QUEEN ELIZABETH.

277

Again, in “ Laugh and Lie Down ” 73 —

“There she sat with her poking-stick, stiffening a full.”

When the use of starch and poking-sticks had rendered the ar-rangement of a ruff easy, the size began rapidly to increase. “ Bothmen and women wore them intolerably large, being a quarter of ayard deep, and twelve lengths in a rail'.” 73 In London this fashionwas termed the French ruff; in France, on the other hand, it wascalled “ the English monster.” 74 Queen Elizabeth wore hershigher and stiffer than any one in Europe, save the Queen ofNavarre, for she had a “ yellow throat,” and was desirous to con-ceal it. 76 Woe betide any fair lady of the court who dared let herwhite skin appear uncovered in the presence Of majesty. Herruffs were made of the finest outwork, enriched with gold, silver,and even precious stones. Though she consumed endless yardsof cutwork, purle, needlework lace, bone lace of gold, of silver,enriched with pearls, and bugles, and spangles in the fabricationof the “ three-piled ruff,” 76 she by no means extended such libertyto her subjects, for she selected grave citizens and placed them atevery gate of the city to cut the ruffs if they exceeded the pre-scribed depth. These “ pillars of pride ” form a numerous itemamong the New Year’s gifts. Each lady seems to have racked herbrain to invent some novelty as yet unheard of to gratify thequeen’s vanity. On the New Year, 1559-60, the Countess of Wor-cester offers a ruff of lawn cutwork set with 20 small knots likemullets, garnished with small sparks of rubies and pearls. 77

The cutwork ruff is decorated or enriched with ornament ofevery description. Nothing could bo too gorgeous or too extra-vagant. 78 Great was the wrath of old Philip Stubbs 73 at these

72 “ Or tlio World’s Folly,” 1C05.

13 Stowe.

74 Ibid.

75 Therefore slio wore “ chin ” ruffs.

“ Eidern pro 2 sutes do lcz ehinnoruff's edged cu’ arg., lOe.”—Eliz. 42 & 43.

73 Beu Jonsou, “ Every Man Out ofUis Humour,” 1599.

77 Lady Cromwell. “ Tliroo sutes ofruffs of white cutwork edged with a pas-smnayno of white.”

Lady Mary Se’m’. “ 3 ruffs of lawnooutwork of flowers.”

78 “ They are either clogged with gold,

silver, or silk laces of stately price,wrought all over with needlcworko,speckoled and sparkeled hero and therewith the sunne, the moono, the starres,and many other antiques strange to be-liolde. Some are wrought witii openworke donne to the midst of the ruffe,and further somo with close worke, somewith purlod lace so closed and other gew-gawes so pestered, as the ruff is the leestparte of itself.”— Stubbs's Description ofthe Cutwork Buff.

78 “Anatomie of Abuses,” 1583.