BACHELOR, or BACHELOR, an appellation given to a man not married, or who is yet in a state of celibacy. For the derivation of the word, see BACHELOR.—The Roman censors frequently imposed fines on old bachelors. Dion. Hallicarnasseus mentions an old constitution, by which all persons of full age were obliged to marry. But the most celebrated law of this kind was that made under Augustus, called the lex Julia de maritandis ordinibus; by which bachelors were made incapable of legacies or inheritances by will, unless from their near relations. This brought many to marry, according to Plutarch's observation, not so much for the sake of raising heirs to their own estates, as to make themselves capable of inheriting those of other men.—The rabbins maintain, that, by the laws of Moses, every body, except some few particulars, is obliged in conscience to marry at 20 years of age: this makes one of their 613 precepts. Hence those maxims so frequent among their casuists, that he who does not take the necessary measures to leave heirs behind him, is not a man, but ought to be reputed a homicide. Lycurgus was not more favourable: by his laws, bachelors are branded with infamy, excluded from all offices civil and military, and even from the shews and public sports. At certain feasts they were forced to appear, to be exposed to the public derision, and led
round the market-place. At one of their feasts, the women led them in this condition to the altars, where they obliged them to make amende honorable to nature, accompanied with a number of blows, and lashes with a rod at discretion. To complete the affront, they forced them to sing certain songs composed in their own derision.—The Christian religion is more indulgent to the batchelor state: the ancient church recommended it as preferable to, and more perfect than, the matrimonial. In the canon law, we find injunctions on batchelors, when arrived at puberty, either to marry, or to turn monks and profess chastity in earnest.—In England, there was a tax on batchelors, after 25 years of age, 12l. 10s. for a duke, a common person 1s. by 7 Will. III. 1695.