LOUIS XV.

1-1 .'I

in well with former accounts, 4 and with a letter of Madame deMaintenon to the Princess des Ursins, 1710. 6

At this period it was the custom for grisettes to besiege theParis hotels, bearing on their arms baskets decked out withruffles and jabots of Malines, Angleterre, and point. What readerof Sterne will not recollect the lace-seller in his “ SentimentalJourney ”?

The jabot 6 and manchettes of point were the customary “ cadeaude noces ” of the bride to her intended for his wedding dress—arelic of which practice may be found in the embroidered weddingshirt furnished by the lady, in the North of Europe. 7 The sumsexpended in these articles would now appear fabulous. TheArchbishop of Camhray 8 alone possessed four dozen pairs of ruffles,Malines, point, and Valenciennes. The wardrobe bills of theDuke de Penthievre, of 1738, make mention of little else. An elland a quarter of lace was required for one pair of ruffles. A yard,minus T V, sufficed for the jabot. 9 There were “ manchettes de jour,”“ manchettes tournantes,” 10 and “ manchettes de nuit these lastnamed were mostly of Valenciennes. 11 The point d’Alenponruffles of Buffon, which he always wore, even when writing, were

‘ See p. 54, and note “ 5 .

5 “ M. de Vendome, at his marriage,was quite astonished at putting on hisclean shirt a-day, and fearfully em-barrassed at having some point lace onthe one given him to put on at night.Indeed,” continues she, “ you wouldhardly recognise the taste of the French.The men are worse than the women.They wish their wives to take snuff, play,*ud pay no more attention to their dress.”The exquisite cleanliness of Anne ofAustria’s court was at an end.

6 In an account, quoted in the “ Reli-quary,” July 1865, is the charge, onFebruary 16, of “ six shillings for acravat for liur Vallentine.”

7 In the old Scotch song of Gilderoy,the famous highwayman, we have aninstance:—

“ For Gilderoy, that luve of mine,Gude faith, I freely boughtA wedding sark of Holland fine,

4Vi’ silken flowers wrought.”

* *' Inv. apres le deces de Mgr. C. de

Saint-A1 bin, Archevesque de Camhray”(son of the regent), 1764. Arch. Nat.M. M. 718.

Louis XVI. had 59 pairs the yearbefore his death: 28 of point, 21 ofValenciennes, and 10 of Angleterre.‘‘ Etat des Effets subsistant et formant lefond de la garderobe dn Roi an 1"Janvier 1792.” Arch. Nat K. 506,No. 30.

8 “ Etat d’uu Trousseau,” “ Descriptiondes Arts et Metiers.” Paris, 1777.

10 “Deux aunes taois quarts d’Angle-terre h bride pour deux paires de man-chettes tournantes, a 45 livres l’aune.”

■—Garderobe de S. A. S. Mgr. le Duede Penthievre, 1738. Arch. Nat. K. K.330.

11 Ibid. The laces for ruffles were ofvarious kinds: point brode, point a bride,point a raiseau, point a bride a ecaille,point superfin, point brillant, Angleterrea bride it raiseau, and one pair of pointd’Argentan ; “ Valenciennes pour man-chettes de nuit a 42 livres l’aune.”

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