THE ELIZABETHAN FAIRIES

90 APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS
served as fairy costumes in Queen Elizabeth's Progress
at Norwich, had,
eyther upon white silke or fine linnen, greene segges, stiched
cunningly on a long garment, so well wrought, and set on, as
scarce any whit might be perceived. And every Nimph had in hir
hand a great bundell of bulrushes, and had on hir head a garland
of ivie, under the whiche ivie was a coyfe of mosse, and under the
mosse was here long goodly heare like golden tresses, that covered
hir shoulders, and in a manner raughte downe unto hir middle.lo8
An idea of the fairies' dress can be gained also, from
the apparel of the characters who were mistaken for
fairies in the plays of the period. Imogen in Cymbeline
was in page's clothes when she was likened to a fairy,lo4
as was Alathe in The Night-Walker.lo"arina in
Pericles was dressed in the usual costume of a gentle-
woman when she was identified with the fairy race,lO"
and Thomas in Monsieur Thomas was masquerading in
his sister's clothes when he was given the rhle of a fairy
or spirit.lo7 From these instances, it would seem that
the fairies at times wore the usual male and female at-
tire of the country. This conclusion is corroborated by
Bovet, who, describing the fairies in 1684, states that
" their habits used to be of red, blew, or green, accord-
ing to the old way of country garb, with high-crown'd
hats." lo8
103 Nichols, Prog. of Eliz., Vol. 11, p. 199.
lo4 111, 6.
lO"letcher, I, I.
v, I.
Fletcher, IV, 6.
lo8 Pandaemonium, Hazlitt rpt., p. 335.
In the woodcut found in Robin Goodfellow; his mad prankes, and
merry Jests, 1628, picturing Robin Goodfellow, presumably, in the
midst of the fairy dance, the fairies are represented as men and
women in high-crowned hats.