The dispute probably had to do with
churching of women," a highly contested matter in 17th c. Laura Gowing's
"Common Bodies" is a place to start.
Boyd M. Berry
English Department
Virginia Commonwealth University
P. O. Box 842005
Richmond Va. 23284 2005
804 828 6785
Fax 804 828 8684
On Mon, 6 Sep 2004, James W. Broaddus wrote:
> Are there descriptions or illustrations of the veils that sixteenth century English widows wore in church? I have reference to the 1654 OED citation under "veil": "A Byshop that suffered a woman to syt without a vayle in the Church among other wydowes." Were such veils 16th century versions of the medieval wimples, the illustrations of which I have seen did not cover the face. Were they, in effect, wimples that were pulled over the face so as to completely hide the widow's face?
>
> What I have in mind, of course, is Una's "vele."
>
> Is Una's face completely hidden until she throws away her "widow-like sad wimple . . . Wherewith her heauenly beautie she did hide" (xii.22)? In Una's initial description, her whiteness is hidden by a "vele, that wimpled was full low" (i.4). When separated from Redcrosse, Una, "far from all mens sight: / From her fayre head her fillet she vndight, / And layd her stole aside." At which point, "Her angels face / As the great eye of heauen shyned bright . . . Did neuer mortall eye behold such heauenly grace" (iii.5). (Hamilton annotates "fillet" as the head-piece with its veil.) Later, Sans Loy "snatcht the vele, that hong her face before; / Then gan her beautie shyne, as brightest skye" (vi.4).
>
> Jim Broaddus
>
>
> emeritus, Indiana State University
> Route 3 Box 1037
> Brodhead, KY 40409
> 606-758-8073
> [log in to unmask]
>
|