urs, even to the cost of a
thousand pounds of our money, were worn.

The loose trouser was going out altogether, and in its stead the hose
were made to fit more closely to the leg, and were all of gay colours;
they were gartered with gold bands crossed, the ends of which had
tassels, which hung down when the garter was crossed and tied about
the knee.

Henry, despite his own careless appearance, was nicknamed Court
Manteau, or Short Mantle, on account of a short cloak or mantle he is
supposed to have brought into fashion.

The shirts of the men, which showed at the opening of the tunic, were
buttoned with small gold buttons or studs of gold sewn into the linen.

The initial difference in this reign was the more usual occurrence of
patterns in diaper upon the clothes.

The length of a yard was fixed by the length of the King's arm.

With the few exceptions mentioned, the costume is the same as in the
time of Stephen.

It is curious to note what scraps of pleasant gossip come to us from
these early times: St. Thomas a Becket dining off a pheasant the day
before his martyrdom; the angry King calling to his knights, 'How a
fellow that hath eaten my bread, a beggar that first came to my Court
on a lame horse, dares to insult his King and the Royal Family, and
tread upon my whole kingdom, and not one of the cowards I nourish at
my table, not one will deliver me of this turbulent priest!'--the
veins no doubt swelling on his bull-like neck, the prominent eyes
bloodshot with temper, the result of that angry speech, to end in the
King's public penance before the martyr's tomb.

Picture the scene at Canterbury on August 23, 1179, when Louis VII.,
King of France, dressed in the manner and habit of a pilgrim, came to
the shrine and offered there his cup of gold and a royal precious
stone, and vowed a gift of a hundred hogsheads of wine as a yearly
rental to the convent.

A common sight in London streets at this time was a tin medal of St.
Thomas hung about the necks of the pilgrims.

And here I cannot help but give another picture. Henry II., passing
through Wales on his way to Ireland in 1172, hears the exploits of
King Arthur which are sung to him by the Welsh bards. In this song the
bards mention the place of King Arthur's burial, at Glastonbury Abbey
in the churchyard. When Henry comes back from Ireland he visits the
Abbot of Glastonbury, and repeats to him the story of King Arthur's
tomb.

One can picture the sea