Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/101

 and Senthnents. adorned with pun6tured defigns 3 they were accuftomed to eat till they became furfeited, and to drink till they were fick. Thefe latter qualities they imparted to their conquerors ; whofe manners, in other refpefts, they adopted." Whatever moderation the Normans may have brought with them, or however they may have been rellrained by the firll: Anglo-Norman monarch, it difappeared entirely under his fon and lucceflbr : "when/' in the words of William of Malmelbury, "everything was fo changed, that there was no man rich except the money-changer, and no clerks but lawyers. . . . The courtiers then preyed upon the property of the country people, and confumed their fubftance, taking the very meat from their mouths. Then was there flowing hair and extravagant drefs ; and then was invented the fafliion of llioes with curved points j then the model for young men was to rival women in delicacy of perfon, to mince their gait, to walk with loofe gefiure, and half naked." This increaling diffo- lutenefs of manners appears to have received no efte6tual check under the reign of the firft Henry 5 in the twenty-ninth year of which, the writer jufl quoted tells us that "a circumftance occurred in England, which may feem furprifing to our long-haired gallants, who, forgetting what they were born, transform themfelves into the fafliion of females, by the length of their locks. A certain Englilli knight, who prided him- felf on the luxuriance of his trelies, being confcience-ftung on the fubjeft, feemed to feel in a dream as though fome perfon ftrangled him with his ringlets. Awaking in a fright, he immediately cut otf' all his fuperfluous hair. The example fpread throughout England 5 and, as recent punilh- ment is apt to afteft the mind, almoft all the barons allowed their hair to be cropped in a proper manner, without reluftance. But this decency was not of long continuance j for fcarcely had a year expired, before all thofe who thought themfelves courtly, relapfed into their former vice ; they vied with women in length of locks, and wherever thefe were wanting, put on falfe treffes; forgetful, or rather ignorant, of the faying of the Apoftle, ' If a man nurture his hair, it is a lliame to him.' " Public and private manners were gradually running into the terrible lawlelfnels of the reign of king Stephen. M William