Imatges de pàgina
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A Room in Shakespeare's House at Stratford.

giants, and the like prevailed. Charles gave to his pageantries a more classical character, and when the puritans came in they put them all down, along with Maypoles, and all the wakes, and church-ales, and the like, which James had encouraged by his "Book of Sports." The court festivals, so long as the monarchy remained, were marked by all the profusion, displays of jewellery, and of dresses of cloth of

with the nobles in their furniture and mode of living. The moral condition of the people of London at this period, according to all sorts of writers, was something inconceivably frightful. The apprentices, as we have seen, were a turbulent and excitable race, who had assumed a right to settle political matters, or to avenge any imagined attack on their privileges. At the cry of clubs, they seized their clubs and swords and rushed into the streets to ascertain what was amiss. They were easily led by their ringleaders against any body or any authority that was supposed to be invading popular rights. We have seen them surrounding the par

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A State Bed.

gold and embroidery, which prevailed in the Tudor times. The old-fashioned country life, in which the gentlemen hunted and hawked, and the ladies spent their leisure in giving bread to the poor and making condiments, preserves, and distilled waters, was rapidly deserted during the gay days of James and Charles, and the fortune-making of favourites.

Rubens' Chair.

liament house, demanding such measures as they pleased. and executing their notions of suitable chastisement of offenders by setting fire to Laud's house and breaking down the benches of the High Commission Court. They were equally ready to encounter and disperse the constabulary or the city guard, and to fight out their quarrels with the Templars, or others with whom they were at feud.

The riots of the apprentices, however, had generally some- | Walking the streets in the daytime was dangerous from the thing of a John-Bullish assertion of right and justice in them; affrays often going on betwixt the apprentices and the but the streets and alleys of London were infested with an students of the Temple, or between the butchers and equally boisterous, and much more villainous crew of thieves weavers, or from the rude jostling and practical jokes of

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and cut-purses. Pocket-picking was then, as now, taught | bullies and swash-bucklers; but at night there was no safety as a science, and was carried to a wonderful perfection of except under a strong guard. Then Alsatia, the Savoy, and the dexterity. All kinds of rogueries were practised on country numerous other dens of vice and violence, poured forth their people, the memory of which remains yet in rural districts, myrmidons, and after nine o'clock there was no safety for and is still believed applicable to the metropolis. These quiet passengers. If we add to this description the narrow. vagabonds had their retreats about the Savoy and the brick-ness of the streets and alleys, the unpaved and filthy state kilns of Islington, but their great headquarters were in of the streets, and undrained and ill-ventilated houses, Whitefriars, called Alsatia, which possessed the right of London was anything at this period but an attractive

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witchfinder, who, in the years 1645 and 1646, traversed the country, condemning and putting to death hundreds of them, till he himself was accused of being a wizard, and was subjected to the same fate. From 1640 to the restoration, four thousand persons are said to have perished under charge

retained its high favour, and billiards and pall-mall, or striking a ball through a ring suspended to a pole, were becoming fashionable. Bowling, cards, dice, dancing, masques, balls, and musical entertainments varied town life. The common people stuck to their foot-ball, quoits, pitching

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Female Costume at the close of the Reign of James 1. Copied from one of the Figures at the side of the Tomb of John Harpur in Swarkestone Church, Derbyshire.

the bar, cricket, shovel-board, bull and bear-baiting, and cock-fighting. The puritans put down May-games, Whitsun-ales, morrice-dances, and all amusements that savoured of a catholic origin. They also humanely suppressed, as far as they could, the savage sports of bear and bull-baiting. Pride and Hewson killed all the bears at the bear-garden to put an end to that cruel pastime, and thence originated Butler's Hudibras. The bowling-greens of the English were famous, and horse-racing was much in vogue. In Scotland the reformation put to flight all sorts of games, dancing, and merrymakings, as sinful and unbecoming of Christians, and polemic discussions were the only excitements which varied the ascetic gloom.

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Female Costume of the Reign of Charles I. Copied from Tombs of Patches on a Lady's Face. the Period.

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FURNITURE AND DOMESTIC EMBELLISHMENT.

was the favourite pastime of James, and therefore was not likely to be neglected by the country gentry. He was also The interiors of houses were in this period greatly emfond of hawking, and kept alive that pastime, which was bellished, and the splendour of hangings of beds and windying out, some time longer. Ball games had much super-dows had strikingly increased. Rich velvets and silks, seded the jousts and tournaments of past times. Tennis embroidered with cloth of gold

and cloth of silver, and

ro 1660.]

FURNITURE AND COSTUME OF THE PERIOD.

405

coloured satins, of the most gorgeous hues, abounded. The wealthy of these times presented a scene of stately elegance cushions of couches and chairs were equally costly, and and luxury that has not since been surpassed. instead of the ancient tapestry, paper and leather hangings, richly stamped and gilt, covered the walls. The Flemish artists had been called in to paint the ceilings with historic

COSTUME.

of that of Elizabeth. The men still wore the stiff plaited, The costume of the reign of James was but a continuation ruff, occasionally varied by a plain horizontal one with lace on its hedges. The long peasecod-bellied doublet continued, and the large stuffed Gallic or Venetian hose, slashed and

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An Exquisite of the time of Charles I. date 1646.

Copied from a Broadside, Dresses of the Protectorate. Copied from the tomb of Hyacinth

cr mythologic scenes, and on the walls hung the masterpieces of Flemish and Italian art. Carpets were beginning to supersede rushes on the floors, but were more commonly used as coverings for tables. In addition to the carved cabinets of oak, ebony, and ivory, and the richly covered

and Elizabeth Sacheverel, date 1657.

quilted, had assumed more preposterous dimensions from James's timidity; he having both these and the doublets quilted to resist the stabs of the stiletto. In such a suit we have James painted repeatedly. Towards the end of his reign a change was noticeable. Instead of the long-waisted doublet there were short jackets, with false hanging sleeves behind; the trunk hose were covered with embroidered straps, tucked short at the thigh, and the hose gartered below the knee, as we see in the figure of prince Henry at his martial

Puritans. From Engravings published in 1646 and 1649.

cushioned and high backed chairs of the Tudor dynasty, Flemish and Dutch furniture of somewhat formal but still elegant design abounded. Superb ornaments of ivory and china had found their way from the East, and became heirlooms in great mansions. Altogether, the houses of the

Boots of the Reign of Charles I.

and dresses with jewels on state occasions. They wore fea-
exercises. We have noticed how they covered their cloaks
thers at such times in their hats. Taylor, the water poet,
says the gallants of his time,-

Wore a farm in shoestrings edged with gold,
And spangled garters worth a copyhold;

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