Random Bits & Pieces
Theatrical Costumes
Actors apparently have access to very good second-hand clothes
to use as costumes. From an inventory of the Lord Chamberlain's
Men (Shakespeare's company) comes this gaudy note in
Henslow's Diary: "Bought: a doublet of white
satin laid thick with gold lace and a pair of
round hose [slops] of cloth of silver, the panes
laid with gold lace."
Jewelry & Decoration
In spite of the fact that Puritan preacher Philip
Stubbs complains of people wearing rings on every
finger of the hand, the middle finger is very unpopular.
This is apparently evidence of a common notion that the
middle finger is for fools.
Among the nasty elements of that very white face
makeup are antimony and lead. It all looks better by candlelight.
School terms
The civil year (legal, Parliamentary, and Oxford university)
is divided into four sessions or terms, designated
by the feast day which begins them.
Hilary | January–April |
Easter | April–May |
Trinity | June–July |
Michaelmas | October–December |
At Cambridge the terms are Lent, Easter, and Michaelmas.
Heraldry
The "bend sinister" across a coat of arms does
not indicate bastardy. (Refer to Fox-Davies.)
Bastards are not entitled to their fathers' coat of arms
without special application, when any of several marks
maybe used for this purpose.
Medicine
Medicines prescribed by physicians are made up by an
apothecary. The apothecaries belong to the Grocers
Company and have to serve an apprenticeship.
The Seasons
The expression St. Martin's Summer refers to what
Americans call "Indian summer": an unusually summery
period sometime in the Fall. St. Martin's Day is November 11.
The seasons are understood to begin not on the equinox or solstice but when the weather and land actually change:
Spring | Candlemas | February 1 |
Summer | May Day | May 1 |
Fall | Lammas | August 1 |
Winter | All Saints Day | November 1 |
Sources
Henslow's Diary
Hutton: Seasons of the Sun
Kuntz: Rings for the Finger
Fox-Davies: A Complete Guide to Heraldry
27 March 2008 mps
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