France. "We are so much addicted to strange apparel," says an old writer, "that there is scarce any thing English about us. As it was said of the courtiers of Andronicus the younger, that in respect of their hateful disguises in apparel, they seemed no longer to be Grecians, but a medley of Latins, Mysians, Toriballians, Syrians, and Phoenicians; so we have brought all nations into the wardrobe, or to act upon the garment stage. The kings of Egypt were wont to give unto their queens the tribute of the city of Antilla, to buy them girdles; and how much girdles, gorgets, wimples, cauls, crispings, pins, veils, rails, frontlets, bonnets, bracelets, necklaces, slops, slippers, round-tires, sweet-balls, rings, ear-rings, mufflers, glasses, hoods, lawn, musks, civets, rose-powders, gessamy butter, complexion waters, do cost in our days many a sighing husband doth know by the year's account." Ladies now wore their hair in curls on the forehead, and sometimes braided

behind, or hanging loosely down over the shoulders.

The gowns of the period resemble drapery more than any fixed shape, and are made exceedingly low in front and over the shoulders, with slashed sleeves and quantities of lace and jewels. The immense verdingale and stiff ruffs now disappeared, but stomachers were still the fashion.

Hoods were worn, but the most usual ornament for

K

the hair was a coloured riband, or band of jewels, together with a heart-breaker, which was a long lock corresponding with the love-lock worn by the gentlemen.

Blue plush caps were now invented, cloth coats took the place of the doublet, and the hat was ornamented with coloured ribands. In the lower classes the women usually wore coloured petticoats, red or blue, grey cloth bodies, linsey-woolsey aprons, a white hood, and over it a hat. The men had cloth coats, with mixed buttons, laced cravats, and flowered waistcoats.

King Charles, in a picture by Sir Peter Lely, is represented in full armour, with an immense wig, the curls of which fall below his shoulders; a deep lace cravat, or band, is tied in front in a large bow, and the ends fall upon his breast.

Doublets of gold and silver tissue, robes of blue or crimson, interwoven with silver, and ornamented with patterns in gold-long mantles, richly adorned with chains of precious stones, and caps of velvet with plumes of feathers, form the general features of dress in this splendid age.

Every kind of costly and beautiful manufacture was brought from abroad, and seized upon with avidity at a time when dress formed one of the prevailing passions of the day; and though preachers lectured, and authors wrote against carrying this foible to too great an extent, their advice was unheeded. It is said, however, that Charles II., alarmed or disgusted with the extravagant sums lavished by his subjects on dress, towards the close of his reign made a public and solemn declaration of the fashion of the apparel he was determined to wear for the future.

It was,

according to an old author, straight Spanish hose to the knees, tied with ribands; instead of a doublet, a long vest of velvet and satin, and above that a loose coat of velvet, trimmed with ermine, much after the Polish or Muscovite fashion, and instead of shoes and stockings he adopted boots.

Shoulder-knots and shoe-buckles were now invented, and the clerical habit as worn at present was first used. It is worthy of remark that clergymen and judges were the last to abandon the fashion of ruffs.

Samuel Pepys, in his "Memoirs," gives frequent accounts of the fashions of the time in which he lived, and the variety of changes they underwent during the reigns of Charles II. and James II. The items are so curious that we shall make extracts of several for the reader's amusement and information :

"1659-60.—This morning put on my suit with great skirts, having not lately worn any other clothes but them.

"Feb. 2d.-Went home on foot to lay up my money, and change my shoes and stockings. I this day left off my great skirt suit, and put on my white suit, with silver lace coat.

66

May 24th.-Up, and made myself as fine as I could, with the linning stockings on and wide canons that I bought the other day at Hague.

"July 1st. This morning came home my fine camlett cloak, with gold buttons, and a silk suit, which cost me much money.

"5th. This morning my brother Tom brought me my Jackanapes coat with silver buttons.

"10th. This day I

put on my new silk suit, the

first that ever I wore in my life.

August 25th.-This night Wittever brought me home from Mr. Pims' my velvet coat and hat; the first that ever I had.

"30th. This the first day that ever I saw my wife wear black patches since we married.

'1660-61, Feb. 3d.-This day I first began to go forth in my coate and sword, as the manner now among gentlemen is.

"June 27th.-This day Mr. Holden sent me a bever, which cost me 4l. 5s.

"Oct. 29th.-This day I put on my half-cloth black stockings, and my new coate of the fashion, which pleases me well, and with my bever I was (after office was done) ready to go to my Lord Mayor's feast, as we are all invited.

"1662, Oct. 19th.-Lord's Day. Put on my new lace band; and so neat it is, that I am resolved my great expence shall be lace bands, and it will set off any thing else the more.

"1663, Oct. 30th. To my great sorrow find myself 431. worse than I was the last month, which was then 760%., and now it is but 7171. But it has chiefly arisen from my layings-out in clothes for myself and wife viz. for her about 12., and for myself 551. or thereabouts; having made myself a velvet cloak, two new cloth skirts, black, plain both; a new shay gown, trimmed with gold buttons and twist, with a new hat, and silk tops for my legs, and many other things, being resolved henceforward to go like myself. And also two perriwigs, one whereof cost 31., the other 40s.

"Nov. 29th.-Lord's Day. This morning I put on my best black cloth suit, trimmed with scarlett ribbon, very neat, with my cloak lined with velvett,

and a new bever, which altogether is very noble, with my black knit silk canons I bought a month ago.

“1663—4.—I did give my wife's brother 20s., and a coate that I had by me, a close-bodied light-coloured cloth coat, with a gold edgeing in each seam, that was the lace off my wife's best pettycoat that she had when I married her. He is going into Holland to seek his fortune.

"1664-5, March 6th.-With Sir J. Minnes to St. James's, and there did our business with the duke. I saw him try on his buff coat and hat-piece covered with black velvet.

"13th.-This day my wife began to wear lightcoloured locks, quite white almost, which, though it made her look very pretty, yet, not being natural, vexes me, that I will not have her wear them.

"1665, Sept. 3d.-Up, and put on my coloured silk suit very fine, and my new perriwig, bought a good while since, but durst not wear, because the plague was in Westminster when I bought it; and it is a wonder what will be the fashion after the plague is done as to perriwigs, for nobody will dare to buy any haire, for fear of the infection, that it had been cut off the heads of people dead of the plague.

"1666, June 11th.-Walking in the galleries at White Hall, I find the ladies of honour dressed in their riding garbs, with coats and doublets with deep skirts, just for all the world like mine, and buttoned their doublets up the breast, with periwigs and hats so that only for a long pettycoat dragging under their men's coats, nobody could take them for women.

“Oct. 8th.—The king hath yesterday in council declared his resolution of setting a fashion for clothes,