or jerkin, worn by the woodman still retains the antiquated appellation of the doublet, and this also often is (as its progenitor of higher rank usually was) surrounded with the girdle, or ` belt. Barker, in his celebrated picture of " The Woodman," has judiciously taken advantage of this historic fact in the dress of the rural peasantry, and has depicted this rustic labourer, sallying forth to his work on a cold frosty morning, habited in his leathern jerkin, or doublet, which is held together by its accessory, the girdle, within which he has stuck his bill, whilst he is giving warmth to his hardy frame by the enjoyment of his pipe; and

The Girdle

also does actually encircle the waist, and brace together the doublet of John Halle. This article of dress has been very general amongst all nations, ancient and modern; it has prevailed in the wear of both sexes, and with every class of man, civil, ecclesiastic, or military.

Minshieu gives the following derivation of the word:-"A Girdle-Belg. Gordel. Teut. Gurtel, à Goth. gyrdel, quod idem significat," and this, he is of opinion, ultimately arises from the Lat. "gyro vel à Gr. yupòw, i. e. in orbem verto, in gyrum colligo." Minshieu appends the following synonymes :-" Hisp. Port. Cinto, Cinta-Gallic. Ceint, Ceinct, Ceinture, Ceincture -Ital. Cinto, Cintola, Cintura-Lat. Cinctus, Cingulum à Cingendo." There is another word,

which so nearly approximates in its application, that the two are now commonly regarded as synonymous, which is Belt. This is an anglicised Saxon Word, and, without doubt, remotely descended from the Latin Balteus, and Balteum, which words are supposed to be derived from bullatus, studded, or embossed; and thus, may we presume, that the belt, or military girdle (for that surely is the generic word) was studded with metal bosses to give it strength, and to prevent its severance by the sword of the enemy. I have thus reason to believe, that the word belt was originally, and strictly, appropriated to the cincture, by which either the shield, or the sword, was suspended; in fact, that the word belt was of military-the word girdle of civil import. Whatever truth there may be in this suggestion, the two words became so confounded, that (as before observed) we may now fairly regard them as synonymous, and, singularly enough, our poet, Dryden, has brought them thus lovingly together

"Nor did his eyes less longingly behold

The girdlebelt, with nails of burnish'd gold."

VIRG. EN.

There is no doubt, that the girdle was of coeval origin, and wear, with the tunic. The loose garment, for the convenience of motion, naturally called for restraint, and the girdle and buckle was the obvious accessory on the occasion. It was of usual wear amongst the Israelites, as we learn from various instances in the Old and New Testaments, and was often made

of very valuable materials. It was consequently held in great estimation. Strutt, in his Introduction to his elaborate work on "Dress, &c.," says, (p. xliv.) in speaking of the Israelites, "The girdle appears to have been considered as an essential part of the female habit, and esteemed not only for its usefulness, but also for the sake of ornament: those belonging to the women of distinction were made of fine linen; and in many instances superbly enriched with needle-work, and embroidery, as they are in the Eastern countries to this day." In a note he imparts this further information: "The Hebrew name for this part of the dress is chagora, and it is applied to the girdles of both sexes."

The Ephod of the High Priest was made "of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen," as appears by Exodus, xxxix 2, and by ver. 5, we learn, that "the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, as the Lord commanded Moses." The tunic of the priests was of fine twined linen, to which also was appropriated a girdle of the same (ver. 29)" blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needle-work."

Joab thus answers the man, who informed him, that he had seen Absalom suspended by his hair to the oak: "why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle.' Although it was usual with the Hebrews

2 Sam. xviii. 11.

constantly to wear the girdle, when moving abroad, yet it was also their custom to take it off, as well as their shoes, on the entering of a house, thus saying, in silent, and expressive, language," there is no need to hasten from the house of a friend;" and, in reference to this usage, the following directions are given, as to the mode of eating the passover:-" and thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand: and ye shall eat it in haste; it is the Lord's passover."*

That St. Paul wore the girdle is fully evidenced by Acts, xxi. 10, 11-" And as we tarried there" (at Cesarea) " many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands, and feet, and said, 'Thus saith the Holy Ghost, so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man, that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.""

The rich man, it is natural to suppose, was anxious, by the sumptuousness of his girdle, to shew forth the power of his wealth, whilst the poor man was of necessity content to gird his tunic with one of leather, and the latter thus became a token of humility. St. Matthew thus saith of John, the Baptist: " and the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his meat was locusts, and wild honey."†

The prophets were in like manner accustomed to shew their own humility in opposition to the pride of the world; thus Ahaziah inquired of the messengers, "What manner of man was he, which came up to meet you, and told you these words? and they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah, the Tishbite."

Thus also during the prevalence of those humbled feelings, which are begotten by the pressure of affliction, or the sense of the divine displeasure, was it usual for man to divest himself of the trappings of worldly distinction, and to replace them by tokens of deep mental anguish-to throw aside the embroidered girdle, and, in its stead, to gird himself with sack-cloth. Thus "Jacob rent his clothes, and put sack-cloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days." + These pious feelings led in more modern times to the most deplorable superstition; and man, sent on earth to be happy, and to enjoy those good things, which his gracious, and beneficent, God vouchsafed him, made it, mistakenly, a merit to reject his gifts, and madly accounted it a praise to be miserable. "The Franciscan Friars wore a coarse grey coat down to their heels, with a coat or hood of the same for their head and shoulders, and a rope for their girdle. They begged, barefooted, from door to door, and so were called grey, barefooted, and begging friars,

* 2 Kings i. 7, 8.

+ Gen. xxxvii. 34.