life, in its joys and its sorrows. I had heard it stated that a bitter ingredient is mingled with the wine; but those of whom I inquired assured me that nothing of the kind was customary. It was singular that so affecting an incident should be closely followed by another of a ludicrous character. The bishop took the hand of the priest; he, in turn, grasped that of the deacon; and so with the married couple, the singers, and all, a string was made, which the chief ecclesiastic led around the table in the centre of the room. The whole bore an amusing resemblance to some of the games that children play in America. With this the service ended, to the satisfaction of every one present. When the priests had retired, the company pressed around the bridegroom and bride to offer congratulations, some formal, and others affectionate. The guests remained but a few moments more. A servant came, bringing in a large waiter covered with candies, and each was expected to help himself plentifully to them, as well as to carry some home. A few of those present seemed to measure their kind feelings to the couple by the quantity they heaped together; and, judging by this criterion, their benevolent feelings were not small. Two or three drew out their handkerchiefs, and carried them away full. After this the company began to disperse, and we followed the general example.

It struck me as a very singular feature, that during the entire service I had been listening to, not a single response was made by the couple, nor had the consent of the parties been expressed, or any promise exacted of them. In fact, the bridegroom may arrange the whole matter with the parents or guardians of the lady, without her knowledge, and even -against her will. And let not any one suppose that such an arrangement, while sanctioned by law, never actually occurs in point of fact. We must assure him that such things do happen, and not unfrequently. A case of this kind was related to me, as having taken place not long since at Smyrna; and the story was romantic enough, in its details, to form the subject of a tale of no ordinary interest. A wealthy inhabitant of that city, an old Greek subject, had an only daughter, named Theodosia. Her hand had been sought, and her affec

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tions had been gained by a respectable young English resident of the place. But the father was too proud to let his daughter marry a foreigner, and a heretic besides; and he commanded her to think no more of him. As an offset, he promised her in marriage to a boorish Greek from the East. But the affections, it is well known, are sometimes most unreasonably stubborn, and the young lady preferred an elopement. A rendezvous was fixed upon by the two lovers; but unfortunately there was a misunderstanding as to the spot, and Theodosia, after waiting for hours at the place agreed upon, was finally discovered and brought back to her father's house. Threats, and even chastisement were employed, ineffectually, with the hope of gaining her consent to the match. Notwithstanding this persistency, a day was appointed for the nuptials, the priests were called in to perform the rite, and the young girl was brought into the room by main force. While the service was being read Theodosia fainted, and the priests stopped until she recovered her senses, when they proceeded, and she was wedded to a man whom she loathed. This compulsion may appear the more remarkable from the fact, that at this time she was nineteen or twenty years of age. So inauspicious a wedding was not likely to introduce a happy union. It was not very long before she was forced to be separated from her husband, who treated her in a most cruel manner. Her father had been the strenuous advocate of the marriage; but for a long time he found himself utterly unable to persuade her to leave the man whom he had compelled her to wed.*

MARRIAGE AMONG THE LOWER ORDERS.

The customs that characterize a country are to be found in their purity chiefly in those remote portions where the manners of other nations have not as yet intruded. The increasing facilities of intercommunication, while they improve the condition of the poorer classes, so far as material interests are affected, destroy those striking contrasts in the mode of living

* Such is the story as related by one who had been a neighbor and intimate acquaintance of the parties; and it was confirmed by several esteemed Athenian friends.

which excite the curiosity of the stranger. An American walking the streets of Athens, hears at every turn the cry of the peddler, who, under the name of "pania Americanica," hawks the fabrics of the Lowell mills; and the Grecian mother finds it cheaper to clothe her daughters in these, than to occupy her leisure hours at the loom.

In secluded villages the ceremony of marriage, which in the capital has become gradually assimilated to the stereotyped form of other countries, includes a number of curious remnants of ancient usages. Every petty hamlet, or at least every small district, possesses its own customs, which entirely regulate the performance of the ceremony, and which none even of the more polished citizens attempt to abrogate. It would, therefore, be quite a hopeless task to describe all the different modes; and the customs that prevail in the province of Maina, at the southerly extremity of the country, may be taken as a fair specimen of the rest. The connection, long since projected, and fully discussed in family council on either side, has at length been approved, and the time for its consummation determined, by all the nearest relatives of the interested parties. Indeed, such a thing as a clandestine marriage, or one celebrated without the authorization of friends, is almost unheard of. Whoever should marry a young lady without first asking the consent of her relatives, would in Maina inevitably draw upon himself their fiercest animosity, and cause an irretrievable breach, sooner or later ending in revenge and bloodshed. We have heard the instance of one young man, who eloped with a girl of his acquaintance, and who, after forty years had passed, when surrounded by grown-up sons and daughters, fell a victim to the relentless hatred of those whom he had so long since offended.*

The more important preparations for the wedding uniformly commence on Thursday evening. Toward dusk, the young men who have been invited bring the wood necessary for cook

*This incident is embodied in one of those pathetic marologia, or laments, which are repeated over the tombs of the deceased. In this poetic history the leading events of the man's life are related with considerable detail. Some persons have acquired a singular reputation for their skill in composing them.

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ing purposes; while the young women meet to sift the coarse flour that is to be employed. On Friday, they again assemble to cleanse the wheat and to grind it in the hand-mill. The flour thus obtained is used that very evening, when the maidens gather round the kneading-trough to fashion several kinds of cake. One of the girls, who according to ancient custom must have both her parents living, begins the kneading; while the others, standing around, throw in various coins, and sing ditties which are mostly quite unintelligible, but have been handed down traditionally from dame to daughter for generations. The cakes made of this dough are sent to all the friends of the parties, as invitations to attend the wedding. Another large cake is prepared at the same time, to be cut on Sunday evening, at the house of the bridegroom, as a signal for the termination of the festivities.

The bridegroom and his intended father-in-law each invite their friends to their houses. If they live in the same village, this is accomplished in person; but if they live too far off, the invitation is equally well understood on the reception of the small cake, which in these hamlets takes the place of the gilt and crested envelope, and the "At home" card of our more refined countries. After its reception a person is in duty bound to go on the same day to the house to which he is bidden, where a convivial party is thus assembled. Its occupation for the afternoon consists in cleansing, and sometimes grinding the wheat, though this latter operation is often de ferred for a day or two. While they perform these offices of friendship, the company enliven their labors by singing various songs, for the most part curious and characteristic, but few of which have ever yet been collected into a permanent form.

The remainder of the week is spent in a quiet manner, and it is not until the ensuing Saturday that the same parties reassemble, at the house of the bridegroom or bride, as the case may be, for no one is invited to both places. The bridegroom, who according to the custom of the district bears all the expenses, has agreed previously to provide a stipulated number of rams or sheep, which never number less than three, and rarely exceed a dozen. These he now sends to the house of

his intended father-in-law, and with them, three times as many loaves of bread as there are sheep, and three times as many okes of wine* as there are loaves of bread. The men who are dispatched with these gifts-intended, of course, for immediate consumption-expect to be entertained and lodged at the house of the bride for the night. Such an addition to the domestic circle might terrify an American housekeeper; but as beds are a commodity unknown or unused, so far as the greater part of the population are concerned, even a large number of guests can be easily accommodated. The Greek peasant, provided that he finds plenty to eat, and especially to drink, lays himself down in perfect contentment, wrapped up in his huge capote, or shaggy cloak, by the side of the fire, kindled on a stone hearth, in the middle of the room; meanwhile the family, perhaps, occupy a small inclosed space at one of the ends of the house, to which access is gained by a ladder of two or three steps.

At about midnight another set of men are dispatched from the bridegroom's house. They carry a complete attire for the bride, who is dressed in it immediately. Then on Sunday morning, at about three or four o'clock, the bridegroom proceeds thither in person, accompanied by a few of his more intimate friends. And now the marriage ceremony, that is to say, the stephanoma, or crowning, takes place in the presence of all; the parish priest, who has quitted his slumbers at this early hour, officiating. Upon the conclusion of the service the priest retires to his home, and so does the bridegroom, leaving the lady at her father's house. But at perhaps nine o'clock, in broad daylight, he proceeds on horseback, attended by all his friends, to claim and carry home his newly-married wife. On either hand walk two of his nearest female relatives, on his father's and mother's side. When the procession reaches the house, the bridegroom does not enter, but, according to custom, stops in some part of the court, while the guests of the bride's father cóme severally to greet him. First his mother-in-law embraces him, at the same time placing about his neck a handkerchief, as a gift. All the women follow her

*Wine and oil are in Greece measured by weight, and an oke is nearly equal to three pounds of our standard.