_Custom of Women wearing Masks in the Theatre._--When did this custom
originate? It was not common before the civil wars, nor in fashion till
some time after the Restoration. Masked ladies are often mentioned in the
prologues and epilogues to the plays of Dryden, Lee, Otway, &c. The custom
probably originated in France. A dispute which ended in a duel (concerning
a Mrs. Fawkes) caused the entire prohibition of women's wearing masks in
the playhouse. This was about the 5th of Queen Anne.