Virginia Argus

Ancient English Fashions.—In the time of queen Mary, (says Bulwer) square toes were grown in fashion, insomuch as men wore their shoes of so prodigious a breadth at the toes, that, if I remember aright, there was a proclamation came out that no man should wear his shoes above six inches square at the toes. After these the picked pointed shoes came also up again; and in the latter end of the last century and the beginning of the present, the square toes were again brought in fashion. But sure, of all customs, the present (when men have their shoes made to their feet without pinching) is the best and most decent in appearance.

Early in the beginning of the reign of queen Elizabeth, the wearing of great breeches was carried to very absurd and ridiculous lengths, together with the peascod doublets, as they were called. These slops or breeches, or trunk hose, they used to stuff out with rags or such-like stuff till they brought them to an enormous size.—Bulwer in his pedigree of the English gallant, speaks of a man whom the judges accused of wearing breeches contrary to the law (for a law was made against them;) he, for his excuse, drawed out of his slops the contents; at first a pair of sheets, two table cloths, ten napkins, four shirts, a brush, a glass, and a comb, with night caps, and other things of use, saying, "Your worships may understand, that, because I have no safer store-house, these pockets do serve me for a room to lay up my goods in, and though it may be a straight prison, yet it is big enough for them, for I have many things of value yet within it." And so was his discharge accepted, and well laughed at.

I met with a remarkable note concerning these great breeches, in a MS. preserved in the Harleian Library, which I cannot pass over in silence: it is this:

"Memorandum, that over the seats of the Parliament-house, in the 43d year of queen Elizabeth, (when some repairs were there done) were to be seen certain holes, about two inches square, in the walls;—in which formerly were placed posts to uphold a scaffold round the inside of the house, for those to sit on who (in the beginning of the reign) used the wearing of great breeches, stuffed with hair like wool-sacks; which fashion, in her 8th year, being left off, the scaffolds were taken down, and never since put up."

Yet these are but modest accounts, to what we find in the old play of Lingua, written in the year 1607, the 4th of James the First, where Tactus (or Touching) says, "'Tis five hours ago I saw a dozen maids to attire a boy like a nice gentlewoman; but there is such doing with their looking-glasses, pinning, unpinning, setting, unsettling, formings and conformings; painting blue veins and bloomy cheeks, such a stir with sticks, and combs, casenets, dressings, purls, falls, squares, busks, bodice, scarfs, necklaces, carcanets, rabstoes, borders, tires, fans, palissadoes puffs, tuffs, cuffs, muffs, pusles, fusles puftlet, frisiets, bandlets, fillets, croalets, pendulets, annulets, amulets, bracelets and so many lets that yet she's scarce drest to the girdle; and now there is such calling for fardingales, kirthes, busk points, shoe ties, &c. that seven pedlars shops, nay all Stourbridge lane, will scarce furnish her. A ship is sooner rig'd by far, than a gentlewoman made ready."