valentines 2

Happy Valentines, part II
Since 1559.

From the English Church's Book of Common Prayer:

Dearely Beloved frendes, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of his congregacion, to joyne together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is an honorable state, instytuted of God in Paradise, in the time of manes innocencie, signiflyng unto us the mistical union that is betwixt Christ and his Churche: ...
...and therfore is not to be enterprised, nor taken in hande unadvisedly, lightly or wantonly, to satisfye mennes carnall lustes and appetytes, lyke brute beastes that have no understandyng ; but reverently, discretely, advisedly, soberly, and in the feare of God, duely consideryng the causes for the which matrimony was ordeined. One was the procreation of children, to be brought up in the feare and nurtoure of the Lorde, and praise of God. Secondly, it was ordeined for a remedy agaynste sinne and to avoide fornication, that suche persones as have not the gifte of continencie might mary, and kepe themselves undefiled membres of Christes body. Thirdly, for the mutual societie, helpe, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, bothe in prosperity and adversitye, into the whiche holy state these two persones present, come nowe to be joyned. Therefore if any man can shewe any just cause, why thei may not lawfully be joyned together let hym now speake, or els hereafter for ever holde his peace.

Dear history professor readers, I can't research this myself right now, so I call on you: Back in the day, we had ecclesiastic court and the state's court. To what extent was marriage intertwined with the civic laws? taxes?

As I jot that down, I wonder if the mind-set of the 16th century would have regarded different spheres in that respect. They're both authoritative- church and state. The popular conception, now, is a difference in private and public spheres (church and state). Obviously, that distinction breaks down, because the Church was quite public in its authority.

That takes us elsewhere- another day.