4.  The  effect  of  Marriage  on  the  Acts  and  Agreements  of  the  Wife  an"
terior  to  that  Event."] — By  the  marriage,  the  husband  and  wife,  in  the  eye
of  the  law,  become  but  one  person,  with  an  identity  of  interest  and  will,
that  works  an  extinguishment  or  revocation  of  seveim  acts  done  by  the  Avife
before  her  marriage ;  and  this  not  only  for  the  benefit  of  the  husband,  but
ako  for  the  wife,  Test  under  the  influence  of  the  husband  she  may  be  in  ^
duced  to  prejudice  herself.  Thus  the  marriage  of  itself  revokes  any  will
which  the  wife  might  have  before  made,  and  makes  it  absolutely  void  (x) ;
10  that  it  wiU  not  be  revived,  though  she  outlive  her  husband  (y).  And
where  the  intended  husband  agrees  to  give  his  wife  power  of  making  a  will
tfler  marriage,  and  she  on  the  strength  of  the  agreement  makes  one  before
toe  ceremony  has  taken  place,  it  will  be  revoked  bv  the  marriage  {z).
And  a  prohibition  lies  to  the  Spiritual  Court,  if  a  suit  be  instituted  to  ob-
tain a  general  probate  of  the  will  of  a  woman  made  during  her  coverture,
tbouf h  with  her  husband's  consent,  and  though  she  survived  him ;  for  he
oodld  not,  by  any  assent  of  his,  enable  her  to  dispose,  by  any  will  made
during  the  coverture,  of  property  which  she  mieht  acouire  after  his  death,
but  only  of  property  over  which  he  himself  nad  a  aisposing  power  (a).
A  surrender  of  a  copyhold  estate  by  a  feme  sole  to  the  use  of  her  will,  if
not  made  absolutely  void,  is  at  least  suspended  by  a  subsequent  marriage;
in  either  of  which  cases  its  operation  is  prevented  (6).
(r)  Behinnn  v.  Dickinson ,  3  Russ.
