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Droso meanwhile flies back to the wardrobe, and accompanied by two other maidens brings the Domina's dress. But let us first attend the swift footed slave into the wardrobe-apartment, situated in the left wing of the house, near the rooms of the weavers, the embroiderers and the dress-makers, and which promises to afford our curiosity for a few moments abundant gratification.

pellation, and were called resliplice (folders of clothes.) As etiquette forbade the Roman ladies of distinction to appear in public in any other costume than that appropriated to matrons, excepting the purple flounce, and the stripes of gold in the tunic, this dress admitted of no other colour than white for the upper garment, and no other material than the finest woollen or halfsilk; and no pains were spared to give these

and brilliancy of which they were susceptible. For this purpose they used particular presses, beneath which the clothes were kept, till they were taken out for use. Before they were put into this machine, they were folded with the greatest care, and this practice was also extended to the garments of the men of Rome, when they became as effeminate as the women. From this employment then these slaves received their appellation, and in this apartment we observe several presses and smoothing machines, for the above mentioned purpose. In the exquisitely polished chests ranged round the room are contained all the treasures of our Domina's wardrobe. The inscriptions afford some idea of the multiplicity of the garments kept here, for Sabina in private parties of pleasure was fond of imitating the coloured fancy-dresses of females of easy virtue*, and had a distinct wardrobe for each particular festival and for every

Figure to yourself the back part of the spaci-white garments the highest degree of smoothness ous place where Sabina resides, swarming like an ant's nest with slaves of both sexes, who have no other employment than by the exercise of every kind of art and profession to supply in the cheapest manner every want of the Domina, to gratify her every whim however impracticable it may appear. Here a whole wing is divided partly into small chambers in which the female slaves are obliged to make a wretched shift, and partly into larger rooms where certain occupations require the joint labours of many. The first apartment backward is the spinning and weaving room. This we may know from the singing of the industrious weavers and spinners; for thus these poor creatures who are obliged to work late and early in order to execute their allotted tasks, beguile their tedious labour. The spinners are superintended by a very severe task mistress, and some of them by the commands of the Domina are even compelled to do a double portion of work as a punishment. Near them are the weavers who are employed in weaving a kind of fine muslin after a new pattern for a summer dress for the Domina. Formerly in the more virtuous and happy days of Rome, the mistress of the family occupied herself in spinning and weaving in the great hall, in the midst of her female slaves. This practice had however been relinquished long before the days of our Sabina; and it was regarded as mere affectation in the Empress Livi, that she was determined to make all the ordinary clothes worn by her husband, the Emperor Augustus. Now a Roman lady of fashion had scarcely time to revise the accounts of her overseer once in a decade, and to give her a new pattern for a torment to her wretched spin

ners and weavers.

season.

"Dorcas!" cried the half breathless Droso, as she entered the apartment containing the wardrobe, to one of her companions, "make haste and get ready the train with the flounce festooned with pearls! The Domina has chosen that dress for the day!" Dorcas had fortunately received an early intimation from Kypassis, and had already sewed the purple train decorated with pearls, to the most beautiful new and brilliant white tunic. The other garments has long been ready ; and the little troop of clothes-folders instantly set off with the different parts of the Domina's dress carefully laid over their arms, and carried them, exhaling the most costly perfumes into Sabina's dressing-room. Karmion had just put

on the feet of her mistress the shoes of the finest white leather, paying particular atten

The next apartment is occupied by the dressmakers. Though a rich Roman lady might perhaps purchase the most costly stuffs of Syrian and Alexandrian merchants, they were always made up by her own slaves kept in the house for that particular purpose. Close to this was the apart ment of the embroiderers, of whose skill and ingenuity we shall soon see a specimen; and next came the room containing the war robe itself, where some slaves especially employed there, awaited with eager expectation Droso's return. These females had also a peculiar ap- || themselves.

Though in Ovid's Art of Love and other poets, we find mention made of as many different colours for ladies clothes, as there are among the patterns of modern times; it should not be forgotten that they are speaking only of that class of dressy and good-natured females who were called at Rome, libertinæ, and not of matrons, who wore no other coloured stuffs than gold and purple, unless they chose wantonly to degrade

tion not to give an unfavourable omen by any mistake*.

The mere putting on of these garments cannot take up much time. Sabina had already put on her shift on her first entering the dressing room. This is a delicate tunic with sleeves, which cover only half of the upper part of the arm, made of the finest cotton, and till she is completely dressed, fastened under the breast with a narrow girdle. Kypassis, who alone has the honour of assisting her mistress in this operation, unties the girdle, and first winds a small purple ribbon round the breasts, by which means the ladies of antiquity obtained in an easier manner those advantages which the females of modern times seek to procure by means of elastic corsets. This done, Dorcas reaches the tunic, properly so called, which Kypassis helps the Domina to put

on.

As this tunic, the uppermost of the undergarments, constitutes the principal article of dress and displays the greatest luxury, it may not be amiss, while Kypassis is thus employed, to take a view of it for a few moments. This garment is made of a stuff, the warp of which is composed of the finest Milesian wool, and the woof of cotton, of a brilliant white. It has short sleeves, which only reach to the elbow, and which after a fashion common among the Dorian Greeks, are cut longitudinally, and fastened together again with gold clasps. At the bosom it has a border two fingers in breadth of double-dyed purple, call dibaphon, which was not only twice as strong a colour, but also twice as expensive as that which had only been once dyed. Of the same colour is also the lowest part of the train, which was considered as characteristic of the tunic of the Roman matrons. The white tunic, properly so called, descended only a little lower than the

As the ancients had a particular shoe for each foot, consequently a right and left shoe, any mistake in putting them on was looked upon as a sign that every thing would go wrong during the whole day. This silly notion was sufficient to give uneasiness even to the first of the Roman Emperors, who in many respects was a man of a very little mind.

knee, and was not worn so short by any but females of no reputation, of the class of libertines, who did not fail to wear gaudy and expensive sandals with gold chains, buckles and other ornaments above he ancles. But the tunic of a matron had a peculiar kind of traint, with abundance of folds, which reached so low as scarcely to suffer any part of the feet to be seen. This train was usually decorated with all kinds of ornaments, and what the French term agrémens and appliqués, and also with embroidering. Fine plates of beaten gold, or gold threads were likewise frequently sewed to it; but in general it had at the bottom a wider purple bo der. The tunic of our Sabina had such a border, which was still further embellished by a bandeau of pearls fastened to it with great art.

Kypassis now girds this long tunic-chemise with a simple white ribbon, as any other decora tion would be completely concealed by the mantle which is to come over it, or by the bagging folds of the tunic itself. The whole art of the sleeve in this operation consists in drawing up the train, which otherwise would fall upon the ground and prevent the possibility of walking, so far as to shew only the toe of the foot, and to form a handsome fold all round above the girdle.

Sabina is now completely dressed except throwing on the long white mantle which Droso holds in readiness. But the most important thing of all still remains to be done. The pearl ornaments which Sabinus recently brought his wife from Alexandria, are still to be hung on. The bracelets are not yet fastened, nor the rings put on her fingers. Spatale already stands waiting with the open jewel casket. In a few moments our Venus Anadyomene will go forth perfect from the hands of her busy mailens.

The train was called institu, and was made of the same kind of stuff as the tunic, but, as may still be seen from many Roman statues, it had a great number of small folds, and a purple or gold border at the bottom. The tunic and the train together were called stola, which exactly corresponds with the modern expression, full dress.

THE LADIES' TOILETTE; OR, ENCYCLOPÆDIA OF BEAUTY. [Continued from Page 248, Voi. II.]

CHAP. XII.

History of French Fashions, Continued.

THE farther we proceed, the greater abundance we find of materials relative to the different changes of female dress in France. On entering upon the epoch of Henry the fourth's reign, we might introduce very c rcumstantial details concerning the fashions; these, however, would not only ocession too great prolixity, but would be uninteresting to the reader. All the existing monuments exhibit representations of these costumes. I shall therefore pass very lightly over the reigns of Henry and his immediate successors, confining myself to a few anecdotes and the principal traits, which will give some idea of the ridiculous taste of the females even in the most enlightened ages. It will be seen that the fashions of the age of Louis XIV. Louis XV. and Louis XVI. were infinitely more extravagant than those of the early period of the monarchy.

Henry IV. perceived the necessity of assigning limi's to a luxury that kept continually increasing. Of all the sumptuary laws enacted at different epochs, none was so judicious as the edict of 1604, in which Henry, after prohibiting the wearing of gold and silver upon apparel, adds, << excepting, however, women of pleasure and rogues, for whom we are not sufficiently interested to do them the honour to pay attention to their conduct." This ordinance was perhaps the only one that produced a speedy effect; the women of pleasure and rogues durst not avail themselves of this exclusive permission, though they had paid very little attention to the repeated prohibitions which had heretofore been issued: so true it is that these brilliant superfluities are held in no higher estimation than the example of the great procures them.

But this law acted upon the women only as a repellent, if I may be allowed to use that expressive term of the medical art; that is, the fair sex being restricted in the employment of exterior ornaments, concentrated the science of the toilette and of dress, and invented a fashion which certainly no law could have touched, because it was out of sight. We shall briefly illustrate it by a passage from St. Foix's Essays on Paris:"The Marchioness d'Estrées, mother of the beautiful Gabrielle, was killed in a sedition at Essone, in Auvergne. It appears that her body was left in the streets very indecently exposed, and furnished an opportunity of observing a

fashion which had been for some time introduced among women of quality. It was not only the hair of the head that they adorned with crimp ribbon of different colours." To obtain the favour of a lady, was an expression that might then bet ken in a literal sense.

During this reign likewise appeared the prodigious ruffs invented in Spain, to conceal the wen, an endeinial malady in that country. The hoops became larger than ever, to judge from the portraits of that age which are still extant, and among others, from those of Queen Margaret, which brings to my recollection the following anecdote of that Princess:

Margaret of France, the first wife of Henry IV. was inordinately addicted to gallantry. Henry himself often rallied her smartly on this subject. She was married to him in 1572; the marriage was annulled in 1599; but still she was always called Queen Margaret. M. de Fresne Forget being one day with that princess, observed, that he was astonished how men and women with such enormous ruffs, could eat soup without spoiling them, and especially how the ladies could be gallant in their prodigious large hoops. The queen made no reply, but a few days afterwards having a very large ruff, and bouille to eat, she directed a spoon with a long handle to be brought, so that she dispatched her mess without soiling her dress. Having finished, she turned to M. Fresne.-" There," said she to him, with a smile, " you see that with a little contrivance, a remedy may be found for every thing."-" Certainly, madam," replied he, as to what relates to the upper part I am perfectly satisfied."

Let us now pass to the 17th century; the fashion of wearing hoops ceased, and the lofty head-dress disappeared for some time; the latter, however, returned at the conclusion of the century more ridiculous than ever. It is true they changed their name, being then denominated fontanges.

Figure to yourself a vast edifice of wire, some times two feet in height, and divided into several stories. On this frame was put a great quantity of bits of muslin, ribbon, and hair. At the least motion the whole fabric shook, and threatened destructions which was extremely inconvenient. It was nevertheless asserted that the husbands liked this fashion, and that it guaranteed the dis

cretion of their wives. Every piece of which this enormous head-dress was composed had a particular name, and these names were not less ridiculous than the things they denoted. Among which were the duchess, the solitaire, the cabbage, the mouse, the musqueteer, the crescent, the firmament, the tenth heaven, and others equally ludicrous. This fashion was, however, suddenly relinquished; the head-dress became extravagantly low; and to make amends, the women adopted high heels. This sudden change gave occasion to the following lines, by Chaulieu, which conclude with an epigram of considerable point:

"Paris cède à la mode et change ses parures, "Ce peuple imitateur et singe de la cour,

"A commencé depuis un jour, "D'Lumilier, enfin, l'orgueil de ces coiffures: "Mainte courte beauté s'en plaint, gronde, et tempête,

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"Et pour se rallonger, consultant les destins, Apprend d'eux qu'on retrouve, en haussant ses patins,

"La taille que l'on perd en abaissant sa tête. "Voila le changement extrême

"Qui met en mouvement nos femmes de Paris: "Pour la coiffure des maris

"Elle est ici toujours la même."

This happy change in the head-dress was not of long duration. The women soon began again to erect magnificent edifices upon their heads. But, alas! the empire of fashion, like all other empires, is subject to violent revolutions; a single moment was sufficient to destroy a head dress or demolish a bastile-and that moment arrived. Two English ladies effected a most astonishing revolution in the fashions, which cannot fail to form a distinguished feature in this history. These two ladies who had recently arrived at Paris, went to Versailles in June 1714, to see Louis XIV. at supper. They wore an extreme low head-dress, which was then as ridiculous as one two feet high would appear at present. No sooner had they entered than they produced such a sensation that a considerable noise took place. The King inquired the reason of this extraordinary bustle, and was informed that it was occasioned by the presence of two ladies, whose heads were dressed in a very singular style. When the King saw them, he observed to the duchess and other ladies who were supping with him, that if the women had any sense, they would relinquish their ridiculous head-dress and adopt the simple fashion of the two strangers. The wishes of a King are commands to his courtiers. The ladies were sensible that they should be obliged to submit: the sacrifice was painful-to demolish such lofty head-dresses was little better than decapitation. There was no remedy; the fear of dis

pleasing the monarch overcame every other consideration, and the whole night was employed in destroying the edifice of three stories. The two uppermost were totally suppressed, and the third was cut down to one half. Thus ended the reign of high head-dresses, which had been relinquished and again adopted at various periods during 300 years, and which again appeared, some time afterwards, as we shall presently see, with increased extravagance.

I regret exceedingly that I am obliged to adduce an additional proof that women never drop one ridiculous fashion, without adopting another: it is the duty of an historian to adhere to the truth. Vitam impendere vero was the motto of Rousseau, who, however, did not treat of subjects so important as that which now employs my pen. But to proceed.

High head-dresses having now disappeared in a single night, as if by enchantment, it became necessary that feminine caprice should fix on some new object. Hoops again came into fashion. It is true they were not called by their former appellation of vertugadins. What woman would have worn a fashion as old as the time of Francis I. She who could have proposed such a thing would have become an object of derision. But by a stroke of genius, the name of paniers was given to them, and all the women fell passionately in love with them. The circumstances which led to the revival of this extravagant costume were these:

The return of hoops was owing to the same two English ladies who have been already mentioned. Two days after the downfall of the towering head dress, they took a walk, in the evening, in the great alley of the Thuilleries. Their robes expanded by vast hoops of whalebone, excited the curiosity of the Parisians, naturally an inquistive race, but whese curiosity in this case was very pardonable, since the spectacle was then in view. They crowded round the two ladies to examine them, and the concourse increasing every moment, they had well nigh been squeezed to death. A bench saved them There was at that time a yew hedge on either side of the alley, and seats were placed at intervals, near the hedge. It was behind one of these seats that the two ladies entrenched themselves, and there they could with less danger sustain the impetuous assaults of public curiosity. Nevertheless their situation became rather awkward. It is true they were protected both in the front and the rear; but they begin to be warmly attacked on the flanks, when a soldier found means to extric te them. He opened a passage through he yew hedge, assisted the besieged through the breach, and conducted them to the orangery of the Thuilleries.

[To be continued.]

ESSAY ON POLITENESS IN MANNERS.

POLITENESS, like taste and grace, is something that pleases us, that we feel and love, without being able precisely to define its nature. It might even be styled, without impropriety, taste and grace in manners. In this point of view, an investigation into the nature of politeness would lead us into the metaphysics of taste; and the numerous observations which we are daily enabled to make in society, are capable of furnishing us with sufficient light to trace the connection of politeness with letters and the arts.

If, indeed, we observe that politeness in manners was always cotemporary with taste in the arts, that the ages of Pericles, of Augustus, and Louis XIV. were the most brilliant epochs of attic wit, Roman urbanity, and French politeness, it will be difficult to deny this analogy, the existence of which I suspect.

In the origin of societies men had little connection with each other; domestic cares occupied their lives, whose only ornaments were family virtues If accident brought them together, benevolence shone in its utmost purity, when it was not obscured by interest; a stranger was either a guest or an enemy, and never was man an indifferent object to his fellow. Their virtues were open, their manners rude, and their passions violent. Each had at that time his peculiar character, and bore strong marks of originality Similar, but not perfectly alike, all the individuals of the species were distinguished by remarkable differences; as the leaves of the oaks of the forest, though of the same texture and form, all vary from each other in the exact shape

and tint.

Society in its progress, assembling men in large masses, and inclosing them in towns, connected them by closer ties. Their interests were combined in a thousand ways; the wants of individuals became more numerous, and their affairs more complicated; their very passions changed their aspect, as wild plants removed into our gardens, there assume new forms: in a word, their relations and dependencies were infinitely diversified.

Social order soon extended itself like an immense net, one of the meshes of which cannot be shaken without affecting a great number of others. Women enter d more or less into society, they consequently assumed an influence

*The seclusion of women was a law of antiquity among all the Orientals. Among the

over it, and exercised a kind of dominion by ineans of that talent of seduction which is pe culiar to them, and which Montesquieu calls "the art which little minds possess of governing great ones. Force was then obliged to yield to address; the question now no longer was how to vanquish and subdue, but how to attract by insinuating manners and to please, became a necessity. The constant collisions of society had worn off its asperities; a general tone of amenity and politeness began to distinguish the inhabitants of cities; rudeness became disgusting; it was confined to the peasantry, and received the contemptuous appellation of clownishness.

The influence of women was still stronger in society than in business; it was only through their empire over society that they usurped political authority: grace subdued force. The versatility of their imaginations, the delicacy of their impressions, the vivacity of their sentiments soon imparted a character of elegance to manners. They created taste, and gave publicity to the secrets of graces. That art of exciting interest without feeling any; of paying attention to all, and of engaging the attention of all even while thinking only of one; that delicacy in touching the weak side of a heart; that address in sparing every one's self-love, that dexterity in pleasing every one's taste, that universality in all the means of charming soon awakened tender sentiments. The arts were the offspring of the passions, which they tend to strengthen: sensibility animated genius; imagination formed enchanting chimeras, which were encouraged in every heart by the magic of poetry and music; all the passions were blended into one, and hence sprung that model of the beautiful, which created all virtues, all talents, and all graces. Influenced by the same charm, and, as it were, by one com

Greeks, they had separate apartments, and very

little communication with the other sex.

But

the intrigues of the Seraglio and the revolutions caused by women in almost all the eastern courts, prove that the shutting them up is but a feeble obstacle to their influence. It was the jealousy of a plebeian woman against her sister whose husband was cousul, that caused the elevation of plebeians to the Consulate. From the invasion of Greece, by Xerxes, to the peace of Utrecht, it is impossible to mention, perhaps one singl great political event in which the influence of women has not been exerted in two opposite ways.

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