That's a metaphor that means the same as it does today - you sold out your values and stooped well beneath yourself. And it looks like in this case, pride and vanity were the reasons.
They also died regularly of infections and physical injury from occupational hazards, childbirth, among other things, if not by a doctor's attempts at fixing what ailed you.
It's how human populations more or less remained steady state and didn't get too dense for too long until the 19th century.
That's a metaphor that means the same as it does today - you sold out your values and stooped well beneath yourself. And it looks like in this case, pride and vanity were the reasons.
They also died regularly of infections and physical injury from occupational hazards, childbirth, among other things, if not by a doctor's attempts at fixing what ailed you.
It's how human populations more or less remained steady state and didn't get too dense for too long until the 19th century.