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prudent Ends; in which Case, though Violence is not used, yet 'tis generally expected the Women should comply, and they do comply, I may say they do always comply indeed. I scarce remember an Instance in History of any that have refused.
If there is any thing in these Matches to the dislike of the Parties, they must take it as an Accident to the Dignity of their Birth, and go through it as well as they can; they have generally the State and Honour of their Birth and Families, and the Titles they possess, to make up the Deficiencies, and to be Equivalents for the loss of their personal Endearments; so we have nothing to say to those Things. If Princes and great Persons are content to marry on those Conditions, they must do as they please, the Consequence is to themselves. We are not speaking here of People under the Influence of Politick Government, and who move this Way or that, by Reasons of State; but of People within the Circle of Equality with our selves, and under the Government of Laws both of Justice and Reason, and also of the Constitution; and to such, I think, what I have observed, is just. Matrimony is a Law of Decency, binding to Christians, and to People who pretend to live and act as Christians do, or should do, and those who do not proceed in it with a due regard to Decency and Christianity too, should lay aside the Name of Christian, and pretend to it no more.
It is true, there are various Sorts of forced Marriages. Those which I have named, viz. taking a Woman away by Strength, and terrifying her afterward into Compliance, our Laws, as Ihave
