custom　among　the　old　Bohemians　or　Czechs。　〃Populus　miscebatur　cum
  cognatis；〃　says　the　biographer　of　St。　Adalbert。　They　are　also
  frequently　mentioned　in　the　epic　poems　of　our　peasants；　the
  so…called　bilini；　of　which　the　late　W。R。S。　Ralston　has　given　to
  English　readers　an　accurate　and　profound　analysis。　I　will　quote
  certain　passages　from　these　poems　to　give　you　the　facts　on　which
  my　theory　is　based。
  One　of　the　most　celebrated　heroes　of　our　popular　ballads；
  Ilia　Mourometz。　encounters　one　day　a　freebooter　named　Nightingale
  （Solovei　Razboinik）。　〃Why；〃　asks　the　hero；　〃do　all　thy　children
  look　alike？〃　Nightingale　gives　the　following　answer：　〃Because；
  when　my　son　is　grown　up；　I　marry　him　to　my　daughter；　and　when　my
  daughter　is　old　enough；　I　give　her　my　son　for　a　husband；　and　I　do
  so　in　order　that　my　race　may　not　die　out。〃　Another　popular
  ballad；　representing　the　evil　customs　of　former　days；　describes
  them　in　the　following　manner：
  Brother　made　war　upon　brother；
  Brother　took　sister　to　wife。
  Endogamous　marriages　still　occur　in　a　few　very　remote　parts
  of　Russia。　Such　is　the　case　in　certain　villages　in　the　district
  of　Onega；　and　especially　in　that　of　Liamika；　where　the　peasants
  do　their　best　to　infringe　the　canonical　prescriptions　which
  disallow　marriage　between　blood　relations　to　the　fourth　degree
  inclusively。　The　same　has　also　been　noticed　in　certain　parts　of
  the　Government　of　Archangel；　quite　on　the　shores　of　the　White
  Sea；　where　the　peasants　are　in　the　habit　of　saying　that　marriages
  between　blood　relations　will　be　blessed　with　a　more　rapid
  increase　of　〃cattle〃　…　the　word　〃cattle〃　standing　in　this　case
  for　children。　In　some　provinces　of　Siberia　and　in　the　district　of
  Vetlouga；　which　belongs　to　the　Government　of　Nijni　Novgorod；
  endogamous　marriages；　though　contrary　to　the　prevailing　custom
  are　looked　upon　with　a　favourable　eye。　（4*）
  Another　fact；　which　deserves　the　attention　of　all　partisans
  of　the　theory　of　the　matriarchate；　first　promulgated　by　McLennan；
  is；　the　large　independence　enjoyed　by　the　Slavonic　women　of　old
  days。　Let　me　first　quote　the　words　of　Cosmas　of　Prague；　which
  relate　to　this　subject；　and　then　show　you　what　illustration　they
  find　both　in　written　literature；　and　in　popular　ballads　and
  songs。
  Non　virgines　viri；　sed　ipsoemet　viros；　quos　et　quando　voluerunt；
  accipiebant。
  Such　is　the　statement　of　Cosmas　Pragensis；　（ch。　xxi）。　This
  means：　〃It　is　not　the　men　who　choose　the　maids；　but　the　maids
  themselves　who　take　the　husbands　they　like；　and　when　they　like。〃
  This　freedom　of　the　Bohemian　girls　to　dispose　of　their　hearts
  according　to　their　own　wish　shows　the　comparative　independence　of
  the　Bohemian　women　at　that　period。
  The　oldest　legal　code　of　this　people；　the　sniem；　seems　to
  favour　this　independence　by　recognising　the　right　of　the　women　to
  be　free　from　any　work；　except　that　which　is　connected　with　the
  maintenance　of　the　household。（5*）
  Confronted　with　the　facts　just　brought　forward；　the　popular
  legend；　reported　by　Cosmas　in　his　chronicle；　of　a　kind　of
  Bohemian　Amazons；　who　took　an　active　part　in　the　wars　of　the
  time；　appears　in　its　true　light。　Free　as　they　were　from　the　bonds
  of　marriage；　not　relying　on　husbands　for　the　defence　of　their
  persons　and　estates；　the　old　Bohemian　Amazons　were　probably　very
  similar　to　those　warlike　women　who　still　appear　in　the　King　of
  Dahomey's　army；　and　who　in　the　time　of　Pompey　were　known　to　exist
  among　certain　autochthonic　tribes　of　the　Caucasus。　A　fact　well
  worth　notice　is　that　the　memory　of　these　bellicose　women　is　still
  preserved　in　the　traditions　of　the　Tcherkess；　who　call　them　by
  the　name　of　〃emcheck。〃　Giantesses；　wandering　by　themselves
  through　the　country　and　fighting　the　heroes　they　meet　on　their
  way；　are　also　mentioned　more　than　once　in　our　popular　ballads；　or
  bilini。　The　name　under　which　they　are　known　is　that　of　polinitzi；
  the　word　pole　meaning　the　field　and　in　a　secondary　sense　the
  battle…field。
  Like　the　Bohemian　girls　described　by　Cosmas　of　Prague；　these
  Russian　Amazons　chose　their　lovers　as　they　liked。
  〃Is　thy　heart　inclined　to　amuse　itself　with　me？〃　such　is　the
  question　addressed　to　Ilia　Mourometz　by　one　of　these　Amazons；　the
  so…called　Beautiful　Princess。　〃Be　my　husband　and　I　will　be　thy
  wife；〃　says　another　of　these　polinitzi；　Anastasia　the　Beautiful；
  to　the　paladin；　Theodor　Tougariu。　It　is　not　the　freebooter
  Nightingale　who　chooses　his　wife；　nor　the　paladin　Dobrinia　who　is
  going　in　search　of　a　bride；　both　are　represented　as　accepting　the
  offers　of　betrothal　made　to　them　by　the　Russian　Amazons；　Zaprava
  and　Marina。　（6*）
  Evidence　of　still　greater　importance　is　that　of　the　French
  writer；　Beauplan；　who；　speaking　of　the　manners　and　customs　of　the
  inhabitants　of　Little　Russia　during　his　time；　the　latter　half　of
  the　seventeenth　century；　states　as　follows：
  〃In　the　Ukraine；　contrary　to　the　custom　of　all　other　nations；
  the　husbands　do　not　choose　their　wives；　but　are　themselves　chosen
  by　their　future　consorts。〃
  I　hope　I　have　now　given　an　amount　of　information　sufficient
  to　answer　the　purpose　I　have　in　view；　which　is　no　other；　than　to
  show　that；　in　a　low　state　of　morality；　communal　marriage　between
  near　relations　and　endogamy　went　hand　in　hand　amongst　the　early
  Slavs　with　a　considerable　degree　of　independence　among　the　weaker
  sex。
  To　all　these　characteristic　features　of　the　matriarchate　we
  may　add　this　very　important　one；　that；　according　to　the　old
  Russian　law；　the　tie　which　unites　a　man　to　his　sister　and　the
  children　she　has　brought　into　the　world；　was　considered　to　be
  closer　than　that　which　unites　two　brothers　or　the　uncle　and　his
  nephew。　In　a　society　organised　on　the　principle　of　agnatism；　the
  son　of　a　sister　has　no　reason　to　interfere　in　the　pursuit　of　the
  murderer　of　his　uncle。　The　brother　belongs　altogether　to　another
  clan；　and　the　duty　of　vengeance　falls　exclusively　on　the　persons
  of　that　clan。　But　such　is　by　no　means　the　point　of　view　of　the
  old　Russian　law；　recognising；　as　it　does；　the　right　of　the
  sister's　son　to　avenge　the　death　of　his　uncle。
  〃In　case　a　man　shall　he　killed　by　a　man；〃　decrees　the　first
  article　of　the　Pravda　of　Yaroslav　（the　lex　barborum　of　the
  Russians）；　〃vengeance　may　be　taken　by　a　son；　in　case　his　father
  has　been　killed；　by　the　father；　when　the　son　falls　a　victim；　by
  the　brother's　son　and　by　the　son　of　a　sister。〃　These　last　words
  are　omitted　in　the　later　versions　of　the　Pravda；　a　fact　which
  shows　the　increase　of　agnatic　organisation；　but　they　are　found　in
  the　version　generally　recognised　as　the　most　ancient。
  This　close　tie　between　brother　and　sister；　between　the　uncle
  and　the　sister's　children；　still　exists　among　the　Southern　Slavs。
  Professor　Bogisic。　and　after　him　Mr　Krauss；　have　illustrated　this
  fact　by　the　epic　songs　of　the　Servian　people。　They　speak　of　the
  custom　generally　in　use　among　the　Southern　Slavs　of　securing　from
  a　person　truthfulness　in　is　statements　by　the　invocation　of　the
  name　of　the　sister。　They　mention；　too；　that　peculiar　relation　of
  artificial　brotherhood　and　sisterhood；　into　which　young　men　and
  young　women　belonging　to　different　kindreds　frequently　enter；　in
  order　to　secure　to　the　weaker　sex　protection　and　help。
  I　hardly　need　insist　on　the　importance　which　all　these　facts
  have　with　regard　to　the　theory　of　an　early　matiarchate　among　the
  Slavs；　the　more　so　because　this　has　already　been　done　in　England
  by　Mr　McLennan；　in　his　well…known　study　on　the　Patriarchal
  theory；　and　in　Germany　by　Bachofen　in　one　of　his　Antiquarian
  Letters。　（7*）　But　I　shall　complete　the　information　which　these
  scholars　have　given　by　citing　certain　peculiar　customs　still　in
  use　among　Russian　peasants。
  Whilst　the　father　is　considered　to　be　the　proper　person　to
  dispose　of　the　hand　of　the　bride；　the　brother；　according　to　the
  wedding　ritual；　appears　as　the　chief　protector　of　her　virginity。
  In　more　than　one　province　of　Russia　the　brother　plays　an
  important　part　in　that　potion　of　the　nuptial　ceremony　which　may
  be　called　by　the　Latin　name　of　in　domus　deductio。　As　soon　as　the
  bridegroom　has　made　his　appearance　in　the　court…yard　of　the
  family　to　which　his　bride　belongs；　the　brother；　in　accordance
  with　an　old　custom；　takes　his　seat　next　the　bride　with　a　naked
  sword；　or　at　least　a　stick；　in　his　hand。　The　bridegroom；　or　the
  groomsman；　asking　to　be　allowed　to　take　his　seat；　receives　as
  answer；　that　the　brother　is　there　to　keep　ward　over　his　sister；
  and　that　he　will　not　consent　to　leave　his　seat　unless　he　be　paid
  for　it。　〃Dear　brother；　don't　give　me　away　for　nothing。　Ask　a
  hundred　roubles　for　me；　for　the　veil　which　covers　my　head　a
  thousand　roubles。　Ask　for　my　beauty　　God　alone　knows　how　much。〃
  Such　is　the　tenor　of　the　song　composed　for　the　occasion。　〃The
  brother；　a　true　Tartar；〃　we　read　in　the　text　of　another　nuptial
  song；　〃has　sold　his　sister　for　a　thaler；　and　her　fair　tresses　for
  fifty　copecks。〃
  In　Little　Russia　the　drawn　sword　which　the　brother　holds　in
  his　hand　on　the　occasion　is　ornamented　with　the　red　berries　of
  the　guelderrose；　red　being　the　emblem　of　maidenhood　among
  Slavonic　peoples。　Other　emblems　are　the　binding　of　the　bride's
  tresses；　and　the　vei