Charles II., in the last year of his reign, spends £20 12s. for a new
cravat to be worn "on the birthday of his dear brother,"[1002] and James
expends £29 upon one of Venice point to appear in on that of his queen.
Frequent entries of lace for the attendants of the Chapel Royal form items
in the Royal Wardrobe Accounts.
Ruffles, night-rails, and cravats of point d'Espagne and de Venise now
figure in Gazettes,[1003] but "Flanders lace is still in high estimation,"
writes somebody, in 1668, "and even fans are made of it."
Then James II. fled, and years after we find him dying at St. Germains
in--a laced nightcap. "This cap was called a 'toquet,' and put on when the
king was in extremis, as a compliment to Louis XIV." "It was the court
etiquette for all the Royals," writes Madame, in her _Memoirs_, "to die
with a nightcap on." The toquet of King James may still be seen by the
curious, adorning a wax model of the king's head, preserved as a relic in
the Museum of Dunkirk.[1004]
Out of mingled gratitude, we suppose, for the hospitality she had received
at the French court, and the protection of the angels, which, she writes,
"I experienced once when I {341}set fire to my lace night cornet, which was
burned to the very head without singeing a single hair"--good Queen Mary of
Modena, who shone so brightly in her days of adversity, died, _selon les
règles_, coeffed in like fashion.
With this notice we finish the St. Germains reign of King James the Second.
WILLIAM III.
"Long wigs,
Steinkirk cravats."
--Congreve. _Love for Love._
In William III.'s reign, the full shirt-sleeves, with their lace ruffles,
were shown at the wrists, and the loose neckcloths had long pendent ends
terminating in lace, if they were not entirely made of that material. The
hat, too, was edged with gold lace, and for summer wear the gloves were
edged with lace.
Women's sleeves, at first short, wide and lace-edged, showing the delicate
sleeves of the under garment, soon became tight, and were prolonged to the
wrists, where they terminated in deep and wide upturned cuffs, whence
drooped a profusion of lace lappets and ruffles.
The hair, combed up, and with an inclination backwards from the forehead,
was surmounted by a strata of ribbon and lace, sometimes intermingled with
feathers, and a kerchief or scarf of some very light material was permitted
to hang down to the waist, or below it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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