place his hands inside, as in the
modern Raglan coat-pocket. Another form was made very loose and
without sleeves, but with the same slits at the side; it was buckled
round the waist on occasion by a broad leather belt, very plain. The
common heavy travelling-coat was made in this way, and it was only the
very fashionable who wore the houppelande for riding or travelling.
Sometimes such a man would wear in winter about the town a cloak
fastened over the right shoulder with three or four buttons, leaving
the right arm free; such a cloak is seen in the brass of Robert
Attelathe, Mayor of Lynn.

[Illustration: {A draped cloak and simple pattern for it}]

In travelling, our gentleman would wear, often in addition to his
chaperon, a peaked hat of cloth, high in the crown, with a brim turned
up all round, ending in a long peak in front--the same hat that we
always associate with Dick Whittington.

His gloves would be of leather, often ornamented with designs on the
back, or, if he were a knight, with his badge.

On this occasion he would wear his sword in a baldric, a long belt
over his right shoulder and under his left arm, from which hung also
his daggers. Although I am not dealing even with personal arms, one
must remember, in representing these people, that daggers were almost
as necessary a part of dress as boots or shoes, and that personal
comfort often depended upon a skilful use of that natty weapon; the
misericorde was used to give the _coup de grace_.

The farmer in harvest-time wore, if he did not wear a hood, a peaked
hat or a round, large-brimmed straw hat.

[Illustration: The Houppelande or Pelicon.]

We may now arrive at the fashionable man, whose eccentricities in
clothes were the object of much comment. How the houppelande or
pelicon actually was originated I do not know, but it came about that
men suddenly began to clothe themselves in this voluminous and awkward
garment. It was a long loose-fitting robe, made to fit on the
shoulders only, having very long loose sleeves, varying according to
the whim of the owner. These sleeves were cut at the edges into the
forms of leaves or other designs, and were lined, as the houppelande,
with fur or silk. It will be seen that such a garment to suit all
weathers and temperatures must be made of various materials and lined
accordingly. These materials were almost invariably powdered with
badges or some other device, sometimes with a flowing pattern
embracing