The Opelousas courier., 1885-06-27
Curious Shoes and S0bots.

An interesting book could be writ
ten or the history of shoes, as hardly
any other article of apparel has under
gone so many changes in shape ant
ornamentation, and shows Up more
mans vanity and fashions folly. Th'
old Britons wore, according to Mey
rick, shoes made of raw coWiiide, with
the hair turned outward and coming
up to the ankles. They much resem,
bled the brog, still used in remote
parts of Ireland. In Roman times The
chiefs and mobiles OF Britain adopted,
in addition to the sandals, the costly
side-laced shoes of their conquerers.
The Anglo-Saxon shoes were open at
the instep and secured by y thong.
Princes and high ecclesiastical digni'
taries wore them of gold stuff, with
lattice pattern embroidery and point
ed toes. This fashion of pointed shoes
lasted from the time Of Rufus to tlas
of Henry VII. Ordericus Vitalis speaks
Of them in the twelfth century, and
said they were invented by somo one
who was deformer in tie f4ot. Shoes,
with points made like a scorpions tai,
were called "~pigacie," and d courtier
named Robert stuffed the points Of lis
shoes with tow. causing them to curl
round like a rams horn-~a fashion
which obtained for the inventor the
name of "Cornadu."
In the reign of Richard H., the
length of the pointed boots and shoes
increased to such an extent that they
embarrassed the wearers In walking.
"Their shoes and patterns says
Strut, quoting from Camden. care
shouted and piked, more than a fingor
long, erooking upward. which they
call 'crackowes," resembling devils
claws, and fastened to the knees with
chains Of gold and silver"
French pattens with wooden soles-
and stills were also shouted and peak
ed, and the length of the peak for tho
lower classes was regulated BY royal
decree. The "snouts" of these crack
owes were sometimes six inches long,
and although reduced to more moder
ate dimensions during the reigns Of
Henry ". and his son, the fashion
became again extrayagant under Hem
VI, and the "poulaines,' as the enor-
mously long-toed boots of that period
were called, were made the subject of
prohibitory statues in the reign of Ed
ward w. Thus it was enacted
that any shoemaker who made for I'M
privileged commoners any shoes sr
boots, the toes of which exceeded two
inches in length, should forfeit So
This had only the effect taat fashion
rushed to the opposite extreme, and
in the sixteenth century the shoes
became as absurdly wide at tie toe
as they had previously been tapering.
These broad-toed shoes seem to has .
originated in Switzerland, .uere hal
berdiers and lansquenets began TO
wear them toward the end o. the fl
teenth century. In the reigit of Aary,
the width at the toe was limitel TO s'8
inches, and after this period shoes be-
gan to assume some resemblance
their present form.
A most curious fashion was In
the sixteenth century,imrorGeai
from Turkey into Italy, and from Ven
ice into England, shoes fla ed on q
sort Of a silt, clog Or false heel Of va
rying height. Thomas Co1yate, ic his
"Crudities," 1911. says: "They are SO
common in Venice that no woman
whatsoever goeth without, ,HLer in
her house or abroad. 1t IS a thiag
made of wood and covered nth le.:J
er of sundry %colors, with some sal+e,
some red, some yellow; it is callee. :,
ehapiney, which they wear under vhei"
shoes. Many of them are eur;oss-y
painted, some also of them Silt"