Or rather, like as _Solon_ in his Statutes ordeined, that the new married wife should eat of a quince before she enter into the bride bed-chamber, to the end that this first encounter and embracing, should not be odious or unpleasant to her husband? even so the Romane law-giver would hide in the obscuritie of darkenesse, the deformities and imperfections in the person of the bride, if there were any. Or haply this was instituted to shew how sinfull and damnable all unlawfull companie of man and woman together is, seeing that which is lawfull and allowed, is not without some blemish and note of shame. 66. _Why is one of the races where horses use to runne, called the_ Cirque _or_ Flaminius. IS it for that in old time an ancient Romane named _Flaminius_ gave unto the citie, a certeine piece of ground, they emploied the rent and revenues thereof in runnings of horses, and chariots: and for that there was a surplussage remaining of the said lands, they bestowed the same in paving that high way or causey, called _Via Flaminia_, that is to say, _Flaminia_ street? 67. _Why are the Sergeants or officers who carie the knitches of rods before the magistrates of_ Rome, _called_ Lictores. IS it because these were they who bound malefactors, and who followed after _Romulus_, as his guard, with cords and leather thongs about them in their bosomes? And verily the common people of _Rome_ when they would say to binde or tie fast, use the word _Alligare_, and such as speake more pure and proper Latin, _Ligare_. Or is it, for that now the letter _C_ is interjected within this word, which before time was _Litores_, as one would say Λειτοῦργοι, that is to say, officers of publike charge; for no man there is in a maner, ignorant, that even at this day in many cities of _Greece_, the common-wealth or publicke state is written in their lawes by the name of Λῆτον: 68. _Wherefore doe the_ Luperci _at_ Rome _sacrifice a Dogge? Now these_ Luperci _are certeine persons who upon a festivall day called_ Lupercalia, _runne through the citie all naked, save that they have aprons onely before their privy parts, carying leather whippes in their hands, wherewith they flappe and scourge whomsoever they meet in the streets_. IS all this ceremoniall action of theirs a purification of the citie? whereupon they call the moneth wherein this is done _Februarius_, yea, and the very day it selfe _Febraten_, like as the maner of squitching with a leather scourge _Februare_, which verbe signifieth as much as to purge or purifie? And verily the Greeks, in maner all, were wont in times past, and so they continue even at this day, in all their expiations, to kill a dogge for sacrifice. Unto _Hecate_ also they bring foorth among other expiatorie oblations, certeine little dogges or whelpes: such also as have neede of clensing and purifying, they wipe and scoure all over with whelpes skinnes, which maner of purification they tearme _Periscylacismos_.