that the bride was never to return to her father’s house. The day of the bride’s leaving her father was celebrated in the manner of a festival, which was distinct from the nuptial solemnity, which was kept at the bride-groom’s house, and began at evening, the usual time of the bride’s arrival.”――ROBINSON’S _Archæologia Græca_. NOTE 118. _But can see no bridemaid._ Matronam nullam: Some commentators think that matrona and pronuba have a similar meaning; but though it is clear that both those words were used to describe females who attended the bride at a Roman marriage, I am inclined to believe that they have each a distinct signification. The Latin poets used matrona as a name for all married women without distinction: thus, Horace evidently speaks of wives in general, when he says, “Matronæ præter faciem nil cernere possis, Cetera, ――――demissa veste tegentis.” The matron muffled in her modest stole, Will scarce allow her features to be seen. because married women only were allowed to wear the _stola_, a large robe which covered the person from head to foot. Matrons were distinguished as follows, matronas appellabant, quibus _stolas habendi_ jus erat: those only were called matrons, whose rank entitled them to wear the stola, (_Alex. ab. Alex. lib._ 5. _cap._ 18.) as women of inferior rank wore the instita. The pronubæ were always chosen from those women who had been married only once; and it appears that a bride had several pronubæ to attend her, but only one matrona. Terence says nullam matronam, whereas the pronubæ were spoken of as being four or five in number. I think it not unlikely that the first in rank of the pronubæ was chosen to preside over the rest of the bridemaids, and to attend immediately on the person of the bride, whence she was called matrona pronubarum, the chief of the bridemaids. Servius thinks that matrona was used to designate a woman who had one child: and thus distinguished from the mater-familias who had several. But Aulus Gellius is of opinion that all married women were called matronæ, whether they had any children or not. Thus Ovid, speaking of Hersilia, the wife of Romulus, who had no offspring, calls her matrona. “O et de Latiâ, O et de gente Sabinâ Præcipuum matrona decus; dignissima tanti”―― And thou, O matron, ornament of Latium, The chiefest glory of the Sabine race, Most worthy consort of so great a hero―――― Nonnius supports Gellius in this opinion. NOTE 119. _All was silent._