The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

144 THE HIGHLANDERS [part r
flowing, like the mantles our painters give their heroes. Their
thighs are bear, with brawny
her strokes bold and masterly.
muscles. Nature has drawn all
What is covered is only adapted
to necessity; a thin brogue on the foot, a short buskin of various;
colours on the leg, tied above the calf with a striped pair of
garters." According to Nicolay d'Arfeville, cosmographer to
the King of France (who published at Paris, in the year 1583,:
a volume entitled " La Navigation du Roy d'Escosse Jaques'
cinquiesme du nom, autour de son Royaume et Isles Hebrides
et Orchades soubz la conduite d'Alexandre Lindsay excellent
Pilote Escossois"), " lis portent comme les Islandois une grand
et ample chemise saffranee, et par dessus un habit long jusques
aux genoux de grosse laine a mode d'une soutane. lis vont
teste nue et laisent croistre leurs cheveux fort long, et ne portent
chausses ni souliers sinon quelques uns qui ont des botines
faictes a I'antique qui leur montent jusques aux genoux. "^
Lesly gives a more minute description of this dress in 1578.
He says :— " Vestes ad necessitatem (erant enim ad bellum in
primis accommodatae) non ad ornatum faciebant : chlamydes
enim gestabant unius forma; et nobiles et plebeii (nisi quod
nobiles variegatis sibi magis placebant) et illas quidem demissas
ac fluxas, sed in sinus tamen quosdam, ubi volebant, decenter
contractas. Has brachas a veteribus appellatas facile equidem
crediderim. His solis noctu involuti suaviter dormiebant :
habebant etiam, cujusmodi Hibernenses et hodie sibi placent,
villosas stragulas, alias ad iter, alias ad lectos accommodatas.
Reliqua vero vestimenta erant brevis ex lana tunicella manicis
inferius apertis,
uti expeditius cum vellent jacula torquerent,
ac fo^moralia simplicissima, pudori quam frigori aut pompse
ex lino quoque amplissima indusia conficiebant, multis
aptionne ;
sinibus, largioribusque manicis ad genua usque negligentius
fluentia. Ha^c potentiores croco, alii autem adipe quodam, quo
ab omn' sorde diutius manerent Integra, illinebant : assuefacere
^ "
They wear, like tl)e Irish, a large
and full shirt, coloured with saffron,
grow very long, and they wear neither
stocl'ings nor shoes, except and over this a garment, hanging to
some who
liave buskins, made in a very old
the knee, of thick wool, after the fashion, which come as high as their
manner of a cassock. They go with knees."
bare heads, and allow their hair to