long curling moustaches. But, alas! a sumptuary law was now passed, by which no person not of the royal family could wear fur of the black genet, and no person under the rank of a viscount fur of sable; and, still worse, no person under the degree of a knight of the garter might wear crimson or blue velvet, or embroidered apparel, brooched or guarded with goldsmith's work, except the sons and heirs of barons and knights, who were permitted to use crimson velvet and tinsel in their doublets.

Coats of various shapes were now worn; also jackets and frocks, which Hall says were jackets with skirts : waistcoats, too, were invented; and, by an inventory of Henry's own habiliments, we find numerous "trimmed shirts wrought with black and white silk, and shirtbands of silver, with ruffles to the same, whereof one is perled with gold."

Hall, who was very particular in describing dress, gives the following account of that of King Henry in the first year of his reign: :-"A suit of short garments, little beneathe the pointes, of blew velvet and crymosyne, with long sleeves, all cut and lyned with cloth of gold, and the utter parts of the garmentes powdered with castles and sheafes of arrowes, of fyne dockett golde; the upper part of the hosen of like sewte and facion; the nether parts of scarlet, powdered with tymbrelles of fine gold. On his head was a bonnet of damaske silver, flatte woven in the stoll, and thereupon wrought with gold, and ryche feathers in it." Another day, Hall says the king was habited "in a frocke, all embroidered over with flatted gold of damaske, with small lace mixed between of the same gold, and other laces of the same going traverse

wise, that the ground little appeared; and about this garment was a rich guard, or border, very curiously embroidered; the sleeves and the breast were cut and lined with cloth of gold, and tied together with great buttons of diamonds, rubies, and orient pearles."

Gowns are now mentioned of all shapes,-long, short, loose, or tight; and another garment is spoken of by Hall, a chammer or shamew. Many other

articles are also named in the inventories of this reign; among them are capes with buttons or points, "a paire of trunk sleeves, of redde cloth of gold, with cut workes, having twelve pair of agletes of gold, and a pair of French sleeves of green velvet, richly embroidered with flowers of damask gold, pirl of Morisco work, with knops of Venice gold, cordian raised, either sleeve having six small buttons of gold, and in every button a pearle, and the branches of the flowers set with pearles." In another part we read of a pair of sleeves "ruffed at the hande, with strawberry leaves and flowers of golde, embroidered with blacke silke."

The chausses, or long hose, were again la grande mode, and velvet caps with plumes of feathers, flat caps, and broad-brimmed hats, first appeared among the fashionables.

THE TOILETTE IN ENGLAND.

CHAPTER VI.

THE following extract from the last sermon Latimer preached before the youthful King Edward gives a good idea of the dresses of 1550, and of the rage for French fashions. Speaking of the ladies, he says: "They must wear French hoods, and I cannot tell you, I, what to call it. And, when they make them ready, and come to the covering of the heade, they will call and say, 'Give me my French hood, give me my bonnet, and my cap,' and so forth. But here is a vengeance devil; we must have our power [a name he gave to the bonnet] from Turkey of velvet. Far fette, dear bought, and, when it cometh, it is a false signe. I had rather have a true English signe than a signe from Turkey; it is a false signe when it covereth not their heads, as it should do. For if they would keep it under the power, as they ought to do, there should

not be any such tussocks nor tufts be seen as there be, nor such laying out of the hair, nor braiding to have it open."

The gentlemen in this reign wore velvet caps, with a band round them, and a rosette of ribands and jewels on one side. The beard, too, flourished greatly. Ruffs were worn by men and women, and flat caps and jackets by the former; while, with the latter, the annexed head-dress, though of a curious shape, was a

great favourite; the ornaments on the sides of the head resemble feathers.

Let us now turn to

"The lovely rose of Bradgate's sylvan shades."

The amiable and unfortunate Queen Jane is represented in most of her pictures in a very long-waisted gown of some rich material, with a pointed stomacher and tight sleeves. Her hair is generally simply braided on the forehead, and a veil hangs down behind; but, on the day of her coronation, she was sumptuously attired in a gown of cloth of gold, raised with pearls; a stomacher blazing with jewels, and a surcoat of purple velvet edged with ermine, and embroidered in gold; her head-dress was a coif, or caul, of velvet, of

the form then in fashion, and usually adorned with gold and precious stones.

At this time, gowns were made very long, the sleeves covered the arms to the waist, and but little of the neck was allowed to be seen. Sometimes the bodice was pointed, and of a different colour from the petticoat, and the hair was simply arranged.

The dress of the Duke of Northumberland, at the same date, is very splendid. His doublet was of white satin, with a kind of breast-plate of purple cloth of gold, powdered with jewels, and edged with fur. His mantle was of cloth of silver, lined with blue velvet, and festooned with a clasp of precious stones.

Stevens says that periapts, or charms, were worn about the neck in the sixteenth century, as preservatives from disease or danger. The first chapter of St. John's Gospel was usually inscribed upon them, as it was deemed the most effective. They were often of gold or precious stones, richly ornamented.

When we speak of the reign of Mary, we may exclaim,

"Here Fashion, motley goddess, changing still,
Finds ready subjects to obey her will,

Who laugh at Nature and her simple rules;"

for this may well be considered the era of ruffs and farthingales, and as the fashion of both came from Spain, it is probable that the queen first wore them out of compliment to her husband. They soon became quite the rage among all classes.

At first, no doubt, the British ladies found these extraordinary modes inconvenient and unpleasant; but they remembered the adage, "Il faut souffrir