"Monsieur, the King's elder brother, has set up for a kind of wit; and leans towards the Philosophe side. Monseigneur d'Artois pulls the mask from a fair impertinent; fights a duel in consequence,--almost drawing blood. He has breeches of a kind new in this world;--a fabulous kind, 'four tall lackeys,' says Mercier, as if he had seen it, 'hold him in the air, that he may fall into the garment without vestige of wrinkle; from which rigorous encasement the same four, in the same way, and with more effort, have to deliver him at night.'"--CARLYLE, _French Revolution_, Book II., Chap. I. [Illustration: ITALIAN CASSONE (FIFTEENTH CENTURY). _South Kensington Museum._] IV THE DOUBLET AND HOSE The absence of wrinkle or fold, alluded to in the above quotation, is commonly suggestive of the modern spirit in dress. The first thing an artist does in painting a figure in hose is to indicate the little wrinkles or folds at the knee and ankle. This, as serving two purposes, first as a decorative enrichment to the limb, and secondly as indicating, together with the colour of the material, the fact that the limb is clothed. There are, however, such things as "fleshings," which are made of some material possessing elasticity, and so reducing the wrinkles and folds to a minimum; but if there is one thing more than another which is characteristic of clothing or drapery, it is its _folds_--their constant and endless change varying with every movement. The ideal of modern tailoring appears to be something which shall have as near as possible the appearance of a deal board, to eliminate as far as possible the foldings of drapery with their infinite variety and almost endless play of light and shade. With the doublet and hose we deal with a comparatively recent period, when dress generally assumed a more formal character, and the loose tunic gave place to the more closely fitting doublet. Long before this, however, the sleeves had developed in various ways, in strange and fantastic shapes. In the reign of Richard II.-- "Cut worke was great both in Court and townes, Bothe in men's hoodes and also in their gownes, Broudur[11] and furre and goldsmith's worke all newe In many a wyse each day they did renewe." HARDING'S _Chronicle_. The tight sleeves of the reigns of the three Edwards had given place to a sleeve of more ample proportions. The monk of Evesham speaks of "pokys" shaped like a bagpipe: "The devil's receptacles, for whatever was stolen could be popped into them." The "cut work" above alluded to was extremely fantastic, the jagged edgings of the sleeves, and, indeed, the rest of the costume, taking the shape of the serrations of leaves, as well as other ornamental devices.