very expert in the art, and it was yearly supplied
and furnished by the Candians, Venetians, Sarmates,
now called Muscoviters, with all sorts of most excellent
hawks, eagles, gerfalcons, goshawks, sacres, lanners,
falcons, sparrowhawks, marlins, and other kinds of
them, so gentle and perfectly well manned, that, flying
of themselves sometimes from the castle for their
own disport, they would not fail to catch whatever
they encountered. The venery, where the beagles
and hounds were kept, was a little farther off, drawing
towards the park.
All the halls, chambers, and closets or cabinets were
richly hung with tapestry and hangings of divers sorts,
according to the variety of the seasons of the year.
All the pavements and floors were covered with green
cloth. The beds were all embroidered. In
every back-chamber or withdrawing-room there was a
looking-glass of pure crystal set in a frame of fine
gold, garnished all about with pearls, and was of such
greatness that it would represent to the full the
whole lineaments and proportion of the person that
stood before it. At the going out of the halls
which belong to the ladies’ lodgings were the
perfumers and trimmers through whose hands the gallants
passed when they were to visit the ladies. Those
sweet artificers did every morning furnish the ladies’
chambers with the spirit of roses, orange-flower-water,
and angelica; and to each of them gave a little precious
casket vapouring forth the most odoriferous exhalations
of the choicest aromatical scents.
Chapter 1.LVI.
How the men and women of the religious order of Theleme
were apparelled.
The ladies at the foundation of this order were apparelled
after their own pleasure and liking; but, since that
of their own accord and free will they have reformed
themselves, their accoutrement is in manner as followeth.
They wore stockings of scarlet crimson, or ingrained
purple dye, which reached just three inches above
the knee, having a list beautified with exquisite
embroideries and rare incisions of the cutter’s
art. Their garters were of the colour of their
bracelets, and circled the knee a little both over
and under. Their shoes, pumps, and slippers were
either of red, violet, or crimson-velvet, pinked and
jagged like lobster waddles.
Next to their smock they put on the pretty kirtle
or vasquin of pure silk camlet: above that went
the taffety or tabby farthingale, of white, red, tawny,
grey, or of any other colour. Above this taffety
petticoat they had another of cloth of tissue or brocade,
embroidered with fine gold and interlaced with needlework,
or as they thought good, and according to the temperature
and disposition of the weather had their upper coats
of satin, damask, or velvet, and those either orange,
tawny, green, ash-coloured, blue, yellow, bright red,
crimson, or white, and so forth; or had them of cloth
of gold, cloth of silver, or some other choice stuff,
enriched with purl, or embroidered according to the
dignity of the festival days and times wherein they
wore them.
