[929] See the ritual in Bingham, The Christian Marriage Ceremony, 163, 164; Tegg, The Knot Tied, 10 ff.; Moore, How to Be Married, 27 ff.
"This first part of the office was anciently termed the espousals, which took place some time before the actual celebration of marriage. The espousals consisted in a mutual promise of marriage which was made by the man and woman before the bishop or presbyter and several witnesses; after which articles of agreement of marriage (called tabulae matrimoniales), which are mentioned by Augustine, were signed by both persons. After this the man delivered to the woman the ring and other gifts, an action which was called subarrhation. In the later ages the espousals have always been performed at the same time as the office of matrimony, both in the western and eastern churches; and it has long been customary for the ring to be delivered to the woman after the contract has been made, which has always been in the actual office of matrimony."—Palmer, Origines liturgicae (1839); quoted also by Jeaffreson, Brides and Bridals, I, 68, who in his chapter on "Espousals" (op. cit., I, 60-87) gives much information relating to ancient betrothal customs. Cf. Brand, Popular Antiquities, II, 87-98 (betrothal customs).
[930] Liturgies of Edward VI., 128, 129; Liturgies of Elizabeth, 218, 219.
[931] See the "Ordo ad facienda sponsalia," in the Manuale et processionale ad usum insignis ecclesiae eboracensis: Surtees Society Publications, LXIII, 26, 27. The double ceremony also appears in the Sarum or Salisbury manual: Maskell, Monumenta ritualia, I, 56, 57: Surtees Society Publications, LXIII, Appendix, 18, 19; in the ritual of Hereford; that of the twelfth century contained in a Pontifical of the library of Magdalen College, Oxford; in that of the missal of Hanley Castle, Worcestershire, dating from the thirteenth century; and in that of the fifteenth century in the Harleian MS., No. 2860, British Museum; that of a Welsh manual of the same century, in the library of the dean and chapter of Hereford; while it is plainly discernible in the ritual of the twelfth century contained in the Ely Pontifical of Cambridge University library; and that of the Pontifical of Anianus, bishop of Bangor, 1268-1304: all printed in Surtees Society Publications, LXIII, Appendix, 116, 155-69. Cf. the rituals printed by Dieckhoff, Kirchliche Trauung, 73, 77, 89 ff.; and the Roman marriage service in Bingham, 177, 178, where the dualism appears; but in the ritual of Paul V. it is not retained, unless the subsequent giving of the ring may be regarded as the second part. The priest says: "M. vis accipere N. hic praesentem in tuam legitimam uxorem?" or "tuum legitimum maritum?" and on receiving the answer, "Volo," proceeds: "Ego conjungo vos in matrimonio": Rituali romanum Pauli Quinti (Rome, 1816), 199 f. See the discussion of the contents of the early rituals in chap, vii, below.
[932] Sohm, Eheschliessung, 101 ff. The text of this extremely interesting marriage ritual is printed in Friedberg, Eheschliessung, 26, 27; and in Sohm, Anhang, III, 319, 320. For a description of these early rituals see Weinhold, Deutsche Frauen, I, 340-48.
[933] Sohm, op. cit., 105 n. 70. On the ring in English rituals see Friedberg, op. cit., 38, note, 46, 47.
[934] Ibid., 30.
[935] Tacitus, Germania, 18: "intersunt parentes ac propinque." It was customary in the Middle Ages for the assembled friends to form a circle—Ring—about the betrothed couple during the ceremony. Publicity was made a legal requirement by Pippin: Walter, Corpus juris, II, 42. Friedberg, op. cit., 24 n. 4, gives also references to mediæval poems. He regards the practice of inviting a large number of friends as originating in the desire to secure publicity. Particular cities passed laws requiring the presence of witnesses; for example, Prague.
[936] Except the publication of banns hereafter mentioned.
[937] Lingard, Hist. of Anglo-Saxon Church, II, 5-7; Friedberg, Eheschliessung, 7; Sohm, Eheschliessung, 107, and chap. iv; Scheurl, Das gemeine deutsche Eherecht, 14, 15.