ed betwixt two Lady days," and with gums and
perfumes made bracelets and pomanders, "to keep to one a sweet smell."
They made cakes of damask rose-leaves and pulvilio, civit, and musk, of
"linet and ambergreese," to perfume their linen chests, for lavender
thrived not in New England. The duties of the still-room were the most
luxury-bearing of all the old household industries. Its very name brings
to us sweet scents of Araby, as it brought to our forbears the most
charming and nice of all their domestic occupations. But these duties
were not easy nor expeditious work, nor did all the work begin in the
still-room. Faithfully did dames and maids gather in field and garden,
from early spring to chilly autumn, precious stores for their stills and
limbecks. In every garret, from every rafter, slowly swayed great
susurrous bunches of withered herbs and simples awaiting expression and
distillation, and dreaming perhaps of the summer breezes that had blown
through them in the sunny days of their youth in their meadow homes. In
many an old garret now bare of such stores "mints still perfume the
air;" the very walls exhale "the homesick smell of dry forgotten herbs."

From these old stills, these retorts and mills, came not only perfumes
and oils and beauty-waters, but half the medicines and diet-drinks, all
the "kitchen-physicke" of the domestic and even the professional
pharmacopaeia.

Perfumes were also imported; we frequently find advertised "Royal Honey
Water, an Excellent Perfume, good against Deafness, and to make the hair
grow as the directions Sets forth. 1s 6d per bottle and proportionate by
Ounce." Old Zabdiel Boylston had it in 1712. Spirit of Benjamin was also
for toilet uses. This was the base of the well-known scent known as
Queen Elizabeth's Perfume. It was combined with sweet marjoram. Lavender
water was apparently a great favorite for importation, and we find
notices of lavender bottles with shagreen cases.

We find in newspaper days many advertisements of other toilet articles
such as nail-knippers, pick-tooth cases, silk and worsted powder-puffs,
deerskin powder bags, lip-salve, ivory scratch-backs, flesh brushes,
curling and pinching tongs, all showing a strongly crescent vanity and
love of luxury.

XIII

RAIMENT AND VESTURE

We know definitely the dress of the settlers of Massachusetts Bay, for
the inventory of the "Apparell for 100 men" furnished by the
Massachusetts Bay Company in 1628 is st