Plutarch's essays and miscellanies, Vol. 2 (of 5) : $b Comprising all his works collected under the title of "Morals"Plutarch
Philosophy
Plutarch's essays and miscellanies, Vol. 2 (of 5) : $b Comprising all his works collected under the title of "Morals"
Plutarch
Classical literature; Essays; Ethics; Philosophy
_Solution._ What if it should be (as many suppose) that women were
forbid to drink wine; therefore that those that drank it might not be
undiscovered, but convicted when they met with their acquaintance,
kissing became a custom? Or is it for the reason which Aristotle the
philosopher hath told us? Even that thing which was commonly reported
and said to be done in many places, it seems, was enterprised by the
Trojan women in the confines of Italy. For after the men arrived and
went ashore, the women set the ships on fire, earnestly longing to
be discharged of their roving and seafaring condition; but dreading
their husbands’ displeasure, they fell on saluting their kindred and
acquaintance that met them, by kissing and embracing; whereupon the
husbands’ anger being appeased and they reconciled, they used for the
future this kind of compliment towards them. Or rather might this
usage be granted to women as a thing that gained them reputation and
interest, if they appeared hereby to have many and good kindred and
acquaintance? Or was it that, it being unlawful to marry kinswomen,
a courteous behavior might proceed so far as a kiss, and this was
retained only as a significant sign of kindred and a note of a familiar
converse among them? For in former time they did not marry women nigh
by blood,—as now they marry not aunts or sisters,—but of late they
allowed the marrying of cousins for the following reason. A certain
man, mean in estate, but on the other hand an honest and a popular man
among the citizens, designed to marry his cousin being an heiress,
and to get an estate by her. Upon this account he was accused; but
the people took little notice of the accusation, and absolved him of
the fault, enacting by vote that it might be lawful for any man to
marry so far as cousins, but prohibited it to all higher degrees of
consanguinity.
_Question 7._ Why is a husband forbid to receive a gift from his
wife, and a wife from her husband?
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