The monastery; The abbot.

T-HE MONASTERY. 191
As he left the apartment, the knight called after him, beseeching he would
order his trunk-mails to be sent into his apartment, understanding he was
to be guarded there for the night, as he wished to make some alteration in
his apparel.*
"Ay, ay," said the monk, muttering as he went up the winding stair,
"carry him his trumpery with all despatch. Alas! that man, with so
many noble objects of pursuit, will amuse himself like a jackanape, with a
laced jerkin and a cap and bells!-I must now to the melancholy work of
consoling that which is well-nigh inconsolable, a mother weeping for her
first-born."
Advancing, after a gentle knock, into the apartment of the women, he
found that Mary Avenel had retired to bed, extremely indisposed, and that
Dame Glendinning and Tibb were indulging their sorrows by the side of a
decaying fire, and by the light of a small iron lamp, or cruize, as it was
termed. Poor Elspeth's apron was thrown over her head, and bitterly did
she sob and weep for "her beautiful, her brave, -the very image of her
dear Simon Glendinning, the stay of her widowhood and the support of her
old age."
Sir Piercie Shafton's extreme love of dress was an attribute of the coxcombs of this period. The display
made by their forefathers was in the numbers of their retinue; but as the actual influence of the nohilit,
began to be restrained both in France and England by the increasing power of the crown, the indulgence oft
vanity in personal display became more inordinate. There are many allusions to this change of custom in
Shakspeare and other dramatic writers, where the reader may find nention made of
"Bonds enter'd into
For gay apparel against the triumph day."
Jonson informs us, that for the first entrance of a gallant, "'twere good you turned four or five hundred acres
of your best land into two or three trunks of apparel."-Every Man out of his fHumour.
In the MAemorie of the Somerville family, a curious instance occurs of this fashionable species of extravagance. In the year 1537, when James V. brought over his shortlived bride from France, the Lord Somerville
of the day was so profuse in the expense of his apparel, that the money which lie borrowed on the occasion
was compensated by a perpetual annuity of threescore pounds Scottish, payable out of the barony of Carnwarth till doomsday, which was assigned by the creditor to Saint Magdalen's Chapel. By this deep expense
the Lord Somerville had rendered himself so glorious in apparel, that the King, who saw so brave a gallant
enter the gate of Holvrood, followed by only two pages, called upon several of the courtiers to ascertain who
it could be who was so richly dressed and so slightly attended, and he was not recognised until he entered
the presence-chamber. "You are very brave, my lord," said the King, as he received his homage; "but
where are all your men and attendants t"'The Lord Somerville readily answered, " If it please your Majesty;
here Ihey are," pointing to the lace that was on his own and his pages' clothes; whereat the King laughed
heartily, and loving surveyed the finery more nearly, bade hln have away with it all, and let him have his
swout band of spears again.
There is a scene in Jonson's " Every Man out of his Humour," (Act IV. Scene 6,) in which a Eiphuist of
the imne gives an account of the effects of a duel on the clothes of himself and lis opponent, and never
departs a syllable from the catalogue of his wardrobe. We shall insert it in evidence that the foppery of our
ancestors was not inferior to that of our own time.
" Flslidius. Good faith, Signior, now you speak, of a quarrel, I'll acquaint you with a difference that hap
pelled between a gallant and myself, Sir Puntarvolo. You know him if I should name hit —Signor Luculento
"Punt. Luculento! WAhat inauspicious chance interposed itself to your two lives?
*' Fast. Faith, sir, the same that sundered Agamemnon, and great Thetis' son; but let the cause escape
sir. He sent me a challenge, mixt with some few braves, which I restored; and, in fine, we met. Now
indeed, sir, I must tell you, he did offer at first very desperately, but without judgment; for look you, sir, I
cast myself into this figure; now he came violently on, and withal advancing his rapier to strike, I thought
to have tooK his arm, for lie had left his body to my election, and I was sure he could not recover his guard.
Sir, I mist my purpose in his arm, rashed iris doublet sleeves, ran him close by the left cheek and through his
hair. He, again, light me here- had on a gold cable hat-band, then new come up, about a murrey French
hat I had; cuts mry hat-band, and yet it was massy goldsmith's work, cuts my brim, which, by good fortule,
being thick embroidered with gold twist and spangles, disappointed the force of the blow; nevertheless it
grazed on my shoulder, takes me away six purls of an Italian cut-work band I wore, cost me three pounds in
the Exchange but three days before.
"Punt. This was a strange encounter.
"Fast. Nay, you shall hear, sir. With this, we both fell out and breathed. Now, upon the second sign
of his assault, I betook me to my former manner of defence; he, on the other side, abandoned his body to the
samle danger as before, and follows nle still with blows; but I, being loath to take the deadly advantage that
lay before me of his left side, made a kind of straimazoun, ran him up to the hilt through the doublet, through
thie shirt, and yet missecd the skill. He, naking a reverse blow, falls upon my embossed girdle,-I thad thrown
off the hangers a little before,-strikes off a start of a thick-laced satin doublet 1 had, lined with four taffetas,
cuts off two panes embroidered with pearl, rends through the drawings-out of tissue, enters the linings, and
spiks the flesh.' Car. I wonder lie speaks not of his wrought shirt.
" Fast. Here, in the opinion of mutual ldamage, we paused. But, ere I proceed, I must tell you, signior,
that in the last encounter, not having leisure to put off my silver spurs, one of the rowels catched hold oft hie
ruffles of nmy boot, and, being Spanish leather and subject to tear, overthrows me, rends me two pair of silk
stockings that I put on, being sromewhat of a raw morning, a peach colour and another, and strikes me some
half-inch deep into the side of the calf: He, seeing tile blood come, presently takes horse and away; I having
bound up my wound with apiece of my wrought shirt" Car. O. comes it in there.
"Fast. Ride after him. and, lighting at the court gate both together, embraced, and marched hand in hand
up into the presence. Was not this business well carried?
"Maci. Well! yes; and by this we can guess what apparel the gentleman wore.
" Punt.'Fore valour! it was a designmelt begun with imuch resolution, maintained with as much prowess,
and ended with more humanity."