CHAPTER XIII. 

 LIVERY. 



ITS ORIGIN, REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE SHAPE AND MAKE, 

 DETAILS DEFINED, AND COST. 



THE wearing of livery 

 by servants has its origin 

 in the ancient custom, in- 

 stituted by feudal lords, of 

 distributing to the under- 

 chiefs and retainers uni- 

 forms bearing some royal 

 cognizance in the form of 

 a combination of colors or a badge. From the old French 

 word livre'e, meaning the delivery, the term " livery " has 

 been taken to signify the uniform given to dependants. The 

 apparel of each servant was distinctive and of an elaborate- 

 ness which is handed down only in illustrations and theatrical 

 representations of bygone days. The form, the color and 

 the buttons of liveries intended for the several orders of 

 dependants were and are prescribed and cannot be arbi- 

 trarily determined by the master. The tendency to ignore 

 such long observed laws is happily decreasing in this 

 country, as the struggle for the almighty dollar gives place 

 to a desire for a more intelligent understanding of the 

 details of private life. In costuming servants according 

 to the ancient and modern laws governing this subject, 

 much latitude is given for the display of individual taste and 



