They draw up this great stone, and with greedy eyes read the
inscription. The monks continue to dig. Presently, at the depth of 16
feet, they find the trunk of a tree, and in its hollowed shape lie
Arthur and his Queen--Arthur and Guinevere, two names which to us now
are part of England, part of ourselves, as much as our patron St.
George.
Here they lie upon the turf, and all the party gaze on their remains.
The skull of Arthur is covered with wounds; his bones are enormous.
The Queen's body is in a good state of preservation, and her hair is
neatly plaited, and is of the colour of gold. Suddenly she falls to
dust.
They bury them again with great care. So lay our national hero since
he died at the Battle of Camlan in Cornwall in the year 542, and
after death was conveyed by sea to Glastonbury, and all traces of his
burial-place lost except in the songs of the people until such day as
Henry found him and his Queen.
THE WOMEN
[Illustration: {A woman of the time of Henry II.; a circular pin}]
About this time came the fashion of the chin-band, and again the glory
of the hair was hidden under the wimple.
To dress a lady's hair for this time the hair must be brushed out, and
then divided into two parts: these are to be plaited, and then brought
round the crown of the head and fastened in front above the forehead.
The front pieces of hair are to be neatly pushed back from the
forehead, to show a high brow. Now a cloth of linen is taken, folded
under the chin, and brought over the top of the head, and there
pinned. Then another thin band of linen is placed round the head and
fastened neatly at the back; and over all a piece of fine linen is
draped, and so arranged that it shall just cover the forehead-band and
fall on to the shoulders. This last piece of linen is fastened to the
chin-band and the forehead-strap by pins.
[Illustration: {Four steps to dress a woman's hair}]
This fashion gave rise in later times to a linen cap; the
forehead-strap was increased in height and stiffened so that it rose
slightly above the crown of the head, and the wimple, instead of
hanging over it, was sewn down inside it, and fell over the top of the
cap. Later the cap was sewn in pleats.
The gown of this time was quite loose, with a deep band round the neck
and round the hem of the skirts, which were very full. So far as one
can tell, it was put on over the head, having no other opening but at
the neck, and was held at the waist by an ornamental girdle.
The chemise showed above the neck of the gown, which was fastened by
the usual round brooch.
[Illustration: A WOMAN OF THE TIME OF HENRY II. (1154-1189)
There is a chin-band to be seen passing under the wimple; this band
is pinned to hold it round the head.]
The sleeves were well fitting, rather loose at the elbow, and
fell shaped over the wrist, where there was a deep border of
embroidery. It is quite possible that the cuffs and hem may have been
made of fur.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account