, they make other boats in the same manner.
195. Such are their boats; and the following is the manner of dress
which they use, namely a linen tunic reaching to the feet, and over this
they put on another of wool, and then a white mantle thrown round, while
they have shoes of a native fashion rather like the Boeotian slippers.
They wear their hair long and bind their heads round with fillets, 203
and they are anointed over the whole of their body with perfumes. Each
man has a seal and a staff carved by hand, and on each staff is carved
either an apple or a rose or a lily or an eagle or some other device,
for it is not their custom to have a staff without a device upon it.
196. Such is the equipment of their bodies: and the customs which are
established among them are as follows, the wisest in our opinion being
this, which I am informed that the Enetoi in Illyria also have. In every
village once in each year it was done as follows:--When the maidens
204 grew to the age for marriage, they gathered these all together and
brought them in a body to one place, and round them stood a company of
men: and the crier caused each one severally to stand up, and proceeded
to sell them, first the most comely of all, and afterwards, when she had
been sold and had fetched a large sum of money, he would put up another
who was the most comely after her: and they were sold for marriage. Now
all the wealthy men of the Babylonians who were ready to marry vied with
one another in bidding for the most beautiful maidens; those however of
the common sort who were ready to marry did not require a fine form, but
they would accept money together with less comely maidens. For when the
crier had made an end of selling the most comely of the maidens, then
he would cause to stand up that one who was least shapely, or any one of
them who might be crippled in any way, and he would make proclamation
of her, asking who was willing for least gold to have her in marriage,
until she was assigned to him who was willing to accept least: and the
gold would be got from the sale of the comely maidens, and so those
of beautiful form provided dowries for those which were unshapely or
crippled; but to give in marriage one's own daughter to whomsoever each
man would, was not allowed, nor to carry off the maiden after buying her
without a surety; for it was necessary for the man to provide sureties
that he would marry her, before he took her away; and if they did not
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