The  Egyptians  are  said  to  have  allowed  of  the
marriage  of  brothers  and  sisters.  Amongst  the
Athenians,  a  very  singular  regulation  prevailed ;
brothers  and  sisters  of  the  half-blood,  if  related  by
the  father's  side,  might  marry ;  if  by  the  mother'.^
side,  they  were  prohibited  from  marrying.  The
same  custom  also  probably  obtained  in  Chaldea  so
early  as  the  age  in  which  Abraham  left  it ;  for  he
and  Sarah  his  wife  stood  in  this  relation  to  each


*  The  Roman  law  continued  the  proliibitioii  to  the
descendants  of  brothers  and  sisters  without  limits.  In
the  Ijeviticnl  and  English  law,  there  is  nothing  to  hin-
d'-r  a  man  froiii  inanying  his  grcat-riKco.
80


MORAL  AND  POLITICAL  FHILOSOFHY.
other:  "And  yet,  indred,  she  is  my  pWter;  she  is
the  iliiujfhtcr  of  my  lather,  hut  not  ol"  my  mother ;
and  she  became  my  wife."  Gen.  xx.  12.
CHAPTER  VL

Polygamy.
The  eqiiaUty*  in  the  numl)er  of  maks  and  fe-
males born  into  the  world,  intimates  the  intention
of  God,  that  one  woman  should  be  assigned  to  one
man :  lor  if  to  one  man  be  allowed  an  exclusive
right  to  live  or  more  women,  four  or  more  men
must  be  deprived  of  the  exclusive  possession  of
any :  which  could  never  be  the  order  intended.
it  seems  also  a  signilicant  indication  of  the  di-
vine will,  that  he  at  tirst  created  only  one  woman
to  one  man.  Had  God  intended  polygamy  for  the
species,  it  is  probable  he  would  have  begun  with
it ;  especially  as,  by  giving  to  Adam  more  wives
than  one,  the  multiplication  of  the  human  race
woiald  have  proceeded  with  a  quicker  progress.
