Page:The Lady's Book Vol X.pdf/1

 THE LADY'S BOOK. 0901

JANUARY, 1936.

738 PREVAILING FASHIONS.

COAT DRIS. - Stone coloured silk. The capes trimmed with fur or silk, with buttons in front. Cash mere shawl with gay border. Green velvet bonnet, trimmed wit gauze riband, or blond lace. In some instances th Bird of Paradise ' is added to the trimming. Gairs the same colour as coat.

EVENING DRESS. - The under dress is pou de soie, the colours white, slightly tinged with rose. The corsage is square, rises rather high in front, and is edged with narrow blonde de Cambray. The robe, a little shorter than the under dress, is composed of taffetas de siam, the ground is a rich shade of golden brown, wh a detached pattern delicately traced in green. Orsage a l'Elizabeth made tight to the shape, pointed in front; it is cut of the same height behind as the uner dress, but much lower before. The trim ming of ae bust is blonde de Cambray set on narrow and almet plain on the bosom, but at its full width behind, forming a ruff in a lighter style than usual. A row of camelled gold ornaments is placed perpendicularly a the corsage, and down the front of the under dress. The robe opens en tablier on each side. Short full sleeves, with manchettes corresponding with the lace on he bust. The hind hair is dressed very low, the fron platted on each side, and the ends brought under a gold enamelled comb at the back of the head. The tiara, ear-rings, and neck - chain correspond. Neck lace of large pearls. White lace gloves.

V.10-11

STATE OF MANNERS IN ENGLAND, 1678.

From a MS. of Aubrey, in the Ashmole Museum.

THERE were very few free schools in England before the Reformation. Youth were generally taught Latin in the monasteries; and young women had their edu cation, not at Hackney, as now, but in the nunneries, where they learnt needle - work, confectionary, surgery, physic, (apothecaries and surgeons being then rare,) writing, drawing, & c. Old Jackquor, now living, has often seen from his house the nuns of St. Mary King ston, in Wilts, coming forth into the nymph - hay, with their rocks, and wheels to spin, sometimes to the number of seventy; all of whom were not nuns, but young girls sent there for education. Anciently, before the

(RECAP)

The first dish that was brought up to table on Easter - day was a red herring riding away on horse back; i. e. a herring ordered by the cook something after the likeness of a man on horseback, set in a corn sallad.

(1835)

The custom of eating a gammon of bacon at Easter, (which is still kept up in many parts of England,) was founded on this, viz. to show their abhorrence of Judaism at that solemn commemoration of our Lord's resurrection.

The use of your humble servant came first into Eng land on the marriage of Queen Mary, daughter of Henry IV. of France, which is derived from votres tres humble serviteur. The usual salutation before that was, God keep you - God be with you - and amongst the vulgar, How dost do? with a thump on the shoulder.

In the halls and parlours of great houses were wrote texts of scripture on the painted cloths.

The lawyers say that before the time of Henry VIII, one shall hardly find an action on the case, as for slander, & c. once in a year - quod nola.

Before the last civil wars, in gentlemen's houses at Christmas, the first dish that was brought to the table was a boar's head, with a lemon in its mouth.

At Queen's Cull. Oxon, they still retain this custom, the bearer of it bringing it into the hall, singing to an old tune an old Latin rhyme,“ Apri caput defero,“ & c.

Till this time the court itself was unpolished and unmannered: King James's court was so far from being civil to women, that the ladies, nay even the queen herself, could hardly pass by the king's apartment without receiving some affront.

At the parish priests ' houses in France, especially in Languedoc, the table - cloths were on the board all the day long, and ready for what was in the house to be put thereon, for strangers, travellers, friars, pilgrims; so it was, I have heard my grandfather say, in his grandfather's time.

Heretofore noblemen and gentlemen of fine estates had their heralds, who wore their coats of arms at Christmas, and at other solemn times, and cried “Lar 1 gesse “thrice.

A neat built chapel, and a spacious hall, were all the rooms of note: the rest were small. At Tomaston, in Gloucestershire, anciently the seat of the Rivers, is a dungeon thirteen or fourteen feet deep; about four feet high are iron rings fastened in the wall, which was probably to tie offending villains to, as all lords of manors had this power over their villains, (or socage tenants,) and had all of them no doubt such places for punishment.

It is well known all castles had dungeons, and so, I believe, had monasteries; for they had often within themselves the power of life and death. "

Mr. Dugdale told me, that about Henry III.'s time the Pope gave a bull or patent to a company of Italian architects, to travel up and down Europe to build churches.

In days of yore, lords and gentlemen lived in the reformation, ordinary men's houses, and copyholders, country like petty kings; had jura regalia belonging to and the like, had no chimneys, but flues like louver - seignories, had castles and boroughs, had gallows within holes; some of them were in being when I was a their liberties, where they would try, condemn, and boy. execute; never went to London but in Parliament time, or once a year to do homage to the king. They always ate in their gothic halls, at the high table or orsille, (which is a little room at the upper end of the hall, where stands a table,) with the folks at the side table. The meat was served up by watchwords. Jacks are but of late invention; the poor boys did turn the spits, and licked the dripping for their pains. The beds of men - servants and retainers were in the hall, as now in the guard or privy chamber here. In the hall, mumming and loaf stealing, and other Christmas sports were performed.