INTRODUCTION. 
17 
moured knight indicated his passion by wearing 
a red and violet scarf—if he made choice of a 
reddish grey colour, it was to denote.that love 
had urged him to the combat—on the other 
hand, the combination of yellow, green, and 
violet, proclaimed that the knight returned tri¬ 
umphant from the conflict, and had gained the 
reward of love. 
In France, where the symbolical meaning of 
colours was formed into a regular system, great 
importance was attached to the art of expressing 
ideas by the selection of particular colours for 
dresses, trimmings, &c. Francis I., however, 
broke through all the rules of etiquette on this 
point. In the reign of that monarch, widows 
were permitted to wear any colours and stuffs 
they pleased for under-garments, and for gowns 
they were at liberty to choose one of two colours, 
a privilege which they had not previously en¬ 
joyed. In course of time, the practice of adopt¬ 
ing colours for the purpose of emblematic repre¬ 
sentations gradually declined, and was observed 
only in the choice of arms and liveries, in which 
it has been retained, with certain modifications, 
to the present day. 
