319. (2) Whether to marry again after the death of a partner depends also on the status of the marriage in which they had been living. By the status of the marriage we do not mean the state of the love which we took up under the preceding heading, because the state of the love engenders an inclination for or against remarriage that is internal. By the status of the marriage we mean rather its circumstances which occasion an external inclination for or against. Such circumstances together with their resulting inclinations are manifold. For example:
1. If there are little children in the house and a new mother must be found for them. 2. If there is an earnest desire for still more children. 3. If the house is large and equipped with servants of both sexes. 4. If constant responsibilities outside the house divert the mind from domestic concerns at home, and trouble and misfortune are feared on that account without a new mistress. 5. If there is need for joint assistance and shared duties, as is the case in a variety of businesses and trades. 6. It depends, moreover, on the nature of the partner who is left, whether after the first marriage he or she can or cannot live alone or without a mate. 7. The previous marriage also imparts either a fear of married life or a preference for it. 8. I have been told that polygamous love and sexual desire, including a lust to deflower and a lust for variety, have led the hearts of some to a desire to remarry. Also that fear of the law and fear for their reputation if they were to go awhoring have led the hearts of others to it. There are in addition many other circumstances which induce external inclinations towards remarriage.
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