The part of Harlequin, in the Italian comedy, appears to have originated in the role of the zanni, or clown, which comprised several varieties, such as Scapino, Coviello, etc.  The costume of the part, whether the zanni represented a stupid lout or a bright and resourceful valet, consisted of a loose jacket, very full trousers, a small cape, a broad-brimmed hat with feathers, and a wooden sword.  This dress was varied later for the parts of Sganarelle and Pierrot, and the Harlequin dress itself was changed to a certain extent in the sixteenth century.

A description of his costume has come down to us from the time of Henry IV.  “It is composed of a jacket open in front and fastened by cheap ribbons; of tight-fitting pantaloons, covered with pieces of cloth of different colors, placed at random.  The jacket also is patched.  He has a stiff, black beard, the black half-mask, and a cap shaped like those of the time of Francis I; no linen; the belt, the pouch, and the wooden sword.  His feet are clad in very thin foot-gear, covered at the ankles by the pantaloons, which serve as gaiters” (Maurice Sand, Masques et Bouffons, p. 72).  It was further changed, as well as the character itself, by the famous Dominique, of the Italian comedians to King Louis XIV.  He made of Harlequin a clever and witty personage, instead of a stupid lout, and this change was accepted by the writers of plays for that particular troupe.  The dress is greatly modified.  The jacket is closer fitting; the trousers less full and shorter in the leg, coming down to just below the calf; the patches, still much larger than in the modern dress, are arranged symmetrically; the hat is soft, with a brim and a small plume; the shoes are of the ordinary seventeenth century shape, with the bow of ribbon on the instep.  The wooden sword remains, as well as the half-mask, but with a moustache in the place of the former stiff beard.

The part was then played more and more as one calling for much spirit and endless fun-making powers,—­so much so that when it was admitted to the stage of the Comedie-Francaise it evoked very strong condemnation as being unworthy of the gravity of the place.

The modern dress of Harlequin, rarely seen save in pantomimes, is a very brilliant close-fitting costume, composed of small triangles of bright cloth covered with spangles.

[3] QU’OUI.  The correct form would be que oui, as the initial vowel of oui is now treated as an aspirate.

[4] CELA VA TOUT DE SUITE, ‘That is a matter of course.’  ’That is the natural conclusion’ (judging from the desire of most girls to marry).  The expression tout de suite now means ‘at once,’ ‘immediately.’  It is not in that sense that it is used here.  Read, cela va de suite, considering the adverb tout as simply adding emphasis to the expression.  The word suite was taken in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the sense of ‘consequence’ or ‘order.’