſlike, or diſaffection; which ſhould be the firmeſt bond of his love. A ſtrange expreſſion, which cannot poſſibly come out of the mouthes of any but of ſuch (who if they think as they ſpeak) are ſo forward in their journey, as that they are come very near unto the very brink of Hell.
The eldeſt Son they have by any of their married wives, hath a prerogative above all the reſt, whom their other Children call Budd…, By their great brother. And ſo much of their marriages of their Children, and of their births. In the next place I ſhall ſpeak.