The Greenville times., 1894-12-01
THE HISTORY Of GLOVES.


ltox They Beeams Articles Of kateaent
and Played Part in History.
One of the earliest records of the use
of gloves in England is found in the
reign Of EtheIred H., to whom some
German merchants paid a toll Of five
pairs of gloves. 1t was not. however,
until the eleventh century that they
were generally worn by both sexes A
pair of gloves is said to be the bottom
Of the quarrel between Queen Anne
and the duchess of Marlborough, which
drove the queen to throw herself in the
arms of the tories. According to Abb
gail Hills account, she was sent one
DAY by her mistress to get a pair OF
gloves, which had been left on table
in an adjoining room. Abigail found
that the duchess, who was reading a
letter at the table, had inadvertently
put on the gloves instead of her own.
On being informed Of her mistake she
flung them on the ground, exclaiming:
''Have really worn anything which
has touched the odious hands Of that
disagreeable woman?' Unfortunately
for her grace, the door between the
rooms had been left ajar; the queen
heard all and never forgave it.
Queen Anne's were not the only
gloves to bring about an important po-
litieal crisis. The Huguenots firmly
believed that the death of Jeane d. AL
bert was due to poison administered
through pair of gloves. The queen
Of Navarro had come to Paris TO ar
range the marriage Of her son tafter.
ward Henry W. with Marguerite of
Valois, daughter Of Henri II. and Cath
crime de Medici Like many another
lady she seized the opportunity for do
ing little shopping, and her ill-fate
led her to the Italian perfumer Maitre
Rene, from whom she bought pair of
scented gloves. Immediately afterward
She was struck down by a fatal illness
and the Huguerots whispered that it
was not for nothing that Maitre Rene's
goods were so highly esteemed by
Queen Catherine, for whom Queen
Jeanne's death proved most opportune.
Even before the days of Maitre Rene
Paris gloves were celebrated. Margaret
Tudor, countess Of Richmond, wrote in
l495 to the queens chamberlain,
lamenting that the French gloves that
he had sent her were "too much for
her hand, and slyly adding that the
French ladies must be great alto
geLher, not only in estates but in
their persons. A few years later the
queen of France was sending a ring
and glove to the king of Scotland, not
for the benefit of his wife, but to
tempt him into quarreling with his
brother-in-law, Henri VIII. Those fatal
tokens lured James Nv. TO Flodden
Field.
Still more celebrated has been the
glove which, after this period. was
flung into lions den. II that glove,
which Sire dc Lorges tossed back into
his lady's face can not strictly be said
to have played part in history, its
legend has been familiar TO us from
childhood, and has long been a feature
in every volume of selections intended,
to use an old-fashioned phrase, "for the
use of young persons"
King Francis and his laughing court
might well have shuddered could they
have looked forward for two centuries
and half and seen what gloves would
be regarded as the height of fashion in
1894. No perfumed and jeweled trihes,
fringed in gold and embroidered in
silk, came from the tannery which a
good patriot established at Meudon.
The gloves which he offered TO his
patrons were made from human skins
the skins of victims to La Sainte Csuil.
lotine. 1t twould have been well could
old Simon Glover have returned from
the grave to strike good blow TO
avenge the honor of his craft. The
motto of the Glovers of Perth: "Tbe
perfect honour of our craft, or beauty
OF a trade, is not in wealth but in
moral worth, whereby virtue gains
renowne," could have been blazoned
above the door of the Meudon tauperv
N, Y. Advertiser.