Warton, in his history of English poetry, gives a passage from Bradshaw’s life of St. Werburgh written late in the sixteenth century, from which a few lines are well worth quotation. He is describing how a large hall was arrayed for a great feast: All herbes and flowers, fragraunt, fayre and swete Were strawed in halles, and layd under theyr fete. Clothes of gold and arras were hanged in the hall Depaynted with pyctures and hystoryes manyfolde, Well wroughte and craftely. The story of Adam, Noe, and his shyppe; the twelve sones of Jacob; the ten plagues of Egypt, and-- Duke Josue was joyned after them in pycture, * * * * * Theyr noble actes and tryumphes marcyall Freshly were browdred in these clothes royall * * * * * But over the hye desse in pryncypall place Where the sayd thre kynges sat crowned all The best hallynge hanged as reason was, Whereon were wrought the ix orders angelicall, Dyvyded in thre ierarchyses, not cessing to call, _Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus_, blessed be the Trynite, _Dominus Deus Sabaoth_, thre persons in one deyte. Specimens of tapestry of the later mediæval period may not uncommonly be found: but not so pieces of room hangings, “hallings,” such as those at South Kensington, nos. 1370, 1297, and 1465. Similar examples are, we believe, unknown. We will add a few words only on one other, and that not a trivial, part of ancient dress; namely, gloves. Formerly these were much more ornamented than now; and, when meant for ladies’ wear, sometimes perfume was bestowed upon them. Among the new year’s day presents to queen Mary, before she came to the throne, was “a payr of gloves embrawret with gold.” A year afterwards “x payr of Spanyneshe gloves from a duches in Spayne” came to her; and but a month before, Mrs. Whellers had sent to her highness “a pair of swete gloves.” Shakespeare, true to the manners of his day, after making Autolycus chant the praises of his Lawn as white as driven snow; Cyprus, black as e’er was crow; Gloves, as sweet as damask roses; puts this into the mouth of the shepherdess: “Come, you promised me a tawdry lace, and a pair of sweet gloves.” We may find a pair of such gloves in the South Kensington collection, no. 4665. It may be proper to add, in conclusion, that the greater part of the very valuable and extensive collection of mediæval textile fabrics at South Kensington was collected by Dr. Bock, a canon of Aix la Chapelle; and purchased from him about the year 1864. [Illustration: State gloves formerly belonging to Louis XIII.] INDEX. PAGE Acca, silks, 70 Amasis, his linen corslet, 5 Anne of Cleves, her pall of cloth of gold, 41