But may it not be rather, for that as some do say, this moneth taketh that name of Majores, that is to say, ancients: like as June is termed so of Juniores, that is to say yonkers. Now this is certaine that youth is much meeter for to contract marriage than old age: like as Euripides saith verie well:
As for old age it Venus bids farewell,
And with old folke, Venus is not pleasd well.
The Romans therefore maried not in May, but staied for June which immediatly followeth after May.
87.
What is the reason that they divide and part the haire of the new brides head, with the point of a javelin?
Is not this a verie signe, that the first wives whom the Romans espoused, were compelled to mariage, and conquered by force and armes.
Or are not their wives hereby given to understand, that they are espoused to husbands, martiall men and soldiers; and therefore they should lay away all delicate, wanton, and costly imbelishment of the bodie, and acquaint themselves with simple and plaine attire; like as Lycurgus for the same reason would that the dores, windowes, and roofes of houses should be framed with the saw and the axe onely, without use of any other toole or instrument, intending thereby to chase out of the common-weale all curiositie and wastfull superfluitie.
Or doth not this parting of the haires, give covertly to understand, a division and separation, as if mariage & the bond of wedlock, were not to be broken but by the sword and warlike force?
Or may not this signifie thus much, that they referred the most part of ceremonies concerning mariage unto Juno: now it is plaine that the javelin is consecrated unto Juno, insomuch as most part of her images and statues are portraied resting and leaning upon a launce or or javelin. And for this cause the goddesse is surnamed Quiritis, for they called in old time a speare Quiris, upon which occasion Mars also (as they say) is named Quiris.