BREECHES, a part of the dress of most Europeans, worn by males, and reaching from the waist to the knees. The Romans had no dress corresponding with our breeches. This article appears to be a habit peculiar to the barbarous nations of the North: they were worn by the ancient Gauls, Germans, and Britons; and were also introduced into Italy, as early as the time of Augustus, where they afterwards grew so fashionable, that Honorius and Arcadius thought proper to restrain them by a law, and to expel the breeches-makers from Rome, under the idea that it was unworthy a nation which ruled the world, to wear the apparel of barbarians.
With respect to the construction of this article of our dress, it may be useful to observe, that if made too tight in the waistband, or of improper materials, they must necessarily occasion uneasiness, and prove injurious to the body. The form most to be preferred, and now very generally adopted, is that of pantaloons: these ought to be of a sufficient width, of a thin substance in summer, and of warm cloth in winter. Breeches made of leather, and so narrow as to fit exactly the shape of the limbs, are liable to many inconveniencies: they benumb the hips and thighs, occasion a painful pressure upon the parts, especially the abdomen; and, by the close texture of the leather, in a great measure impede perspiration.