Muffs were at this period worn as commonly by men as by women, and this fashion continued for nearly a century. The beau with his muff is thus satirised in the comic opera "Lionel and Clarissa," by Isaac Bickerstaff, _c._ 1768:-- "A coxcomb, a fop, a dainty milk-sop; Who, essenc'd and dizen'd from bottom to top, Looks just like a doll for a milliner's shop. A thing full of prate, and pride and conceit; All fashion, no weight; Who shrugs and takes snuff; and carries a muff; A minnikin, finicking, French powder-puff!" [Illustration: EARL OF ROCHESTER, 1641-1711. _Kneller, National Portrait Gallery._ _Photo by Walker & Cockerell._] The mantle does not appear to have particularly excited the wrath of the satirists. It is, indeed, so entirely reasonable a garment both for men and women, that it is difficult to see how it could possibly provide material for satire. Broadly speaking, there are three conditions necessary to beautiful dress, namely, beauty of material, excellence of workmanship, and variety of fold. If ornament be introduced, it should be of a good character, and employed rather in accordance with those well understood laws of contrast than an indiscriminate covering of the whole field; in fact, this defeats its own purpose, as richness of effect depends upon concentration, as a painter focusses light, colour, or other interest in a particular part of his work and allows nothing to detract from it. As a general rule, plain spaces are best adapted for ornamentation, although in the rich brocades of the fine periods the foldings of the material give an added richness and variety to the patterning. The mantle, therefore, is usually bare of ornament or simply bordered, except for occasions of high ceremony; certainly plain if worn loosely, and many foldings ensue; and any richness of ornament is confined to the more closely fitting portions of the dress. In a word, the decorative conditions of dress are as well defined, as absolute, as in any other of the ornamental arts. [Illustration: DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.] FOOTNOTES: [7] Scott's "Kenilworth." [8] "The Four Sons of Aymon," Caxton's version. [9] This chivalrous monarch not only founded the Order of the Garter, but even contemplated the revival of the Round Table. [10] Pilch or pilcher, a scabbard, a _covering_ for the sword. IV THE DOUBLET AND HOSE