The popular history of England; an illustrated history of society and government from the earliest period to our own times . utthis statute contains one repealing clause which shows how vainly Lords andCommons attempted to legislate against the omnipotence of female taste: Provided always, that this Act extend not, nor be prejudicial to or for anywoman, excepted the wives of servants and labourers. The most gallantman of his time, by this clause, left his reign disburthened of the tyranny ofhaving legislated against velvet and satin, girdle or coverchief, so as to interferewith the will of the
The popular history of England; an illustrated history of society and government from the earliest period to our own times . utthis statute contains one repealing clause which shows how vainly Lords andCommons attempted to legislate against the omnipotence of female taste: Provided always, that this Act extend not, nor be prejudicial to or for anywoman, excepted the wives of servants and labourers. The most gallantman of his time, by this clause, left his reign disburthened of the tyranny ofhaving legislated against velvet and satin, girdle or coverchief, so as to interferewith the will of the ladies of England to wear the costliest array, withoutregard to the rank or the means of their less privileged husbands. These Statutes of Apparel, if we read them rightly, were not intended torestrain the impoverishment of England and the final destruction of the husbandry of the realm,as they profess, but to main-tain by outward appearancethose distinctions of rankwhich were fast passijigaway. It was not that thefine clothes themselves con-ferred distinction; for ser-vants of great households,heralds, minstrels, and. Female C9tume in the time of Edward IV. players of interludes, wereallowed to wear them. Butit was to put some dis-tiaguishing mark upon thenoble and the gentleman, ascompared with the roturier—a word which had formerlya significant place in ourlanguage. The once greatdistinction of blood waapassing away, when the descendant of the merchant of Hxill had become themost powerful peer of England. Yet this very Sufiolk was so bound to theusages of chivalry, that when taken prisoner at Jargeau he asked his captorif he were a knight, and being answered No,—said, Then I will makethee a knight; and in the field was the lucky officer knighted, and receivedtwenty thousand pounds for the peers ransom. When lord Elvers wasbrought before Warwick at Calais, in 1460, the king-maker rated him, andsaid that his father was but a squire; and lord Salisbury called him* knaves s
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookpublisherlondon, bookyear185
