Attila, ut Priscus historicus refert, extinctionis suae
tempore, puellam Ildico nomine, decoram valde, sibi [in]
matrimonium post innumerabiles uxores ... socians.
Jornandes, c. 49, p. 683 684.
He afterwards adds (c. 50, p. 686)
Filii Attilae, quorum per licentiam libidinis poene
populus fuit.
Polygamy has been established among the Tartars of every age. The rank of plebeian wives is regulated only by their personal charms: and the faded matron prepares, without a murmur the bed which is destined for her blooming rival. But in royal families the daughters of Khans communicate to their sons a prior right of inheritance. See Genealogical History , p. 406, 407, 408.