bolt

The bolt is a long, rectangular cloth used by avout as part of their daily attire inside the math. It is versatile: avout draw it up over the head for hooding, let it fall to cover the feet for modesty, or wrap and tie it in different ways depending on activity and weather.

Description and Use

• The bolt has a selvage edge and pleats that can shift and require straightening. Its edge may fray with use.
• Avout commonly manage it in concert with a chord at the waist, gathering their hands in the folds just above the chord and adjusting the hang as needed.
• In casual self‑reference, avout list it alongside the chord and the sphere as standard personal items; it is typically draped over the head and can slip off when the wearer throws up their arms.
• One common arrangement is the basic “modesty knot,” wrapping the selvage end around the waist and between the thighs for coverage.
• Variations exist for comfort or convenience. For example, one avout rolls the remainder into a tight cylinder, ties it at both ends with the chord, and slings it diagonally like a bedroll when working outdoors.

Context of First Noted Use

The bolt is observed in active use as an avout moves from workrooms toward the gardened Cloister, adjusting it for modesty and to hood the head while hurrying to the hour known as Provener. In a later scene inside the library during a conversation with an extramuros artisan, an avout pats his bolt while joking about “the bolt, the chord, and the sphere,” and a vigorous gesture causes the bolt to fall away from his head.

Notes

• The bolt functions as both garment and tool for maintaining decorum in mixed spaces (e.g., walkways and gardens) and during formal hours.
• Handling involves practical textile details (selvage, pleats) rather than ornamentation, consistent with the plain, work‑oriented mathic style.
• Mentioned explicitly as one of three minimal personal items, together with a waist cord and a small portable sphere.