th while to present
for their consideration the following articles on the subject: I. _After
the death of a married partner, again to contract wedlock, depends on
the preceding conjugial love._ II. _It depends also on the state of
marriage, in which the parties had lived._ III. _With those who have not
been in love truly conjugial there is no obstacle or hindrance to their
again contracting wedlock._ IV. _Those who had lived together in love
truly conjugial are unwilling to marry again, except for reasons
separate from conjugial love._ V. _The state of the marriage of a youth
with a maiden differs from that of a youth with a widow._ VI. _The state
of the marriage of a widower with a maiden differs also from that of a
widower with a widow._ VII. _The varieties and diversities of these
marriages as to love and its attributes are innumerable._ VIII. _The
state of a widow is more grievous than that of a widower._ We proceed to
the explanation of each article.

318. I. AFTER THE DEATH OF A MARRIED PARTNER, AGAIN TO CONTRACT WEDLOCK,
DEPENDS ON THE PRECEDING CONJUGIAL LOVE. Love truly conjugial is like a
balance, in which the inclinations for repeated marriages are weighed:
so far as the preceding conjugial love had been genuine, so far the
inclination for another marriage is weak; but so far as the preceding
love had not been genuine, so far the inclination to another marriage is
usually strong. The reason of this is obvious; because conjugial love is
in a similar degree a conjunction of minds, which remains in the life of
the body of the one party after the decease of the other; and this holds
the inclination as a scale in a balance, and causes a preponderance
according to the appropriation of true love. But since the approach to
this love is seldom made at this day except for a few paces, therefore
the scale of the preponderance of the inclination generally rises to a
state of equilibrium, and from thence inclines and tends to the other
side, that is, to marriage. The contrary is the case with those, whose
preceding-love in the former marriage has not been truly conjugial,
because in proportion as that love is not genuine, there is in a like
degree a disjunction of minds, which also remains in the life of the
body of the one party after the decease of the other; and this enters
the will disjoined from that of the other, and causes an inclination for
a new connection; in favor of which the thought arising from the
inclinati