A History of Matrimonial Institutions, Vol. 1 of 3

by George Elliott Howard

This passage was transcribed for me from a copy of the first edition (1541) in the library of the British Museum by Professor William H. Hudson. To his kindness I am also indebted for the extract from Whitforde's book taken from a copy in the possession of the same library. In 1899 Sotheran offered for £4 10s. a "probably unique" copy of a 24mo edition of Coverdale's work, 1543. This he regards as a copy of the second edition, the title differing somewhat from that of the first edition. An 8vo edition appeared also in 1543, with a preface by Becon. Friedberg, op. cit., 40, quotes the same passage; but the different spelling indicates that he has not used the first edition.

[1112] Richard Whitforde, A Werke for housholders (2d ed., 1537), sign. E. iii and following page. There is no pagination. For the date see Bayne, in Dict. Nat. Biog., LXI, 125-27.

[1113] Friedberg, op. cit., 41.

[1114] Ibid., 47, 48.

[1115] Discussed in Palgrave, Commonwealth, II, v-xxvii; Bigelow, Placita Anglo-Normannica, 175; Pollock and Maitland, Hist. of Eng. Law, I, 137, 138.

[1116] Ibid., II, 365.

For further illustration see Loersch, "Ein eherechtliches Urtheil," ZKR., XV, 407-10; and Frensdorff, "Ein Urtheilsbuch des geist. Gerichts zu Augsburg," ibid., X, 1-37, publishing a manuscript containing decisions for the years 1348-52 which afford abundant proof of the doctrine and practice regarding sponsalia de praesenti.

[1117] Pollock and Maitland, op. cit., II, 369, where a translation of the epistle is given. Cf. Bohn, Pol. Cyc., III, 319; Sohm., Eheschliessung, 124 ff., who discusses from the canons the influence of Alexander III. on this doctrine.

[1118] This principle is illustrated in a suit for jactitation of marriage before the commissary of London, 1501: Hale, Precedents, 72, 73; and in a case of punishing clandestine marriage by prescribing penance by the same court in 1502: ibid., 78, 79.

[1119] The canonists distinguished cognatio from affinitas. There are three sorts of cognatio: (1) consanguinitas; (2) cognatio legalis, or adoption; (3) cognatio spiritualis, arising in a participation in the same sacrament: Esmein, op. cit., 335 ff., 374 ff. On the whole subject see Niemeier, De conjugiis prohibitis, comprising ten separate dissertations with critical and bibliographical "supplementa," but relating largely to post-Reformation doctrine; Sanchez, Disput. de s^to. mat. sac., II, 1-402; Tancred, Summa de mat. (ed. Wunderlich), 16 ff.; the monograph of Eichborn, Die Ehehinderniss der Blutsverwandtschaft nach kan. Rechte (Breslau, 1872); Schulte, Lehrbuch, 355-57; Friedberg, Lehrbuch, 337, 359; Sehling, Die Wirkungen der Geschlechtsgemeinschaft (impotence); Geary, Marriage and Family Relations, 20 ff.; Pollock and Maitland, Hist. of Eng. Law, II, 383 ff.; Freisen, Geschichte des can. Eherechts, 371 ff.; Jeaffreson, Brides and Bridals, I, 108 ff.; II, 306 ff.; Morgan, Marriage, Adultery, and Divorce, I, 199 ff. The Catholic doctrine is set forth at great length by Scheicher-Binder, Praktisches Handbuch, 8-354; and in Perrone, De mat. christ., II, 31 ff.