Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-12-11
arD, or THs OLDEs TIHr
Something About the Beds ot the AncIsnts and
ntber FoIks.

Something About the beds "' the ancients and
Other Folks
A writer in the Cosmopolitan says: The
beds of the sncients had In general few Pc
culiarities 10 distinguish them from our own
simp pler FORMS Both the Greeks and Romans
had their beds supported on frames that re-
sembled our modern bedsteads feather and
wool mattresses were common, and tho bed
clothing, In the luxurious periods Of each
nation, was richly decorated with elaborate
needlework. The Britons when conquered
by Caesar, slept ON skins, after the manner Of
North American Indians but at later
period tley made use OF straw sacks a. beds.
The ancient Egyptians had a couch OF pecu.
liar shape, and proiuston 0f soft cushions
and richly embroidered drapery Most of
the beds mentioned In the Bible were prob
ably of the ordinary simple kind
"During the middle ages beds were made
of coarse CANVAS and filled with straw or
leaves These could be opened and the litter
remade daily, ~ IN the custom to-day with
the mattresses in the old-iashionedrnns OF
France and Italy. The bedsteads ere low-
posted and usually had canopy at the
head In the Bayeux tapestry Edward the
Copfsssor is represented a. lying upon
raised seat, his head supported 10y squared
pillows, and the canopy over bis head is at
tached to the wall scott, 10 his romancelof
tIyapboe' describes one OF the beds in the
mans sion of Cedric the Saxon As consisting of
rude 'thatch or bed frame, stuffed with
clean straw and accommodated with two or
three sheep.skius by way OF bod clothes
The bed OF the Lady Rowens was adorned
with rich tapestry and surrounded with cur
taIns of dyed purple
"The house OF the ancient English gentle
man was not, ~ a general thing, provided
with bedrooms. \ chsmOer or shed WAS
built against the wall that lnCOsed the man
sion and its dependencies, and in this little
cell the lord andjhis lady slept Sometimes
there WAS another chamber Of the same kind
built for the daughters and young ladies' OF
the house. Many allusOns to such bed
rooms are found in Chaucer. In the 'Mlller's
Tale there is such a room spoken OF in the
carpenters house. The miller in the
Reeves Tale, had only one bedroom, and
his daughter slept in the same room IN bed
covered with Sheets and thaouns c1vsrlets
fairly spread AS genera thing the young
men of the house and the guests slept on the
tables.and benches in the great hail. where
wooilen coyerlets or blankets were provided
for warmth. Servants and attendants slept
upon the floor
"Later in the time oil tue TudOrs the
-four poste' bedstead, an immense piece OF
furniture having a canopy supported at each
corner by the posts, became the fashionable
sleeping couch. Some OF the old Wills men
toned posted set-work beJ-teads.' Ihese
paneled bedstesds were sometimes OF elegant
aud massive architecture. The columns re-
sembled huge balusters, and rose from square
dado cases, and all the frame pieces were
carved with decorative mO.dlnEs ol various
patterns. On some Of the earlier Dedsteads
the columns terminated with uguTes repre-
senting the four evangellSts-
"lu IL medieval ballad there IS mention
made OF the four gospellOrouS gospelers or
evaDgelists) on the four IllluUes lPllIars)
and heads of angels all OF one mold. ne IN
vocation still In use in some Of the English
country places is An echo OF this Old custom !:
aplyI Pat. ..rr.l 1.fT.t
Bless the bed that -Ircp uH,
Two angels at my heal,
Four angels round my head;
Two To watch and two jo pray,
And two to carry NY soAI way.
"Under these great 'selt-wOrk bedsteads
were put trundle-peds for the body servants
and children. 1t Is related OF a spanish sage
who went to Enga with his master in the
time of Queen Elizabeth that one day while
wandering about the spa lou~ mansion he
entered the rooms where the maids were
making the beds, and spying the arrange
ment of the sliding bed was quite taken with
them. In his own country ne had slept on
straw in the hostler's lott, hul IN England he
had found that rather r0miortaple on ac-
count OF the cold. SO he said to ms master
'Sir there are sort OF little beds under the
great beds in this house which they are Tor
servants | pray you TO -uIler me 10 lie IN
one OF them In the sleeping chamber was
usually perch Answering 20 an O!d-iash'
ioned clothes-horsG. 'On It, says an Ola
writer, hang your clotho+i mhntles, tro3ks,
coaks coats, doublets, iursr winter clothes,
and of summer
Shakespeare's secOn .hast bed with
the turniture,' which he bclueathed to his
wife, Ann Hathaway, was undoubtedly one
OF those huge Elizabeth hed,teads with can
opy, curtains and square pillows The iur
niture' consisted OF the hanged beds,
harden sheets, which were made ot coarse
flax, tear Sheets of tine ItN, flock Ded'
coyerets,' pillow beers and counter points,
| so named from the fact that the squares wert
| in contrasting colors, The we'll u-tU-dO. gentle
man OF the middle ages kept good supply
| of bedding. In The IU"ulI uJ the Mrcn
| Gremlo glibly names over the furniture o
his country house, and is careful To Include
| bed apparel.
| g" n ivory golfers have studied my crowns
In cypress chests my ARIA, counter points
Costly apparel, tents and rauopie-, -,
Fine linen, Turkish C.shlous, h1red VII
pearl.
| Nalence or Venice gold or uccdle-wOlk.
| "The 'Great Bed OF Ware mentioned b.
| Shakespeare is probably the largest bed Il
| the world. 1t is of the Tudor style twelV
| feet square, OF solid oak and elaborated
carved. For three centuries or more 1t hs
| been preserved at the inn Of the Saracen
Head, in the town of Ware IN llertiordshir'
As many as twelve persons have slep' in {.
| at one time"