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Show H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. coats of cotton, interwoven with foft feathers, or the hair of the rabbit. Women of rank wore, bcfides the huepilli, an upper velt, fumething like the furplice or gown of our eccleGaltics, but larger and with longer fh:eves ( o). Their !hoes were nothing but foles of leather, or coarfe cloth of the maguei, tied with firings, and only covered the under part of the foot. The kings and lords adorned the firings with rich ribbands of gold and jewels. All the M xicans wore their hair long, and were diflwnoured by being fhaved, or having it clipped, except the virgins confecrated to the fervi<.:e of the temples. ·The women wore it loofe, the men tied in different forms, and adorned their heads with fine plumes, both when they danced and when they went to war. · It would be difficult to find a nation which accompanied fo much nmplicity of drefs, with fo much vanity and luxury in other ornaments of their perfons. Befides feathers and jewels, with which they ufed to adorn their cloaths, they wore ear-rings, pendants at the under- lip, and many likewife at their nofes, necklaces, bracelets -for the hands and arms, and alfo certain rings like collars about their legs. The earrings and pendants of the poor were fhells,. ,pieces of cry1l:al, amber, or fome other fhining little ftone ; but the rich wore pearls, ei11eralJ , amethyfts, or other gems, fet in gol.J. Their houfhold furniture was by no means correfpondent to· this paffion for perfonal finery. Their beds were nothing elfe than one or two coarfe mats of rufhes, to which the rich added. fine palm mats, and ilieets of cotton ; and the lords, linen wove with feathers. The pillow of the poor was a 1l:one or piece of wood; that of the rich, probably of cotton. The common people did not cover them1Clves in bed with any thing elfe than the tilmatli, or mantle, bu.t the high.er ranks and nobles made ufe of counterpanes of cotton and feathers. At dinner, infl:ead of a table, they fpread a mat upon the ground ;. and they ufed napkins, plates, porringers, earthen pots, jugs, and other veffels of fine clay~ but not, as we can difcover, either knives or fork . Their chairs were low feats of wood and rufhes, or. palm, or a kind (o), We have fpoken c:lfewh.cre of the habi ts of the kings, pricfts, and military perfons. of I 437 DOOK VIT. .. S E C To LXVII. Orname n1~. S ~ c ·r . I.xv 111. DomcO ic fur- 1 nirure atHl · employ ments. |