217. 8. Wives love the bonds of matrimony, provided that the men love them. This follows from the things said in the last article. In addition, due to something inherent, wives want to be wives and to be called wives. They find this title becoming and honorable, so they love the bonds of marriage. Chaste wives do not want to be wives just in name but in actuality — which takes place through closer and closer ties with their husbands — so they love the bonds of marriage as the foundations of its covenant. This is true the more their husbands love them in return, or the more the men love the bonds, which is the same thing.
