OE, PLAIN TEACHING. 



71 



streets were absolutely dark, and 

 country roads impassable. Laws 

 were made to compel citizens to 

 place candles in their windows, or 

 to hang out lanterns, and watch- 

 men, 13, were sent round to warn 

 them of their duty. Paris was 

 the first city to improve upon 

 this state of things, by adopting, 

 in the year 1558, cumbersome 

 vessels called falots, 14 ; these 

 consisted of a sort of vase, filled 

 with pitch, resin, etc, which were 

 burnt in the principal thorough- 

 fares. In England similar con- 

 trivances, called cressets, 15, were 



a footman, bearing links, 16. 

 By the doors of many houses 

 may still be 

 seen hollow 

 iron cones y 17. 

 These were 

 for the pur- 

 pose of ex- 

 tinguishing 

 the torches, 

 when no long- 

 er required. 

 Humble per- 

 sons were 

 waited upon 

 by poor link- 

 m en, who, for 

 a few pence, 

 guided them 



on their journey. In Paris, 

 stalls were kept for letting out 



306. 



304. 



305. 



adopted. But these were offen- 

 sive, dangerous, and costly ; they 

 were, therefore, soon superseded 

 x by a rude kind of lantern, made 

 of a frame covered with horn and 

 oiled cloth, or varnished parch- 

 ment. G-entry, when they ven- 

 tured abroad, were attended by 



links, which were 

 always in readi- 

 ness after dark. 

 In 1667, glass oil- 

 lamps were intro- 

 duced into Paris, 

 and, probably, 

 soon afterwards, 308 ' 

 into England. The oil-lamps, 17#, 



