Genesis 4:19

And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one [was] Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

Ver. 19. Lamech took unto himself.] As his own lust led him, not caring for consent of parents. And two wives, a as little caring for the command of God, that "two," and no more, "should be one flesh," Gen 2:24 yea, though he "had the residue of the spirit," and so could have made many wives for Adam, yet "made he but one," saith the prophet b Mal 2:15 And wherefore one? but that he might seek a godly seed. Solomon's polygamy was punished with barrenness. We read not of any son he had but one, and he none of the wisest neither, Rehoboam. This great king had but one son by many housefuls of wives, when many a poor man hath a house full of children by one wife. Erasmus tells a story of a poor English cripple, lame on both legs, that married a blind woman, and gave this reason, We shall the better agree, when neither can hit other in the teeth with our several defects and deformities. Nec fefellit hominem iudicium, saith he; it proved a happy match. They lived lovingly and cheerfully together, and God Almighty blessed them with a dozen lusty boys, that had not the least deformity about them. c Sardus tells us, that the old Britons would ten or twelve of them take one woman to wife. d Likely women were scarce among them. But yet that was better than the old Scots, of whom St Hierome reports, that they took no wives; but satisfied their lusts up and down as they wished, and wheresoever they liked, after the manner of brute creatures. e I have somewhere read, that not many hundreds of years since, they had a custom kept up among them, that the landlord might demand the first night of his tenant's wife, as a chief rent. And Mr Fox relates, f that the friars in Germany were grown to that height of impudence, as to require the tenth night of every man's wife, as a tithe due to them. Which to prevent, the Helvetians, when they received any new priest into their churches, they bargained with him before, to take his concubine, lest he should attempt any misuse of their wives and daughters. How much better were it, for the "avoiding of fornication, if every man of them had his own wife," saith Paul. 1Co 7:2 Not so, not so, saith Cardinal Campeius; g for if comparison should be made, much greater offence it is, a priest to have a wife, than to have and keep at home many harlots; for they that keep harlots, saith he, as it is naught that they do, so do they acknowledge their sin; the other persuade themselves they do well, and so continue without repentance, or conscience of their fact. A fit reason for a carnal cardinal. Such another was his brother, Cardinalis Cremonensis, who after his stout replying in the Council of London, against the married estate of priests, exclaiming what a shameful thing it was to rise from the sides of a whore, to make Christ's body, the night following was shamefully taken with a notable whore. h This was bad enough, but that was worse in Johannes from Casa, Dean of the Pope's chamber, who so far forgot humanity and honesty, that he set forth a book in Italian metre, in commendation of Sodomitry, saying that he never used any other. i This might better have become a Turk, than a bishop. Sodomy in the Levant is not held a vice, so debauched they are grown. j The Turkish bashaws, besides their wives, whereof they have ten at least, each bashaw has as many, or likely more calamites, which are their serious loves. For their wives are used but to dress their meat, to laundress, and for reputation. k Only when the great Turk gives his daughter or sister to any bashaw to wife, it is somewhat otherwise. For he gives her at the same time a dagger, saying, I give you to this man to be your slave and bedfellow. If he is not loving, obedient, and dutiful to thee, I give you here this cunzhare or dagger to cut off his head. l Yet can she not forbid him to marry more wives "to vex her," Lev 18:18 and fret her, as Peninnah did Hannah, 1Sa 1:6 yea, to make her to thunder, as the word here signifies: for Turks may take as many wives as they are able to maintain. Hence it is that in jealousy they exceed Italians, making their women go muffled all but their eyes; and not suffering them to go to church, or so much as look out of their own windows. m

a Lamech polygamus unam costam in duas divisit. - Hier .

b Heroum filii noxae .

c Procreatis ex isto coniugio duodecim fratribus, nulloque naevo deformatis. - Dei Instit. Matr.

d Deni duodenique unam uxorem ducebant .- De Morib. Gent ., lib. i., cap. 1.

e Ut cuique libitum fuerit, pecudum more lasciviunt. - Twini, Comment. de reb. Britan. ex Hieron .

f Act. and Mon ., fol. 791.

g Ibid. 790.

h Ibid. 1065.

i Act and Mon ., 1417.

j Blunt's Voyage, p. 79.

k Blunt, 14.

l Heyl., Geog ., p. 583.

m Blunt, 106.