bins of gold thread, turning up like skates
at the extremity, three inches in length. His dagger was suspended by a
slight silver-gilt chain, and his girdle contained a large gipsire, or
pouch, of embossed leather, richly gilt.

And this dress, marvellous as it seemed to the Nevile, the tailor
gravely assured him was far under the mark of the highest fashion,
and that an' the noble youth had been a knight, the shoes would have
stretched at least three inches farther over the natural length of the
feet, the placard have shone with jewels, and the tunic luxuriated in
flowers of damacene. Even as it was, however, Marmaduke felt a natural
diffidence of his habiliments, which cost him a round third of his
whole capital; and no bride ever unveiled herself with more shamefaced
bashfulness than did Marmaduke Nevile experience when he remounted his
horse, and, taking leave of his foster-brother, bent his way to Warwick
Lane, where the earl lodged.

The narrow streets were, however, crowded with equestrians whose dress
eclipsed his own, some bending their way to the Tower, some to the
palaces of the Flete. Carriages there were none, and only twice he
encountered the huge litters, in which some aged prelate or some
high-born dame veiled greatness from the day. But the frequent vistas
to the river gave glimpses of the gay boats and barges that crowded the
Thames, which was then the principal thoroughfare for every class, but
more especially the noble. The ways were fortunately dry and clean for
London, though occasionally deep holes and furrows in the road menaced
perils to the unwary horseman. The streets themselves might well
disappoint in splendour the stranger's eye; for although, viewed at a
distance, ancient London was incalculably more picturesque and stately
than the modern, yet when fairly in its tortuous labyrinths, it seemed
to those who had improved the taste by travel the meanest and the
mirkiest capital of Christendom. The streets were marvellously narrow,
the upper stories, chiefly of wood, projecting far over the lower, which
were formed of mud and plaster. The shops were pitiful booths, and the
'prentices standing at the entrance bare-headed and cap in hand, and
lining the passages, as the old French writer avers, comme idoles,
[Perlin] kept up an eternal din with their clamorous invitations,
often varied by pert witticisms on some churlish passenger, or loud
vituperations of each other. The whole ancient family o