the bride among the other nine young women, was iingular,
and merits a prolongation o f my digreffion. He fpread his
mantle on tlte ground, threw a handful o f gold rings on it, and
then gallantly addrefled the Ladies as follows ; “ Lovely maid,
“ w ho art deftined to be Janco'% wife, do thou pick up thefe
“ golden rings, and wear them ; but if'any other dares to touch
“ one o f them, I will cut off her arm at a blow.” T he nine
young women were very naturally afraid o f the danger, and did
not chufe to advance, fo Janco’s bride collected the rings, and
thus the nuptial games were finifhed. When, upon trials o f
this nature, one of the parties found himfelf excluded, and
another preferred, as he thought, unjufrly, he commonly had
recourfe to arnys. for red^efs g apd much, blood was often ihed in
thole combafs; and many, tprnbs ©/,the ancient Slavi, are frill
to be feen in the yrpcd^.apd defert places, o f Morlacchia, whereon
thefe feuds are engraved in coarfe bafs-reliefr *
The bride is conduced to a church, veiled, and furrounded
by the Svati-on horfeback, and the facred-ceremony is performed
amidft the noife' of mufkets, piftols,. .barbaric ihouts, and acclamations,
which continue till fhe retorps to her father’s houfe,
or to that o f her.hulband, i f npt far off, -Each o f the Svati has
his particular infpedfron,. as wpll during^he cavalcade,.'- as, at the
marriage fea.fr, which-begins-imrnediately on their return from
church. The Parviaaz, precedes all the reft, fingingfuch fongs,
as
* Some of thefe; tombs are to be feen, partjcialarly in the. wood between Gil»,
iufii and Verprai, on ' the' banks of the Trebejgt; and along the military way
that leads from SaUha to 'At LMhth, Cijta-, Mramor, and ¿etween
Stign and Imojki,. there arejnany.; Thfcre is lone ifeinted!at Bcrvenich¡) in Primi-
j i , called Gt}Jlagnich{ar Greb.j apd another- at Zakucaz, which, they, fay, was ereited
on the foot where the combat happened.
as he thinks fuitable to theoccafion. The Bariaclar brandifhes
a lance with a filken banner faftened to it; and an apple fruck on
the po inty there are two BariaEtars,■ and-fometimes four, at the
more noble marriages. - The Stdri-fvafls, ¡the' principle perfo-
nage of the brigade, and the moft ■ refpeidlable relation is commonly
inverted with this dignity. T he Stachee»duty is toreceive
and obey the orders o f the Stari-fvaf. The two Divert, who ought
to be the bridegroom’s brothers^ ' when he has any, ate appointed
to ferve the bride. The K hM cotrefpbrtds tOburfponfofsfr and-
the Komorgia, or Sekfarm iS' dipiited' to redeive, 'and guard the
d'owery. A Ciaoits carries thfr1 mace1,hand'attends to the otder o f
the march, '4‘s'mafter of the ¿erehidhtts he' gods Edging aloud,
Brebert, Davori, Dobra-pi’dhta, Jara, Tied, named1 o f indent
propitious deities. B ui/iai s the chp bekto o f the c'dtnpany, as
well oh the march, as at table- and ail there offices affcdoubled,
and fometimes tripled, in proportion to the number of the company.
The firfr day’s entertainment- is fometimes made at the bride’s
houfe, but generally at the bridegroom’s, whether the Svati
haften immediately after the nuptial' benediction j and at the
fame time, three or four men run'on foot to tell the good news j
the ffrft who gets to the houfe has a kind o f towel, embroidered
at the ends, as a premium. The Domachin, or head o f
the houfe, comes out to meet his daughter in law, and a child
is handed to her, before £he alights, to carefs i t ; and, i f there
happens to be none in the houfe, the child is borrowed from
one o f the neighbours. When (lie alights, fhe kneels down,
and kifles the threihold. Then the mother in law, or; in her
place, fome other female relation, prefents a corn iieve, full
o f different kinds o f grain, nuts, almonds, and other fmall
fruit,