"In the year 1564, Mistris Dinghen Van den Plasse, borne at Tænen in Flaunders, daughter to a worshipfull knight of that province, with her husband, came to London for their better safeties and there professed herself a _starcher_, wherein she excelled, unto whom her owne nation presently repaired, and payed her very liberally for her worke. Some very few of the best and most curious wives of that time, observing the _neatness and delicacy of the Dutch for whitenesse and fine wearing of linen_, made them _cambricke ruffs_, and sent them to Mistris Dinghen to _starch_, and after awhile they made them _ruffes of lawn_, which was at that time a stuff most strange, and wonderfull, and thereupon rose a _general scoffe_ or _by-word_, that shortly they would make _ruffs of a spider's web_; and then they began to send their daughters and nearest kinswomen to Mistris Dinghen to _learn how to starche_; her usuall price was at that time, foure or five pound, to teach them how _to starch_, and twenty shillings how to _seeth starch_." Thus Italy, Holland, and France supplied us with fashions and refinements. But in those days there were, as I have shown from Puttenham, as _extravagant dressers_ as any of their present supposed degenerate descendants. Stowe affords us another curious extract. "Divers noble personages made them _ruffes, a full quarter of a yeard deepe_, and two lengthe in one ruffe. This _fashion_ in _London_ was called the _French fashion_; but when Englishmen came to _Paris_, the _French_ knew it not, and in derision called it _the English monster_." An exact parallel this of many of our own Parisian modes in the present day. This was the golden period of cosmetics. The beaux of that day, it is evident, used the abominable art of painting their faces as well as the women. Our old comedies abound with perpetual allusions to oils, tinctures, quintessences, pomatums, perfumes, paint white and red, &c. One of their prime cosmetics was a frequent use of the _bath_, and the application of _wine_. Strutt quotes from an old MS. a recipe to make the face of a beautiful red colour. The person was to be in a bath that he might perspire, and afterwards wash his face with wine, and "so should be both faire and roddy." In Mr. Lodge's "Illustrations of British History," the Earl of Shrewsbury, who had the keeping of the unfortunate Queen of Scots, complains of the expenses of the queen for _bathing in wine_, and requires a further allowance. A learned Scotch professor informed me that _white wine_ was used for these purposes. They also made a bath of _milk_. Elder beauties _bathed in wine_, to get rid of their wrinkles; and perhaps not without reason, wine being a great astringent. Unwrinkled beauties _bathed in milk_, to preserve the softness and sleekness of the skin. Our venerable beauties of the Elizabethan age were initiated coquettes; and the mysteries of their toilet might be worth unveiling.