Allthatissurprisinginthefactinquestionwillsoondisappear，onlybycomparingtwopassagesinPlutarch。Theregallaw[33]permittedahusbandtorepudiateinthethreecasesalreadymentioned，and\"itenjoined，\"saysPlutarch，[34]\"thathewhorepudiatedinanyothercaseshouldbeobligedtogivethehalfofhissubstancetohiswife，andthattheotherhalfshouldbeconsecratedtoCeres。\"Theymightthenrepudiateinallcases，iftheywerebutwillingtosubmittothepenalty。NobodyhaddonethisbeforeCarviliusRuga，[35]who，asPlutarchsaysinanotherplace，[36]\"putawayhiswifeforhersterilitytwohundredandthirtyyearsafterRomulus。\"Thatis，shewasrepudiatedseventy—oneyearsbeforethelawoftheTwelveTables，whichextendedboththepowerandcausesofrepudiation。
TheauthorsIhavecitedsaythatCarviliusRugalovedhiswife，butthatthecensorsmadehimtakeanoathtoputheraway，becauseofherbarrenness，totheendthathemightgivechildrentotherepublic；andthatthisrenderedhimodioustothepeople。WemustknowthegeniusandtemperoftheRomansbeforewecandiscoverthetruecauseofthehatredtheyhadconceivedagainstCarvilius。Hedidnotfallintodisgracewiththepeopleforrepudiatinghiswife；thiswasanaffairthatdidnotatallconcernthem。ButCarviliushadtakenanoathtothecensors，thatbyreasonofthesterilityofhiswifehewouldrepudiatehertogivechildrentotherepublic。Thiswasayokewhichthepeoplesawthecensorsweregoingtoputuponthem。Ishalldiscover，intheprosecutionofthiswork，[37]therepugnancewhichtheyalwaysfelttoregulationsofthelikekind。Butwhencecansuchacontradictionbetweenthoseauthorsarise？ItisbecausePlutarchexaminedintoafact，andtheothershaverecountedaprodigy。
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1。\"MahometmarriedCadhisjaatfive，andtookhertohisbedateightyearsold。InthehotcountriesofArabiaandtheIndies，girlsaremarriageableateightyearsofage，andarebroughttobedtheyearafter。\"——Prideaux，LifeofMahomet。WeseewomeninthekingdomofAlgierspregnantatnine，ten，andelevenyearsofage。——LaugierdeTassis，HistoryoftheKingdomofAlgiers，p。61。
2。SeeJornandes，DeRegnoettempor。success。，andtheecclesiastichistorians。