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278 HISTORY OF LAOE. monstrosities, which, standing out a quarter of a yard or more, “ if iEolus with his blasts or Neptune with his stormes chaunce to hit upon the crazie bark or their bruised ruffes, then they goe flip flap in the winde like ragges that flew abroade, lying upon their shoulders like the dishclout of a slut. But wot ye what? the devill, as he, in the fulnesse of his malice, first invented these great ruffes,” &c.; with a great deal more, which, as it comes rather under the head of costume than lace, we omit, as foreign to our subject. Lace has always been made of human hair, and of this we have frequent mention in the expenses of Queen Elizabeth. We believe the invention to be far older than her reign, for there is frequent allusion to it in the early romances. In the “ Chevalier aux ij Epees ” (MS. Bib. Nat.), a lady requires of King Bis that he should present her with a mantle fringed with the beards of nine conquered kings, and hemmed with that of King Arthur, who was yet to conquer. The mantle is to have “de sa barbe le tassel.” The entries of Elizabeth, however, are of a less heroic nature; and though we are well aware it was the custom of old ladies to weave into lace their silver-grey locks, and much as the fashion of hair bracelets and chains prevails, in Queen Elizabeth’s case, setting aside all sentiment, we cannot help fancying the “ laquei fact’ de crine brayded cum lez risinge puffs,” 80 as well as the “ devices fact’ de crine similiter les scallop shells,” 81 to have been nothing more than “ stuffings,”—false additions, to swell the majesty of the royal “ pirrywygge.” That “ point tresse,” as this hair lace is called, was known in her day, we have evidence in the Chartley inventory of Mary Stuart, in which is mentioned, “Un petit quarre fait a point tresse ouvre par la vieille Comtesse de Lennox elle estant a la Toura tribute of affection the old countess would scarcely have offered to her daughter-in-law had she regarded her as 80 “ Eidem pro 3 dozin laquei fact’ de crine braided cum lez rising puffs de crine, ad 36s. le dd., 51. 8s.”—Eliz. 31 & 32. The entry occurs frequently. In ibid. 37 & 38 is a charge “ pro 4 pirrywigges de crine,” at 16s. 8d. each. 81 In the G. W. A. of the last year of her reign, Elizabeth had a variety of devices in false hair. We have :— “Eidem pro 200 invencionibus factis de crine in forma lez lowpes et tuftes,” at 6d. each; the like number in the form of leaves at 12d.; 12 in form of “ lez Peramides,” at 3s. id.; 24 of globes, at 12d„ with hair by the yard, made in “ lowpes, crispat’ curioso fact’, curie rotund’,” and other wonderful “inven tions.”