Circumspect Walking, Chapter 26
CHAP. XXVI.
Rules of wisedome concerning our apparell.
HAuing thus finished the rules of wisdome,Rules for apparell. concerning meat, and drinke, and recreations, we come to such rules as concerne apparel: and they are foure:
1.1. For the matter. The matter of our apparell must not be stately and costly; which must be measured partly by the ability our selues hauehave, partly the condition of life we are in, and partly by the example of such as are sober, graue, and wise in our ranke. Yea, euen in the matter of our apparell, our sobriety and modesty must appeare; yea, our humility; when God made Adam garments, he made them of skins,Primavestis data est propter vsum, non propter luxum▪ homely and base, that hee might reade therein his mortality, and that by his sinne hee was become like the beasts whose skins couered him.
2.2. The fashion. For the manner of our apparell, it must not be strange, garish affecting new fashions, which argues leuity and new fanglednesse, but such as becommeth holinesse, Tit. 2. 3. and according to the sober custome of our Countrey and ranke. Zeph. 1. 8. I will visit Kings Children, and those that weare strange apparell; that is, such as in the forme or fashion is wanton, curious, odde, sauouring of pride, lightnesse, and singularity. A fearefull threat, vnderunder which our whole land lieth, which is a receptacle of all the fashion of all Countries, besides our owne daily inuentions of new fashions of monstrous apparell, that were men and womens bodies as monstrous as their apparell, they would bee cast out of the company and account of men: and how soeuer their bodies bee, surely their mindes be monstrous, and filled with vanity: and how iust were it with God, seeing such persons will not fashion their cloathes to their bodies, to fashion them to their clothes? The Apostle wisheth vsus not to fashion our selues according to the world; which precept is so farre out of date and vse, that almost the fashions of al the world, and the vanity of all Countries, may seeme to bee arriued and landed in this land of ours,England the worlds ape. that a man may read in capitall letters vponupon mens garments the lightnesse and lewdnesse that is within.
3.3 For measure. For the measure of it: beware of excesse in apparell, which is a great sinne, and carrieth with it, 1. Expence of wealth, which might be better reserued to the vse of the Church or Commonwealth,Excesse in apparell a great sin. Reason. or couering the poore and naked Saints. All excesse is commonly maintained with couetousnesse, iniustice, or vnmercifulnesse. 2. A note of a vaine mind that glories in his wardrobe, as if a theefe should boast of his bolts, or glory in his brand, or marke of fellony: for apparell is the couer of our shame. 3. Waste of time, and idlenes, in the too accurate and curious culture of the body, which should be spent either in adorning the soule, or following our ordinary calling. 4. Oftentimes debts & vniust detaining of mens dues from them. We hauehave knowne great rents soone turned into great ruffes, and lands into laces. We hauehave heard of some braue dames, in such variety of fashions and colours, as if they had stood in a Pedlars shop about them: and of some braue Gallants, that hauehave carried some whole Mannors vponupon their backs. But M. Latimer, in his time a man of much obseruation, noted one commodity in his leather coat, which he wore at the Court; when the Gallants mocked him, hee told them his was paid for, and so were not many of their Veluets and Sattins.
4.4. The kinds of apparell. Consider the ends and vse of apparell, and that is, 1. spirituall, 2. ciuill. 1. Spirituall.Spirituall, many wayes: 1. When by putting cloathes on, wee see our misery, and in the nakednesse of our bodies the nakednesse of our soules. 2. When we labour to put on Christ Iesus as a garment, to couer vsus form the stormes & tempests which our sinnes hauehave raised against vsus. I counsell thee to buy of me the white garments of innocency, Re. 3. 3. When by girding our apparell to vsus, we labour to girt vp our loynes, and looke for our Lord Iesus. 4. When by putting off our old garments, wee daily put off some relique of the old man. 5. When in adorning the body, wee study to adorne the minde with humility, holinesse, modesty, meeknesse, &c. Not make any superstitious vse, or put religion in garments.
Ciuill,2. Ciuill: thre…fold. and that is threefold: 1. for health, 2. for honesty,1. Health▪ 3. for ornament.
1. For health and necessity, to defend vsus from the iniury of weather, and to keepe vsus warme: to this end God cloathed Adam; and it is a curse to put on clothes, and not be warme, Hag 1. 6.
2. For honesty,2. Honesty: in in two branches: 1. Decencie. 2. Distinction.
First,Decency. decencie: for nakednesse in the state of innocency was a glorious ornament, but presently after the fall, shame and deformity came in; and therfore presently Adam sewed leaues together, and God made coates to hide and couer that nakednes. Now decency requires seemely and clenly apparel, not fordid, base, and slouenly: and condēneth that affected nakednes of men & women, especially, who weare their cloathes, so as they discouer the nakednesse of many parts of their bodie; whereas sinne hath cast shame on eueryevery part, and cals for a couer ouer all but for necessity.
Secondly,Distinction. distinction of persons, sexes, ages, and callings. The man may not weare the womans apparel, nor the woman the mans, Deut. 22. 5. Against which law of nature and common honesty, how manly doe women attire themselues, and how effeminately doe men imitate women, as though both were willing to change sexes? How vndecent is it to see an old man in a youthfull habit, to see a Minister in his ruffians haire, pickadillies, and fashion like some souldier? to see a peasant cloathed like a Prince? as all sorts of men almost are confused in apparell. Ioseph when hee was set ouer all the land of Egypt, was distinguished from inferiour Princes by his fine linnen, and golden chaine. In times past soft garments were in Kings houses, but now that is no distinction of Courtiers.