ou see, Autolycus, the pedlar of these early times, is spoken of
as carrying polking-sticks with which to stiffen ruffs.

Shylock, in 'The Merchant of Venice,' should wear an orange-tawny
bonnet lined with black taffeta, for in this way were the Jews of
Venice distinguished in 1581.

In 'The Tempest' one may hear of rye-straw hats, of gaberdines,
rapiers, and a pied fool's costume.

In 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona' we hear:

'Why, then, your ladyship must cut your hair.'

'No, girl; I'll tie it up in silken strings
With twenty odd conceited true-love knot;
To be fantastic may become a youth
Of greater time than I shall show to be.'

Also:

'Since she did neglect her looking-glass,
And threw her sun-expelling mask away.'

Many ladies at this time wore velvet masks. 'The Merry Wives of
Windsor' gives us a thrummed hat, a muffler or linen to hide part of
the face, gloves, fans. Falstaff says:

'When Mistress Bridget lost the handle of her fan,
I took it up my honour thou had'st it not.'

Also:

'The firm fashion of thy foot would give an excellent
motion to thy fait in a semicircled farthingale.'

'Twelfth Night' is celebrated for us by Malvolio's cross garters. Sir
Toby, who considers his clothes good enough to drink in, says:

'So be these boots too: an they be not, let them hang
themselves in their own straps.'

Sir Toby also remarks to Sir Andrew upon the excellent constitution of
his leg, and Sir Andrew replied that:

'It does indifferent well in a flame-coloured stock.'

The Clown says:

'A sentence is but a cheveril[C] glove to a good wit.'

[C] 'Cheveril' is kid leather.

In 'Much Ado About Nothing' we learn of one who lies awake ten nights,
'carving the fashion of his doublet.' Also of one who is

'in the shape of two countries at once, as a German from
the waist downwards all slops, and a Spaniard from the
hip upward, no doublet.'

Again of a gown:

'Cloth of gold, and cuts, and laced with silver set with
pearls down sides, side sleeves, and skirts, round under
borne with a bluish tinsel.'

In 'As You Like It' one may show a careless desolation by ungartered
hose, unbanded bonnet, unbuttoned sleeve, and untied shoe.

'The Taming of the Shrew' tells of serving-men:

'In their new fustian and their white jackets.... Let
their blue coats be brushed, and their garters of an
indif