merks of free yearly rent, should wear ‘any clothing of gold or silver cloth, or any gold or silver lace upon their apparel;’ neither should they use ‘velvet, sattin, or other stuffs of silk.’ Even those who were privileged by wealth to wear these articles, were forbidden to have embroidery, lace, or passments upon their clothes, ‘except only a plain welting lace of silk upon the seams or borders.’ They were also to observe that ‘the said apparel of silk be no ways cut out upon other stuffs of silk, except upon a single taffeta.’ By the same act, it was enjoined that no person of whatsoever degree, except those privileged as above, should have ‘pearling or ribboning upon their ruffs, sarks, napkins, and socks;’ and any pearling or ribboning so worn was to be ‘of those made within the kingdom of Scotland,’ under a high penalty. So, also, castor-hats, feathers for the head, and gold chains with pearls or stones, were forbidden for all except the privileged classes; and servants were restricted to home-made fustian, canvas, and other stuffs, and husbandmen to the common gray, blue, and _self-black_ cloth of the country. By _self-black_ I presume is meant cloth made of the wool of black sheep in its natural state. These plain and homely kinds of cloth were woven by the village websters out of yarn which the housewives and their maidens had spun by the winter fireside when there was no more pressing work to do. Such cloths, so made, continued in use amongst simple rustic people down to the close of the last century, and partially even a little later. I believe they have now entirely disappeared.