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HISTORY OF LAOE.

be seen, and her green velvet cardinal was edged with broad goldlace. 8 * Cromwell himself, when once in power, became moreparticular in his dress; and if he lived as a Puritan, his body afterdeath was more gorgeously attired than that of any deceasedsovereign, with purple velvet, ermine, and the richest Flanderslace. 85 His effigy, carved by one Symonds, was clad in a fineshirt of Holland, richly laced; he wore bands and cuffs of the samematerials, and his clothes were covered with gold lace. 86

The more we read the more we feel convinced that the dislikemanifested by the Puritan leaders to lace and other luxuries wasbut a political necessity, in order to follow the spirit of the age.

As an illustration of this opinion we may cite that in theaccount of the disbursements of the Committee of Safety, 1660, apolitical jeu d’esprit which preceded the Restoration, we findentered for Lady Lambert—

“ Item, for seven new whisks lac’d with Flanders lace of thelast Edition, each whisk is valued at fifty pound, 350Z.”

Followed up by—

“ Six new Flanders lac’d smocks, 300/.”

The whisk, as the gorget was now termed, was as great anobject of extravagance to the women as was the falling band to themen. It continued in fashion during the reign of Charles II., andis often mentioned as lost or stolen among the advertisements inthe public journals of the day. In the “ Mercurius Publicus,”May 8, 1602, we find: “A cambric whisk with Flanders lace,about a quarter of a yard broad, and a lace turning up about aninch broad, with a stock in the neck, and a strap hanging downbefore, was lost between the new Palace and Whitehall. Reward30s.” Again, in the “ Newes,” June 20, 1661: “ Lost, a Tiffanywhisk, with a great lace down, and a little one up, large Flowers,and open Work, with a Roul for the head and Peak.”

81 “ The Cromwell Family.”

85 Sir Philip Warwick. liMO.

88 At the Restoration, it was removed

from the Abbey and hung out of tirewindow at Whitehall, and then brokenup and destroyed.