HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



259 



covered the under part of the foot. The kings and 

 lords adorned the firings with rich ribands of gold and 

 jewels. 



All the Mexicans wore their hair long, and were dis- 

 honoured by being fhaved, or having it clipped, except 

 the virgins confecrated to the fervice of the temples. 

 The women wore it loofe, the men tied in different 

 forms, and adorned their heads with fine plumes, both 

 when they danced and when they went to war. 



It would be difficult to find a nation which accompa- 

 nied fo much Simplicity of drefs, with fo much vanity and 

 iuxury in other ornaments of their perfons. Befides 

 feathers and jewels, with which they ufed to adorn their 

 clothes, they wore ear-rings, pendants at the under-lip, 

 and many likewife at their nofes, necklaces, bracelets for 

 the hands and arms, and alfo certain rings like collars 

 about their legs. The ear-rings and pendants of the 

 poor were fliells, pieces of cryftal, amber, or fome other 

 fliining little flone ; but the rich wore pearls, emeralds, 

 amethyfts, or other gems, fet in gold. 



Their houfehold furniture was by no means corre- 

 fpondent to this paflion for perfonal finery. Their 

 beds were nothing elie than one or two coarfe mats of 

 rufhes, to which the rich added fine palm mats, and 

 flieets of cotton ; and the lords, linen woven with fea- 

 thers. The pillow of the poor was a flone or piece of 

 wood; that of the rich, probably of cotton. The com- 

 mon people did not cover themfelves in bed with any 

 thing elfe than the tilmatli, or mantle, but the higher 

 ranks and nobles made ufe of counterpanes of cotton 

 and feathers. At dinner, inflead of a table, they Spread 

 a mat upon the ground; and they ufed napkins, plates, 

 porringers, earthen pots, jugs, and other veffels of fine 



clay, 



