So in King John, King Philip, and the Arch-duke of Austria, encouraging the connection of the Dauphin and Blanch:
"K. Phil. It likes us well;—Young princes, close your hands.
Aust. And your lips too; for, I am well assur'd,
That I did so, when I was first assur'd."[222:D]
One immoral consequence arising from this custom of public betrothing was, that the parties, depending upon the priest as a witness, frequently cohabited as man and wife. It would appear, indeed, from a passage in Shakspeare, that the ceremony of troth-plight, at
least among the lower orders, was considered as a sufficient warrant for intercourse of this kind; for he makes the jealous Leontes, in his Winter's Tale, exclaim,
"My wife's a hobby horse; deserves a name
As rank as any flax-wench, that puts to
Before her troth-plight."[223:A]
We must not forget, however, to remark, while on the subject of betrothing, that a singular proof of delicacy and attention to the fair sex, on this occasion, during the sixteenth century, has been quoted by Mr. Strutt, from a manuscript in the Harleian library, and which runs thus: "By the civil law, whatever is given ex sponsalitia largitate, betwixt them that are promised in marriage, hath a condition, for the most part silent, that it may be had again if marriage ensue not; but if the man should have had a kiss for his money, he should lose one half of what he gave. Yet with the woman it is otherwise; for kissing or not kissing, whatever she gave, she may have it again."[223:B]