Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

186 A1�ts and Craf'ts ш the l\Iiddle Ages

practised at that time. In the reign of George П., in 1742, " An act to prevent the counterfeiting of gold and silver lace and for the settling and ad­ justing the proportions of fine silver апd silk, and for the better making of gold and silver lace," was passed. Ecclesiastical vestments '\Yere often trimmed ,vith heavy gold fringe, kпotted " fretty ,vise," and the em­ broideries \Ycre fшther eпriched ,vith jewels and small plaques of enamel. l\Iatthew Paгis relates а circumstance of certain garments being so hcavily weighted ,vith gold tlшt the clergy coпld not "·alk in them, and, in order to get the solid metal out again, it \Yas necessary to Ьшn the gaгments and thпs melt the gold. Jewelled robes were often seen in the Middle Ages; а chasuЫe is described as Ьaving been made for the Abbot of St. Albans, iп the t,yelfth century, "·hich \Yas practically co,тered with plaques of gold and precioнs stones. Imagine the uпpleasant physical sensation of а Ьishop in 1404, ,vho was oЫiged to wear а _golden mitre of "·hich the ground \Yas set v-. 1 ith laгge pearls, bordered with balas rнbles, and sapphires, and t1·immed " 1 ith indefinite extra pearls ! The body of St. Cecilia, ,vho \\"as шartyred iн 230, was interred in а gaгmcnt of рше woYen gold. Tl1e clotl1 of solid gold \Yhich " 1 as-used for state occa­ sions " 1 as called " tissнe; " tl1c thin раре1· in which it was "тарреd ,vhen it ,vas laid а\\'ау was known as tissue paper, апd Мг. \"\ т illiam Maskell states tlшt the nаше