Sumptuary Laws

(intended to repre extravagance in eating, drinking, and dre ) were common in ancient times, and appear in the old statute books of most modem nations. After the Twelve Tables, the first Roman sumptuary law was the Lex Oppia, directed only against female extravagance in. dre , jewelry, etc. The Lex Julia, the last one, was pa ed in the reign of August us. These laws were revived by Charlemagne, and were kept in force until the reign of Louis XV. In England they were SURGERY pa ed from the time of Edward III. to the Reformation, but were not all expunged from the statute book until 1856. They were pa ed by the ancient Scottish legislature, but were all repealed, evaded, or neglected.