e
was most fully exhibited. The processions and entertainments at court,
the ambassadors from afar, the law students from the Temple, the old
soldiers destitute after service in Flanders, the seamen returned from
plundering the Spanish gold fleet, the youths from the university come
to the city to earn their living by their wits, the bishop and the
puritan, who looked at each other askance, the young squire come to be
gulled of his lands by the roarers of the tavern, the solid merchant
with his chain of gold, the wives who aped the court ladies with their
enormous farthingales and ruffs, the court gallant with his dyed beard
and huge breeches, the idle apprentices quick to riot, the poor poets in
prison for debt--these and how many more are familiar to every reader of
the Elizabethan drama. As often in periods of commercial prosperity,
luxury became fantastic. Men sold their acres to put costly garments on
their backs. Clothing was absurd and ran to extreme sizes of ruffs,
farthingales, and breeches, or to gaudy colors and jewels. Enormous sums
were spent on feasts, entertainments, and masques, especially in the
reign of James I. Cleanliness did not thrive, perfumes took the place of
baths, and rushes, seldom renewed, covered the floor even of the
presence chamber of Elizabeth. But the comforts and luxuries of life
increased and spread to all classes. Tobacco, potatoes, and forks were
first introduced in Shakespeare's time. Building improved, streets were
widened, and coaches became so common as to excite much animadversion
and complaint. If some poets spent much time in the debtors' prison,
others lived well, and some actors gained large fortunes.

[Page Heading: Commercial Prosperity]

The industrious apprentice who refused the allurements of pageants,
theaters, tailors, and taverns, was sure to have his reward. It was a
time of commercial expansion, such as the last generation has witnessed
in Germany and the United States. Bankers, brokers, and merchants gained
great fortunes and managed to protect them. Industry, thrift, and
shrewdness were likely to win enough to buy a knighthood. The trade of
the old East and the new West came to the London wharves, and every one
was ready to take a risk. The merchants of London had furnished support
to the policies of Henry VIII and were rich enough to fit out the
expedition against Flanders and to pay for a third of the fleet that met
the Armada. It was a time, too, for great