Girdles

These were the most beautiful and costly articles of dre during the Middle Ages. They were frequently made entirely of gold or silver, decorated with cameos, precious stones, . Besides the knightly sword; the purse, dagger, rosary, or penner and ink-horn and other objects were suspended from the girdle. From this word the waist was called the girdlestead, or place ( sted ) of the girdle. The girdles of ladies were equally splendid, and frequently depended nearly to the ground, as in Fig. 355. The girdle is an attribute of St. Thomas, from a legend that the Virgin, pitying his weakne of faith, threw down to him her girdle, after her a umption into heaven.