" Aristotle said in his chapter on hats, that 

 the history of this indispensable finish to dress 

 would never be complete. Undoubtedly, some 

 serious writers, learned men of the first order, 

 have not hesitated in our day, in instituting an 

 inquiry into the principal historic periods of 

 fashion, to spend some time over the Petasus, 

 that head covering as indispensable to the 

 health of man as to the dignity of his bearing. 

 But these are far from summary indications o f 

 a work in accord with the importance of the 

 subject. I,et us hope that the prophecy of the 

 ancient philosopher will not be verified, and 

 that one day all the documents on this subject 

 will be collected with care. That which in our 

 eyes is only a fragment, drawn by chance from 

 an interesting commercial case, will become a 

 paragraph of an honorable quarto." 



^ Paragraph in the History of Beaver Hats — 16^4. 



— Anonymous. 



