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A View of Society in Europe in Its Progress From Rudeness to Refinement (1778)
A View of Society in Europe in Its Progress From Rudeness to Refinement - 1778 Author:Gilbert Stuart Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SECTION II. Of the Property of the Women. The Dower, the Morgengalc, and the Marriage-portion. The Communication to the Women of the Powers ofSucceJfion and I... more »nheritance. The advancement- of Manners. HAVING diftinguiftied the property of the men, it is fit I fhould treat that of the women. I have obferved, that, among the antient Germans, and the cafe, it is to be prefumed, is fimilar in every rude community, the property of the land was inverted in the tribe or nation. His proportion of corn was allotted to the individual by the magiftrate, and correfponded to the number of his family, the degrees of his merit, and the importance of his fervice. He derived, accordingly, no fource of influence from, the property of land. His chief, and almoft only riches, confilled in cattle (i); and, in thofe rude and remote times, the more powerful fupported their hofpitality and magnificence by war and violence. They collected their retainers, and committed incurfion and plunder upon neighbouring na- tions; and their ftates diicouraged not a practice which wasfa-- vourable to the military virtues. In this fituation, it is obvious, that no property could be pof- fefled by the women (2). They had neither land nor cattle, and could demand no fhare of the booty procured by robbery and depredation. While they remained in their virgin ftate, they continued, therefore, in the families of which they were defcend- ed (3); and, when they pafled, by marriage, into other families, their hufbands became bound to attend to and to provide for them. Hence the cuftom recorded by Tacitus: Dotem non uxor ma- ' rito, fed uxori maritus offert.' On the death of the hufband, the wife received this provifion; and, it was the object of it to render her alike independent of the houfe fhe had left, and of that ...« less