NEEDLE-WORK
NK
8800
588
1841
A
777,886

BAIN
CH
ARTES
1817
SCIENTIA
VERITAS
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN |
SE PLURIOUS UNUM
TUEBOR
R.S PENINSULAN AMŒNAM”
CIRCUMSPICE
S8


辜
​
stone, Elizabeth
THE ART
OF
NEEDLE-WORK,
FROM THE EARLIEST AGES;
INCLUDING
SOME NOTICES OF THE
ANCIENT HISTORICAL TAPESTRIES
EDITED BY
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
THE COUNTESS OF WILTON.
“I WRITE THE NEEDLE'S PRAYSE.”
THIRD EDITION.
LONDON:
HENRY COLBURN, PUBLISHER,
GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET.
1841.
:.
ΤΟ
HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY
THE QUEEN DOWAGE R
THIS LITTLE WORK,
INTENDED TO ILLUSTRATE THE HISTORY AND PROGRESS OF AN ART
ENNOBLED BY HER MAJESTY'S PRACTICe, and by heR EXAMPLE
RECOMMENDED TO THE
WOMEN OF ENGLAND,
IS,
BY HER MAJESTY'S MOST GRACIOUS PERMISSION,
INSCRIBED,
WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT,
BY HER MAJESTY'S MOST GRATEFUL
AND MOST OBEDIENT SERVANT,
THE AUTHORESS.
330041
a 2
PREFACСЕ.
If there be one mechanical art of more universal
application than all others, and therefore of more
universal interest, it is that which is practised with
the NEEDLE. From the stateliest denizen of the
proudest palace, to the humblest dweller in the
poorest cottage, all more or less ply the busy needle;
from the crying infant of a span long and an hour's
life, to the silent tenant of " the narrow house," all
need its practical services.
Yet have the NEEDLE and its beautiful and useful
creations hitherto remained without their due meed
of praise and record, either in sober prose or sound-
ing rhyme,-while their glittering antithesis, the
scathing and destroying sword, has been the theme
of admiring and exulting record, without limit and
without end!
The progress of real civilization is rapidly put-
ting an end to this false prestige in favour of the
"Destructive" weapon, and as rapidly raising the
a 3
vi
PREFACE.
"Conservative" one in public estimation; and the
time seems at length arrived when that triumph of
female ingenuity and industry, "THE ART OF NEEdle-
WORK" may be treated as a fitting subject of historical
and social record-fitting at least for a female hand.
The chief aim of this volume is that of affording a
comprehensive record of the most noticeable facts, and
an entertaining and instructive gathering together
of the most curious and pleasing associations, con-
nected with "THE ART OF NEEDLEWORK," from the
earliest ages to the present day; avoiding entirely
the dry technicalities of the art, yet furnishing an
acceptable accessory to every work-table-a fitting
tenant of every boudoir.
The Authoress thinks thus much necessary in ex-
planation of the objects of a work on what may be
called a maiden topic, and she trusts that that
leniency in criticism which is usually accorded to the
adventurer on an unexplored track will not be with-
held from her.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Page
Introductory
1
CHAPTER II.
Early Needlework
11
CHAPTER III.
Needlework of the Tabernacle
23
CHAPTER IV.
Needlework of the Egyptians
32
CHAPTER V.
Needlework of the Greeks and Romans
41
CHAPTER VI.
The Dark Ages-" Shee Schools "
56
viii
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VII.
Page
64
Needlework of the Dark Ages
CHAPTER VIII.
The Bayeux Tapestry -Part I.
84
CHAPTER IX.
The Bayeux Tapestry.-Part II.
103
CHAPTER X.
Needlework of the Times of Romance and Chivalry
. 117
CHAPTER XI.
Tapestry
. 148
CHAPTER XII.
Romances worked in Tapestry
165
CHAPTER XIII.
Needlework in Costume.-Part I.
186
CHAPTER XIV.
Needlework in Costume.-Part II.
209
CHAPTER XV.
231
"The Field of the Cloth of Gold"
CHAPTER XVI.
The Needle
•
CONTENTS.
ix
CHAPTER XVII.
Tapestry from the Cartoons
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Days of "Good Queen Bess
"
CHAPTER XIX.
The Tapestry of the Spanish Armada; better known as
the Tapestry of the House of Lords
On Stitchery
Page
273
282
301
CHAPTER XX.
312
CHAPTER XXI.
"Les Anciennes Tapisseries." Tapestry of St. Mary
Hall, Coventry. Tapestry of Hampton Court
CHAPTER XXII.
Embroidery
CHAPTER XXIII.
Needlework on Books
329
342
•
355
CHAPTER XXIV.
Needlework of Royal Ladies
374
CHAPTER XXV.
Modern Needlework
395
THE ART
OF
NEEDLE WORK.
INTRODUCTION.
CHAPTER I.
IN
"Le donne son venute in eccellenza
Di ciascun 'arte, ove hanno posto cura;
E qualunque all' istorie abbia avvertenza,
Ne seute ancor la fama nou oscura.
E forse ascosi han lor debiti onori
L'invidia, o il non saper degli scrittori.”—ARIOSTO.
In all ages woman may lament the ungallant
silence of the historian. His pen is the record of
sterner actions than are usually the vocation of the
gentler sex, and it is only when fair individuals have
been by extraneous circumstances thrown out, as
it were, on the canvas of human affairs
when they
B
2
INTRODUCTION.
have been forced into a publicity little consistent
with their natural sphere-that they have become his
theme. Consequently those domestic virtues which
are woman's greatest pride, those retiring charac-
teristics which are her most becoming ornament,
those gentle occupations which are her best employ-
ment, find no record on pages whose chief aim and
end is the blazoning of manly heroism, of royal dis-
putations, or of trumpet-stirring records. And if this
is the case even with historians of enlightened times,
who have the gallantry to allow woman to be a com-
ponent part of creation, we can hardly wonder that
in darker days she should be utterly and entirely
overlooked.
Mohammed asserted that women had no souls;
and moreover, that, setting aside the "diviner part,
there had only existed four of whom the mundane
qualifications entitled them to any degree of appro-
bation. Before him, Aristotle had asserted that
Nature only formed women when and because she
found that the imperfection of matter did not permit
her to carry on the world without them.
This complimentary doctrine has not wanted sup-
porters.
Des hommes très sages ont écrit que la
Nature, dont l'intention et le dessein est toujours de
tendre à la perfection, ne produirait s'il était pos-
sible, jamais que des hommes, et que quand il naît
une femme c'est un monstre dans l'ordre de ses pro-
ductions, né expressément contre sa volonté : ils
ajoutent, que, comme on voit naître un homme
aveugle, boiteux, ou avec quelqu'autre défaut na-
ture; et comme on voit à certain arbres des fruits
qui ne meurissent jamais; ainsi l'on peut dire que la
INTRODUCTION.
3
femme est un animal produit par accident et par le
hasard."*
Without touching upon this extreme assertion that
woman is but "un monstre," an animal produced
by chance, we may observe briefly, that women have
ever, with some few exceptions,† been considered as
a degraded and humiliated race, until the promulga-
tion of the Christian religion elevated them in so-
ciety and that this distinction still exists is evident.
from the difference at this moment exhibited be-
tween the countries professing Mohammedanism and
those professing Christianity."
Still, though in our happy country it is now pretty
generally allowed that women are "des créatures
humaines," it is no new remark that they are com-
paratively lightly thought of by the "nobler" gen-
der. This is absolutely the case even in those coun-
tries where civilization and refinement have elevated
the sex to a higher grade in society than they ever
before reached. Women are courted, flattered,
caressed, extolled; but still the difference is there,
and the "lords of the creation " take care that it
shall be understood. Their own pursuits-public,
* On aurait de la peine à se persuader qu'une pareille opinion eût
été mise gravement en question dans un concile, et qu'on n'eût
décidé en faveur des femmes qu'après un assez long examen.
Cependant le fait est très véritable, et ce fut dans le Concile de
Macon.
Problême sur les Femmes, où l'on essaye de prouver que
les femmes ne sont point des créatures humaines.~~.Am-
sterdam, 1744.
† As, for instance, the ancient Germans, and their offshoots, the
Saxons, &c.
B 2
4
INTRODUCTION.
are the theme of the historian-private, of the bio-
grapher; nay, the every-day circumstances of life-
their dinners-their speeches-their toasts - and
their post cœnam eloquence, are noted down for immor-
tality: whilst a woman with as much sense, with more
eloquence, with lofty principles, enthusiastic feelings,
and pure conduct—with sterling virtue to command
respect, and the self-denying conduct of a martyr—
steals noiselessly through her appointed path in life ;
and if she excite a passing comment during her
pilgrimage, is quickly lost in oblivion when that pil-
grimage hath reached its appointed goal.
And this is but as it should be. Woe to that
nation whose women, as a habit, as a custom, as a
matter of course, seek to intrude on the attributes of
the other sex, and in a vain, a foolish, and surely a
most unsuccessful pursuit of publicity, or power,
or fame, forget the distinguishing, the high, the
noble, the lofty, the pure and unearthly vocation
of their sex. Every earthly charity, every unearthly
virtue, are the legitimate object of woman's pursuit.
It is hers to soothe pain, to alleviate suffering, to
soften discord, to solace the time-worn spirit on
earth, to train the youthful one for heaven. Such is
woman's magnificent vocation; and in the peaceful
discharge of such duties as these she may be con-
tent to steal noiselessly on to her appointed bourne,
the world forgetting, by the world forgot."
But these splendid results are not the effect of
great exertions-of sudden, and uncertain, and en-
thusiastic efforts. They are the effect of a course,
of a system of minor actions and of occupations, in-
INTRODUCTION.
5
dividually insignificant in their appearance, and
noiseless in their approach. They are like "the gentle
dew from heaven" in their silent unnoted progress,
and, like that, are known only by their blessed re-
sults.
They involve a routine of minor duties which
often appear, at first view, little if at all connected
with such mighty ends. But such an inference
would lead to a false conclusion. It is entirely of
insignificant details that the sum of human life is
made up; and any one of those details, how in-
significant soever apparently in itself, as a link in
the chain of human life is of definite relative value.
The preparing of a spoonful of gruel may seem a
very insignificant matter; yet who that stands by the
sick-bed of one near and dear to him, and sees the
fevered palate relieved, the exhausted frame re-
freshed by it, but will bless the hand that made it?
It is not the independent intrinsic worth of each
isolated action of woman which stamps its value —
it is their bearing and effect on the mass. It is the
daily and hourly accumulation of minute particles
which form the vast amount.
And if we look for that feminine employment
which adds most absolutely to the comforts and the
elegancies of life, to what other shall we refer than
to NEEDLEWORK? The hemming of a pocket-hand-
kerchief is a trivial thing in itself, yet it is a branch
of an art which furnishes a useful, a graceful,
and an agreeable occupation to one-half of the
human race, and adds very materially to the com-
forts of the other half.
6
INTRODUCTION.
How sings our own especial Bard?-
"So long as garments shall be made or worne ;
So long as hemp, or flax, or sheep shall bear
Their linnen wollen fleeces yeare by yeare;
So long as silkwormes, with exhausted spoile
Of their own entrailes, for mans gaine shall toyle:
Yea, till the world be quite dissolv❜d and past,
So long, at least, the NEEDLE's use shall last."
'Tis true, indeed, that as far as necessity, rigidly
speaking, is concerned, a very small portion of
needlework would suffice; but it is also true that the
very signification of the word necessity is lost, buried
amidst the accumulations of ages. We talk habit-
ually of mere necessaries, but the fact is, that we
have hardly an idea of what merely necessities are.
St. Paul, the hermit, when abiding in the wilder-
ness, might be reduced to necessities; and in that
noble and exalted instance of high principle referred
to by Mr. Wesley,* where a person unknown to
others, seeking no praise, and looking to no reward
but the applaudings of his own conscience, bought
a pennyworth of parsnips weekly, and on them, and
them alone, with the water in which they were boiled,
lived, that he might save money to pay his debts.-
Surely a man of such incorruptible integrity as this
would spend nothing intentionally in superfluities of
dress-and yet, mark how many he would have.
His shirt would be "curiously wrought,” his neck-
cloth neatly hemmed; his coat and waistcoat and
trousers would have undergone the usual mysteries
of shaping and seaming; his hat would be neatly
* Southey's Life; vol. ii.
INTRODUCTION.
7
bound round the edge; his stockings woven or
knitted; his shoes soled and stitched and tied; nei-
ther must we debar him a pocket-handkerchief and
a pair of gloves. And see what this man—as great,
nay, a greater anchoret in his way than St. Paul,
for he had the world and its temptations all around,
while the saint had fled from both-yet see what he
thought absolutely requisite in lieu of the sheepskin
which was St. Paul's wardrobe. See what was re-
quired" to cover and keep warm" in the eighteenth
century,―nay, not even to "keep warm," for we
did not allow either great-coat or comforter. See
then what was required merely to "cover," and then
say whether the art of needlework is a trivial one.
Could we, as in days of yore, when sylphs and
fairies deigned to mingle with mortals, and shed
their gracious influence on the scenes and actions of
every-day life-could we, by some potent spell or
by some fitting oblation, propitiate the Genius of
Needlework, induce her to descend from her hidden
shrine, and indulge her votaries with a glimpse
of her radiant SELF-what a host of varied remi-
niscences would that glimpse conjure up in our
minds, as-
C6
guided by historic truth,
We trod the long extent of backward time!"
SHE was twin born with necessity, the first neces-
sity the world had ever known, but she quickly left
this stern and unattractive companion, and followed
many leaders in her wide and varied range. She
became the handmaiden of Fancy; she adorned the
train of Magnificence; she waited upon Pomp; she
8
INTRODUCTION.
decorated Religion; she obeyed Charity; she served
Utility; she aided Pleasure; she pranked out Fun;
and she mingled with all and every circumstance of
life.
Many changes and chances has it been her lot to
behold. At one time honoured and courted, she
was the acknowledged and cherished guest, of the
royal and noble. Then in gorgeous drapery, begem-
med with brilliants, bedropped with gold, she reigned
supreme in hall and palace; or in silken tissue girt
she adorned the high-born maiden's bower what time
the "deeds of knighthood" were "in solemn canto”
told. In still more rich array, in kingly purple, in
regal tissue, in royal magnificence, she stood within
the altar's sacred pale; and her robes, rich in Tyrian
dye, and glittering with Ophir's gold, swept the
hallowed pavement. When battle aroused the land
she inspirited the host. When the banner was un-
furled she pointed to the device which sent its mes-
sage home to every heart; she displayed the cipher
on the hero's pennon which nerved him sooner to
relinquish life than it; she entwined those initials
in the scarf, the sight of which struck fresh ardour
into his breast.
But she fell into disrepute, and was rejected from
the halls of the noble. Still was she ever busy, ever
occupied, and not only were her services freely given
to all who required them, but given with such
winning grace that she required but to be once
known to be ever loved-so exquisitely did she
adapt herself to the peculiarities of all.
With flowing ringlets and silken robe, carolling
gaily as she worked, you would see her pinking the
INTRODUCTION.
9
ruffles of the Cavalier, and ever and anon adding to
their piquancy by some new and dainty device: then
you would behold her with smoothly plaited hair,
and sad-coloured garment of serge, and looks like a
November day, hemming the bands of a Roundhead,
and withal adding numerous layers of starch. With
grave and sedate aspect she would shape and
sew the uncomely raiment of a Genevan divine;
with neat-handed alacrity she would prepare the
grave and becoming garments of the Anglican
Church, though perhaps a gentle sigh would
escape, a sigh of regret for the stately and glowing
vestments of old for they did honour to the house
of God, not because they were stately and glowing,
but because they were offerings of our best.
In all the sweet charities of domestic life she has
ever been a participant. Often and again has she
fled the splendid court, the glittering ball-room, and
taken her station at the quiet hearth of the gentle
and home-loving matron. She has lightened the
weariness of many a solitary vigil, and she has
heightened the enjoyment of many a social gossip.
Nor even while courted and caressed in courts
and palaces did Needlework absent herself from the
habitations of the poor. Oh no, she was their fami-
liar friend, the daily and hourly companion of their
firesides. And when she experienced, as all do
experience, the fickleness of court favour, she was
cherished and sheltered there. And there she re-
mained, happy in her utility, till again summoned
by royal mandate to resume her station near the
throne. The illustrious and excellent lady who lately
filled the British throne, and who reigned still more
B 3
10
INTRODUCTION.
surely in the hearts of Englishwomen, and who has
most graciously permitted us to place her honoured
name on these pages, allured Needlework from her
long seclusion, and reinstated her in her once familiar
place among the great and noble.
Fair reader! you see that this gentle dame NEEDLE-
WORK is of ancient lineage, of high descent, of
courtly habits will you not permit me to make you
somewhat better acquainted? Pray travel onward
with me to her shrine. The way is not toilsome, nor
is the track rugged; but,
"Where the silver fountains wander,
Where the golden streams meander,''
Do not
amid the sunny meads and flower-bestrewn paths of
fancy and taste-there will she beguile us.
then, pray do not, forsake me.
11
CHAPTER II.
EARLY NEEDLEWORK.
"The use of sewing is exceeding old,
As in the sacred text it is enrold:
Our parents first in Paradise began."-JOHN TAYLOR.
"The rose was in rich bloom on Sharon's plain,
When a young mother, with her first-born, thence
Went up to Sion; for the boy was vow'd
Unto the Temple service. By the hand
She led him; and her silent soul the while,
Oft as the dewy laughter of his eye
Met her sweet serious glance, rejoic'd to think
That aught so pure, so beautiful, was hers,
To bring before her God."-HEMANS.
IN speaking of the origin of needlework it will be
necessary to define accurately what we mean by the
term " needlework;" or else, when we assert that
Eve was the first sempstress, we may be taken to
task by some critical antiquarian, because we may
not be able precisely to prove that the frail and
beautiful mother of mankind made use of a little
weapon of polished steel, finely pointed at one end
and bored at the other, and "warranted not to cut
in the eye." Assuredly we do not mean to assert
12
EARLY NEEDLEWORK.
that she did use such an instrument; most proba-
bly-we would almost venture to say most certainly
-she did not. But then again the cynical critic
would attack us: "You say that Eve was the first
professor of needlework, and yet you disclaim the
use of a needle for her."
No, good sir, we do not. Like other profound
investigators and original commentators, we do not
annihilate one hypothesis ere we are prepared with
another, "ready cut and dried," to rise, like any
fabled phoenix, on the ashes of its predecessor. It
is not long since we were edified by a conversation
which we heard, or rather overheard, between two
sexagenarians-both well versed in antiquarian lore,
and neither of them deficient in antiquarian tena-
city of opinion-respecting some theory which one
of them wanted to establish about some aborigines.
The concluding remark of the conversation-and we
opined that it might as well have formed the com-
mencement-was-
"If you want to lay down facts, you must follow
history; if you want to establish a system, it is
quite easy to place the people where you like."
So, if I wished to "establish a system," I could
easily make Eve work with a "superfine drill-eyed
needle:" but this is not my object.
It seems most probable that Eve's first needle
was a thorn :
"Before man's fall the rose was born,
St. Ambrose sayes, without the thorn ;
But, for man's fault, then was the thorn,
Without the fragrant rosebud, born.”
Why thorns should spring up at the precise mo-
EARLY NEEDLEWORK.
13
ment of the fall is difficult to account for in a world
where everything has its use, except we suppose
that they were meant for needles: and general
analogy leads us to this conclusion; for in almost all
existing records of people in what we are pleased
to call a savage" state, we find that women make
use of this primitive instrument, or a fish-bone.
"Avant l'invention des aiguilles d'acier, on a dû
se servir, à leur défaut, d'épines, ou d'arêtes de
poissons, ou d'os d'animaux." And as Eve's first
specimen of needlework was certainly completed
before the sacrifice of any living thing, we may
safely infer that the latter implements were not
familiar to her. The Cimbrian inhabitants of
Britain passed their time in weaving baskets, or in
sewing together for garments the skins of animals
taken in the chase, while they used as needles for
uniting these simple habiliments small bones of
fish or animals rudely sharpened at one end; and
needles just of the same sort were used by the
inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands, when the cele-
brated Captain Cook first visited them.
Proceed we to the material of the first needlework.
They sewed themselves fig-leaves together, and
made themselves aprons."
Thus the earliest historical record; and thus the
most esteemed poetical commentator.
"Those leaves
They gather'd, broad as Amazonian targe,
And, with what skill they had, together sew'd,
To gird their waist."
It is supposed that the leaves alluded to here were
14
EARLY NEEDLEWORK.
those of the banian-tree, of which the leaves, says
Sir James Forbes, are large, soft, and of a lively
green; the fruit a small bright scarlet fig. The
Hindoos are peculiarly fond of this tree; they con-
sider its long duration, its outstretching arms, and
overshadowing beneficence, as emblems of the Deity,
and almost pay it divine honours. The Brahmins,
who thus "find a fane in every sacred grove,"
spend much of their time in religious solitude, under
the shade of the banian-tree; they plant it near
the dewals, or Hindoo temples; and in those vil-
lages where there is no structure for public worship,
they place an image under one of these trees, and
there perform morning and evening sacrifice. The
size of some of these trees is stupendous. Sir James
Forbes mentions one which has three hundred and
fifty large trunks, the smaller ones exceeding three
thousand; and another, whereunder the chief of the
neighbourhood used to encamp in magnificent style;
having a saloon, dining room, drawing-room, bed-
chambers, bath, kitchen, and every other accommo-
dation, all in separate tents; yet did this noble tree
cover the whole, together with his carriages, horses,
camels, guards, and attendants; while its spreading
branches afforded shady spots for the tents of his
friends, with their servants and cattle. And in the
march of an army it has been known to shelter
seven thousand men.
Such is the banian-trec, the pride of Hindûstan :
which Milton refers to as the one which served
"our general mother" for her first essay in the art
of needlework.
EARLY NEEDLEWORK.
15
"Both together went
Into the thickest wood; there soon they chose
The fig-tree; not that tree for fruit renown'd,
But such as at this day, to Indians known,
In Malabar or Deccan spreads her arms,
Branching so broad and long, that in the ground
The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow
About the mother tree, a pillar'd shade
High overarch'd, and echoing walks between :
There oft the Indian herdsman, shunning heat,
Shelters in cool, and tends his pasturing herds
At loopholes cut through thickest shade: Those leaves
They gather'd, broad as Amazonian targe ;
And, with what skill they had, together sew'd,
To gird their waist.”
Some of the most interesting incidents in Holy
Writ turn on the occupation of needlework; slight
sketches, nay, hardly so much, but mere touches
which engage all the gentler, and purer, and holier
emotions of our nature. For instance: the beloved
child of the beautiful mother of Israel, for whom
Jacob toiled fourteen years, which were but as one
day for the love he bare her-this child, so eagerly
coveted by his mother, so devotedly loved by his
father, and who was destined hereafter to wield the
destinies of such a mighty empire-had a token,
a peculiar token, bestowed on him of his father's
overwhelming love and affection. And what was it?
A coat of many colours;" probably including some
not in general use, and obtained by an elaborate
process. Entering himself into the minutiae of a
concern, which, however insignificant in itself, was
valuable in his eyes as giving pleasure to his boy,
the fond father selects pieces of various-coloured
cloth, and sets female hands, the most expert of his
household, to join them together in the form of a
coat.
16
EARLY NEEDLEWORK.
No; it was
But, alas! to whom should he intrust the task?
She whose fingers would have revelled in it, Rachel
the mother, was no more; her warm heart was cold,
her busy fingers rested in the tomb. Would his
sister, would Dinah execute the work?
but too probable that she shared in the jealousy of
her brothers. No matter. The father apportions
the task to his handmaidens, and himself superin-
tends the performance. With pleased eye he
watches its progress, and with benignant smile he
invests the happy and gratified child with the
glowing raiment.
This elaborate piece of work, the offering of pa-
ternal affection to please a darling child, was pro-
bably the simple and somewhat clumsy original of
those which were afterwards embroidered and sub-
sequently woven in various colours, and which came
to be regarded as garments of dignity and appro-
priated to royalty; as it is said of Tamar that " she
had a garment of divers colours upon her: for with
such robes were the king's daughters that were
virgins apparelled." It is even now customary in
India to dress a favourite or beautiful child in a
coat of various colours tastefully sewed together ;
and it may not perhaps be very absurd to refer
even to so ancient an origin as Joseph's coat of
many colours the superstition now prevalent in some
countries, which teaches that a child clothed in a
garment of many colours is safe from the blasting
of malicious tongues or the machinations of evil
spirits.
In the Book of Samuel we read, "And Hannah
his mother, made him a little coat." This seems a
trivial incident enough, yet how interesting is the
EARLY NEEDLEWORK.
17
;
scene which this simple mention conjures up! With
all the earnest fervour of that separated race who
hoped each one to be the honoured instrument of
bringing a Saviour into the world, Hannah, then
childless, prayed that this reproach might be taken
from her. Her prayer was heard, her son was born
and in holy gratitude she reared him, not for wealth,
for fame, for worldly honour, or even for her own
domestic comfort,-but, from his birth, and before
his birth she devoted him as the servant of the
Most High. She indulged herself with his presence
only till her maternal cares had fitted him for duty;
and then, with a tearful eye it might be, and a fal-
tering footstep, but an unflinching resolution, she
devoted him to the altar of her God.
But never did his image leave her mind: never
amid the fair scions which sprang up and bloomed
around her hearth did her thoughts forsake her
first-born; and yearly, when she went up to the
Tabernacle with Elkanah her husband, did she
take him "a little coat" which she had made. We
may fancy her quiet happy thoughts when at this
employment; we may fancy the eager earnest ques-
tionings of the little group by whom she was sur-
rounded; the wondering about their absent brother;
the anxious catechisings respecting his whereabouts;
and, above all, the admiration of the new garment
itself, and the earnest criticisms on it; especially if
in form and fashion it should somewhat differ from
their own.
And then arrives the moment when the
garment is committed to its envelope; and the
mother, weeping to part from her little ones, yet
longing to see her absent boy, receives their adieux
18
EARLY NEEDLEWORK.
and their thousand reminiscences, and sets forth on
her journey.
Again she treads the hallowed courts, again she
meekly renews her vows, and again a mother's long-
ings, a mother's hopes are quenched in the full enjoy-
ment of a mother's love. Beautiful and good, the
blessing of Heaven attending him, and throwing a
beam of light on his fair brow, the pure and holy child
appears like a seraph administering at that altar to
which he had been consecrated a babe, and at which
his ministry was sanctioned even by the voice of the
Most High himself, when in the solemn stillness of
midnight he breathed his wishes into the heart of
the child, and made him, infant as he was, the
medium of his communications to one grown hoary
in the service of the altar.
The solemn duties ended, Hannah invests her
hopeful boy with the little coat, whilst her willing
fingers lingeringly perform their office, as if loth to
quit a task in which they so much delight. And then
with meek step and grateful heart she wends her
homeward way, and meditates tranquilly on the past
interview, till the return of another year finds her
again on her pilgrimage of love-the joyful bearer
of another "little coat."
And a high tribute is paid to needlework in the
history of Dorcas, who was restored to life by the
apostle St. Peter, by whom "all the widows stood
weeping, and showing the coats and garments which
Dorcas made while she was with them."
"In these were read
The monuments of Dorcas dead:
These were thy acts, and thou shalt have
These hung as honours o'er thy grave:
EARLY NEEDLEWORK.
19
And after us, distressed,
Should fame be dumb,
Thy very tomb
Would cry out, Thou art blessed!"
But it is not merely as an object of private and
domestic utility that needlework is referred to in
the Bible. It was applied early to the service of
the Tabernacle, and the directions concerning it are
very clear and specific; but before this time, and most
probably as early as the time of Abraham, rich and
valuable raiment of needlework was accounted of
as part of the bona fide property of a wealthy man.
When the patriarch's steward sought Rebekah for
the wife of Isaac, he "brought forth jewels of silver,
and jewels of gold, and raiment." This "raiment "
consisted, in all likelihood, of garments embroidered
with gold, the handiwork, it may be, of the female
slaves of the patriarch; such garments being in
very great esteem from the earliest ages, and being
then, as now, a component portion of those presents
or offerings without which one personage hardly
thought of approaching another.
Fashion in those days was not quite the chame-
leon-hued creature that she is at present; nor were
the fabrics on which her fancy was displayed quite
so light and airy: their gold was gold-not silk
covered with gilded silver; and consequently the
raiment of those days, in-wrought with slips of gold
beaten thin and cut into spangles or strips, and
sewed on in various patterns, sometimes intermingled
with precious stones, would carry its own intrinsic
value with it.
20
EARLY NEEDLEWORK.
This "raiment" descended from father to son, as
a chased goblet and a massy wrought urn does now;
and was naturally and necessarily inventoried as a
portion of the property. The practice of making pre-
sents of garments is still quite usual amongst the eas-
tern nations; and to such an excess was it carried with
regard to those who, from their calling or any other
circumstance, were in public favour, that, so late as
the ninth century, Bokteri, an illustrious poet of
Cufah, had so many presents made him, that at his
death he was found possessed of a hundred complete
suits of clothes, two hundred shirts, and five hun-
dred turbans.
*
Horace, speaking of Lucullus (who had pillaged
Asia, and first introduced Asiatic refinements
among the Romans), says that, some persons hav-
ing waited on him to request the loan of a hundred
suits out of his wardrobe for the Roman stage, he
exclaimed—“ A hundred suits! how is it possible
for me to furnish such a number? However, I will
look over them and send you what I have."—After
some time he writes a note and tells them he had
five thousand, to the whole or part of which they were
welcome.
In all the eastern world formerly, and to a great
* Persia had great wardrobes, where there were always many
hundred habits, sorted, ready for presents, and the intendant of the
wardrobe sent them to those persons for whom they were designed by
the sovereign; more than forty tailors were always employed in this
service. In Turkey they do not attend so much to the richness as to
the number of the dresses, giving more or fewer according to the
dignity of the persons to whom they are presented, or the marks of
favour the prince would confer on his guests.
EARLY NEEDLEWORK.
21
extent now, the arraying a person in a rich dress is
considered a very high compliment, and it was one
of the ancient modes of investing with the highest
degree of subordinate power. Thus was Joseph
arrayed by Pharaoh, and Mordecai by Ahasuerus
We all remember what important effects are pro-
duced by splendid robes in "The Tale of the Wonder-
ful Lamp,” and in many other of those fascinating
tales (which are allowed to be rigidly correct in the
delineations of eastern life). They were doubtless
esteemed the richest part of the spoil after a battle,
as we find the mother of Sisera apportioning them as
his share, and reiterating her delighted anticipations
of the "raiment of needlework" which should be
his: "a prey of divers colours, of divers colours of
needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both
sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil."
Job has many allusions to raiment as an essential
part of treasures" in the East; and our Saviour
refers to the same when he desires his hearers not
to lay up for themselves "treasures" on earth, where
moth and rust corrupt. St. James even more ex-
plicitly: "Go to now, ye rich men; weep and howl
for
your miseries that shall come upon you. Your
gold and silver is cankered, and your GARMENTS are
moth-eaten.
The first notice we have of gold-wire or thread
being used in embroidery is in Exodus, in the direc-
tions given for the embroidery of the priests' gar-
ments from this it appears that the metal was still
used alone, being beaten fine and then rounded.
This art the Hebrews probably learnt from the
Egyptians, by whom it was carried to such an as-
22
EARLY NEEDLEWORK.
tonishing degree of nicety, that they could either
weave it in or work it on their finest linen. And
doubtless the productions of the Hebrews now must
have equalled the most costly and intricate of those
of Egypt.
This the adornments of the Taber-
nacle testify.
23
CHAPTER III.
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TABERNACLE.
"The cedars wave on Lebanon,
But Judah's statelier maids are gone.”—BYRON.
GORGEOUS and magnificent must have been the
spectacle presented by that ancient multitude of
Israel, as they tabernacled in the wilderness of Sinai.
These steril solitudes are now seldom trodden by
the foot of man, and the adventurous traveller who
toils up their rugged steeps can scarce picture to
himself a host sojourning there, so wild, so barren
is the place, so fearful are the precipices, so dismal
the ravines. On the spot where "Moses talked with
God" the grey and mouldering remnants of a con-
vent attest the religious veneration and zeal of
some of whom these ruins are the only memorial ;
and near them is a small chapel dedicated to the
Virgin, while religious hands have crowned even
the summit of the steep ascent by "a house of
prayer ;" and at the foot of the sister peak, Horeb,
is an ancient Greek convent, founded by the Em-
peror Justinian 1400 years ago, which is occupied
still by some harmless recluses, the monotony of
whose lives is only broken by the few and far be-
24
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TABERNACLE.
tween visits of the adventurous traveller, or the more
frequent and startling interruptions of the wild
Arabs on their predatory expeditions.
But neither church nor temple of any sort, nor
inquiring traveller, nor prowling Arab, varied the
tremendous grandeur of the scene, when the Israel-
itish host encamped there. Weary and toilsome
had been the pilgrimage from the base of the moun-
tain where the desolation was unrelieved by a trace of
vegetation, to the upper country or wilderness,
called more particularly, "the Desert of Sinai,"
where narrow intersecting valleys, not destitute of
verdure, cherished perhaps the lofty and refreshing
palm. Here in the ravines, in the valleys, and
amid the clefts of the rocks, clustered the hosts of
Israel, while around them on every side arose lofty
summits and towering precipices, where the eye that
sought to scan their fearful heights was lost in the
far-off dimness. Far, far around, spread this savage
wilderness, so frowning, and dreary, and desolate,
that any curious explorer beyond the precincts of the
camp would quickly return to the home which its
vicinity afforded even there.
Clustered closely as bees in a hive were the tents
of the wandering race, yet with an order and a uni-
formity which even the unpropitious nature of the
locality was not permitted to break; for, separated
into tribes, each one, though sufficiently connected
for any object of kindness or brotherhood, for public
worship, or social intercourse, was inalienably dis-
tinct.
-
And in the midst, extending from east to west, a
length of fifty-five feet, was reared the splendid
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TABERNACLE.
25
Tabernacle. For God had said, "Let them make
me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell among them;"
and behold, "they came, both men and women, as
many as were willing-hearted, and brought brace-
lets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels
of gold; and every man that offered, offered an
offering of gold unto the Lord. And every man
with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet,
and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of
rams, and badgers' skins, brought them. Every
one that did offer an offering of silver and brass
brought the Lord's offering and every man with
whom was found shittim-wood for any work of the
service brought it. And all the women that were
wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought
that which they had spun, both of blue, and of
purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all
the women whose hearts stirred them up in wisdom
spun goats' hair. And the rulers brought onyx-
stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for
the breastplate; and spice, and oil for the light,
and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet in-
cense."
And all these materials, which the "willing-
hearted" offered in such abundance that proclama-
tion was obliged to be made through the camp to
stop their influx, had been wrought under the
superintendence of Bezaleel and Aholiab, who were
divinely inspired for the task; and the Tabernacle
was now completed, with the exception of some of
the finest needlework, which had not yet received
the finishing touches.
But what was already done bore ample testimony
C
26
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TABERNACLE.
to the skill, the taste, and the industry of the "wise-
hearted" daughters of Israel. The outer covering
of the Tabernacle, or that which lay directly over
the framework of boards of which it was con-
structed, and hung from the roof down the sides
and west end, was formed of tabash skins; over this
was another covering of ram-skins dyed red; a
hanging made of goats' hair, such as is still used
in the tents of the Bedouin Arabs, had been spun
and woven by the matrons of the congregation, to
hang over the skins; and these substantial dra-
peries were beautifully concealed by a first or inner
covering of fine linen. On this the more youthful
women had embroidered figures of cherubim in
scarlet, purple, and light blue, entwined with gold.
They had made also sacerdotal vestments, the
"coats of fine linen" worn by all the priests, which,
when old, were unravelled, and made into wicks
burnt in the feast of tabernacles. They had made
the "girdles of needlework," which were long, very
long pieces of fine twined linen (carried several
times round the body), and were embroidered with
flowers in blue, and purple, and scarlet: the "robe
of the ephod" also for the high priest, of light blue,
and elaborately wrought round the bottom in pome-
granates; and the plain ephods for the priests.
But now the sun was declining in the western sky,
and the busy artificers of all sorts were relaxing
from the toil of the day.
In a retired spot, apart from the noise of the
camp, paced one in solitary meditation. Stalwart
he was in frame, majestic in bearing; he trod the
earth like one of her princes; but the loftiness of his
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TABERNACLE.
27
demeanour was forgotten when you looked on the
surpassing benignity of his countenance. Each
accidental passer hushed his footsep and lowered
his voice as he approached; more, as it should seem,
from involuntary awe and reverence than from any
understood prohibition.
But with some of these loiterers a child of some
four or five summers, in earnest chase after a
brilliant fly, whose golden wings glittered in the
sunlight, heedlessly pursued it even to the very
path of the Solitary, and to the interruption of his
walk. Hastily, and somewhat peremptorily, the
father calls him away. The stranger looks up, and
casting a glance around, from an eye to whose
brilliance that of the eagle would look dim, he for
the first time sees the little intruder. Gently placing
a hand on the child's head, "Bless thee," he said,
in a voice whose every tone was melody: "Bless
thee, little one; the blessing of the God of Israel be
upon thee," and calmly resumed his walk. The
child, as if awed, mutely returned to his friends, who,
after casting a glance of reverence and admiration,
returned to the camp.
Here, scattered all around, are groups occupied
in those varied kinds of busy idleness which will na-
turally engage the moments of an intelligent multi-
tude at the close of an active day. Here a knot of
men in the pride of manhood, whose flashing eyes
have lost none of their fire, whose raven locks are yet
not varied by a single silver line, are talking poli-
tics--such politics as the warlike men of Israel would
talk, when discoursing of the promised land and the
hostile hosts through whose serried ranks they must
c 2
28
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TABERNACLE.
ones, “
cut their intrepid way thither, and whom, impatient
of all delay, they burn to engage. Here were elder
whose natural force" was in some degree
" abated," and who were lamenting the decree, how-
ever justly incurred, which forbade them to lay their
bones in the land of their lifelong hope; and here
was a patriarch, bowed down with the weight of
years, whose silver hairs lay on his shoulders, whose
snow-white beard flowed upon his breast, who as he
leaned upon his staff was recounting to his rapt au-
ditors the dealing of Jehovah with his people in
ancient days; how the Most High visited his father
Abraham, and had sworn unto Jacob that his seed
should be brought out of captivity, and revisit the
promised land. "And behold," said the old man,
"it will now come to pass."
But what is passing in that detached portion of
the camp? who sojourn in yonder tents which attract
more general attention than all the others, and in
which all ages and degrees seem interested? Now a
group of females are there, eagerly conversing;
anon a Hebrew mother leads her youthful and beau-
tiful daughter, and seems to incite her to remain
there; now a hoary priest enters, and in a few mo-
ments returns pondering; and anon a trio of more
youthful Levites with pleased and animated counte-
nances return from the same spot.
On a sudden is every eye turned thitherward; for
he who just now paced the solitary glade-none
other than the chosen leader of God's host, the ma-
jestic lawgiver, the meekest and the mightiest of all
created beings-he likewise wends his way to these
attractive tents. With him enters Aaron, a vener
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TABERNACLE.
29
able man, with hoary beard and flowing white robes;
and follow him a majestic-looking female who was
wont to lead the solemn dance-Miriam the sister of
Aaron; and a youth of heroic bearing, in the spring-
time of that life whose maturity was spent in leading
the chosen race to conquest in the promised land.
With proud and pleased humility did the fair in-
mates of those tents, the most accomplished of Israel's
daughters, display to their illustrious visitors the
"fine needlework" to which their time and talents
had been for a long season devoted, and which was
now on the eve of completion.
The "holy gar-
ments" which God had commanded to be made" for
glory and for beauty;" the pomegranates on the
hem of the high priest's robe, wrought in blue and
purple and scarlet; the flowers on his "girdle of
needlework," glowing as in life; the border on the
ephod, in which every varied colour was shaded off
into a rich and delicate tracery of gold; and above
all, that exquisite work, the most beautiful of all their
productions-the veil which separated the "Holy of
Holies," the place where the Most High vouchsafed
his especial presence, where none but the high
priest might presume to enter, and he but once a
year, from the remaining portions of the Tabernacle.
This beautiful hanging was of fine white linen, but
the original fabric was hardly discernible amid the
gorgeous tracery with which it was inwrought. The
whole surface was covered with a profusion of flowers,
intermixed with fanciful devices of every sort, except
such as might represent the forms of animals-these
were rigidly excluded. Cherubims seemed to be
hovering around and grasping its gorgeous folds;
30
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TABERNACLE.
and if tradition and history be to be credited, this
drapery merited, if ever the production of the needle
did merit, the epithet which English talent has since
rendered classical, "Needlework Sublime."
Long, despite the advancing shades of evening,
would the visitors have lingered untired to comment
upon this beautiful production, but one said, "Be-
hold!" and immediately all, following the direction of
his outstretched arm, looked towards the Tabernacle.
There a thin spiral flame is seen to gleam palely
through the pillar of smoke; but perceptibly it in-
creases, and even while the eye is fixed it waxes
stronger and brighter, and quickly though gradu-
ally the smoke has melted away, and a tall vivid
flame of fire is in its place. Higher and taller it
aspires its spiral flame waxes broader and broader,
ascends higher and higher, gleams brighter and
brighter, till it mingles in the very vault of heaven,
with the beams of the setting sun which bathe in
crimson fire the summits of Sinai.
In the eastern sky the stars gleam brightly in the
pure transparent atmosphere; and ere long the
moon casts pale radiant beams adown the dark
ravines, and utters her wondrous lore to the silent
hills and the gloomy waste. The sounds of toil are
hushed; the weary labourer seeks repose; the toil-
worn wanderer is at rest: the murmuring sounds of
domestic life sink lower and lower; the breath of
prayer becomes fainter and fainter; the voice of
praise, the evensong of Israel, comes stealing
through the calm of evening, and now dies softly
away. Nought is heard but the password of the
sentinels; the far-off shriek of the bat as it flaps its
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TABERNACLE.
31
wings beneath the shadow of some fearful precipice;
or the scream of the eagle, which, wheeling round the
lofty summits of the mountain, closes in less and
lesser circles, till, as the last faint gleam of evening
is lost in the dark horizon, it drops into its eyrie.
The moon and the stars keep their eternal watch;
the beacon-light of God's immediate presence flames
unchanged by time or chance. It may be that the
appointed earthly shepherd of that chosen flock
passes the still hours of night and solitude in commu-
nion with his God; but silence is over the wilderness,
and the children of Israel are at rest.
32
CHAPTER IV.
NEEDLEWORK OF THE EGYPTIANS.
"How is thy glory, Egypt, pass'd away!
Weep, child of ruin, o'er thy humbled name!
The wreck alone that marks thy deep decay
Now tells the story of thy former fame!"
THERE can be little doubt that the Jewish maidens
were beholden to their residence in Egypt for that
perfectness of finish in embroidery which was dis-
played so worthily in the service of the Tabernacle.
Egypt was at this time the seat of science, of art, and
learning; for it was thought the highest summary
which could be given of Moses' acquirements to say
that he was skilled in all the learning of the Egyp-
tians. By the researches of the curious, new proofs
are still being brought to light of the perfection
of their skill in various arts, and we are not with-
out testimony that the practice of the lighter and
more ornamental bore progress with that of the
stupendous and magnificent. Of these lighter pur-
suits we at present refer only to the art of needle-
work.
The Egyptian women were treated with courtesy,
with honour, and even with deference: indeed, some
historians have gone so far as to say that the women
NEEDLEWORK OF THE EGYPTIANS.
33
transacted public business, to the exclusion of the
men, who were engaged in domestic occupations.
This misapprehension may have arisen from the
fact of men being at times engaged at the loom,
which in all other countries was then considered as
exclusively a feminine occupation; spinning, how-
ever, was principally, if not entirely, confined to
women, who had attained to such perfection in the
pretty and valuable art, that, though the Egyptian
yarn was all spun by the hand, some of the linen made
from it was so exquisitely fine as to be called "woven
air." And there are some instances recorded by
historians which seem fully to bear out the appella-
tion. For example: so delicate were the threads.
used for nets, that some of these nets would pass
through a man's ring, and one person could carry a
sufficient number of them to surround a whole wood.
Amasis king of Egypt presented a linen corslet to
the Rhodians of which the threads were each com-
posed of 365 fibres; and he presented another to
the Lacedemonians, richly wrought with gold; and
each thread of this corslet, though itself very fine,
was composed of 360 other threads all distinct.
Nor did these beautiful manufactures lack the
addition of equally beautiful needlework. Though
the gold thread used at this time was, as we have
intimated, solid metal, still the Egyptians had at-
tained to such perfection in the art of moulding it,
that it was fine enough not merely to embroider, but
even to interweave with the linen. The linen corslet
of Amasis, presented, as we have remarked, to the
Lacedemonians, surpassingly fine as was the mate-
rial, was worked with a needle in figures of animals
c 3
34
NEEDLEWORK OF THE EGYPTIANS.
in gold thread, and from the description given of
the texture of the linen we may form some idea of
the exquisite tenuity of the gold wire which was used
to ornament it.
Corslets of linen of a somewhat stronger texture
than this one, which was doubtless meant for merely
ornamental wear, were not uncommon amongst the
ancients. The Greeks made thoraces of hide, hemp,
linen, or twisted cord. Of the latter there are some
curious specimens in the interesting museum of the
United Service Club. Alexander had a double
thorax of linen; and Iphicrates ordered his soldiers
to lay aside their heavy metal cuirass, and go to
battle in hempen armour. And among the arms
painted in the tomb of Rameses III. at Thebes
is a piece of defensive armour, a sort of coat or cover-
ing for the body, made of rich stuff, and richly em-
broidered with the figures of lions and other animals.
The dress of the Egyptian ladies of rank was rich
and somewhat gay: in its general appearance not
very dissimilar from the gay chintzes of the present
day, but of more value as the material was usually
linen; and though sometimes stamped in patterns,
and sometimes interwoven with gold threads, was
much more usually worked with the needle. The
richest and most elegant of these were of course se-
lected to adorn the person of the queen; and when
in the holy book the royal Psalmist is describing the
dress of a bride, supposed to have been Pharaoh's
daughter, and that she shall be brought to the king "in
raiment of needlework," he says, as proof of the gorge-
ousness of her attire, her clothing is of wrought
gold." This is supposed to mean a garment richly
NEEDLEWORK OF THE EGYPTIANS.
35
embroidered with the needle in figures in gold
thread, after the manner of Egyptian stitchery.
Perhaps no royal lady was ever more magnificently
dowered than the queen of Egypt; her apparel
might well be gorgeous. Diodorus says that when
Moris, from whom the lake derived its name, and
who was supposed to have made the canal, had ar-
ranged the sluices for the introduction of the water,
and established everything connected with it, he as-
signed the sum annually derived from this source as
a dowry to the queen for the purchase of jewels,
ointments, and other objects connected with the
toilette. The provision was certainly very liberal,
being a talent every day, or upwards of £70,700 a
year; and when this formed only a portion of the
pin-money of the Egyptian queens, to whom the re-
venues of the city of Anthylla, famous for its wines,
were given for their dress, it is certain they had no
reason to complain of the allowance they enjoyed.
The Egyptian needlewomen were not solely oc-
cupied in the decoration of their persons. The deities
were robed in rich vestments, in the preparation of
which the proudest in the land felt that they were
worthily occupied. This was a source of great gain
to the priests, both in this and other countries, as, after
decorating the idol gods for a time, these rich offer-
ings were their perquisites, who of course encouraged
this notable sort of devotion. We are told that it
was carried so far that some idols had both winter
and summer garments.
Tokens of friendship consisting of richly embroi-
dered veils, handkerchiefs, &c., were then, as now,
36
NEEDLEWORK OF THE EGYPTIANS.
passing from one fair hand to another, as pledges of
affection; and as the last holy office of love, the be-
reaved mother, the desolate widow, or the maiden
whose budding hopes were blighted by her lover's
untimely death, might find a fanciful relief to her
sorrows by decorating the garment which was to en-
shroud the spiritless but undecaying form. The
chief proportion of the mummy-cloths which have
been so ruthlessly torn from these outraged relics
of humanity are coarse; but some few have been
found delicately and beautifully embroidered; and it
is not unnatural to suppose that this difference was the
result of feminine solicitude and undying affection.
The embroidering of the sails of vessels too was
pursued as an article of commerce, as well as for the
decoration of native pleasure-boats. The ordinary
sails were white; but the king and his grandees on
all gala occasions made use of sails richly em-
broidered with the phoenix, with flowers, and various
other emblems and fanciful devices. Many also
were painted, and some interwoven in checks and
stripes. The boats used in sacred festivals upon the
Nile were decorated with appropriate symbols, ac-
cording to the nature of the ceremony or the deity
in whose service they were engaged; and the edges
of the sails were finished with a coloured hem or
border, which would occasionally be variegated with
slight embroidery.
Shakspeare's description of the barge of Cleopatra
when she embarked on the river Cydnus to meet
Antony, poetical as it is, seems to be rigidly correct
in detail.
NEEDLEWORK OF THE EGYPTIANS.
37
ENOBARBUS.-I will tell you.
The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne,
Burn'd on the water: the poop was beaten gold;
Purple the sails, and so perfumed, that
The winds were love-sick with then the oars were silver;
Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made
The water, which they beat, to follow faster,
As amorous of their strokes. For her own person,
It beggar'd all description: she did lie
In her pavilion (cloth of gold, of tissue),
O'erpicturing that Venus, where we see
The fancy outwork nature; on each side her
Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids,
With diverse-colour'd fans, whose wind did seem
To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool,
And what they undid, did.
AGRIPPA.
O, rare for Antony !
ENOBARBUS Her gentlewomen, like the Nereides,
So many mermaids, tended her i' the eyes,
And made their bends adornings; at the helm
A seeming mermaid steers; the silken tackle
Swell with the touches of those flower-soft hands,
That yarely frame the office. From the barge
A strange invisible perfume hits the sense
Of the adjacent wharfs. The city cast
Her people out upon her; and Antony,
Bethroned in the market-place, did sit alone,
Whistling to the air; which, but for vacancy,
Had gone to gaze on Cleopatra too,
And made a gap in nature.
which to the tune
It is said that the silver oars,
of flutes kept stroke," were pierced with holes of
different sizes, so mechanically contrived, that the
water, as it flowed through them at every stroke,
produced a harmony in concord with that of the
flutes and lyres on board.
Such a description as the foregoing gives a more
vivid idea than any grave declaration, of the elegant
luxury of the Egyptians.
38
NEEDLEWORK OF THE EGYPTIANS.
It were easy to collect instances from the Bible
in which mention is made of Egyptian embroidery,
but one verse (Ezek. xxvii. 7), when the prophet is
addressing the Tyrians, specifically points to the
subject on which we are speaking : Fine linen,
with broidered work from Egypt, was that which
thou spreadest forth to be thy sail," &c.
CC
A common but beautiful style of embroidery was
to draw out entirely the threads of linen which
formed the weft, and to re-form the body of the
material, and vary its appearance, by working in
various stitches and with different colours on the
warp alone.
Chairs and fauteuils of the most elegant form,
made of ebony and other rare woods, inlaid with
ivory, were in common use amongst the ancient
Egyptians. These were covered, as is the fashion
in the present day, with every variety of rich stuff,
stamped leather, &c.: but many were likewise em-
broidered with different coloured wools, with silk
and gold thread. The couches too, which in the
daytime had a rich covering substituted for the
night bedding, gave ample scope for the display of
the inventive genius and persevering industry of
the busy-fingered Egyptian ladies.
We have given sufficient proof that the Egyptian
females were accomplished in the art of needlework,
and we may naturally infer that they were fond of
it. It is a gentle and a social
cupation, and
usefully employs the time, whilst it does not inter-
fere with the current of the thoughts or the flow of
conversation. The Egyptians were an intelligent
and an animated race; and the sprightly jest or
NEEDLEWORK OF THE EGYPTIANS.
39
the lively sally would be interspersed with the
graver details of thoughtful and reflective conver-
sation, or would give some point to the dull routine
of mere womanish chatter. It seems almost im-
possible to have lived amidst the stupendous mag-
nificence of Egypt in days of yore, without the
mind assimilating itself in some degree to the
greatness with which it was surrounded. The vast
deserts, the stupendous mountains, the river Nile-
the single and solitary river which in itself sufficed
the needs of a mighty empire-these majestic
monuments of nature seemed as emblems to which
the people should fashion, as they did fashion, their
pyramids, their tombs, their sphynxes, their mighty
reservoirs, and their colossal statues. And we can
hardly suppose that such ever-visible objects should
not, during the time of their creation, have some
elevating influence on the weakest mind; and that
therefore frivolity of conversation amongst the
Egyptian ladies was rather the exception than the
rule. But a modern author has amused himself,
and exercised some ingenuity in attempting to prove
the contrary:-
"Many similar instances of a talent for caricature
are observable in the compositions of Egyptian
artists who executed the paintings on the tombs;
and the ladies are not spared. We are led to infer
that they were not deficient in the talent of conver-
sation; and the numerous subjects they proposed
are shown to have been examined with great anima-
tion. Among these the question of dress was not
forgotten, and the patterns or the value of trinkets
were discussed with proportionate interest. The
40
NEEDLEWORK OF THE EGYPTIANS.
maker of an earring, or the shop where it was
purchased, were anxiously inquired; each compared
the workmanship, the style, and the materials of
those she wore, coveted her neighbour's, or pre-
ferred her own; and women of every class vied
with each other in the display of jewels of silver
and jewels of gold,' in the texture of their 'raiment,'
the neatness of their sandals, and the arrangement
or beauty of their plaited hair."
We are too much indebted to this author's in-
teresting volumes to quarrel with him for his ungal-
lant exposition of a very simple painting; but we
beg to place in juxta position with the above
(though otherwise somewhat out of its place) an
extract from a work by no means characterised by
unnecessary complacency to the fair sex.
"Cet homme passe sa vie à forger des nouvelles,'
me dit alors un gros Athénien qui était assis auprès
de moi. Il ne s'occupe que de choses qui ne le
touchent point. Pour moi, mon intérieur me suffit.
J'ai une femme que j'aime beaucoup;' et il me fit
l'éloge de sa femme. Hier je ne pus pas souper
avec elle, j'etais prié chez un de mes amis;' et il
me fit la description du repas. Je me retirai chez
moi assez content. Mais j'ai fait cette nuit un rêve
qui m'inquiète;' et il me raconta son rêve. Ensuite
il me dit pesamment que la ville fourmillait
d'étrangers; que les hommes d'aujourd'hui ne
valaient pas ceux d'autrefois; que les denrées
étaient à bas prix; qu'on pourrait espérer une bonne
récolte, s'il venait à pleuvoir. Après m'avoir de
mandé le quantième du mois, il se leva pour aller
souper avec sa femme."
41
CHAPTER V.
NEEDLEWORK OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.
t
Supreme
Sits the virtuous housewife,
The tender mother-
O'er the circle presiding,
And prudently guiding;
The girls gravely schooling,
The boys wisely ruling ;
Her hands never ceasing
From labours increasing ;
And doubling his gains
With her orderly pains.
With piles of rich treasure the storehouse she spreads,
And winds round the loud-whirring spindle her threads:
She winds-till the bright-polish'd presses are full
Of the snow-white linen and glittering wool:
Blends the brilliant and solid in constant endeavour,
And resteth never."
J. H. MERIVALE.
Ir was an admitted opinion amongst the classical
nations of antiquity, that no less a personage than
Minerva herself, "a maiden affecting old fashions
and formality," visited earth to teach her favourite
nation the mysteries of those implements which are
called "the arms of every virtuous woman;" viz.
the distaff and spindle. In the use of these the
Grecian dames were particularly skilled; in fact,
42 NEEDLEWork of the GREEKS AND ROMANS.
+
spinning, weaving, needlework, and embroidery,
formed the chief occupation of those whose rank exon-
erated them, even in more primitive days, from the
menial drudgery of a household.
The Greek females led exceedingly retired lives,
being far more charily admitted to a share of the
recreations of the nobler sex than we of these privi-
leged days. The ancient Greeks were very mag-
nificent-very: magnificent senators, magnificent
warriors, magnificent men; but they were a people
trained from the cradle for exhibition and publicity;
domestic life was quite cast into the shade. Con-
sequently and necessarily their women were thrown
to greater distance, till it happened, naturally
enough, that they seemed to form a distinct com-
munity; and apartments the most distant and
secluded that the mansion afforded were usually
assigned to them. Of these, in large establishments,
certain ones were always appropriated to the labours
of the needle.
"Je ne dirai" (says the sarcastic author of Ana-
charsis) "qu'un mot sur l'éducation des filles. Suivant
le différence des états, elles apprennent à lire, écrire,
coudre, filer, préparer la laine dont on fait les vête-
mens, et veiller aux soins du ménage. En général,
les mères exhortent leurs filles à se conduire avec
sagesse; mais elle insistent beaucoup plus sur la né-
cessité de se tenir droites, d'effacer leurs épaules, de
serrer leur sein avec un large ruban, d'être extrême-
ment sobres, et de prévenir, par toutes sortes de
moyens, un embonpoint qui nuirait a l'élégance
de la taille et à la grâce des mouvemens."
Homer, the great fountain of ancient lore, scarcely
NEEDLEWORK OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS. 43
throughout his whole work names a female, Greek
or Trojan, but as connected naturally and indisso-
lubly with this feminine occupation-needlework.
Thus, when Chryses implores permission to ransome
his daughter, Agamemnon wrathfully replies--
"I will not loose thy daughter, till old age
Find her far distant from her native soil,
Beneath my roof in Argos, at her task
Of tissue-work."
And Iris, the "ambassadress of Heaven," finds
Helen in her own recess-
CC
weaving there a gorgeous web,
Inwrought with fiery conflicts, for her sake
Wag'd by contending nations."
Hector foreseeing the miseries consequent upon
the destruction of Troy, says to Andromache-
"But no grief
So moves me as my grief for thee alone,
Doom'd then to follow some imperious Greek,
A weeping captive, to the distant shores
Of Argos; there to labour at the loom
For a taskmistress."
And again he says to her-
"Hence, then, to our abode; there weave or spin,
And task thy maidens."
And afterwards-
"Andromache, the while,
Knew nought, nor even by report had learn'd
Her Hector's absence in the field alone.
She in her chamber at the palace-top
A splendid texture wrought, on either side
All dazzling bright with flow'rs of various hues."
44 needlewORK OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.
Though "Penelope's web" is become a proverb,
it would be unpardonable here to omit specific men-
tion of it. Antinoüs thus complains of her :-
"Elusive of the bridal day, she gives
Fond hope to all, and all with hope deceives.
Did not the Sun, through heaven's wide azure roll'd,
For three long years the royal fraud behold?
While she, laborious in delusion, spread
The spacious loom, and mix'd the various thread;
Where, as to life the wondrous figures rise,
Thus spoke th' inventive queen with artful sighs:
Though cold in death Ulysses breathes no more,
Cease yet a while to urge the bridal hour;
Cease, till to great Laertes I bequeath
A task of grief, his ornaments of death.
Lest, when the Fates his royal ashes claim,
The Grecian matrons taint my spotless fame:
When he, whom living mighty realms obey'd,
Shall want in death a shroud to grace his shade.'
Thus she: At once the generous train complies,
Nor fraud mistrusts in virtue's fair disguise.
The work she plied; but, studions of delay,
By night revers'd the labours of the day.
While thrice the Sun his annual journey made,
The conscious lamp the midnight fraud survey'd ;
Unheard, unseen, three years her arts prevail;
The fourth, her maid unfolds th' amazing tale.
We saw, as unperceiv'd we took our stand,
The backward labours of her faithless hand.
Then urg'd, she perfects her illustrious toils ;
A wondrous monument of female wiles."
The Greek costume was rich and elegant; and
though, from our familiarity with colourless statues,
we are apt to suppose it gravely uniform in its hue,
such was not the fact; for the tunic was often
adorned with ornamental embroidery of all sorts.
The toga was the characteristic of Roman costume :
this gradually assumed variations from its primitive
NEEDLEWORK OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS. 45
simplicity of hue, until at length the triumphant
general considered even the royal purple too unpre
tending, unless set off by a rich embroidery of gold.
The first embroideries of the Romans were but
bands of stuff, cut or twisted, which they put on the
dresses: the more modest used only one band;
others two, three, four, up to seven; and from the
number of these the dresses took their names, always
drawn from the Greek: molores, dilores, trilores,
tetralores, &c.
Pliny seems to be the authority whence most
writers derive their accounts of ancient garments
and needlework.
"The coarse rough wool with the round great haire
hath been of ancient time highly commended and
accounted of in tapestrie worke: for even Homer
himself witnesseth that they of the old world used
the same much, and tooke great delight therein.
But this tapestrie is set out with colours in France
after one sort, and among the Parthians after
another. M. Varro writeth that within the temple
of Sangus there continued unto the time that he
wrote his booke the wooll that lady Tanaquil, other-
wise named Caia Cecilia, spun; together with her
distaff and spindle: as also within the chapel of
Fortune, the very roiall robe or mantle of estate,
made in her own hands after the manner of water
chamlot in wave worke, which Servius Tullius used
to weare.
And from hence came the fashion and
custome at Rome, that when maidens were to be
wedded, there attended upon them a distaffe, dressed
and trimmed with kombed wooll, as also a spindle
and
yearne upon it. The said Tanaquil was the
46 NEEDLEWork of the greeks and ROMANS.
first that made the coat or cassocke woven right
out all through; such as new beginners (namely
young souldiers, barristers, and fresh brides) put
on under their white plaine gowns, without any
guard of purple. The waved water chamelot was
from the beginning esteemed the richest and
bravest wearing. And from thence came the
branched damaske in broad workes. Fenestella
writeth that in the latter time of Augustus Cæsar
they began at Rome to use their gownes of cloth
shorne, as also with a curled nap.-As for those
robes which are called crebræ and papaveratæ,
wrought thicke with floure worke, resembling pop-
pies, or pressed even and smooth, they be of greater
antiquitie: for even in the time of Lucilius the poet
Torquatus was noted and reproved for wearing them.
The long robes embrodered before, called prætextæ,
were devised first by the Tuscanes. The Trabeæ
were roiall robes, and I find that kings and princes.
only ware them. In Homer's time also they used
garments embrodered with imagerie and floure,
work, and from thence came the triumphant robes.
As for embroderie itselfe and needle-worke, it was
the Phrygians invention and hereupon embro-
derers in Latine bee called phrygiones. And in the
same Asia king Attalus was the first that devised
cloth of gold: and thence come such colours to be
called Attalica. In Babylon they used much to weave
their cloth of divers colours, and this was a great wear-
ing amongst them, and cloths so wrought were called
Babylonica. To weave cloth of tissue with twisted
threeds both in woofe and warpe, and the same of
sundrie colours, was the invention of Alexandria;
NEEDLEWORK OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS. 47
and such clothes and garments were called Polymita,
But Fraunce devised the scutchion, square, or
lozenge damaske worke. Metellus Scipio, among
other challenges and imputations laid against Capito,
reproached and accused him for this:-That his
hangings and furniture of his dining chamber, being
Babylonian work or cloth of Arras, were sold for
800,000 sesterces; and such like of late days stood
Prince Nero in 400,000 sesterces, i. e. forty millions.'
The embrodered long robes of Servius Tullius,
wherewith he covered and arraied all over the image
of Fortune, by him dedicated, remained whole and
sound until the end of Sejanus. And a wonder it
was that they neither fell from the image nor were
motheaten in 560 yeares.
It was long before silk was in general use, even
for patrician garments. It has been supposed that
the famous Median vest, invented by Semiramis,
was silken, which might account for its great fame
in the west. Be this as it
Be this as it may, it was so very
graceful, that the Medes adopted it after they had
conquered Asia; and the Persians followed their
example. In the time of the Romans the price of
silk was weight for weight with gold, and the first
persons who brought silk into Europe were the
Greeks of Alexander's army. Under Tiberius it
was forbidden to be worn by men; and it is said
that the Emperor Aurelian even refused the earnest
request of his empress for a silken dress, on the
plea of its extravagant cost. Heliogabalus was
the first man that ever wore a robe entirely of silk.
He had also a tunic woven of gold threads; such
*Book viii. chap. 48.
48 NEEDLEWORK OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.
gold thread as we referred to in a prior chapter, as
consisting of the metal alone beaten out and
rounded, without any intermixture of silk or woollen.
Tarquinius Priscus had also a vest of this gorgeous
description, as had likewise Agrippina. Gold thread
and wire continued to be made entirely of metal
probably until the time of Aurelian, nor have
there been any instances found in Herculaneum
and Pompeii of the silken thread with a gold
coating.
These examples will suffice to show that it was
not usually the material of the ancient garments
which gave them so high a value, but the orna-
mental embellishments with which they were after-
wards invested by the needle.
The Medes and Babylonians seem to have been
most highly celebrated for their stuffs and tapestries
of various sorts which were figured by the needle;
the Egyptians certainly rivalled, though they did not
surpass them; and the Greeks seem also to have
attained a high degree of excellence in this pretty
art. The epoch of embroidery amongst the Romans
went as far back as Tarquin, to whom the Etrus-
cans presented a tunic of purple enriched with gold,
and a mantle of purple and other colours, "tels
qu'en portoient les rois de Perse et de Lydie.'
But soon luxury banished the wonted austerity of
Rome; and when Cæsar first showed himself in a
habit embroidered and fringed, this innovation
appeared scandalous to those who had not been
alarmed at any of his real and important inno-
vations.
We have referred in a former chapter to the
"
NEEDLEWORK OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS. 49
practice of sending garments as presents, as marks
of respect and friendship, or as propitiatory or de-
precatory offerings. And the illustrious ladies of
the classical times had such a prophetical talent of
preparation, that they were ever found possessed,
when occasion required, of store of garments richly
embroidered by their own fair fingers, or under
their auspices. Of this there are numerous ex-
amples in Homer.
When Priam wishes to redeem the body of Hec-
tor, after preparing other propitiatory gifts,
he open'd wide the sculptur'd lids.
Of various chests, whence mantles twelve he took
Of texture beautiful; twelve single cloaks;
As many carpets, with as many robes;
To which he added vests an equal store.”
When Telemachus is about to leave Menelaus-
"The beauteous queen revolv'd with careful eyes
Her various textures of unnumber'd dyes,
And chose the largest; with no vulgar art
Her own fair hands embroider'd every part ·
Beneath the rest it lay divinely bright,
Like radiant Hesper o'er the gems of night."
That much of this work was highly beautiful
may be inferred from the description of the robe of
Ulysses:-
"In the rich woof a hound, Mosaic drawn,
Bore on full stretch, and seiz'd a dappled fawn;
Deep in the neck his fangs indent their hold;
They pant and struggle in the moving gold.”
And this robe, Penelope says,
"In happier hours her artful hand employ'd."
To invest a visitor with an embroidered robe was
D
50 NEEDLEWORK OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.
considered the very highest mark of honour and
regard.
When Telemachus is at the magnificent court of
Menelaus-
a bright damsel train attend the guests
With liquid odours and embroider'd vests.”
"Give to the stranger guest a stranger's dues:
Bring gold, a pledge of love; a talent bring,
A vest, a robe."
in order roll'd
The robes, the vests are rang'd, and heaps of gold:
And adding a rich dress inwrought with art,
A gift expressive of her bounteous heart,
Thus spoke (the queen) to Ithacus."
When Cambyses wished to attain some point
from an Ethiopian prince, he forwarded, amongst
other presents, a rich vest. The Ethiopian, taking
the garment, inquired what it was, and how it was
made; but its glittering tracery did not decoy the
unsophisticated prince. When Xerxes arrived at
Acanthos, he interchanged the rites of hospitality
with the people, and presented several with Median
vests. Probably our readers will remember the
circumstance of Alexander making the mother of
Darius a present of some rich vestures, probably
of woollen fabrics, and telling her that she might
make her grandchildren learn the art of weaving
them; at which the royal lady felt insulted and
deeply hurt, as it was considered ignominious by
the Persian women to work in wool. Hearing of
her misapprehension, Alexander himself waited on
her, and in the gentlest and most respectful terms
told the illustrious captive that, far from meaning
NEEDLEWORK of the greEKS AND ROMANS. 51
any offence, the custom of his own country had
misled him; and that the vestments he had offered
were not only a present from his royal sisters, but
wrought by their own hands.
Outré as appear some of the flaring patterns of
the present day, the boldest of them must be quiet
and unattractive compared with those we read of
formerly, when not only human figures, but birds
and animals, were wrought not merely on hangings
and carpets but on wearing apparel. Ciampini
gives various instances.*
What changes, says he, do not a long course of
years produce! Who now, except in the theatre,
or at a carnival or masquerade (spectaculis ac rebus
ludiciis), would endure garments inscribed with
verses and titles, and painted with various figures?
Nevertheless, it is plain that such garments were
constantly used in ancient times. To say nothing
of Homer, who assigns to Ulysses a tunic variegated
with figures of animals; to say nothing of the
Massagetæ, whom Herodotus relates painted
animals on their garments with the juice of herbs;
we also read of these garments (though then con-
sidered very antiquated) being used under the
Cæsars of Rome.
They say that Alcisthenes the Sybarite had a
garment of such magnificence that when he exhi-
bited it in the Temple of Juno at Lacinium, where
all Italy was congregated, it attracted universal
attention. It was purchased from the Carthagi-
nians, by Dionysius the elder, for 120 talents. It
was twenty-two feet in breadth, of a purple ground,
* Ciampini, Vetera Monimenta, cap. xiii.
D 2
52 NEEDLEWORK OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.
with animals wrought all over, except in the middle,
where were Jupiter, Juno, Themis, Minerva, Apollo,
Venus on one sleeve it had a figure of Alcisthenes,
on the other of his city Sybaris.
That this description is not exaggerated may be
inferred from the following passage from a homily
on Dives and Lazarus by a Bishop of Amuasan in
Pontus, given by Ciampini.
66
They have here no bounds to this foolish art,
for no sooner was invented the useless art of weay-
ing in figures in a kind of picture, such as animals
of all sorts, than (rich persons) procure flowered
garments, and also those variegated with an infinite
number of images, both for themselves, their wives,
and children.
Whensoever
thus clothed they go abroad, they go, as it were,
painted all over, and pointing out to one another
with the finger the pictures on their garments.
"For there are lions and panthers, and bears and
bulls, and dogs and woods, and rocks and hunts-
men; and, in a word, everything that can be
thought of, all drawn to the life: for it was neces-
sary, forsooth, that not only the walls of their houses
should be painted, but their coats (tunica) also,
and likewise the cloak (pallium) which covers it.
The more pious of these gentry take their sub-
jects from the Gospel history: e. g. Christ himself
with his disciples, or one of the miracles, is depicted.
In this manner you shall see the marriage of Cana
and the waterpots; the paralytic carrying his bed
on his shoulders; the blind man cured by clay; the
woman with the issue of blood taking hold of the
border (of Christ's garment); the harlot falling at
NEEDLEWORK OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS. 53
the feet of Jesus; Lazarus coming from the tomb:
and they fancy there is great piety in all this, and
that putting on such garments must be pleasing to
God."
The palmated garment was figured with palm-
leaves, and was a triumphal or festive garment. It
is referred to in an epistle of Gratian to Augustus:
"I have sent thee a palmated garment, in which the
name of our divine parent Constantine is inter-
woven."
In allusion to these lettered garments Ausonius
celebrates Sabina (textrice simul ac poetria), whose
name thus lives when those of more important per-
sonages are forgotten
They who both webs and verses weave,
The first to thee, O chaste Minerva, leave;
The latter to the Muses they devote:
To me, Sabina, it appears a sin
To separate two things so near akin,
So I have wrote thy verses on my coat.*
And again :
Whether the Tyrian robe your praise demand,
Or the neat verse upon the edge descried,
Know both proceed from the same skilful hand:
In both these arts Sabina takes a pride.†
It is imagined that the embroidered vestments
*"Licia qui texunt, et Carmina; Carmina Musis,
Licia contribuunt, casta, Minerva tibi.
Ast ego rem sociam non dissociabo, Sabina,
Versibus inscripsi, quæ mea texta meis."
+"Sive probas Tyrio textam sub tegmine vestem,
Seu placet inscripti commoditas tituli.
Ipsius hæc Dominæ concennat utrumque venustas:
Has geminas artes una Sabina colet."
54 NEEDLEWork of the GREEKS AND ROMANS,
.
worn in Homer's time bore a strong resemblance
to those now worn by the Moguls; and the custom
of making presents, so discernible through his
work, still prevails throughout Asia. It is not
(says Sir James Forbes) so much the custom in
India to present dresses ready made to the visitors
as to offer the materials, especially to Europeans.
In Turkey, Persia, and Arabia, it is generally the
reverse. We find in Chardin that the kings of
Persia had great wardrobes, where there were
always many hundred habits, sorted, ready for pre-
sents, and that more than forty tailors were always
employed in this service.
It is not improbable that this ancient custom of
presenting a visitor with a new dress as a token of
welcome, a symbol of rejoicing at his presence, may
have led to many of the general customs which
have prevailed, and do still, of having new clothes
at any season of joy or festivity. New clothes are
thought by the people of the East requisite for the
due solemnization of a time of rejoicing. The
Turks, even the poorest of them, would submit to
any privation rather than be without new clothes at
the Bairam or Great Festival. There is an anecdote
recorded of the Caliph Montanser Billah, that going
one day to the upper roof of his palace he saw a
number of clothes spread out on the flat roofs of
the houses of Bagdat. He asked the reason, and
was told that the inhabitants of Bagdat were dry-
ing their clothes, which they had newly washed, on
account of the approach of the Bairam. The caliph
was so concerned that any should be so poor as to
be obliged to wash their old clothes for want of new
NEEDLEWORK OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS. 55
ones with which to celebrate this festival, that he
ordered a great quantity of gold to be instantly
made into bullets, proper to be shot out of cross-
bows, which he and his courtiers threw, by this
means, upon every terrace of the city where he saw
garments spread to dry.
56
CHAPTER VI.
THE DARK AGES." SHEE-SCHOOLS."
There was an auncient house not far away,
Renown'd throughout the world for sacred lore
And pure unspotted life: so well they say
It govern'd was, and guided evermore
Through wisedome of a matrone grave and hore,
Whose onely joy was to relieve the needes
Of wretched soules, and helpe the helplesse pore:
All night she spent in bidding of her bedes,
And all the day in doing good and godly dedes.”
FAERIE QUEENE.
"Meantime, whilst monks' pens were thus employed, nuns with
their needles wrote histories also: that of Christ his passion for their
altar-clothes; and other Scripture- (and more legend-) stories in hang-
ings to adorn their houses."
FULLER, CH. HIST., B. 6.
NEEDLEWORK is an art so indissolubly connected
with the convenience and comfort of mankind at
large, that it is impossible to suppose any state of
society in which it has not existed. Its modes varied,
of course, according to the lesser or greater degrees
-
THE DARK AGES." SHEE-SCHOOLS."
57
of refinement in other matters with which it was
connected; and when we find from Muratori that
"nulla s'è detto finqui dell' Arte del Tessere dopo
la declinazione del Romano Imperio; e solo in
fuggire s'è parlato di alcune vesti degli antichi," we
may fairly infer that the ornamental needlework of
the time was not extensively encouraged, although
never entirely laid aside.
The desolation that overran the world was found
alike in its greatest or most insignificant concerns ;
and the same torrent that swept monarchs from
their thrones and peers from their halls did away
with the necessity for professors of the decorative
arts. There needed not the embroiderer of gold
and purple to blazon the triumph of a conqueror
who disdained other habiliment than the skin of
some slaughtered beast.*
The matron who yet retained the principle of
Roman virtue, or the fair and refined maiden of the
eastern capital, far from seeking personal adornment,
rather shunned any decoration which might attract
the eyes and inflame the passions of untamed and
ruthless conquerors.
All usual habits were sub-
verted, and for long years the history of the Euro-
pean world is but a bloody record of war and tumult,
of bloodshed and strife. Few are the cases of peace
and tranquillity in this desert of tumult and blood-
guiltiness; but those few" isles of the blessed" in
this ocean of discord, those few sunny spots in the
gloomy landscape, are intimately connected with
our theme.
The use of the needle for the daily
* "In the most inclement winter the hardy German was satisfied
with a scanty garment made of the skin of some animal."-Gibbon.
D 3
58
THE DARK AGES." SHEE-SCHOOLS.”
necessities of life could never, as we have remarked,
be superseded; but the practice of ornamental
needlework, in common with every ennobling science
and improving art, was kept alive during this period
of desolation by the church, and by the individual
labours and collective zeal of the despised and con-
temned monks.
Sharing that hallowed influence which hovered
over and protected the church at this fearful season
-for, from the carelessness or superstition of the
barbarians, the ministers of religion were spared-
nunneries, with some few exceptions, were now like
refuges pointed out by Heaven itself. They were
originally founded by the sister of St. Anthony, the
hermit of the Egyptian desert, and in their primitive
institution were meant solely for those who, abjuring
the world for religious motives, were desirous to
spend their whole time in devotional exercises. But
their sphere of utility became afterwards widely ex-
tended. They became safe and peaceable asylums
for all those to whom life's pilgrimage had been too
thorny. The frail but repentant maiden was here
sheltered from the scorn of an uncharitable world;
the virtuous but suffering female, whose earthly
hopes had, from whatever cause, been crushed,
could here weep and pray in peace: while she to
whom the more tangible trouble of poverty had de-
scended might here, without the galling yoke of
charity and dependence, look to a refuge for those
evil days when the breaking of the golden bowl, the
loosing of the silver cord, should disable her from
the exertions necessary for her maintenance.
Have we any-ay, with all their faults and im-
THE DARK AGES.-"SHEE-SCHOOLS."
59
perfections on their heads-have we, in these days
of enlightenment, any sort of substitute for the bless-
ings they held out to dependent and suffering woman
of whatever rank?
Convents became also schools for the education
of young women of rank, who here imbibed in early
youth principles of religion which might enable them
to endure with patience and fortitude those after-
trials of life from which no station or wealth could
exempt them; and they acquired here those accom-
plishments, and were taught here those lighter oc-
cupations, amongst which fine needlework and em-
broidery occupied a conspicuous position, which would
qualify them to beguile in a becoming manner the
many hours of leisure which their elevated rank
would confer on them.
"Nunneries," says Fuller, " also were good shee-
schools, wherein the girles and maids of the neigh-
bourhood were taught to read and work; and some-
times a little Latine was taught them therein. Yea,
give me leave to say, if such feminine foundations
had still continued, provided no vow were obtruded
upon them (virginity is least kept where it is most
constrained), haply the weaker sex (besides the
avoiding modern inconveniences) might be height-
ened to an higher perfection than hitherto hath
been attained. That sharpnesse of their wits and
suddenness of their conceits (which their enemies
must allow unto them) might by education be im-
proved into a judicious solidity, and that adorned
with arts which now they want, not because they
cannot learn, but are not taught them. I say, if
such feminine foundations were extant now of dayes,
60
THE DARK AGES.—“ SHEE-SCHOOLS.”
haply some virgins of highest birth would be glad
of such places, and I am sure their fathers and elder
brothers would not be sorry for the same."
Miss Lawrance gives a more detailed account of
the duties taught in them. "In consequence of
convents being considered as establishments exclu-
sively belonging to the Latin church, Protestant
writers, as by common consent, have joined in cen-
suring them, forgetful of the many benefits which,
without any reference to their peculiar creed, they
were calculated to confer. Although providing in-
struction for the young, the convent was a large
establishment for various orders of women. There
were the nuns, the lay sisters, always a numerous
class, and a large body of domestics; while in those
higher convents, where the abbess exercised mano-
rial jurisdiction, there were seneschal, esquires, gen-
tlemen, yeomen, grooms, indeed the whole establish-
ment of a baronial castle, except the men-at-arms
and the archer-band. Thus within the convent
walls the pupil saw nearly the same domestic ar-
rangement to which she had been accustomed in
her father's castle; while, instead of being con-
stantly surrounded with children, well born and
intelligent women might be her occasional com-
panions. And then the most important functions
were exercised by women. The abbess presided in
her manorial court, the cellaress performed the ex-
tensive offices of steward, the præcentrix led the
singing and superintended the library, and the in-
firmaress watched over the sick, affording them alike
spiritual and medical aid. Thus, from her first
admission, the pupil was taught to respect and to
THE DARK AGES.—‹ SHEE-SCHOOLS."
61
emulate the talents of women. But a yet more im-
portant peculiarity did the convent school present.
It was a noble, a well-endowed, and an independent
institution; and it proffered education as a boon.
Here was no eager canvassing for scholars, no pro-
mises of unattainable advantages; for the convent
school was not a mercantile establishment, nor was
education a trade. The female teachers of the
middle ages were looked up to alike by parent and
child, and the instruction so willingly offered was
willingly and gratefully received; the character of
the teacher was elevated, and as a necessary conse-
quence so was the character of the pupil."
But in addition to those inmates who had dedi-
cated their lives to religion, and those who were
placed there specifically for education, convents
afforded shelter to numbers who sought only tem-
porary retirement from the world under the influence
of sorrow, or temporary protection under the appre-
hension of danger. And this was the case not
merely through the very dark era with which our
chapter commences, but for centuries afterwards,
and when the world was comparatively civilized.
Our own "good Queen Maude" assumed the veil in
the convent of Romsey, without however taking the
vows, as the only means of escaping from a forced
marriage; and in the subsequent reign, that of
Stephen, so little regard was paid to law or de-
corum, that a convent was the only place where a
maiden, even of gentle birth, if she had riches, could
have a chance of shelter and safety from the machi-
nations of those who resorted to any sort of bru-
62
THE DARK AGES." SHEE-SCHOOLS."
tality or violence to compel her to a marriage which
would secure her possessions to her ravisher.
It was then in the convents, and in them alone,
that, during the barbarism and confusion consequent
upon the overthrow of the ancient empire, and the
irruption of the untamed hordes who overran south-
ern Europe from the north and west,-it was in the
convents that some remnants of the ancient art of
embroidery were still preserved. The nuns con-
sidered it an acceptable service to employ their
time and talents in the construction of vestments
which, being intended for the service of the church,
were rich and sumptuous even at the time when
richness and elegance of apparel were unknown
elsewhere.* It was no proof of either the ignorance
or the bad taste or the irreligion of the "dark"
ages, that the religious edifices were fitted up with
a rich and gorgeous solemnity which are unheard of
in these days of light and knowledge and economy.
And besides the construction of rich and elaborately
ornamented vestments for the priests, and hangings
for the altars, shrines, &c., besides these being pe-
culiarly the occupation of the professed sisters of
religious houses, it was likewise the pride and the
delight of ladies of rank to devote both their money
to the purchase and their time to the embroidering
of sacerdotal garments as offerings to the church.
* Muratori (Diss. 25), speaking of the mean habiliments usual in
Italy even so late as the 13th century, adds, " Ma non per questo
s'hanno a credere cosi rozzi e nemici del Lussa que' Secoli. A buon
conto anche in Italia qui non era cieco, sovente potea mirare i più
delicati lavori di Seta, che servivano di ornamenti alle Chiese e alle
sacre funzioni."
THE DARK AGES.-"SHEE-SCHOOLS."
63
And whether temporarily sheltering within the walls
of a convent, or happily presiding in her own lofty
halls, it was oftentime the pride and pleasure of the
high-born dame to embroider a splendid cope, a rich
vest, or a gorgeous hanging, as a votive and grateful
offering to that holy altar where perhaps she had
prayed in sorrow, and found consolation and peace.
64
CHAPTER VII.
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
"Last night I dreamt a dream; behold!
I saw a church was fret with gold,
With arras richly dight:
There saw I altar, pall, and pix,
Chalice, and font, and crucifix,
And tapers burning bright.”
W. S. Rose.
OVER those memorials of the past which chance and
mischance have left us, time hath drawn a thick
curtain, obliterating all soft and gentle touches,
which connected harmoniously the bolder features of
the landscape, and leaving these but as landmarks
to intimate what had been there. We would fain
linger on those times, and call up the gentle spirits
of the long departed to describe scenes of quiet but
useful retirement at which we now only dimly guess.
We would witness the hour of recreation in the con-
vent, when the severer duties of the cloister gave
place to the cheerful one of companionship; and the
"pale votary" quitted the lonely cell and the solitary
vigil, to instruct the blooming novice in the art of
embroidery, or to ply her own accustomed and
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
65
The
accomplished fingers in its fairy creations.
younger ones would be ecstatic in their commenda-
tions, and eager in their exertions to rival the fair
sempstress; whilst a gratified though sad smile
would brighten her own pale cheek as the lady abbess
laid aside the richly illuminated volume by which
her own attention had been engrossed, and from
which she had from time to time read short and in-
structive passages aloud, commenting on and en-
forcing the principles they inculcated; and holding
the work towards the casement, so that the bright
slanting rays of the setting sun which fell through
the richly carved lattice might illumine the varied
tints of the stitchery, she would utter some kind and
encouraging words of admiration and praise.
Perhaps the work was a broidered scarf for some
spiritual father, a testimony of gratitude and esteem
from the convent at large; perhaps it was a tunic or
a girdle which some high and wealthy lady had be-
spoken for an offering, and which the meek and
pious sisterhood were happy to do for hire, bestow-
ing the proceeds on the necessities of the con-
vent; or, if those were provided, on charity. Per-
haps it was a pair of sandals, so magnificently
wrought as to be destined as a present by some
lofty abbot to the pope himself, like those which
Robert, Abbot of St. Alban's, sent to the Pope
Adrian the Fourth; and which alone, out of a mul-
titude of the richest offerings, the pope retained; *
* When Robert, Abbot of St. Alban's, visited his countryman Pope
Adrian the Fourth, he made him several valuable presents, and
amongst other things three mitres and a pair of sandals of most ad-
mirable workmanship. His holiness refused his other presents, but
66
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
or if it were in England (for our domestic scene will
apply to all the Christian world) it might be a mag-
nificent covering for the high altar, with a scripture
history embroidered in the centre, and the border,
of regal purple, inwrought with gold and precious
stones. We say, if in England, because so cele-
brated was the English work, the Opus Anglicum,*
that other nations eagerly desired to possess it.
The embroidered vestments of some English clergy-
men were so much admired at the Papal Court, that
the Pope, asking where they had been made, and
being told "in England," despatched bulls to several
English abbots, commanding them to procure simi-
lar ones for him. Some of the vestments of these
days were almost covered with gold and precious
stones.
Or it might be a magnificent pall, in the days in
which this garment had lost its primitive character,
that taxed the skill and the patience of the fair
needlewoman. It was about the year a. D. 601 that
Pope Gregory sent two archbishop's palls into
England; the one for London, which see was after-
wards removed to Canterbury, and the other to
York. Fuller gives the following account of this
garment primitively
CC
The pall is a pontificall vestment, considerable
for the matter, making, and mysteries thereof. For
thankfully accepted of the mitres and sandals, being charmed with
their exquisite beauty. These admired pieces of embroidery were the
work of Christina, Abbess of Markgate.
"Anglica nationis feminæ multum acu et auri textura, egregie
viri in omni valeant artificio. Però fu renomato Opus Anglicum."
From MURATORI.
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
67
For
the matter, it is made of lamb's-wooll and supersti-
tion. I say, of lamb's-wooll, as it comes from the
sheep's back, without any other artificiall colour, spun
(say some) by a peculiar order of nunnes, first cast
into the tombe of St. Peter, taken from his body (say
others); surely most sacred if from both; and (super-
stitiously) adorned with little black crosses.
the form thereof, the breadth exceeded not three
fingers (one of our bachelor's lamb-skin hoods in
Cambridge would make three of them), having two
labells hanging down before and behind, which the
archbishops onely, when going to the altar, put about
their necks, above their other pontificall ornaments.
Three mysteries were couched therein. First, humi-
lity, which beautifies the clergy above all their
costly copes; secondly, innocency, to imitate lamb-
like simplicitie; and thirdly, industry, to follow
him who fetched his wandering sheep home on his
shoulders. But to speak plainly, the mystery of
mysteries in this pall was, that the archbishops
receiving it showed therein their dependence on
Rome; and a mote in this manner ceremoniously
taken was a sufficient acknowledgment of their sub-
jection. And, as it owned Rome's power, so in after
ages it increased their profit. For, though now such
palls were freely given to archbishops, whose places
in Britain for the present were rather cumbersome
than commodious, having little more than their
paines for their labour; yet in after ages the arch-
bishop of Canterburie's pall was sold for five thou-
sand florenes:* so that the Pope might well have the
* A florene is 4s. 6d.
68
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
Golden Fleece, if he could sell all his lamb's-wooll at
that rate."*
The accounts of the rich embroidered ecclesias-
tical vestments-robes, sandals, girdles, tunics, vests,
palls, cloaks, altar-cloths, and veils or hangings of
various descriptions, common in churches in the dark
ages-would almost surpass belief, if the minuteness
with which they are enumerated in some few ancient
authors did not attest the fact. Still these in the
most diffuse writers are a mere catalogue of church
properties, and, as such, would, in the dry detail, be
but little interesting to our readers. There is enough
said of them, however, to attest their variety, their
beauty, their magnificence; and to impress one with
a very favourable idea of the female ingenuity and
perseverance of those days. The cost of many of
these garments was enormous, for pearls and pre-
cious jewels were literally interwrought, and the time
and labour bestowed on them was almost incredible.
It was no uncommon circumstance for three years to
be spent even by these assiduous and indefatigable
votaries of the needle on one garment. But it is
only casually, in the pages of the antiquarian, that
there is any record of them
"With their names
No bard embalms and sanctifies his song:
And history, so warm on meaner themes,
Is cold on this."
"Noi" (says Muratori) "che ammiriamo, e con
* "The pall was a bishop's vestment, going over the shoulders,
made of sheep-skin, in memory of him who sought the lost sheep,
and when he had found it laid it on his shoulders; and it was em-
broidered with crosses, and taken off the body or coffin of St. Peter.”
Camden,
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
69
ragione, la beltà e varietà di tante drapperie dei
nostri tempi, abbiam nondimeno da confessare un
obbligo non lieve a gli antichi, che ci hanno prima
spianata la via, e senza i lumi loro non potremmo
oggidi vantare un si gran progresso nell' Arti."
And that this was the case a few instances may
suffice to show; and it may not be quite out of place
here to refer to one out of a thousand articles of
value and beauty which were lost in the great con-
flagration ("which so cruelly laid waste the habita-
tions of the servants of God") of the doomed and
often suffering, but always magnificent, Croyland
Abbey. It was "that beautiful and costly sphere,
most curiously constructed of different metals, ac-
cording to the different planets. Saturn was of cop-
per, Jupiter of gold, Mars of iron, the Sun of brass,
Mercury of amber, Venus of tin, and the Moon of
silver: the colours of all the signs of the Zodiac had
their several figures and colours variously finished,
and adorned with such a mixture of precious stones
and metals as amused the eye, while it informed the
mind of every beholder. Such another sphere was
not known or heard of in England; and it was a
present from the King of France."
No insignificant proof this of the mechanical skill
of the eleventh century.
We are told that Pope Eutychianus, who lived in
the reign of the Emperor Aurelian, buried in dif-
ferent places 342 martyrs with his own hands; and
he ordained that a faithful martyr should on no
account be interred without a dalmatic robe or a
purple colobio. This is perhaps one of the earliest
notices of ecclesiastical pomp or pride in vestments.
70
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
But some forty years afterwards Pope Silvester was
invested by the hands of his attendants with a
Phrygian robe of snowy white, on which was traced
in sparkling threads by busy female hands the
resurrection of our Lord; and so magnificent was
this garment considered that it was ordained to be
worn by his successors on state occasions: and to
pass at once to the seventh century, there are
records of various church hangings which had become
injured by old age being carefully repaired at con-
siderable expense; which expense and trouble
would not, we may fairly infer, have been incurred
if the articles in question, even at this more advanced
period, had not been considered of value and of
beauty.
Leo the Third, in the eighth century, was a mag-
nificent benefactor to the church. With the vessels
of rich plate and jewels of various descriptions which
were in all ages offering to the church we have
nothing to do: amongst various other vestments,
Leo gave to the high altar of the blessed Peter, the
Prince of the Apostles, a covering spangled with
gold (chrysoclabam) and adorned with precious
stones; having the histories both of our Saviour
giving to the blessed Apostle Peter the power of
binding and loosing, and also representing the
suffering of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, and
Paul. It was of great size, and exhibited on St.
Peter and St. Paul's days.*
* Anastasius Bibliothecarius. De Vitis Romanorum Pontificum.
As this work is the fountain whence subsequent writers have chiefly
obtained their information with regard to church vestments, that is
to say, decorative ones, it may not be amiss to transcribe a passage,
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
71
Pope Paschal, early in the ninth century, had
some magnificent garments wrought, which he pre-
sented to different churches. One of these was an
altar-cloth of Tyrian purple, having in the middle a
picture of golden emblems, with the countenance of
our Lord, and of the blessed martyrs Cosman and
Damian, with three other brothers.
The cross
was wrought in gold, and had round it a border of
olive-leaves most beautifully worked. Another had
golden emblems, with our Saviour, surrounded with
archangels and apostles, of wonderful beauty and
richness, being ornamented with pearls.
In these ages robes and hangings with crimson
taken literally at random from scores of similar ones.
It will give
the reader some idea of the profusion with which the expensive gar-
nitures were supplied:-
"Sed et super altare majus fecit tetra vela holoserica alithina
quatuor, cum astillis, et rosis chrysoclabis. Et in eodem altare
fecit cum historiis crucifixi Domini vestem tyriam. Et in Ecclesia
Doctoris Mundi beati Pauli Apostoli tetra vela holoserica alithyna
quatuor, et vestem super altare albam chrysoclabam, habentem
historiam Sanctæ Resurrectionis, et aliam vestem chrysoclabam, ha-
bentem historiam nativitatis Domini, et Sanctorum Innocentium.
Immo et aliam vestem tyriam, habentem historiam cæci illuminati,
et Resurrectionem. Idem autem sanctissimus Præsul fecit in basi-
lica beatæ Mariæ ad Præsepe vestem albam chrysoclabam, habentem
historiam sanctæ Resurrectionis. Sed et aliam vestem in orbiculis
chrysoclabis, habentem historias Annunciationis, et sanctorum Joa-
chim, et Annæ. Fecit in Ecclesia beati Laurentii foris muros eidem
Præsul vestem albam rosatam cum chrysoclabo. Sed et aliam vestem
super sanctum corpus ejus albam de stauraci chrysoclaham, cum mar-
garitis. Et in titulo Calixti vestem chrysoclabam ex blattin Byzan-
teo, habentem historiam nativitatis Domini, et sancti Simeonis. Item
in Ecclesia sancti Pancratii vestem tyriam, habentem historiam Ascen-
cionis Domini, seu et in sancta Maria ad Martyres fecit vestem tyriam
ut supra.
Et in basilica sanctorum Cosma et Damiani fecit
vestem de blatti Byzanteo, cum periclysin de chrysoclabo, et mar-
garitis."-i. 285.
72
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
or purple borders, called blatta, from the name of
the insect from which the dye was obtained, were
much in use. An insect, supposed to be the one so
often referred to by this name in the writings of the
ancients, is found now on the coasts of Guayaquil
and Guatima. The dye is very beautiful, and is
easily transferred. The royal purple so much
esteemed of old was of very different shades, for the
terms purple, red, crimson, scarlet, are often used
indiscriminately; and a pretty correct conception
may be acquired of the value of this imperial tint
formerly from the circumstance that, when Alexan-
der took possession of the city of Susa and of its
enormous treasures, among other things there were
found five thousand quintals of Hermione purple,
the finest in the world, which had been treasured up
there during the space of 190 years; notwithstand-
ing which, its beauty and lustre were no way dimi-
nished. Some idea may be formed of the prodigious
value of this store from the fact that this purple was
sold at the rate of 100 crowns a pound, and the
quintal is a hundredweight of Paris.
Pope Paschal had a robe worked with gold and
gems, having the history of the Virgins with lighted
torches beautifully related: he had another of
Byzantine scarlet with a worked border of olive-
leaves. This was a very usual decoration of ecclesi-
astical robes, and a very suitable one; for, from the
time when in the beak of Noah's dove it was first an
emblem of comfort, it has ever, in all ages, in all
nations, at all times, been symbolical of plenty and
peace. This pope had also a robe of woven gold,
worn over a cassock of scarlet silk; a dress certainly
worth the naming, though not so much as others
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
73
indebted to our useful little implement which
Cowper calls the "threaded steel." But he had
another rich and peculiar garment, which was en-
tirely indebted to the needle-woman for its varied
and radiant hues. This was a robe of an amber
colour,* haring peacocks.
Pope Leo the Fourth had a hanging worked with
the needle, having the portrait of a man seated upon
a peacock. Pope Stefano the Fifth had four magni-
ficent hangings for the great altar, one of which was
wrought in peacocks. We find in romance that
there was a high emblematical value attached to
peacocks; not so high, however, as to prevent our
ancestors from eating them; but it is difficult to
account for their being so frequently introduced in
designs professedly religious. In romance and
chivalry they were supereminent. "To mention the
peacock (says M. Le Grand) is to write its pane-
gyrick." Many noble families bore the peacock as
their crest; and in the Provençal Courts of Love the
successful poet was crowned with a wreath formed of
them. The coronation present given to the Queen
of our Henry the Third, by her sister, the Queen of
France, was a large silver peacock, whose train was
set with sapphires and pearls, and other precious
jewels, wrought with silver. This elegant piece of
jewellery was used as a reservoir for sweet waters,
which were forced out of its beak into a basin of
white silver chased.
As the knights associated these birds with all
their ideas of fame, and made their most solemn
* De staurace."
E
74
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
vows over them, the highest honours were conferred
on them. Their flesh is celebrated as the "nutri-
ment of lovers," and the " viand of worthies;" and
a peacock was always the most distinguished dish
at the solemn banquets of princes or nobles. On
these occasions it was served up on a golden dish, and
carried to table by a lady of rank, attended by a
train of high-born dames and damsels, and accom-
panied by music. If it was on the occasion of a
tournament, the successful knight always carved it,
so regulating his portions that each individual, be
the company ever so numerous, might taste. For
the oath, the knight rising from his seat and ex-
tending his hand over the bird, vowed some daring
enterprise of arms or love:-" I vow to God, to the
blessed Virgin, to the dames, and to the pea-
cock, &c. &c.
In later and less imaginative times, the peacock,
though still a favourite dish at a banquet, seems to
have been regarded more from its affording" good
eating" than from any more refined attribute.
Massinger speaks of
"the carcases
Of three fat wethers bruised for gravy, to
Make sauce for a single peacock.”
In Shakspeare's time the bird was usually put
into a pie, the head, richly gilt, being placed at one
end of the dish, and the tail, spread out in its full
circumference, at the other. And alas! for the de-
generacy of those days. The solemn and knightly
adjuration of former times had even then dwindled
into the absurd oath which Shakspeare puts into the
mouth of Justice Shallow :-
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
75
By cock and pye, Sir, you shall not away to night.”
In some of the French tapestries birds of all
shapes, natural and unnatural, of all sizes and in all
positions, form very important parts of the subjects
themselves; though this remark is hardly in place
here, as the tapestries are of later date, and not solely
needlework. To return, however: mention is made
in an old chronicle of antiquitas Congregatio Ancil-
larum, quæ opere plumario ornamenta ecclesiam la-
borabant. It has been a subject of much discussion
whether this Opus Plumarium signified some ar-
rangement of real feathers, or merely fanciful em-
broidery in imitation of them. Lytlyngton, Abbot of
Croyland, in Edward the Fourth's time, gave to his
church nine copes of cloth of gold, exquisitely
feathered.* This was perhaps embroidered imita-
tion. A vestment which Cnute the Great pre-
sented to this abbey was made of silk embroidered
with eagles of gold. Richard Upton, elected abbot
in 1417, gave silk embroidered with falcons for
copes; and about the same time John Freston gave
a rich robe of Venetian blue embroidered with
golden eagles. These were positively imitations
merely; yet they evince the prevailing taste for
feathered work, and, as we have shown, feathers
themselves were much used. It is recorded that
Pope Paul the Third sent King Pepin a present of
a mantle interwoven with peacocks' feathers.
And from whatever circumstance the reverence
for peacocks' feathers originated,† it is not, even yet,
* "Opere plumario exquitissime præparatas."
† In the classical ages, they were in high repute. Juno's chariot
is drawn by peacocks; and Olympian Jove himself invests his royal
limbs with a mantle formed of their feathers.
E 2
76
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
quite exploded. There are some lingering remnants
of a superstitious regard for them which may have
had their origin in these very times and circum-
stances. For how surely, where they are rigidly
traced, are our country customs, our vulgar cere-
monies, our apparently absurd and senseless usages,
found to emanate from some principle or super-
stition of general and prevailing adoption. In some
counties we cannot enter a farm-house where the
mantel-piece in the parlour is not decorated with a
diadem of peacock feathers, which are carefully
dusted and preserved. And in houses of more as-
suming pretensions the same custom frequently
prevails; and we knew a lady who carefully pre-
served some peacock feathers in a drawer long after
her association with people in a higher station than
that to which she originally belonged had made her
ashamed to display them in her parlour. This could
not be for mere ornament: there is some idea of luck
attached to them, which seems not improbably to
have arisen from circumstances connected originally
with the "Vow of the Peacock." At any rate, the
religious care with which peacocks' feathers are pre-
served by many who care not for them as ornaments,
is not a whit more ridiculous than to see people
gravely turn over the money in their pockets when
they first hear the cuckoo, or joyfully fasten a
dropped horse-shoe on their threshold, or shudder-
ingly turn aside if two straws lie across in their
path, or thankfully seize an old shoe accidentally
met with, heedless of the probable state of the beg-
gared foot that may unconsciously have left it there,
or any other of the million unaccountable customs
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
77
which diversify and enliven country life, and which
still prevail and flourish, notwithstanding the ex-
tensive travels and sweeping devastations of the
modern schoolmaster."
Do not our readers recollect Cowper's thanks-
giving" on finding the heel of a shoe?"-
"Fortune! I thank thee, gentle goddess! thanks!
Not that my muse, though bashful, shall deny
She would have thanked thee rather, hadst thou cast
A treasure in her way; for neither meed
Of early breakfast, to dispel the fumes
And bowel raking pains of emptiness,
Nor noontide feast, nor ev'ning's cool repast,
Hopes she from this-presumptuous, though perhaps
The cobbler, leather-carving artist, might.
Nathless she thanks thee, and accepts thy boon,
Whatever; not as erst the fabled cock,
Vain-glorious fool! unknowing what he found,
Spurned the rich gem thou gavest him. Wherefore, ah!
Why not on me that favour, (worthier sure!)
Conferr'dst, goddess! thou art blind, thou sayest:
Enough! thy blindness shall excuse the deed.”
Return we to our needlework.
We have clear proof that, before the end of the
seventh century, our fair country women were skilled
not merely in the use of the needle as applied to
necessary purposes, but also in its application to
the varied and elegant embroidered garments to
which we have so frequently alluded, as forming
properties of value and consideration. They were
chiefly executed by ladies of the highest rank and
greatest piety-very frequently, indeed, by those of
royal blood-and were usually (as we have before
observed) devoted to the embellishment of the
church, or the decoration of its ministers.
It was
78
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
not unusual to bequeath such properties. "I give,"
said the wife of the Conqueror, in her will, "to the
Abbey of the Holy Trinity, my tunic worked at
Winchester by Alderet's wife, and the mantle em-
broidered with gold, which is in my chamber, to
make a cope. Of my two golden girdles, I give that
which is ornamented with emblems for the purpose
of suspending the lamp before the great altar."
Amongst some costly presents sent by Isabella,
Queen of Edward the Second, to the Pope, was a
magnificent cope, embroidered and studded with
large white pearls, and purchased of the executors
of Catherine Lincoln, for a sum equivalent to be-
tween two and three thousand pounds of present
money. Another cope, thought worthy to accom-
pany it, was also the work of an Englishwoman,
Rose de Bureford, wife of John de Bureford, citizen
and merchant of London.
Anciently, banners, either from being made of
some relic, or from the representation on them of
holy things, were held sacred, and much superstitious
faith placed in them; consequently the pious and
industrious finger was much occupied in working
them. King Arthur, when he fought the eighth
battle against the Saxons, carried the "image of
Christ and of the blessed Mary (always a virgin)
upon his shoulders." Over the tomb of Oswald, the
great Christian hero, was laid a banner of purple
wrought with gold. When St. Augustine first came
to preach to the Saxons, he had a cross borne before
him, with a banner, on which was the image of our
* The name of Dame Leviet has descended to posterity as an em-
broiderer to the Conqueror and his Queen.
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
79
Saviour Christ.
The celebrated standard of the
Danes had the sacred raven worked on it; and the
ill-fated Harold bore to the field of Hastings a
banner with the figure of an armed man worked in
gold thread: to the same field William bore a
standard, a gift from the Pope, and blessed by his
Holiness.
It is recorded of St. Dunstan, who, as our readers
well know, excelled in many pursuits, and especially
in painting, for which he frequently forsook his
peculiar occupation of goldsmith, that on one occa-
sion, at the earnest request of a lady, he tinted a
sacerdotal vestment for her, which she afterwards
embroidered in gold thread in an exquisitely beau-
tiful style. Most of these embroidered works were
first tinted, very probably in the way in which they
now are, or until the freer influx of the more beau-
tiful German patterns, they lately were; and it is
from this previous tinting that they are so frequently
described in the old books as painted garments,
pictured vestments, &c., this term by no means
seeming usually to imply that the use of the needle
had been neglected or superseded in them. The
garments of Edward the Confessor, which he wore
upon occasions of great solemnity, were sumptuously
embroidered with gold by the hands of Edgitha,
his Queen. The four princesses, daughters of King
Edward the Elder, were most carefully educated:
their early years were chiefly devoted to literary
pursuits, but they were nevertheless most assi-
duously instructed in the use of the needle, and are
highly celebrated by historians for their assiduity
and skill in spinning, weaving, and needlework.
80
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
This was so far, says the historian, from spoiling
the fortunes of those royal spinsters, that it pro-
cured them the addresses of the greatest princes
then in Europe, and one," in whom the whole
essence of beauty had centered, was demanded from
her brother by Hugh, King of the Franks."
Our fair readers may take some interest in know-
ing what were the propitiatory offerings of a noble
suitor of those days.
Perfumes, such as never had been seen in
England before; jewels, but more especially eme-
ralds, the greenness of which, reflected by the sun,
illumined the countenances of the bystanders with
agreeable light; many fleet horses, with their trap-
pings, and, as Virgil says, champing their golden
bits;' an alabaster vase, so exquisitely chased, that
the corn-fields really seemed to wave, the vines to
bud, the figures of men actually to move, and so
clear and polished, that it reflected the features like
a mirror; the sword of Constantine the Great, on
which the name of its original possessor was read in
golden letters; on the pommel, upon thick plates
of gold, might be seen fixed an iron spike, one of
the four which the Jewish faction prepared for the
crucifixion of our Lord; the spear of Charles the
Great, which, whenever that invincible Emperor
hurled in his expeditions against the Saracens, he
always came off conqueror; it was reported to be
the same which, driven into the side of our Saviour
by the hand of the centurion, opened, by that pre-
cious wound, the joys of paradise to wretched
mortals; the banner of the most blessed martyr
Maurice, chief of the Theban legion, with which the
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
81
same King, in the Spanish war, used to break
through the battalions of the enemy, however fierce
and wedged together, and put them to flight; a
diadem, precious from its quantity of gold, but
more so for its jewels, the splendour of which threw
the sparks of light so strongly on the beholders,
that the more steadfastly any person endeavoured
to gaze, so much the more dazzled he was-com-
pelled to avert his eyes; part of the holy and
adorable cross enclosed in crystal, where the eye,
piercing through the substance of the stone, might
discern the colour and size of the wood; a small
portion of the crown of thorns enclosed in a simi-
lar manner, which, in derision of his government,
the madness of the soldiers placed on Christ's sacred
head.
The King (Athelstan), delighted with such
great and exquisite presents, made an equal return
of good offices, and gratified the soul of the longing
suitor by a union with his sister. With some of
these presents he enriched succeeding kings; but to
Malmesbury he gave part of the cross and crown; by
the support of which, I believe, that place even now
flourishes, though it has suffered so many shipwrecks
of its liberty, so many attacks of its enemies."*
It is not to be supposed that at a time when the
whole island" was said to "blaze" with devotion,
and when, moreover, her own fair daughters sur-
passed the whole world in needlework, that the
English churches were deficient in its beautiful
adornments. Far otherwise, indeed. We forbear
to enumerate many, because our chapter has already
* Will, of Malmesbury, 156.
82
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
exceeded its prescribed limits; but we may parti-
cularize a golden veil or hanging (vellum), embroi-
dered with the destruction of Troy, which Witlaf,
King of Mercia, gave to the abbey of Croyland;
and the coronation mantle of Harold Harefoot, son
of Cnute, which he gave to the same abbey, made
of silk, and embroidered with "Hesperian apples."
Richard, who was abbot of St. Alban's from 1088 to
1119, made a present to his monastery of a suit of
hangings which contained the whole history of the
primitive martyr of England, Alban.
Croyland Abbey possessed many hangings for
the altars, embroidered with golden birds; and a
garment, which seems to have been a peculiar, and
considered a valuable one, being a black gown
wrought with gold letters, to officiate in at funerals.
The enigmatical letters which were worked on eccle-
siastical vestments in those days, were various and
peculiar, and have given abundant scope for anti-
quarian research. We have heard it surmised that
they took their rise in times of persecution, being
indications (then, doubtless, slight and unosten-
tatious ones) by which the Christians might know
each other. But they came into more general use,
not merely as symbolical characters, but individual
names were wrought, and that not on personal gar-
ments alone, for Pope Leo the Fourth placed a cloth
on the altar woven with gold, and spangled all over
with pearls. It had on each side (right and left)
a circle bounded with gold, within which the name
of his Holiness was written in precious stones. In
many old paintings a letter or letters have been
noticed on the garment of the principal figure, and
they have been taken for private marks of the
NEEDLEWORK OF THE DARK AGES.
83
painter, but it is more probable, says Ciampini,*
that they are either copied from old garments, or
are intended to denote the dignity of the character
to which they are attached.
We will conclude the present chapter by remark-
ing that one of the most magnificent specimens of
ancient needlework in existence, and which is in
excellent preservation, is the State Pall belonging
to the Fishmongers Company. The end pieces are
similar, and consist of a picture, wrought in gold and
silk, of the patron, St. Peter, in pontificial robes,
seated on a supurb throne, and crowned with the
papal tiara. Holding in one hand the keys, the
other is in the posture of giving the benediction,
and on each side is an angel, bearing a golden vase,
from which he scatters incense over the Saint.
angel's wings, according to old custom, are composed
of peacocks' feathers in all their natural vivid colours;
their outer robes are gold raised with crimson; their
under vests white, shaded with sky blue; the faces
are finely worked in satin, after nature, and they
have long yellow hair.
The
There are various designs on the side pieces; the
most important and conspicuous is Christ delivering
the keys to Peter. Among other decorations are, of
course, the arms of the company, richly emblazoned,
the supporters of which, the merman and mermaid,
are beautifully worked, the merman in gold armour,
the mermaid in white silk, with long tresses in
golden thread.
This magnificent piece of needlework has pro-
bably no parallel in this country.
*Vet. Mon cap. 13.
84
CHAPTER VIII.
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY. PART I.
"Needlework sublime."-Cowper.
GREAT discussion has taken place amongst the
learned with regard to the exact time at which the
Bayeux tapestry was wrought. The question, ex-
cept as a matter of curiosity, is, perhaps, of little
account-fifty years earlier or later, nearly eight
hundred years ago. It had always been considered
as the work of Matilda, the wife of the conquering
Duke of Normandy until a few years ago, when the
Abbé de la Rue started and endeavoured to maintain
the hypothesis that it was worked by or under the
direction of the Empress Matilda, the daughter of
Henry the First.* But his positions, as Dibdin
observes, are all of a negative character, and,
according to the strict rules of logic, it must not
be admitted, that because such and such writers have
not noticed a circumstance, therefore that circum-
66
* Archæologia, vůl. xvii.
Biblio. Tour, vol. i., 138.
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
85
stance or event cannot have taken place." Hudson
Gurney, Charles A. Stothard, and Thos. Amyott,
Esqrs. have all published essays on the subject,*
which establish almost to certainty the fact of the
production of this tapestry at the earlier of the two
periods contended for, viz. from 1066 to 1068.
In this we rejoice, because this Herculean la-
bour has a halo of deep interest thrown round it,
from the circumstance of its being the proud tribute
of a fond and affectionate wife, glorying in her hus-
band's glory, and proud of emblazoning his deeds.
As the work of the Empress Matilda it would still
be a magnificent production of industry and of skill;
as the work of " Duke William's" wife these qua-
lities merge in others of a more interesting cha-
racter. †
This excellent and amiable princess was a most
highly accomplished woman, and remarkable for her
learning; she was the affectionate mother of a large
family, the faithful wife of an enterprising monarch,
with whom she lived for thirty-three years so har-
moniously that her death had such an effect on her
husband as to cause him to relinquish, never again
to resume, his usual amusements. ‡
*Archæol. vols. xviii., xix.
+ One writer, Bolton Corney, Esq., maintains that this work was
provided at the expense of the Chapter of Bayeux, under their super-
intendence, and from their designs. "If it had not (says he) been
devised within the precincts of a church it could not have escaped
female influence: it could not have contained such indications of
celibatic superintendence. It is not without its domestic and festive
scenes; and comprises, exclusive of the borders, about 530 figures ;
but in this number there are only three females."
*
Henry III., 25.
88
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
Little did the affectionate wife think, whilst em-
ployed over this task, that her domestic tribute of
regard should become an historical memento of her
country, and blazon forth her illustrious husband's
deeds, and her own unwearying affection, to ages
upon ages hereafter to be born. For independently of
the interest which may be attached to this tapestry as
a pledge of feminine affection, a token of housewifely
industry, and a specimen of ancient stitchery, it de-
rives more historic value as the work of the Con-
queror's wife, than if it were the production of a
later time. For it holds good with these historical
tapestries as with the written histories and romances
of the middle ages;-authors wrote and ladies
wrought (we mean no pun) their characters, not in
the costume of the times in which the action or event
celebrated took place, but in that in which they were at
the time engaged; and thus, had Matilda the Em-
press worked this tapestry, it is more than probable
that she would have introduced the armorial bearings
which were in her time becoming common, and espe-
cially the Norman leopards, of which in the tapestry
there is not the slightest trace. In her time too the
hair was worn so long as to excite the censures of
the church, whilst at the time of the Conquest the
Normans almost shaved their heads; and this cir-
cumstance, more than the want of beards, is supposed
by Mr. Stothard* to have led to the surmise of the
Anglo-Saxon spies that the Normans were all priests.
This circumstance is faithfully depicted in the tapes-
try, where also the chief weapon seen is a lance, which
was little used after the Conquest. These peculia-
*Archæol. vol. xix.
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
$7
rities, with several others which have been com-
mented on by antiquarian writers, seem to establish
the date of this production as coeval with the action
which it represents, and therefore invaluable as an
historical document.
"It is, perhaps," says one of the learned writers
on the Bayeux tapestry, a characteristic of the
literature of the present age to deduce history from
sources of second-rate authority; from ballads
and pictures rather than from graver and severer
records. Unquestionably this is the preferable
course, if amusement, not truth, be the object sought
for. Nothing can be more delightful than to read
the reigns of the Plantagenets in the dramas of
Shakspeare, or the tales of later times in the inge-
nious fictions of the author of Waverley.
those who would draw historical facts from their
hiding-places must be content to plod through many
a ponderous worm-eaten folio, and many a half-
legible and still less intelligible manuscript.
But
"Yet," continues he, "if the Bayeux tapestry be
not history of the first class, it is, perhaps, something
better. It exhibits genuine traits, elsewhere sought
in vain, of the costume and manners of that age
which, of all others, if we except the period of the
Reformation, ought to be the most interesting to
us; that age which
gave us a new race of monarchs,
bringing with them new landholders, new laws, and
almost a new language.
"As in the magic pages of Froissart, we here be-
hold our ancestors of each race in most of the occu-
pations of life, in courts and camps, in pastime and
in battle, at feasts and on the bed of sickness. These
88
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
are characteristics which of themselves would call
forth a lively interest; but their value is greatly
enhanced by their connection with one of the most
important events in history, the main subject of the
whole design."
This magnificent piece of work is 227 feet in
length by 20 inches in width, is now usually kept at
the Town-hall in Rouen, and is treasured as the
most precious relic. It was formerly the theme of
some long and learned dissertations of antiquarian
historians, amongst whom Montfaucon, perhaps,
ranks most conspicuous.
Still so little local interest does it excite, that Mr.
Gurney, in 1814, was nearly leaving Bayeux without
seeing it because he did not happen to ask for it
by the title of "Toile de St. Jean," and so his
request was not understood; and Ducarel, in his
"Tour," says, "The priests of this cathedral to whom
we addressed ourselves for a sight of this remark-
able piece of antiquity, knew nothing of it; the cir-
cumstance only of its being annually hung up in
their church led them to understand what we wanted;
no person there knowing that the object of our in-
quiry any ways related to William the Conqueror,
whom to this day they call Duke William.
During the French Revolution its surrender was
demanded for the purpose of covering the guns;
fortunately, however, a priest succeeded in conceal-
ing it until that storm was overpast.
Bonaparte better knew its value. It was displayed
for some time in Paris, and afterwards at some sea-
port towns. M. Denon had the charge of it com-
mitted to him by Bonaparte, but it was afterwards
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
89
restored to Bayeux. It was at the time of the usur-
per's threatened invasion of our country that so
much value was attached to, and so much pains
taken to exhibit this roll. "Whether,"
Whether," says Dibdin,
“at such a sight the soldiers shouted, and, drawing
their glittering swords,
Clashed on their sounding shields the din of war,-
confident of a second representation of the same
subject by a second subjugation of our country—is
a point which has not been exactly detailed to me!
But the supposition may not be considered very vio-
lent when I inform you that I was told by a casual
French visitor of the tapestry, that pour cela, si
Bonaparte avait eu le courage, le résultat auroit été
comme autrefois.' Matters, however, have taken
rather a different turn."
The tapestry is coiled round a machine like that
which lets down the buckets to a well, and a female
unrols and explains it. It is worked in different
coloured worsteds on white cloth, to which time has
given the tinge of brown holland; the parts intended
to represent flesh are left untouched by the needle.
The colours are somewhat faded, and not very mul-
titudinous. Perhaps it is the little variety of co-
lours which Matilda and her ladies had at their
disposal which has caused them to depict the horses
of any colour—“ blue, green, red, or yellow." The
outline, too, is of course stiff and rude.* At the
top and bottom of the main work is a narrow alle-
* The attempts to imitate the human figure were, at this period,
stiff and rude: but arabesque patterns were now chiefly worked; and
they were rich and varied.
90
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
gorical border; and each division or different action
or event is marked by a branch or tree extending
the whole depth of the tapestry; and most fre-
quently each tableau is so arranged that the figures
at the end of one and the beginning of the next are
turned from each other, whilst above each the sub-
ject of the scene and the names of the principal
actors are wrought in large letters. The subjects
of the border vary; some of Æsop's fables are de-
picted on it, sometimes instruments of agriculture,
sometimes fanciful and grotesque figures and bor-
ders; and during the heat of the battle of Hastings,
when, as Montfaucon says, "le carnage est grand,"
the appropriate device of the border is a layer of
dead men.
"From the fury of the Normans, good Lord deli-
ver us," was, we are told, in the ninth, tenth, and
eleventh centuries a petition in the Litanies of all
nations.* For long did England sorrow under their
CC
fury," though in time the Conquest produced ad-
vantageous results to the kingdom at large. Whe-
ther this Norman subjugation was in accordance
with the will of the monarch Edward, or whether it
was entirely the result of Duke William's ambition,
must now ever remain in doubt. Harold asserted
that Edward the Confessor appointed him his suc-
cessor (of which, however, he could not produce
proof); to this must be opposed the improbability
of Edward thus ennobling a family of whom he felt,
and with such abundant cause, so jealous.
Probably the old chronicler (Fabyan) has hit the
mark when he says,
"This Edgarre (the rightful
* Henry III., 554.
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
91
heir) was yonge, and specyally for Harolde was
stronge of knyghtes and rychesse, he wanne the
reygne." Be this as it may, however, Harold on
the very day of Edward's interment, and that was
only the day subsequent to his death, was crowned
king in St. Paul's; apparently with the concurrence
of all concerned, for he was powerful and popular.
And his government during the chief part of his
short kingly career was such as to increase his popu-
larity he was wise, and just, and gracious. "Anone
as he was crowned, he began to fordoo euyll lawes
and customes before vsed, and stablysshed the good
lawes, and specyally whiche (suche) as were for the
defence of holy churche, and punysshed the euyll
doers, to the fere and example of other.”*
But uncontrolled authority early began to pro-
duce its wonted results. He" waxyd so prowd, and
for couetouse wold not deuyde the prayes that he
took to hys knyghtys, that had well deseruyd it,
but kepte it to hymself, that he therby lost the
fauour of many of his knyghtys and people."+ This
defection from his party doubtless made itself felt
in the mortal struggle with the Norman duke which
issued in Harold's discomfiture and death.
Proceed we to the tapestry.
The first scene which the needlewoman has de-
picted is a conference between a person who, from
his white flowing beard and regal costume, is easily
recognized as the "sainted Edward," and another,
who, from his subsequent embarkation, is supposed
to be Harold. The subject. of the conference is, of
course, only conjectured. Harold's visit to Normandy
* Fabyan's Chron.
Rastell's Chron.
92
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
is well known; but whether, as some suppose, he
was driven thither by a tempest when on a cruise of
pleasure; whether he went as ambassador from Ed-
ward to communicate the intentions of the Confessor
in William's behoof; or whether, as the tapestry is
supposed more strongly to indicate, he obtained
Edward's reluctant consent to his visit to reclaim his
brother who, a hostage for his own good conduct,
had been sent to William by Edward; these are
points which now defy investigation, even if they
were of sufficient importance to claim it. Harold is
then seen on his journey attended by cavaliers on
horseback, surrounded by dogs, and, an emblem of
his own high dignity, a hawk on his fist.
One great value of this tapestry is the scrupulous
regard paid to points and circumstances which at
first view might appear insignificant, but which, as
correlative confirmations of usages and facts, are of
considerable importance. Thus, it is known to an-
tiquarians that great personages formerly had two
only modes of equipment when proceeding on a
journey, that of war or the chase. Harold is here
fully equipped for the chase, and consequently the
first glimpse obtained of his person would show that
his errand was one of peace. The hawk on the fist
was a mark of high nobility: no inferior person is
represented with one: Harold and Guy Earl of
Ponthieu alone bear them.
In former times this bird was esteemed so sacred
that it was prohibited in the ancient laws for any
one to give his hawk even as a part of his ransom.
In the reign of Edward the Third it was made felony
to steal a hawk; and to take its eggs, even in a
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
93
As symbols of high
person's own ground, was punishable with impri-
sonment for a year and a day, besides a fine at the
king's pleasure. Nay, more than this, by the laws
of one part of the island, and probably of the whole,*
the price of a hawk, or of a greyhound, was once the
very same with the price of a man; and there was
a time when the robbing of a hawk's nest was as
great a crime in the eye of the law, and as severely
punished, as the murder of a Christian. And of
this high value they were long considered.
"It is
difficult," says Mr. Mills,† "to fancy the extravagant
degree of estimation in which hawks were held
during the chivalric ages.
estate they were constantly carried about by the
nobility of both sexes. There was even a usage of
bringing them into places appropriated to public
worship; a practice which, in the case of some indi-
viduals, appears to have been recognised as a right.
The treasurer of the church of Auxerre enjoyed the
distinction of assisting at divine service on solemn.
days with a falcon on his fist; and the Lord of Sassai
held the privilege of perching his upon the altar.
Nothing was thought more dishonourable to a man
of rank than to give up his hawks; and if he were
taken prisoner he would not resign them even for
liberty."
The different positions in which the hawk is
placed in our needlework are worthy of remark.
Here its head is raised, its wings fluttering, as if
eager and ready for flight; afterwards, when Harold
follows the Earl of Ponthieu as his captive,
* Henry II., 515.
+ Hist. Chiv.
94
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
not, of course, deprived of his bird, but by a beauti-
ful fiction the bird is represented depressed, and
with its head turned towards its master's breast as
if trying to nestle and shelter itself there. Could
sympathy be more poetically expressed? Afterwards,
on Harold's release, the bird is again depicted as
fluttering to" soar elate."
The practice very prevalent in these "barbarous
times," as we somewhat too sweepingly term them,
of entering on no expedition of war or pastime
without imploring the protection of heaven, is inti-
mated by a church which Harold is entering pre-
viously to his embarkation. That this observance
might degenerate in many instances into mere form
may be very true; and the " hunting masses" cele-
brated in song might, some of them, be more
honoured in the breach than the observance: never-
theless in clearing away the dross of old times, we
have, it is to be feared, removed some of the gold
also; and the abolition of the custom of having the
churches open at all times, so that at any moment
the heart-prompted prayer might be offered up
under the holy shelter of a consecrated roof, has
tended very much, it is to be feared, to abolish the
habit of frequent prayer. A habit in itself, and re-
garded even merely as a habit, fraught with inesti-
mable good.
We next see Harold and his companions refresh-
ing themselves prior to their departure, pledging
each other, and doubtless drinking to the success of
their enterprise whatever it might be. The horns
from which they are drinking have been the subject
of critical remark. We find that horns were used
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
95
for various purposes, and were of four sorts, drink-
ing horns, hunting horns, horns for summoning the
people, and of a mixed kind.
They were used as modes of investiture, and this
manner of endowing was usual amongst the Danes
in England. King Cnute himself gave lands at
Pusey in Berkshire to the family of that name, with
a horn solemnly at that time delivered, as a confir-
mation of the grant. Edward the Confessor made
a like donation to the family of Nigel. The cele-
brated horn of Alphus, kept in the sacristy in York
Minster, was probably a drinking cup belonging to
this prince, and was by him given together with all
his lands and revenues to that church. "When he
gave the horn that was to convey it (his estate) he
filled it with wine, and on his knees before the altar,
‹ Deo et S. Petro omnes terras et redditus propina-
vit.' So that he drank it off, in testimony that
thereby he gave them his lands."* Many instances.
might be adduced to show that this mode of investi-
ture was common in England in the time of the
Danes, the Anglo-Saxons, and at the close of the
reign of the Norman conqueror.
The drinking horns had frequently a screw at the
end, which being taken off at once converted them
into hunting horns, which circumstance will account
for persons of distinction frequently carrying their
own. Such doubtless were those used of old by the
Breton hunters about Brecheliant, which is poetically
described as a forest long and broad, much famed
throughout Brittany. The fountain of Berenton
*Archæol. 1 and 3.
96
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
rises from beneath a stone there.
Thither the
hunters are used to repair in sultry weather, and
drawing up water with their horns (those horns
which had just been used to sound the animated
warnings of the chase), they sprinkle the stone for
the purpose of having rain, which is then wont to
fall throughout the whole forest around. There too
fairies are to be seen, and many wonders happen.
The ground is broken and precipitous, and deer in
plenty roam there, but the husbandmen have for-
saken it. Our author * goes on to say that he per-
sonally visited this enchanted region, but that,
though he saw the forest and the land, no marvels
presented themselves. The reason is obvious. He
had, before the time, contracted some of the scepti-
cism of these matter-of-fact" schoolmaster abroad"
days. He wanted faith, and therefore he did not
deserve to see them.
The use of drinking horns is very ancient. They
were usually embellished or garnished with silver;
they were in very common use among our Saxon
ancestors, who frequently had them gilded and
magnificently ornamented. One of those in use
amongst Harold's party seems to be very richly
decorated.
The revellers are, however, obliged to dispatch,
as their leader, Harold, is already wading through
the water to his vessel. The character of Harold as
displayed throughout this tapestry is a magnificent
one, and does infinite credit to the generous and
noble disposition of Matilda the queen, who dis-
* Master Wace. Roman de Rou, &c., by Taylor.
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
97
dained to depreciate the character of a fallen foe.
He commences his expedition by an act of piety;
here, on his embarkation at Bosham, he is kindly
carrying his dog through the water. In crossing
the sands of the river Cosno, which are dangerous,
so very dangerous as most frequently to cause the
destruction of those who attempt their transit, his
whole concern seems to be to assist the passage of
others, whose inferior natural powers do not enable
them to compete with danger so successfully as him-
self; his character for undaunted bravery is such,
that William condescends to supplicate his assist-
ance in a feud then at issue between himself and
another nobleman, and so nobly does he bear him-
self that the proud Norman with his own hands
invests him with the emblems of honour (as seen in
the tapestry); and, last scene of all, he disdained
all submission, he repelled all the entreaties with
which his brothers assailed him not personally to
lead his troops to the encounter, and the corpses of
15,000 Normans on this field, and of even a greater
number on the English monarch's side, told in bloody
characters that Harold had not quailed in the last
great encounter.
Unpropitious winds drive him and his attendants
from their intended course. Many historians accuse
the people of Ponthieu of making prisoners all
whose ill fortune threw them upon their coast, and
of treating them with great barbarity, in order to
extort the larger ransom. Be this as it may, Harold
has scarcely set his foot on shore ere he is forcibly
captured by the vassals of Guy of Ponthieu, who is
there on horseback to witness the proceeding. The
F
98
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
tapestry goes on to picture the progress of the cap-
tured troop and their captors to Belrem or Beurain,
and a conference when there between the earl and
his prisoner, where the fair embroideresses have
given a delicate and expressive feature by depicting
the conquering noble with his sword elevated, and
the princely captive, wearing indeed his sword, but
with the point depressed.
It is said that a fisherman of Ponthieu, who had
been often in England and knew Harold's person,
was the cause of his capture. "He went privily to
Guy, the Count of Pontif, and would speak to no
other; and he told the Count how he could put a
great prize in his way, if he would go with him; and
that if he would give him only twenty livres he
should gain a hundred by it, for he would deliver
him such a prisoner as would pay a hundred livres
or more for his ransome." The Count agreed to
his terms, and then the fisherman showed him
Harold.
Hearing of Harold's captivity, William the Nor-
man is anxious on all and every account to obtain
possession of his person. He consequently sends
ambassadors to Guy, who is represented on the
tapestry as giving them audience. The person
holding the horses is somewhat remarkable; he is a
bearded dwarf. Dwarfs were formerly much sought
after in the houses of great folks, and they were fre-
quently sent as presents from one potentate to ano-
ther. They were petted and indulged somewhat in
the way of the more modern fool or jester. The
custom is very old. The Romans were so fond of
them, that they often used artificial methods to pre-
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
99
vent the growth of children designed for dwarfs, by
enclosing them in boxes, or by the use of tight
bandages. The sister of one of the Roman em-
perors had a dwarf who was only two feet and a
hand breadth in height. Many relations concerning
dwarfs we may look upon as not less fabulous than
those of giants. They are, like the latter, indis-
pensable in romances, where their feats, far from
being dwarfish, are absolutely gigantic, though these
diminutive heroes seldom occupy any more osten-
sible post than that of humble attendant.
"Fill'd with these views th' attendant dwarf she sends:
Before the knight the dwarf respectful bends;
Kind greetings bears as to his lady's guest,
And prays his presence to adorn her feast.
The knight delays not."
"A hugye giaunt stiffe and starke,
All foule of limbe and lere ;
Two goggling eyen like fire farden,
A mouthe from eare to eare.
Before him came a dwarffe full lowe,
That waited on his knee.”-SIR CAULine.
Behind her farre away a dwarfe did lag
That lasie seem'd, in being ever last,
Or wearied with bearing of her bag
Of needments at his backe.-FAERIE QUEENE.
The dwarf worked in the tapestry has the name
TVROLD placed above him, and seems to have been
a dependant of Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, William the
Conqueror's brother.*
* Archæologia, lvo. xix.
F 2
100
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
The first negociations are unsuccessful; more
urgent messages are forwarded, and in the end Duke
William himself proceeds at the head of some troops
to compel the surrender of the prisoner. Count Guy
is intimidated, and the object is attained; every
stage of these proceedings is depicted on the canvas,
as well as William's courteous reception of Harold
at his palace.
The portraiture of a female in a sort of porch,
with a clergyman in the act of pronouncing a bene-
diction on her, is supposed to have reference to the
engagement between William and his guest, that
the latter should marry the daughter of the former.
Many other circumstances and conditions were tacked
to this agreement, one of which was that Harold
should guard the English throne for William ;
agreements which one and all-under the reasonable
plea that they were enforced ones-the Anglo-Saxon
nobleman broke through. It is said that his de-
sertion so affected the mind of the pious young
princess, that her heart broke on her passage to
Spain, whither they were conveying her to a forced
union with a Spanish prince. As this young lady
was a mere child at the time of Harold's visit to
Normandy, the story, though exceedingly pretty, is
probably very apocryphal. Ducarel gives an en-
tirely different explanation of the scene, and says
that it is probably meant to represent a secretary or
officer coming to William's duchess, to acquaint
her with the agreement just made relative to her
daughter.
*
* "Her knees were like horn with constant kneeling."
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
101
The Earl of Bretagne is at this moment at war
with Duke William, and the latter attaching Harold
to his party, from whom indeed he receives effectual
service, arrives at Mount St. Michel, passes the
river Cosno (to which we have before alluded), and
arrives at Dol in Brittany. Parties are seen flying
towards Rennes. William and his followers attack
Dinant, of which the keys are delivered up, and the
Normans come peaceably to Bayeux; William
having previously, with his own hands, invested
Harold with a suit of armour.
Harold shortly returns to England, but not before
a very important circumstance had taken place.
William and Harold had mutually entered into an
agreement by which the latter had pledged himself
to be true to William, to acknowledge him as Ed-
ward's successor on the English throne, and to do
all in his power to obtain for him the peaceable
possession of that throne; and as Harold was, the
reigning monarch excepted, the first man in Eng-
land, this promised support was of no trifling mo-
ment. William resolved therefore to have the oath
repeated with all possible solemnity. His brother
Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux, assisted him in this
matter. Accordingly we see Harold standing
between two altars covered with cloth of gold, a
hand on each, uttering the solemn adjuration, of
which William, seated on his throne, is a delighted
auditor; for he well knew that the oath was more
fearful than Harold was at all aware of. For "Wil-
liam sent for all the holy bodies thither, and put so
many of them together as to fill a whole chest, and
then covered them with a pall; but Harold neither
102
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
saw them, nor knew of their being there, for nought
was shown or told to him about it; and over all was
a phylactery, the best that he could select. When
Harold placed his hand upon it, the hand trembled
and the flesh quivered; but he swore, and promised
upon his oath, to take Ele to wife, and to deliver
up England to the duke; and thereunto to do all in
his power, according to his might and wit, after the
death of Edward, if he should live, so help him God
and the holy relics there! (meaning the Gospels,
for he had none idea of any other). Many cried
God grant it!' and when Harold had kissed the
saints, and had risen upon his feet, the duke led
him up to the chest, and made him stand near it;
and took off the chest the pall that had covered it,
and showed Harold upon what holy relics he had
sworn, and he was sorely alarmed at the sight."
103
CHAPTER IX.
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY-PART II.
"But bloody bloody was the field,
Ere that lang day was done."-HARDYKNUTE.
King William bithought him alsoe of that
Folke that was forlorne,
And slayn also thoruz him
In the bataile biforne.
And ther as the bataile was,
An abbey he lite rere
Of Seint Martin, for the soules
That there slayn were.
And the monkes well ynoug
Feffed without fayle,
That is called in Englonde
Abbey of Bataile."
IMMEDIATELY after the solemn ceremony described
in the foregoing chapter, Harold is depicted as re-
turning to England and presenting himself before
the king, Edward the Confessor.
"But the day
came that no man can escape, and King Edward
drew near to die." His deathbed and his funeral
procession are both wrought in the tapestry, but by
some accident have been transposed. His remains
104
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
are borne in splendid procession to the magnificent
house which he had builded (i.e. rebuilded), West-
minster Abbey; over which, in the sky, a hand is
seen to point as if in benediction. It is well known
that the Abbey was barely finished at the time of
the pious monarch's death, and this circumstance is
intimated in an intelligible though homely manner
in the tapestry by a person occupied in placing a
weathercock on the summit of the building.
The first pageant seen within its walls was the
funeral array of the monarch who so beautifully
ebuilt and so amply endowed it. Before the high
altar, in a splendid shrine, where gems and jewelry
flashed back the gleams of innumerable torches, and
amid the solemn chant of the monks, whose "Mise-
rere" echoed through the vaulted aisles, interrupted
but by the subdued wail of the mourners, or the
emphatic benediction of the poor whose friend he
had been, were laid the remains of him who was
called the Sainted Edward; whose tomb was con-
sidered so hallowed a spot that the very stones
around it were worn down by the knees of the pil-
grims who resorted thither for prayer; and the very
dust of whose shrine was carefully swept and col-
lected, exported to the continent, and bought by
devotees at a high price.
We next see in the tapestry the crown offered to
Harold (a circumstance to be peculiarly remarked,
since thus depicted by his opponent's wife), and
then Harold shows right royally receiving the
homage and gratulations of those around.
But the next scene forbodes a change of fortune:
"ISTI MIRANT STELLA," is the explanation wrought
الرحمة
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
105
over it. For there appeared "a blasing starre,
which was seene not onelie here in England, but
also in other parts of the world, and continued the
space of seven daies. This blasing starre might be
a prediction of mischeefe imminent and hanging
over Harold's head; for they never appeare but as
prognosticats of afterclaps."
Popular belief has generally invested these ill-
omened bodies with peculiar terrors.
These
blasing starres-dreadful to be seene, with bloudie
haires, and all over rough and shagged at the top."
They vary, however, in their appearance. Some-
times they are pale, and glitter like a sword, without
any rays or beams. Such was the one which is said
to have hung over Jerusalem for near a year before
its destruction, filling the minds of all who beheld it
with awe and superstitious dread. A comet re-
sembling a horn appeared when the " whole man-
hood of Greece fought the battaile of Salamis.
Comets foretold the war between Cæsar and
Pompey, the murder of Claudius, and the tyranny
of Nero. Though usually, they were not invariably,
considered as portents of evil omen: for the birth
and accession of Alexander, of Mithridates, the
birth of Charles Martel, and the accession of
Charlemagne, and the commencement of the Tátár
empire, were all notified by blazing stars. A very
brilliant one which appeared for seven consecutive
nights soon after the death of Julius Cæsar was
supposed to be conveying the soul of the murdered
dictator to Olympus. An author who wrote on one
which appeared in the reign of Elizabeth was most
anxious, as in duty bound, to apply the phenomenon
F 3
106
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
to the queen. But here was the puzzle. "To have
foretold calamities might have been misprision of
treason; and the only precedent for saying any-
thing good of a comet was to be drawn from that
which occurred after the death of Julius Cæsar;"
but it so happened that at this time Elizabeth was
by no means either ripe or willing for her apotheosis.*
an im-
Comets, one author writes, "were made to the end
the etherial regions might not be more void of
monsters than the ocean is of whales and other
great thieving fishes, and that a gross fatness being
gathered together as excrements into
posthume, the celestial air might thereby be purged,
lest the sun should be obscured." Another says,
they "signifie corruption of the ayre. They are
signes of earthquake, of warres, chaunging of kyng-
domes, great dearth of corne, yea, a common death
of man and beast." So a poet of the same age
"There with long bloody hair a blazing star
Threatens the world with famine, plague, and war;
To princes death, to kingdoms many crosses,
To all estates inevitable losses;
To herdsmen rot, to plowmen hapless seasons,
To sailors storms, to cities civil treasons."
But a writer on comets in 1665 crowned all
previous conjecture. "As if God and Nature in-
* The Comet of 1618 carried dismay and horror in its course. Not
only mighty monarchs, but the humblest private individuals seem to
have considered the sign as sent to them, and to have set a double
guard on all their actions. Thus Sir Symonds D'Ewes, the learned
antiquary, having been in danger of an untimely end by entangling
himself among some bell-ropes, makes a memorandum in his private
diary never more to exercise himself in bell-ringing when there is a
comet in the sky.-AIKIN.
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
107
tended by comets to ring the knells of princes;
esteeming the bells of churches upon earth not
sacred enough for such illustrious and eminent per-
formances."
No wonder that the comet in Harold's days was
regarded with fearful misgivings.
It did not, however, dismay him. Duke William,
as may be supposed, did not tamely submit to a
usurpation of what he considered, or affected to con-
sider, his own dominions-a circumstance which we
see an envoy, probably from his party in England,
makes him acquainted with. He holds a council,
seemingly an earnest and animated one, which
evidently results in the immediate preparation of
a fleet; of which the tapestry delineates the various
stages and circumstances, from the felling of the
timber in its native woods to the launching of the
vessels, stored and fully equipped in arms, provisions,
and heroes for invasion and conquest.
William in this expedition received unusual as-
sistance from his own tributary chiefs, and from
various other allies, who joined his standard, and
without whom, indeed, he could not, with any
chance of success, have made his daring attempt.
A summer and autumn were spent in fitting-up the
fleet and collecting the forces," and there was no
knight in the land, no good serjeant, archer, nor
peasant of stout heart, and of age for battle, that
the duke did not summon to go with him to
England; promising rents to the vavassors, and
honours to the barons." Thus was an armament
prepared of seven hundred ships, but the one which
108
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
bore William, the hero of the expedition, shone
proudly pre-eminent over the rest. It was the gift
of his affectionate queen. It is represented in the
canvas of larger size than the others: the mast,
surmounted by a cross, bears the banner which was
sent to William by the Pope as a testimony of his
blessing and approbation On this mast also a
beacon-light nightly blazed as a point d'approche of
the remainder of the fleet. On the poop was the
figure of a boy (supposed to be meant for the con-
queror's youngest son), gilded, and looking earnestly
towards England, holding in one hand a banner, in
the other an ivory horn, on which he is sounding a
joyful reveillee.
But long the fleet waited at St. Valeri for a fair
wind, until the barons became weary and dispirited.
Then they prayed the convent to bring out the
shrine of St. Valeri and set it on a carpet in the
plain; and all came praying the holy relics that
they might be allowed to pass over sea. They
offered so much money, that the relics were buried
beneath it; and from that day forth they had good
weather and a fair wind. "Than Willyam thanked
God and Saynt Valary, and toke shortly after shyp-
pynge, and helde his course towarde Englande."
On the arrival of the fleet in England a banquet
is prepared. The shape of the table at which
William sits has been the theme of some curious
remarks by Father Montfaucon, which have been
copied by Ducarel and others. It is in form of a
half-moon, and was called by the Romans sigma,
from the Greek It was calculated only for seven
S.
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
109
persons; and a facetious emperor once invited eight,
on purpose to raise a laugh against the person for
whom there would be no place.
He
A knight in that country (Britain) heard the
noise and cry made by the peasants and villains
when they saw the great fleet arrive. He well knew
that the Normans were come, and that their object
was to seize the land. He posted himself behind a
hill, so that they should not see him, and tarried
there watching the arrival of the great fleet.
saw the archers come forward from the ships, and
the knights follow. He saw the carpenters with
their axes, and the host of people and troops. He
saw the men throw the materials for the fort out of
the ships. He saw them build up and enclose the
fort, and dig the fosse around it. He saw them
land the shields and armour. And as he beheld all
this his spirit was troubled; and he girt his sword
and took his lance, saying he would go straightway
to King Harold and tell the news. Forthwith he
set out on his way, resting late and rising early;
and thus he journeyed on by night and by day to
seek Harold his lord." And we see him in the
tapestry speeding to his beloved master.
Meanwhile Harold is not idle. But the fleet
which, in expectation of his adversary's earlier ar-
rival, he had stationed on the southern coast, had
lately dispersed from want of provisions, and the
King, occupied by the Norwegian invasion, had not
been able to reinstate it; and "William came
against him (says the Saxon chronicle) unawares
ere his army was collected." Thus the enemy found
110
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
nor opposition nor hinderance in obtaining a footing
in the island.
Taken at such disadvantage, Harold did all that
a brave man could do to repel his formidable adver-
sary. The tapestry depicts, as well as may be
expected, the battle.
<<
The priests had watched all night, and besought
and called upon God, and prayed to him in their
chapels, which were fitted up throughout the host.
They offered and vowed fasts, penances, and orisons;
they said psalms and misereres, litanies and kyriels ;
they cried on God, and for his mercy, and said
paternosters and masses; some the SPIRITUS DO-
MINI, others SALUS POPULI, and many SALVE SANCTE
PARENS, being suited to the season, as belonging to
that day, which was Saturday.
66
AND NOW, BEHOLD! THAT BATTLE WAS GATHERED
WHEREOF THE FAME IS YET MIGHTY.
"Then Taillefer, who sang right well, rode,
mounted on a swift horse, before the duke.
Loud and far resounded the bray of the horns,
and the shocks of the lances, the mighty strokes of
clubs, and the quick clashing of swords. One while
the Englishmen rushed on, another while they fell
back; one while the men from over sea charged
onwards, and again at other times retreated. When
the English fall, the Normans shout. Each side
taunts and defies the other, yet neither knoweth
what the other saith; and the Normans say the
English bark, because they understand not their
speech.
66
Some wax strong, others weak; the brave exult,
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
111
but the cowards tremble, as men who are sore dis-
mayed. The Normans press on the assault, and the
English defend their post well; they pierce the
hauberks and cleave the shields; receive and return
mighty blows. Again some press forwards, others
yield, and thus in various ways the struggle pro-
ceeds."
The death of Harold's two brothers is depicted,
and, finally, his own. It is said that his mother
offered the weight of the body in gold to have the
melancholy satisfaction of interring it, and that the
Conqueror refused the boon. But other writers
affirm, and apparently with truth, that William
immediately transmitted the body, unransomed, to
the bereaved parent, who had it interred in the
monastery of Waltham.
With the death of Harold the tapestry now ends,
though some writers think it probable that it once
extended as far as the coronation of William.
There can be little doubt of its having been in-
tended to extend so far, though it is impossible now
to ascertain whether the Queen was ever enabled
quite to complete her Herculean task. Enough
there is, however, to stamp it as one of the "most
noble and interesting relics of antiquity;" and, as
Dibdin calls it, "an exceedingly curious document
of the conjugal attachment, and even enthusiastic
veneration of Matilda, and a political record of more
weight than may at first sight appear to belong to
it." Taking it altogether, he adds, "none but
itself could be its parallel."
Almost all historians describe the Normans as
advancing to the onset "singing the song of Ro-
112
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
land," that is, a detail of the achievements of the
slaughtered hero of Roncesvalles, which is well
known to have been, for ages after the event to
which it refers, a note of magical inspiration to
deeds of "derring do." On this occasion it is
recorded that the spirit note was sung by the min-
strel Taillefer, who was, however, little contented to
lead his countrymen by voice alone. It is not pos-
sible that our readers can be otherwise than pleased
with the following animated account of his deeds :*-
THE ONSET OF Taillefer.
"Foremost in the bands of France,
Arm'd with hauberk and with lance,
And helmet glittering in the air,
As if a warrior-knight he were,
Rushed forth the minstrel Taillefer-
Borne on his courser swift and strong,
He gaily bounded o'er the plain,
And raised the heart-inspiring song
(Loud echoed by the warlike throng)
Of Roland and of Charlemagne,
Of Oliver, brave peer of old,
Untaught to fly, unknown to yield,
And many a knight and vassal bold,
Whose hallowed blood, in crimson flood,
Dyed Roncesvalles' field.
"Harold's host he soon descried,
Clustering on the hill's steep side:
Then turned him back brave Taillefer,
And thus to William urged his prayer :
'Great Sire, it fits me not to tell
'How long I've served you, or how well;
'Yet if reward my lays may claim,
'Grant now the boon I dare to name;
'Minstrel no more, be mine the blow
'That first shall strike yon perjured foe.'
By Thomas Amyot, Esq., F.S.A.-Archæol., vol. xix.
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
113
'Thy suit is gained,' the Duke replied,
Our gallant minstrel be our guide.'
'Enough,' he cried,' with joy I speed,
'Foremost to vanquish or to bleed.'
"And still of Roland's deeds he sung,
While Norman shouts responsive rung,
As high in air his lance he flung,
With well directed might;
Back came the lance into his hand,
Like urchin's ball, or juggler's wand,
And twice again, at his command,
Whirled its unerring flight.—
While doubting whether skill or charm
Had thus inspired the minstrel's arm,
The Saxons saw the wondrous dart
Fixed in their standard bearer's heart.
"Now thrice aloft his sword he threw,
'Midst sparkling sunbeams dancing,
And downward thrice the weapon flew,
Like meteor o'er the evening dew,
From summer sky swift glancing:
And while amazement gasped for breath,
Another Saxon groaned in death.
"More wonders yet!-on signal made,
With mane erect, and eye-balls flashing,
The well taught courser rears his head,
His teeth in ravenous fury gnashing;
He snorts-he foams-and upward springs-
Plunging he fastens on the foe,
And down his writhing victim flings,
Crushed by the wily minstrel's blow.
Thus seems it to the hostile band
Enchantment all, and fairy land.
"Fain would I leave the rest unsung:-
The Saxon ranks, to madness stung,
Headlong rushed with frenzied start,
Hurling javelin, mace, and dart;
No shelter from the iron shower
Sought Taillefer in that sad hour;
114
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
Yet still he beckoned to the field,
'Frenchman, come on-the Saxons yield-
'Strike quick-strike home-in Roland's name—
For William's glory-Harold's shame.'
Then pierced with wounds, stretched side by side,
The minstrel and his courser died."
We have dwelt on the details of the tapestry with
a prolixity which some may deem tedious. Yet
surely the subject is worthy of it; for, in the first
place, it is the oldest piece of needlework in the
world—the only piece of that era now existing; and
this circumstance in itself suggests many interesting
ideas, on which, did our space permit, we could
readily dilate. Ages have rolled away; and the
fair hands that wrought this work have mouldered
away into dust; and the gentle and affectionate
spirit that suggested this elaborate memorial has
long since passed from the scene which it adorned
and dignified. In no long period after the battle
thus commemorated, an abbey, consecrated to praise
and prayer, raised its stately walls on the very field
that was ploughed with the strife and watered with
the blood of fierce and evil men. The air that erst
rang with the sounds of wrath, of strife, of warfare,
the clangour of armour, the din of war, was now
made musical with the chorus of praise, or was
gently stirred by the breath of prayer or the sigh of
penitence; and where contending hosts were mar-
shalled in proud array, or the phalanx rushed im-
petuous to the battle, were seen the stoled monks in
solemn procession, or the holy brother peacefully
wending on his errand of charity.
But the grey and time-honoured walls waxed
aged as they beheld generation after generation
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
115
consigned to dust beneath their shelter. Time and
change have done their worst. A few scattered
ruins, seen dimly through the mist of years, are all
that remain to point to the inquiring wanderer the
site of the stupendous struggle of which the results
are felt even after the expiration of eight hundred
years.
These may be deemed trite reflections: still it is
worthy of remark, that many of the turbulent spirits
who then made earth echo with their fame would
have been literally and altogether as though they
never had been-for historians make little or no
mention of them—were it not for the lasting monu-
ment raised to them in this tapestry by woman's
industry and skill.
Matilda the Queen's character is pictured in
high terms by both English and Norman historians.
"So very stern was her husband, and hot, that no
man durst do anything against his will. He had
earls in his custody who acted against his will.
Bishops he hurled from their bishoprics, and abbots
from their abbacies, and thanes into prison;" yet it
is recorded that even his iron temper was not proof
against the good sense, the gentleness, the piety,
and the affection of a wife who never offended him
but once; and on this occasion there was so much
to palliate and excuse her fault, proceeding as it did
from a mother's yearnings towards her eldest son
when he was in disgrace and sorrow, that the usually
unyielding King forgave her immediately. She
lived beloved, and she died lamented; and, from
the time of her death, the King, says William of
Malmsbury, "refrained from every gratification.”
116
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY.
Independently of the value of this tapestry as an
historical authority, and its interest as being pro-
jected, and in part executed, by a lady as excellent
in character as she was noble in rank, and its high
estimation as the oldest piece of needlework extant
-independently of all these circumstances, it is
impossible to study this memorial closely, "rude
and skilless" as it at first appears, without becoming
deeply interested in the task. The outline en-
gravings of it in the "Tapisseries Anciennes His-
toriées" are beautifully executed, but are inferior in
interest to Mr. Stothart's (published by the Society
of Antiquarians), because these have the advantage
of being coloured accurately from the original. In
the study of these plates alone, days and weeks
glided away, nor left us weary of our task.
%
117
CHAPTER X.
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF ROMANCE
AND CHIVALRY.
"As ladies wont
To finger the fine needle and nyse thread."
Faerie Queene.
THOUGH, during bygone ages, the fingers of the fair
and noble were often sedulously employed in the
decoration and embellishment of the church, and of
its ministers, they were by no means universally so.
Marvellous indeed in quantity, as well as quality,
must have been the stitchery done in those indus-
trious days, for the "fine needle and nyse thread"
were not merely visible but conspicuous in every
department of life. If, happily, there were not proof
to the contrary, we might be apt to imagine that
the women of those days came into the world only
to ply the distaff, broider, card, and sew." That
this was not the case we, however, well know; but
before we turn to those embroideries which are more
especially the subject of this chapter, we will tran-
scribe, from a recent work,* an interesting detail of
* Historical Memoirs of Queens of England.-H. Lawrance.
118
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
the household responsibilities of the mistress of a
family in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
While to play on the harp and citole (a species
of lute), to execute various kinds of the most costly
and delicate needle-work, and in some instances to
'pourtraye,' were, in addition to more literary pur-
suits, the accomplishments of the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries, the functions which the mistress
of an extensive household was expected to fulfil
were never lost sight of.
"Few readers are aware of the various qualifica-
tions requisite to form the good housewife' during
the middle ages. In the present day, when house-
hold articles of every kind are obtainable in any
country town, and, with few exceptions, throughout
the year, we can know little of the judgment, the
forethought, and the nice calculation which were
required in the mistress of a household consisting
probably of three-score, or even more persons, and
who, in the autumn, had to provide almost a twelve-
month's stores. There was the fire-wood, the rushes
to strew the rooms, the malt, the oatmeal, the honey
(at this period the substitute for sugar), the salt
(only sold in large quantities), and, if in the country,
the wheat and the barley for the bread-all to be
provided and stored away. The greater part of the
meat used for the winter's provision was killed and
salted down at Martinmas; and the mistress had to
provide the necessary stock for the winter and
spring consumption, together with the stockfish
and baconed herrings' for Lent. Then at the
annual fair, the only opportunity was afforded for
purchasing those more especial articles of house-
<
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
119
wifery which the careful housewife never omitted
buying the ginger, nutmegs, and cinnamon, for the
Christmas posset, and Sheer-Monday furmety; the
currants and almonds for the Twelfth-Night cake
(an observance which dates almost as far back as
the Conquest); the figs, with which our forefathers
always celebrated Palm-Sunday; and the pepper,
the saffron, and the cummin, so highly prized in
ancient cookery. All these articles bore high prices,
and therefore it was with great consideration and
care that they were bought.
"But the task of providing raiment for the family
also devolved upon the mistress, and there were no
dealers save for the richer articles of wearing ap-
parel to be found. The wool that formed the chief
clothing was the produce of the flock, or purchased
in a raw state; and was carded, spun, and in some
instances woven at home. Flax, also, was often
spun for the coarser kinds of linen, and occasionally
woven. Thus, the mistress of a household had most
important duties to fulfil, for on her wise and pru-
dent manngement depended not merely the comfort,
but the actual well-being of her extensive house-
nold. If the winter's stores were insufficient, there
were no markets from whence an additional supply
could be obtained; and the lord of wide estates and
numerous manors might be reduced to the most
annoying privations through the mismanagement of
the mistress of the family."
The costly and delicate needle-work" is here,
as elsewhere, passed over with merely a mention:
It is, naturally, too insignificant a subject to task
the attention of those whose energies are devoted
*
120
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
to describing the warfare and welfare of kingdoms
and thrones. Thus did we look only to professed
historians, though enough exists in their pages to
evidence the existence of such productions as those
which form the subject of our chapter, our evidence
would be meagre indeed as to the minuter details:
but as the "novel " now describes those minutiæ of
every day life which we should think it ridiculous to
look for in the writings of the politician or historian,
so the romances of the days of chivalry present us
with descriptions which, if they be somewhat redun-
dant in ornament, are still correct in groundwork;
and the details gathered from romances have in, it
may be, unimportant circumstances, that accidental
corroboration from history which fairly stamps their
faithfulness in more important particulars: and it
has been shown, says the author of 'Godefridus,' by
learned men, in the memoirs of the French Aca-
demy of Inscriptions, that they may be used in com-
mon with history, and as of equal authority when-
ever an inquiry takes place respecting the spirit
and manners of the ages in which they were com-
posed. But we are writing a dissertation on romance
instead of describing the "clodes ryche," to which
we must now proceed.
So highly was a facility in the use of the needle
prized in these ould ancient times," that a wan-
dering damsel is not merely tolerated but cherished
in a family in which she is a perfect stranger, solely
from her skill in this much-loved art.
After being exposed in an open boat, Emare was
rescued by Syr Kadore, remained in his castle, and
there—
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
121
"She tawghte hem to sewe and marke
All maner of sylkyn werke,
Of her they wer ful fayne."*
Syr Kadore says of her-
"She ys the konnyngest wommon,
I trowe, that be yn Crystendom,
Of werk that y have sene."
And again describing her-
"She sewed sylke werk yn bour."
This same accomplished and luckless lady had,
princess though she was, every advantage of early
tuition in this notable art, having been sent in
her childhood to a lady called Abro, who not only
taught her “curtesye and thewe" (virtue and good
manners), but also
"Golde and sylke for to sewe,
Amonge maydenes moo:"
evidently an old dame's school; where, however,
we may infer from the arrangement of the accom-
plishments taught, and the special mention of
needle-work, that the extra expense would be for
the sewing; whereas, in our time and country (or
county), the routine has been, "REDING AND SOING,
THREE-PENCE A WEEK:
NERS."
A PENY
EXTRA FOR MAN-
This expensive and troublesome acquirement-
the art of sewing in "golde and silke"-was of ge-
neral adoption: gorgeous must have been the ap-
pearance of the damsels and knights of those days,
when their
Clothys wyth bestes & byrdes wer bete,t
All abowte for pryde."
* Emare.
† Bete-inlayed, embroidered.
G
1
122
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
By that light Amadis saw his lady, and she
appeared more beautiful than man could fancy wo-
man could be.
She had on a robe of Indian silk,
thickly wrought with flowers of gold; her hair was
so beautiful that it was a wonder, and she had co-
vered it only with a garland.” *
"Now when the fair Grasinda heard of the coming
of the fleet, and of all that had befallen, she made
ready to receive Oriana, whom of all persons in the
world she most desired to see, because of her great
renown that was everywhere spread abroad. She
therefore wished to appear before her like a lady of
such rank and such wealth as indeed she was: the
robe which she put on was adorned with roses
of gold, wrought with marvellous skill, and bor-
dered with pearls and precious stones of exceeding
value."+
"His fine, soft garments, wove with cunning skill,
All over, ease and wantonness declare ;
These with her hand, such subtle toil well taught,
For him, in silk and gold, Alcina wrought." I
Mayde Elene, al so tyte.
In a robe of samyte, §
Anoon sche gan her tyre,
To do Lybeau's profyte
In kevechers whyt,
Arayde wyth golde wyre.
A velvwet mantyll gay,
Pelored || wyth grys and gray,
Sche caste abowte her swyre;
A sercle upon her molde,
Of stones and of golde,
The best yn that empyre."¶¶
* Amadis of Gaul, bk. i. ch. xv.
Orl. Fur.: transl. by Rose.
|| Pelorea-furred.
† Ibid. bk. iv. ch. iii.
§ Samyte-rich silk.
Lybeaus Disconus.
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
123
We read perpetually of "kercheves well schyre,*
"Arayde wyth ryche gold wyre."
But the labours of those days were not confined to
merely good-appearing garments: the skill of the
needle-woman-for doubtless it was solely attri-
butable to that-could imbue them with a value far
beyond that of mere outward garnish.
rr
"She seyde, Syr Knight, gentyl and hende,†
I wot thy stat, ord, and ende,
Be naught aschamed of me;
If thou wylt truly to me take,
And alle wemen for me forsake
Ryche i wyll make the.
I wyll the geve an alner,‡
Imad of sylk and of gold cler,
Wyth fayr ymages thre;
As oft thou puttest the hond therinne
A mark of gold thou schalt wynne,
In wat place that thou be."§
But infinitely more marvellous is the following:-
King Lisuarte was so content with the tidings of
Amadis and Galaor, which the dwarf had brought
him, that he determined to hold the most honourable
court that ever had been held in Great Britain. Pre-
sently three knights came through the gate, two of
them armed at all points, the third unarmed, of good
stature and well proportioned, his hair grey, but of
a green and comely old age. He held in his hand a
coffer; and, having inquired which was the king, dis-
mounted from his palfrey and kneeled before him,
saying, 'God preserve you, Sir! for you have made
the noblest promise that ever king did, if you hold it.'
* Schyre-clear.
‡ Alner-
+ Hende-kind, obliging.
§ Launfal.
G 2
124
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
1
'What promise was that?' quoth Lisuarte. To
maintain chivalry in its highest honour and degree:
few princes now-a-days labour to that end; there-
fore are you to be commended above all other.'
Certes, knight, that promise shall hold while I
live.' God grant you life to complete it!' quoth
the old man and because you have summoned a
great court to London, I have brought something
here which becomes such a person, for such an occa-
sion.' Then he opened the coffer and took out a
Crown of Gold, so curiously wrought and set with
pearls and gems, that all were amazed at its beauty;
and it well appeared that it was only fit for the brow
of some mighty lord. Is it not a work which the
most cunning artists would wonder at?' said the
old knight. Lisuarte answered, In truth it is."
Yet,' said the knight, it hath a virtue more to be
esteemed than its rare work and richness: whatever
king hath it on his head shall always increase his
honour; this it did for him for whom it was made
till the day of his death: since then no king hath
worn it. I will give it you, sir, for one boon.'
C
You also, Lady,' said the knight, should purchase
a rich mantle that I bring:' and he took from the
coffer the richest and most beautiful mantle that
ever was seen; for besides the pearls and precious
stones with which it was beautified, there were
figured on it all the birds and beasts in nature; so
that it looked like a miracle. On my faith,' ex-
claimed the Queen, this cloth can only have been
made by that Lord who can do everything.' It is
the work of man,' said the old knight; but rarely
will one be found to make its fellow : it should belong
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
125
to wife rather than maiden, for she that weareth it
shall never have dispute with her husband.' Britna
answered, If that be true, it is above all price; I
will give you for it whatsoever you ask.' And
Lisuarte bade him demand what he would for the
mantle and crown.
But the robe which occupied the busy fingers of
the Saracen king's daughter for seven long years,
and of which the jewelled ornaments inwrought in
it-as was then very usual-were sought far and
wide, has often been referred to (albeit wanting in
fairy gifts) as a crowning proof of female industry
and talent. We give the full description from the
Romance of EMARE,' in Ritson's collection:
"Sone aftur yu a whyle,
The ryche Kynge of Cesyle
To the Emperour gaun wende,
A ryche present wyth hym he browght,
A cloth that was wordylye wroght,
He wellcomed hym at the hende.†
"Syr Tergaunte, that nobyll knyghte hyghte,
He presented the Emperour ryght,
And sette hym on hys kne,
Wyth that cloth rychyly dyght.
Full of stones ther hit was pyght,
As thykke as hit myght be,
Off topaze and rubyes,
And other stones of myche prys,
That semely wer to se,
Of crapowtes and nakette,
As thykke ar they sette
For sothe as y say the
* Amadis of Gaul, bk. i. ch. xxx.
+ Hende-kind, civil, obliging.
126
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
"The cloth was displayed sone,
The Emperoer lokede therupone,
And myght hyt not se,
For glysteryng of the ryche ston
Redy syght had he non,
And sayde, How may thys be?
The Emperour sayde on hygh,
Sertes thys ys a fayry,
Or ellys a vanyte.
The Kyng of Cysyle answered than
So ryche a jewell ys ther non
In all Crystyante.
"The amerayle* dowghter of hethennes
Made this cloth withouten lees,
And wrowghte hit all with pride,
And purtreyed hyt with gret honour,
Wyth ryche golde and asowr,†
And stones on ylke a side;
And, as the story telles in honde,
The stones that yn this cloth stonde
Sowghte they wer full wyde.
Seven wynter hit was yn makynge,
Or hit was browght to endynge,
In herte ys not to hyde.
"In that on korner made was
Idoyne and Amadas,
With love that was so trewe,
For they loveden hem wit honour,
Portrayed they wer with trewe-love flour,
Of stones bryght of hewe,
Wyth carbankull and safere,
Kasydonys and onyx so clere,
Sette in golde newe,
Deamondes and rubyes,
And other stones of mychyll pryse,
And menstrellys with her gle.
* Saracen king.
† Asour-azure.
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
127
"In that other korner was dyght,
Trystram and Isowde so bryght,
That semely wer to se,
And for they loved hem ryght,
As full of stones ar they dyght,
As thykke as they may be,
Of topase and of rubyes,
And other stones of myche pryse,
That semely wer to se,
With crapawtes and nakette,
Thykke of stones ar they sette,
For sothe as y say the.
"In the thyrdde korner, with gret honour,
Was Florys and dame Blawnche flour,
As love was hem betwene,
For they loved wyth honour,
Purtrayed they wer with trewe-love-flower,
With stones bryght and shene.
Ther wer knyghtes and senatowres,
Emerawdes of gret vertues,
To wyte withouten wene,
Deamondes and koralle,
Perydotes and crystall,
And gode garnettes by twene.
"In the fowrthe korner was oon
Of Babylone the sowdan sonne,
The amerayle's dowghter hym by,
For hys sake the cloth was wrowght,
She loved hym in hert and thowght,
As testy-moyeth thys storye.
The fayr mayden her byforn
Was purtrayed an unykorn,
With hys horn so hye,
Flowres and bryddes on ylke a syde,
Wyth stones that wer sowght wyde,
Stuffed wyth ymagerye.
---
128
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
"When the cloth to ende was wrought,
To the sowdan sone hit was browght,
That semely was of syghte:
My fadyr was a nobyll man,
Of the sowdan he hit wan,
Wyth maystrye and myghth;
For gret love he yaf hyt me,
I brynge hit the in specyalte,
Thys cloth ys rychely dyght.'
He yaf hit the Emperour,
He receyved hit wyth gret honour,
And thonkede hym fayr and ryght."
We must not dismiss this subject without record-
ing a species of mantle much celebrated in romance,
and which must have tried the skill and patience of
the fair votaries of the needle to the uttermost. We
all have seen, perhaps we have some of us been
foolish enough to manufacture, initials with hair, as
tokens or souvenirs, or some other such fooleries.
In our mothers' and grandmothers' days, when “fine
marking" was the sine quâ non of a good education,
whole sets of linen were thus elaborately marked ;
and often have we marvelled when these tokens of
grandmotherly skill and industry were displayed to
our wondering and aching eyes. What then should
we have thought of King Ryence's mantle, of rich
scarlet, bordered round with the beards of kings,
sewed thereon full craftily by accomplished female
hands. Thus runs the anecdote in the Morte
Arthur:-
"Came a messenger hastely from King Ryence,
of North Wales, saying, that King Ryence had dis-
comfited and overcomen eleaven kings, and everiche
of them did him homage, and that was thus: they
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
129
gave him their beards cleane flayne off,-wherefore
the messenger came for King Arthur's beard, for
King Ryence had purfeled a mantell with king's
beards, and there lacked for one a place of the man-
tell, wherefore he sent for his beard, or else he
would enter into his lands, and brenn and slay, and
never leave till he have thy head and thy beard.
'Well,' said King Arther, thou hast said thy mes-
sage, which is the most villainous and lewdest mes-
sage that ever man heard sent to a king. Also thou
mayest see my beard is full young yet for to make
a purfell of; but tell thou the king that-or it be
long-he shall do to me homage on both his knees,
or else he shall leese his head."
In Queen Elizabeth's day, when they were begin-
ning to skim the cream of the ponderous tomes of
former times into those elaborate ditties from which
the more modern ballad takes its rise, this incident
was put into rhyme, and was sung before her ma-
jesty at the grand entertainment at Kenilworth
Castle, 1575, thus:-
"As it fell out on a Pentecost day,
King Arthur at Camelot kept his Court royall,
With his faire queene dame Guenever the gay,
And many bold barons sitting in hall;
With ladies attired in purple and pall;
And heraults in hewkes,* hooting on high,
Cryed, Largesse, largesse, Chevaliers tres hardie.
'A doughty dwarfe to the uppermost deas
Right pertlye gan pricke, kneeling on knee;
With stevent 11 stoute amids all the preas,
* Hewke-herald's coat.
+ Steven-voice, sound
G 3
130
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
Sayd, Nowe sir King Arthur, God save thee, and see !
Sir Ryence of Northgales greeteth well thee,
And bids thee thy beard anon to him send,
Or else from thy jaws he will it off rend.
"For his robe of state is a rich scarlet mantle,
With eleven kings beards bordered about,
And there is room lefte yet in a kantle,*
For thine to stande, to make the twelfth out:
This must be done, be thou never so stout;
This must be done, I tell thee no fable,
Maugre the teethe of all thy rounde table.
"When this mortal message from his mouthe past,
Great was the noyse bothe in hall and in bower,
The king fum'd; the queen screecht; ladies were aghast;
Princes puff'd; barons blustered; lords began lower;
Knights stormed; squires startled, like steeds in a stower;
Pages and yeomen yell'd out in the hall;
Then in came Sir Kay, the king's seneschal.
"Silence, my soveraignes, quoth this courteous knight,
And in that stound the stowre began still:
Then the dwarfe's dinner full deerely was dight ;
Of wine and wassel he had his wille :
And when he had eaten and drunken his fill,
An hundred pieces of fine coyned gold
Were given this dwarfe for his message bold.
"But say to Sir Ryence, thou dwarfe, quoth the king,
That for his bold message I do him defye;
And shortly with basins and pans will him ring
Out of North Gales; where he and I
With swords, and not razors, quickly shall trye
Whether he or King Arthur will prove the best barbor:
And therewith he shook his good sword Excalábor.”
* Kantle-a corner.
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
131
Drayton thus alludes to the saine circumstance :-
"Then told they, how himselfe great Arthur did advance,
To meet (with his Allies) that puissant force in France,
By Lucius thither led; those Armies that while ere
Affrighted all the world, by him strooke dead with feare:
Th' report of his great Acts that over Europe ran,
In that most famous field he with the Emperor wan:
As how great Rython's selfe hee slew in his repaire,
Who ravisht Howell's Neece, young Helena the faire;
And for a trophy brought the Giant's coat away,
Made of the beards of kings." *.
And Spenser is too uncourteous in his adoption
of the incident; for he not only levels tolls on the
gentlemen's beards, but even on the flowing and
golden locks of the gentle sex :-
"Not farre from hence, upon yond rocky hill,
Hard by a streight there stands a castle strong,
Which doth observe a custom lewd and ill,
And it hath long mayntaind with mighty wrong:
For may no knight nor lady passe along
That way, (and yet they needs must passe that way,
By reason of the streight, and rocks among,)
But they that Ladies locks doe shave away,
And that knight's berd for toll, which they for passage pay.
"A shamefull use, as ever I did heare,
Said Calidore, and to be overthrowne.
But by what means did they at first it reare,
And for what cause, tell, if thou have it knowne.
Sayd then that Squire: The Lady which doth owne
This Castle is by name Briana hight;
Then which a prouder Lady liveth none;
She long time hath deare lov'd a doughty knight,
And sought to win his love by all the meanes she might.
* Drayton's Polyolbion, Song 4.
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NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
"His name is Crudor, who through high disdaine
And proud despight of his selfe-pleasing mynd,
Refused hath to yeeld her love againe,
Untill a Mantle she for him doe fynd,
With beards of knights and locks of Ladies lynd,
Which to provide, she hath this Castle dight,
And therein hath a Seneschall assynd,
Cald Maleffort, a man of mickle might,
Who executes her wicked will, with worse despight." *
"To pluck the beard" of another has ever been
held the highest possible sign of scorn and con-
tumely; but it was certainly a refinement on the
matter, for which we are indebted to the Morte
Arthur. or rather probably, according to Bishop
Percy, to Geoffrey of Monmouth's history originally,
for the unique and ornamental purpose to which
these despoiled locks were applied. So particularly
anxious was Charlemagne to shew this despite to
an enemy that, as we read in Huon de Bordeaux,
he despatched no less than fifteen successive mes-
sengers from France to Babylon to pull the beard
of Admiral Gaudisse. And this, by no means plea-
sant operation, was to be accompanied by one even
still less inviting.
"Alors le duc Naymes, & tres tous les Barons,
s'en retournèrent au palais avec le Roy, lequel
s'assist sur un banc doré de fin or, & les Barons
tous autour de luy. Si commanda qu'on luy ame-
nast Huon, lequel il vint, et se mist à genoux
devant le roy, ou luy priant moult humblement que
pitié & mercy voulsist avoir de luy. Alors le roy
le voyant en sa presence luy dist: Huon puisque
vers moy veux estre accordé, si convient que faciez
*Faerie Queene. Book vi.
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
133
ce que je vous or donneray. Sire, ce dist Huon,
pour obeir à vous, il n'est aujourd'huy chose en ce
monde mortel, que corps humain puisse porter, que
hardiment n'osasse entreprendre, ne ia pour peur
de mort ne le laisseray à faire, & fust à aller jus-
ques à l'arbre sec, voire jusques aux portaux d'enfer
combattre aux infernaux, comme fist le fort Her-
cule: avant qu'à vous ne fusse accordé. Huon, ce
dist Charles, je cuide qu'en pire lieu vous envoyeray,
car, de quinze messages qui de par moy y ont este
Si
envoyez, n'en est par revenu un seul homme.
te diray ou tu iras, puis que tu veux qui de toy
aye mercy, m'a volonté est, qu'il te convient aller
en la cité de Babylonne, par devers diray, & gardes
que sur ta vie ne face faute, quand là seras venu
tu monteras en sɔn palais, là ou tu attendras l'heure
de son disner & que tu le verras assis à table. Si
convient que tu sois armé de toutes armes, l'espee
nuë au poing, par tel si que le premier & le plus
grand baron que tu verras manger à sa table tu
luy trencheras le chef quel qu'il soit, soit Roy, ou
Admiral. Et apres ce te convient tant faire que
la belle Esclarmonde fille à l'Amiral Gaudisse tu
fiances, & la baises trois fois en la presence de son
pere, & de tous sous qui la seront presens, car je
veux que tu sçaches que c'est la plus belle pucelle
qu'aujourd'huy soit en vie, puis apres diras de par
moy à l'Admiral qu'il m'envoye mille espreuiers,
mille ours, mille viautres, tous enchainez, & mille
jeune valets, & mille des plus belles pucelles de son
royaume, & avecques ce, convient que tu me rap-
portes une poignee de sa barbe, et quatre de ses
dents machoires. Ha! Sire, dirent les Barons, bien
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NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
desirez sa mort, quant de tel message faire luy
enchargez, vous dites la verité ce dit le Roy, car si
tant ne fait que j'aye la barbe & les dents mache-
loires sans aucune tromperie ne mensonge, jamais
ne retourne en France, ne devant moi ne se monstre.
Car je le ferois pendre & trainer. Sire, ce dit
Huon, m'avez vous dit & racompté tout ce que
voulez que je face. Oui dist le Roy Charles ma
volonté est telle, si vers moy veux avoir paix. Sire
ce dit Huon, au plaisir de nostre Seigneur, je feray
& fourniray vostre message."
In what precise way the beards were sewed on
the mantles we are not exactly informed. Whether
this royal exuberance was left to shine in its own
unborrowed lustre, its own naked magnificence, as
too valuable to be intermixed with the grosser
things of earth: whether it was thinly scattered
over the surface of the rich scarlet;" or whether
it was gathered into locks, perhaps gemmed round
with orient pearl, or clustered together with brilliant
emeralds, sparkling diamonds, or rich rubies—
Sweets to the sweet :" whether it was exposed to
the vulgar gaze on the mantle, or whether it was
so arranged that only at the pleasure of the mighty
wearer its radiant beauties were visible :—on all
these deeply interesting particulars we should re-
joice in having any information; but, alas! except-
ing what we have recorded, not one circumstance
respecting them has "floated down the tide of
years.
<
But we may perhaps form a correct idea
of them from viewing a shield of human hair in
the museum of the United Service Club, which
may be supposed to have been compiled (so to
*
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
135
speak) with the same benevolent feelings as that of
the heroes to whom we have been alluding. It is
from Borneo Island, and is formed of locks of hair
placed at regular intervals on a ground of thin
tough wood: a refined and elegant mode of dis-
playing the scalps of slaughtered foes. These coin-
cidences are curious, and may serve at any rate
to show that King Ryence's mantle was not the
invention of the penman; but, in all probability,
actually existed.
The ladies of these days did not confine their
handiwork merely to the adornment of the person.
We have seen that among the Egyptians the
couches that at night were beds were in the day-
time adorned with richly wrought coverlets.
amongst the classical nations
the menial fair that round her wait,
At Helen's beck prepare the room of state ;
Beneath an ample portico they spread
The downy fleece to form the slumberous bed;
And o'er soft palls of purple grain, unfold
Rich tapestry, stiff with inwoven gold."
So
And during the middle ages the beds, not
excluded from the day apartments, often gave
gorgeous testimony of the skill of the needlewoman,
and were among the richest ornaments of the sitting
room, so much fancy and expense were lavished on
them. The curtains were often made of very rich
material, and usually adorned with embroidery.
They were often also trimmed with expensive furs:
Philippa of Hainault had a bed on which sea-syrens
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NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
were embroidered. The coverlid was often very
rich:
"The ladi lay in hire bed,
With riche clothes bespred,
Of gold and purpre palle.” *
"Here beds are seen adorned with silk and gold.” †
— on a bed design'd
With gay magnificence the fair reclin'd;
High o'er her head, on silver columns rais'd,
With broidering gems her proud pavilion blaz'd."
"Thence pass'd into a bow'r, where stood a bed,
With milkwhite furs of Alexandria spread :
Beneath, a richly broider'd vallance hung;
The pillows were of silk; o'er all was flung
A rare wrought coverlet of phoenix plumes,
Which breathed, as warm with life, its rich perfumes." ‡
The array of the knights of these days was gor-
geous and beautiful; and though the materials
might be in themselves, and frequently were costly,
still were they entirely indebted to the female hand
for the rich elegance of the tout ensemble. And the
custom of disarming and robing knights anew after
the conflict, whether of real or mimic war, to which
we have alluded as a practice of classical antiquity,
was as much or even more practised now, and af-
forded to the ladies an admirable opportunity of
exhibiting alike their preference, their taste, and
their liberality.
66
Amadis and Agrayes proceeded till they came
to the castle of Torin, the dwelling of that fair
young damsel, where they were disarmed
and
*The Kyng of Tars.
+ Orl. Fur.
+
Partenopex of Blois.
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
137
mantles given them, and they were conducted into
the hall." *
"Thus they arrived at the palace, and there was
he (the Green Sword Knight) lodged in a rich
chamber, and was disarmed, and his hands and face
washed from the dust, and they gave him a rose-
coloured mantle."+
The romance of " Ywaine and Gawin" abounds in
instances:
Again-
And-
"A damisel come unto me,
The semeliest that ever I se,
Lufsumer lifed never in land,
Hendly scho toke me by the hand,
And sone that gentyl creature
Al unlaced myne armure;
Into a chamber scho me led,
And with a mantil scho me cled;
It was of purpur, fair and fine,
And the pane of ermyne."
"The maiden redies hyr fal rath,‡
Bilive sho gert syr Ywaine bath,
And cled him sethin (§) in gude scarlet,
Forord wele with gold fret,
A girdel ful riche for the nanes,
Of perry () and of precious stanes."
"The mayden was bowsom and bayne (¶)
Forto unarme syr Ywayne,
Serk and breke both sho hym broght,
That ful craftily war wroght,
Of riche cloth soft als the sylk,
And tharto white als any mylk.
Sho broght hym ful riche wedes to wer."
* Amadis of Gaul.
Rath-speedily.
|| Perry-jewels.
+ Ibid.
§ Sethin-afterward.
¶ Bayne-ready.
...
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NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
On the widely acknowledged principle of "Love
me, love my dog," the steed of a favoured knight
was often adorned by the willing fingers of the fair.
“Each damsel and each dame who her obeyed,
She task'd, together with herself, to sew,
With subtle toil; and with fine gold o'erlaid
A piece of silk of white and sable hue:
With this she trapt the horse.” *
The tabards or surcoats which knights wore over
their armour was the article of dress in which they
most delighted to display their magnificence. They
varied in form, but were mostly made of rich silk,
or of cloth of gold or silver, lined or trimmed with
choice and expensive furs, and usually, also, having
the armorial bearings of the family richly em-
broidered. Thus were women even the heralds of
those times. Besides the acknowledged armorial
bearings, devices were often wrought symbolical of
some circumstance in the life of the wearer.
we are told in Amadis that the Emperor of Rome,
on his black surcoat, had a golden chain-work
woven, which device he swore never to lay aside till
he had Amadis in chains. The same romance gives
the following incident regarding a surcoat.
Thus
"Then Amadis cried to Florestan and Agrayes,
weeping as he spake, good kinsman, I fear we have
lost Don Galaor, let us seek for him. They went to
the spot where Amadis had smitten down King
Cildadan, and seen his brother last on foot; but so
many were the dead who lay there that they saw
him not, till as they moved away the bodies, Flores-
* Orl. Fur., canto 23.
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
139
tan knew him by the sleeve of his surcoat, which
was of azure, worked with silver flowers, and then
they made great moan over him."
The shape of them, as we have remarked, varied
considerably; besides minor alterations they were
at one time worn very short, at another so long as
to trail on the ground. But this luxurious style
was occasionally attended with direful effects.
Froissart names a surcoat in which Sir John Chan-
dos was attired, which was embroidered with his
arms in white sarsnet, argent a field gules, one on
his back and another on his breast. It was a long
robe which swept the ground, and this circumstance,
most probably, caused the untimely death of one of
the most esteemed knights of chivalry.
Sir John Chandos was one of the brightest of
that chivalrous circle which sparkled in the reign
of Edward the Third. He was gentle as well as
valiant; he was in the van with the Black Prince
at the battle of Cressy; and at the battle of Poic-
tiers he never left his side. His death was unlooked
for and sudden. Some disappointments had de-
pressed his spirits, and his attendants in vain
endeavoured to cheer them.
"And so he stode in a kechyn, warmyng him by
the fyre, and his servantes jangled with hym, to thē
tent to bring him out of his melancholy; his ser-
vantes had prepared for hym a place to rest hym:
than he demanded if it were nere day, and therewt.
there cãe a man into the house, and came before
hym, and sayd,
Sir, I have brought you tidynges.'
What be they, tell me?'
140
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
A
'Sir, surely the frechmen be rydinge abrode.'
'How knowest thou that?
C
Sir,' sayd he, I departed fro saynt Saluyn with
them ?"
What way be they ryden?'
Sir, I can nat tell you the certentie, but surely
they take the highway to Poiters.'
C
• What Frechmen be they canst thou tell me?'
Sir, it is Sir Loys of Saynt Julyan, and Car-
lovet the Breton.'
'Well, quoth Sir Johan Chandos, I care nat, I
have no lyst this night to ryde forthe: they may
happe to be encoutred though I be nat ther.'
66
And so he taryed there styll a certayne space in
a gret study, and at last, when he had well aduysed
hymselfe, he sayde, Whatsoever I have sayd here
before, I trowe it be good that I ryde forthe; I
must retourne to Poictiers, and anone it will be
day.'
hym.
That is true sir,' quoth the knightes about
Then,' he sayd, make redy, for I wyll ryde
forthe.'
"And so they dyd."
The skirmish commenced; there had fallen a
great dew in the morning, in consequence of which
the ground was very slippery; the knight's foot
slipped, and in trying to recover himself, it became
entangled in the folds of his magnificent surcoat;
thus the fall was rendered irretrievable, and whilst
he was down he received his death blow.
The barons and knights were sorely grieved.
They "lamentably complayned, and sayd, A, Sir
#
#
#
P
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
141
Johan Chandos, the floure of all chivalry, vnhappely
was that glayue forged that thus hath woūded you,
and brought you in parell of dethe:' they wept
piteously that were about hym, and he herde and
vnderstode them well, but he could speke no
worde."-"For his dethe, his frendes, and also
some of his enemyes, were right soroufull; the Eng-
lysshmen loued hym, bycause all noblenesse was
founde in hym; the frenchmen hated him, because
they doubted hym; yet I herde his dethe greatly
complayned among right noble and valyant knightes
of France*."
Across this surcoat was worn the scarf, the in-
dispensable appendage of a knight when fully
equipped: it was usually the gift of his ladye-
love," and embroidered by her own fair hand.
And a knight would encounter fifty deaths sooner
than part with this cherished emblem.
It is re-
corded of Garcia Perez de Vargas, a noble-minded
Spanish knight of the thirteenth century, that he and
a companion were once suddenly met by a party of
seven Moors. His friend fled: but not so Perez;
he at once prepared himself for the combat, and
while keeping the Moors at bay, who hardly seemed
inclined to fight, he found that his scarf had fallen
from his shoulder.
"He look'd around, and saw the Scarf, for still the Moors were near,
And they had pick'd it from the sward, and loop'd it on a spear.
'These Moors,' quoth Garci Perez, uncourteous Moors they be-
Now, by my soul, the scarf they stole, yet durst not question me !
*oissart, by Lord Berners, vol. i. p. 270.
142
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
"Now, reach once more my helmet.' The Esquire said him, nay,
For a silken string why should you fling, perchance, your life
away?"
I had it from my lady,' quoth Garci, 'long ago,
And never Moor that scarf, be sure, in proud Seville shall show.'
"But when the Moslems saw him, they stood in firm array:
He rode among their armed throng, he rode right furiously.
'Stand, stand, ye thieves and robbers, lay down my lady's pledge,'
He cried, and ever as he cried, they felt his faulchion's edge.
"That day when the lord of Vargas came to the camp alone,
The scarf, his lady's largess, around his breast was thrown:
Bare was his head, his sword was red, and from his pommel strung
Seven turbans green, sore hack'd I ween, before Garci Perez
hung."
It casts a redeeming trait on this butchering
sort or bravery to find that when the hero returned
to the camp he steadily refused to reveal the name
of the person who had so cravenly deserted him.
But the favours which ladies presented to a knight
were various; consisting of " jewels, ensigns of
noblesse, scarfs, hoods, sleeves, mantles, bracelets,
knots of ribbon; in a word, some detached part of
their dress." These he always placed conspicuously
on his person, and defended, as he would have done
his life. Sometimes a lock of his fair one's hair in-
spired the hero :
"Than did he her heere unfolde,
And on his helme it set on hye,
With rede thredes of ryche golde,
Whiche he had of his lady.
Full richely his shelde was wrought,
With asure stones and beten golde,
But on his lady was his thought,
The yelowe heere what he dyd beholde." *
* The Fair Lady of Faguell.
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
143
But
It is recorded in "Perceforest," that at the end
of one tournament "the ladies were so stripped of
their head attire, that the greatest part of them
were quite barcheaded, and appeared with their
hair spread over their shoulders yellower than the
finest gold; their robes also were without sleeves;
for all had been given to adorn the knights; hoods,
cloaks, kerchiefs, stomachers, and mantuas.
when they beheld themselves in this woful plight,
they were greatly abashed, till, perceiving every one
was in the same condition, they joined in laughing
at this adventure, and that they should have en-
gaged with such vehemence in stripping themselves
of their clothes from off their backs, as never to
have perceived the loss of them."
A sleeve (more easily detached than we should
fancy those of the present day) was a very usual
token.
Elayne, the faire mayden of Astolat gave Syr
Launcelot " a reed sleeve of scarlet wel embroudred
with grete perlys," which he wore for a token on
his helmet; and in real life it is recorded that in a
serious, but not desperate battle, at the court of
Burgundy, in 1445, one of the knights received
from his lady a sleeve of delicate dove colour, ele-
gantly embroidered; and he fastened this favour on
his left arm.
Chevalier Bayard being declared victor at the
tournament of Carignan, in Piedmont, he refused,
from extreme delicacy, to receive the reward assigned
him, saying, "The honour he had gained was solely
owing to the sleeve, which a lady had given him,
adorned with a ruby worth a hundred ducats." The
144
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
sleeve was brought back to the lady in the presence
of her husband; who knowing the admirable cha-
racter of the chevalier, conceived no jealousy on the
occasion: "The ruby," said the lady, "shall be
given to the knight who was the next in feats of
arms to the chevalier; but since he does me so
much honour as to ascribe his victory to my sleeve,
for the love of him I will keep it all my life."
Another important adjunct to the equipment of a
knight was the pennon; an ensign or streamer
formed of silk, linen, or stuff, and fixed to the top
of the lance. If the expedition of the soldier had
for its object the Holy Land, the sacred emblem of
the cross was embroidered on the pennon, otherwise
it usually bore the owner's crest, or, like the sur
coat, an emblematic allusion to some circumstance
in the owner's life. Thus, Chaucer, in the "Knighte's
Tale," describes that of Duke Theseus:
"And by his banner borne is his penon
Of gold ful riche, in which ther was ybete
The Minotaure which that he slew in Crete."
* The account of the taking of Hotspur's pennon,
and his attempt at its recapture, is abridged by
Mr. Mills* from Froissart. It is interesting, as dis-
playing the temper of the times about these compa-
ratively trifling matters, and being the record of
history, may tend to justify our quotations of a
similar nature from romance.
"In the reign of Richard the Second, the Scots
commanded by James, Earl of Douglas, taking ad-
vantage of the troubles between the King and his
* Hist. Chivalry.
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
145
Parliament, poured upon the south. When they
were sated with plunder and destruction they rested
at Newcastle, near the English force which the
Earl of Northumberland and other border chieftains
had hastily levied.
The Earl's two sons were young and lusty knights,
and ever foremost at the barriers to skirmish. Many
proper feats of arms were done and achieved. The
fighting was hand to hand. The noblest encounter
was that which occurred between the Earl Douglas
and Sir Henry Percy, surnamed Hotspur. The
Scot won the pennon of his foeman; and in the
triumph of his victory he proclaimed that he would
carry it to Scotland, and set it on high on his castle
of Dalkeith, that it might be seen afar off.
Percy indignantly replied, that Douglas should
not pass the border without being met in a manner
which would give him no cause for boasting.
66
With equal spirit the Earl Douglas invited him
that night to his lodging to seek for his pennon.
"The Scots then retired and kept careful watch,
lest the taunts of their leader should urge the
Englishmen to make an attack. Percy's spirit
burnt to efface his reproach, but he was counselled
into calmness,
"The Scots then dislodged, seemingly resolved
to return with all haste to their own country. But
Otterbourn arrested their steps. The castle resisted
the assault; and the capture of it would have been
of such little value to them that most of the Scotch
knights wished that the enterprise should be
abandoned.
"Douglas commanded, however, that the assault
H
146
NEEDLEWORK OF THE TIMES OF
CC
If
should be persevered in, and he was entirely influ-
enced by his chivalric feelings. He contended that
the very difficulty of the enterprise was the reason
of undertaking it; and he wished not to be too far
from Sir Henry Percy, lest that gallant knight
should not be able to do his devoir in redeeming
his pledge of winning the pennon of his arms again.
Hotspur longed to follow Douglas and redeem
his badge of honour; but the sage knights of the
country, and such as were well expert in arms,
spoke against his opinion, and said to him, Sir,
there fortuneth in war oftentimes many losses.
the Earl Douglas has won your pennon, he bought
it dear, for he came to the gate to seek it, and was
well beaten another day you shall win as much of
him and more. Sir, we say this because we know
well that all the power of Scotland is abroad in the
fields; and if we issue forth and are not strong
enough to fight with them (and perchance they have
made this skirmish with us to draw us out of the
town), they may soon enclose us, and do with us
what they will. It is better to loose a pennon than
two or three hundred knights and squires, and put
all the country to adventure.'
By such words as these, Hotspur and his brother
were refrained, but the coveted moment came.
“The hostile banners waved in the night breeze,
and the bright moon, which had been more wont to
look upon the loves than the wars of chivalry,
lighted up the Scottish camp. A battle ensued of
as valiant a character as any recorded in the pages
of history; for there was neither knight nor squire
but what did his devoir and fought hand to hand."
ROMANCE AND CHIVALRY.
147
The Scots remained masters of the field: but the
Douglas was slain, and this loss could not be re-
compensed even by the capture of the Percy.
Little did the “ gentle Kate" anticipate this
catastrophe when her fairy fingers with proud and
loving alacrity embroidered on the flowing pennon
the inspiring watchword of her chivalric husband
and his noble family-ESPERANCE.
H 2
148
CHAPTER XI.
TAPESTRY.
THE term tapestry or tapistry (from tapisser, to
line, from the Latin word tapes, a cover of a wall or
bed), is now appropriated solely to woven hangings
of wool and silk; but it has been applied to all sorts
of hangings, whether wrought entirely with the
needle (as originally indeed all were) or in the loom,
whether composed of canvass and wool, or of painted
cloth, leather, or even paper. This wide application
of the term seems to be justified by the derivation
quoted above, but its present use is much more
limited.
In the thirteenth century the decorative arts had
attained a high perfection in England. The palace
of Westminster received, under the fostering patron-
age of Henry III., a series of decorations, the re-
mains of which, though long hidden, have recently
excited the wonder and admiration of the curious.*
“Near this monastery (says an ancient Itinerary)
stands the most famous royal palace of England; in
which is that celebrated chamber, on whose walls all
the warlike histories of the whole Bible are painted
with inexpressible skill, and explained by a regular
and complete series of texts, beautifully written in
* See Smith's History of the Ancient Palace of Westminster.
TAPESTRY.
149
French over each battle, to the no small admiration
of the beholder, and the increase of royal magnifi-
cence."
Round the walls of St. Stephen's chapel effigies of
the Apostles were painted in oil; (which was thus
used with perfectness and skill two centuries before
its presumed discovery by John ab Eyck in 1410,)
on the western side was a grand composition of the
day of Judgment: St. Edward's or the " Painted
Chamber," derived the latter name from the quality
and profuseness of its embellishments, and the walls
of the whole palace were decorated with portraits or
ideal representations, and historical subjects. Nor was
this the earliest period in which connected passages
of history were painted on the wainscot of apart-
ments, for the following order, still extant, refers to
the renovation of what must previously-and at some
considerable interval of time probably, have been
done.
<<
Anno, 1233, 17 Hen. 3. Mandatum est Vice-
comiti South'ton quod Cameram regis lambruscatam
de castro Winton depingi faciat eisdem historiis
quibus fuerat pri'us depicta.
About 1312, Langton, Bishop of Litchfield, com-
manded the coronation, marriages, wars, and funeral
of his patron King Edward I., to be painted in the
great hall of his episcopal palace, which he had
newly built.
Chaucer frequently refers to this custom of paint-
ing the walls with historical or fanciful designs.
"And soth to faine my chambre was
Ful wel depainted-
And all the wals with colours fine
Were painted bothe texte and glose,
And all the Romaunt of the Rose."
150
TAPESTRY.
And again :-
"But when I woke all was ypast,
For ther nas lady ne creture,
Save on the wals old portraiture
Of horsemen, hawkis, and houndis,
And hurt dere all ful of woundis."
Often emblematical devices were painted, which
gave the artist opportunity to display his fancy and
exercise his wit. Dr. Cullum, in his History of
Hawsted, gives an account of an old mansion,
having a closet, the panels of which were painted with
various sentences, emblems, and mottos. One of
these, intended doubtless as a hint to female vanity,
is a painter, who having begun to sketch out a female
portrait, writes "Dic mihi qualis eris.”
But comfort, or at least a degree of comfort, had
progressed hand in hand with decoration. Tapestry,
that is to say needlework tapestry, which, like the
Bayeux tapestry of Matilda, had been used solely for
the decoration of altars, or the embellishment of other
parts of sacred edifices on occasions of festival, or the
performance of solemn rites, had been of much more
general application amongst the luxurious inhabitants
of the South, and was introduced into England as fur-
niture hanging by Eleanor of Castile. In Chaucer's
time it was common. Among his pilgrims to Can-
terbury is a tapestry worker who is mentioned in the
Prologue, in common with other "professors."
"An haberdasher and a carpenter,
A webbe, a dyer, and a tapiser."
And, again :
"I wol give him all that falles
To his chambre and to his halles,
I will do painte him with pure golde,
And tapite hem ful many a folde."
TAPESTRY.
151
These modes of decorating the walls and chambers
with paintings, and with tapestry, were indeed con-
temporaneous; though the greater difficulty of ob--
taining the latter-for as it was not made at Arras
until the fourteenth century, all that we here refer
to is the painful product of the needle alone-many
have made it less usual and common than the former.
Pithy sentences, and metrical stanzas were often
wrought in tapestry in Wresil Castle and other
mansions, some of the apartments were adorned in
the Oriental manner with metrical descriptions called
Proverbs. And Warton mentions an ancient suit of
tapestry, containing Ariosto's Orlando, and Angelica,
where, at every group, the story was all along illus-
trated with short lines in Provençal or old French.
It could only be from its superior comfort that an
article so tedious in manufacture as needlework
tapestry could be preferred to the more quickly-pro-
duced decorations of the pencil; it was also rude in
design; and the following description of some tapestry
in an old Manor House in King John's time, though
taken from a work of fiction, probably presents a
correct picture of the style of most of the pieces ex-
hibited in the mansions of the middle ranks at that
period.
"In a corner of the apartment stood a bed, the
tapestry of which was enwrought with gaudy colours
representing Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.
Adam was presenting our first mother with a large
yellow apple, gathered from a tree that scarcely
reached his knee. Beneath the tree was an angel
milking, and although the winged milkman sat on a
stool, yet his head overtopped both cow and tree,
152
TAPESTRY.
and nearly covered a horse, which seemed standing
on the highest branches. To the left of Eve ap-
peared a church; and a dark robed gentleman
holding something in his hand which looked like a
pincushion, but doubtless was intended for a book:
he seemed pointing to the holy edifice, as if remind-
ing them that they were not yet married. On the
ground lay the rib, out of which Eve (who stood the
head higher than Adam) had been formed; both
of them were very respectably clothed in the ancient
Saxon costume; even the angel wore breeches, which,
being blue, contrasted well with his flaming red
wings.'
No one who has read the real blunders of artists
and existing anachronisms in pictures detailed in
Percy Anecdotes," will think the above sketch at
all too highly coloured; though doubtless the
tapestry hangings introduced by Queen Eleanor
which would be imitated and caricatured in ten
thousand different forms, were in much superior style.
The Moors had attained to the highest perfection in
the decorative arts, and from them did the Spaniards
borrow this fashion of hangings,* and "the coldness
of our climate (says her accomplished biographer,
Miss Agnes Strickland, speaking of Eleanor,) must
have made it indispensable to the fair daughter of
the South, chilled with the damp stone walls of Eng-
lish Gothic halls and chambers." Of the chillness
* But not from them would be derived the art of painting with
the needle the representation of the human figure. Hence, perhaps,
the awkward and ungainly aspect of these, in comparison with the
arabesque patterns. From a fear of its exciting a tendency to idolatry
Mohammed prohibited his followers from delineating the form of men
or animals in their pictorial embellishments of whatever sort.
TAPESTRY.
153
of these walls we may form some idea, from a feeling
description of a residence which was thought suffi-
cient for a queen some centuries later. In the year
1586, Mary, the unhappy Queen of Scots, writes
thus:-
CC
In regard to my lodging, my residence is a place
inclosed with walls, situated on an eminence, and
consequently exposed to all the winds and storms of
heaven. Within this inclosure there is, like as at Vin-
cennes, a very old hunting seat, built of wood and
plaister, with chinks on all sides, with the uprights;
the intervals between which are not properly filled up,
and the plaister dilapidated in the various places.
The house is about six yards distant from the walls,
and so low that the terrace on the other side is as
high as the house itself, so that neither the sun nor
the fresh air can penetrate it at that side. The damp,
however, is so great there, that every article of furniture
is covered with mouldiness in the space of four days.--
In a word, the rooms for the most part are fit rather
for a dungeon for the lowest and most abject crimi-
nals, than for a residence of a person of my rank,
or even of a much inferior condition. I have for
my own accommodation only wretched little rooms,
and so cold, that were it not for the protection of the
curtains and tapestries which I have had put up, I
could not endure it by day, and still less by night."*
:
The tapestries, whether wrought or woven, did not
remain on the walls as do the hangings of modern
days it was the primitive office of the grooms of
the chamber to hang up the tapestry which in a royal
progress was sent forward with the purveyor and
* Von Raumer's Contributions, 297.
H 3
154
TAPESTRY.
grooms of the chamber. And if these functionaries
had not, to use a proverbial expression, "heads on
their shoulders," ridiculous or perplexing blunders
were not unlikely to arise. Of the latter we have
an instance recorded by the Duc de Sully.
"The King (Henry IV.) had not yet quitted
Monceaux, when the Cardinal of Florence, who had
so great a hand in the treaty of the Vervins, passed
through Paris, as he came back from Picardy, and to
return from thence to Rome, after he had taken
leave of his Majesty. The king sent me to Paris to
receive him, commanding me to pay him all ima-
ginable honours. He had need of a person near
the Pope, so powerful as this Cardinal, who after-
wards obtained the Pontificate himself: I therefore
omitted nothing that could answer His Majesty's
intentions; and the legate, having an inclination to
see St. Germain-en-Laye, I sent orders to Momier,
the keeper of the castle, to hang the halls and
chambers with the finest tapestry of the Crown.
Momier executed my orders with great punctuality,
but with so little judgment, that for the legate's
chamber he chose a suit of hangings made by the
Queen of Navarre; very rich, indeed, but which
represented nothing but emblems and mottos against
the Pope and the Roman Court, as satirical as they
were ingenious. The prelate endeavoured to pre-
vail upon me to accept a place in the coach that was
to carry him to St. Germain, which I refused, being
desirous of getting there before him, that I might
see whether everything was in order; with which
I was very well pleased. I saw the blunder of the
keeper, and reformed it immediately. The legate
TAPESTRY.
155
would not have failed to look upon such a mistake
as a formed design to insult him, and to have repre-
sented it as such to the Pope. Reflecting afterwards,
that no difference in religion could authorise such
sarcasms, I caused all those mottos to be effaced.'
In the sixteeenth century† a sort of hanging was
introduced, which, partaking of the nature both of
tapestry and painting on the walls, was a formidable
rival to the former. Shakspeare frequently alludes
to these "painted cloths." For instance, when Fal-
staff persuades Hostess Quickly, not only to with-
draw her arrest, but also to make him a further
loan: she says—
"By this heavenly ground I tread on, I must be
fain to pawn both my plate and the tapestry of my
dining chambers!"
Falstaff answers-
66
Glasses, glasses is the only drinking, and for
thy walls a pretty slight drollery, or the story of the
Prodigal, or a German Hunting in water-work, is
worth a thousand of these fly-bitten tapestries. Let
it be ten pounds if thou canst. If it were not for
thy humours, there is not a better wench in Eng-
land! Go wash thy face and draw thy action.”
In another passage of the play he says that his
troops are "as ragged as Lazarus in the painted
cloth."
There are now at Hampton Court eight large
pieces or hangings of this description; being "The
Triumphs of Julius Cæsar," in water-colours, on
* Sully's Memoirs. We have, in a subsequent chapter, a more full
account of this Tapestry.
+ Gent's Mag., 1830.
ww.
156
TAPESTRY.
cloth, and in good preservation. They are by
Andrea Mantegna, and were valued at 1000l. at the
time, when, by some strange circumstance, the Car-
toons of Raphael were estimated only at 3007.
Tapestry was common in the East at a very
remote era, when the most grotesque compositions
and fantastic combinations were usually displayed
on it. Some authors suppose that the Greeks took
their ideas of griffins, centaurs, &c., from these
Tapestries, which, together with the art of making
them, they derived from the East, and at first they
closely imitated both the beauties and deformities
of their patterns. At length their refined taste
improved upon these originals; and the old gro-
tesque combinations were confined to the borders of
the hanging, the centre of which displayed a more
regular and systematic representation.
It has been supposed by some writers that the in-
vention of Tapestry, passed from the East into
Europe; but Guicciardini ascribes it to the Nether-
landers; and assuredly the Bayeux Tapestry, the
work of the Conqueror's Queen, shows that this art
must have acquired much perfection in Europe be-
fore the time of the Crusades, which is the time
assigned by many for its introduction there. Pro-
bably Guicciardini refers to woven Tapestry, which
was not practised until the article itself had become,
from custom, a thing of necessity. Unintermitting
and arduous had been the stitchery practised in the
creation of these coveted luxuries long, very long
before the loom was taught to give relief to the busy
finger.
The first manufactories of Tapestry of any note
...
TAPESTRY.
157
were those of Flanders, established there long before
they were attempted in France or England. The
chief of these were at Brussels, Antwerp, Oudenarde,
Lisle, Tournay, Bruges, and Valenciennes. At
Brussels and Antwerp they succeeded well both in
the design and the execution of human figures and
animals, and also in landscapes. At Oudenarde the
landscape was more imitated, and they did not suc-
ceed so well in the figure. The other manufactories,
always excepting those of Arras, were inferior to these.
The grand era of general manufactories in France
must be fixed in the reign of Henry the IV. Amongst
others he especially devoted his attention to the
manufacture of Tapestry, and that of the Gobelins,
since so celebrated, was begun, though futilely, in
his reign. His celebrated minister, Sully, was en-
tangled in these matters somewhat more than he him-
self approved.
1605. "I laid, by his order, the foundations of the
new edifices for his Tapestry weavers, in the horse-
market. His Majesty sent for Comans and La
Planche, from other countries, and gave them the
care and superintendence of these manufactures :
the new directors were not long before they made
complaints, and disliked their situation, either be-
cause they did not find profits equal to their hopes
and expectations, or, that having advanced con-
siderable sums themselves, they saw no great pro-
bability of getting them in again. The king got rid
of their importunity by referring them to me.”*
1607. "It was a difficult matter to agree upon a price
with these celebrated Flemish tapestry workers, which
* Sully's Memoirs, vol. ii.
158
TAPESTRY.
we had brought into France at so great an expense.
At length it was resolved in the presence of Sillery
and me, that a 100,0007. should be given them for
their establishment. Henry was very solicitous
about the payment of this sum; 'Having,' said he,
' a great desire to keep them, and not to lose the ad-
vances we have made.' He would have been better
pleased if these people could have been paid out of
some other funds than those which he had reserved
for himself: however, there was a necessity for satisfy-
ing them at any price whatever. His Majesty made
use of his authority to oblige De Vienne to sign an
acquittal to the undertakers for linen cloth in imita-
tion of Dutch Holland. This prince ordered a com-
plete set of furniture to be made for him, which he
sent for me to examine separately, to know if they
had not imposed upon him. These things were not
at all in my taste, and I was but a very indifferent
judge of them: the price seemed to me to be ex-
cessive, as well as the quantity. Henry was of
another opinion: after examining the work, and
reading my paper, he wrote to me that there was
not too much, and that they had not exceeded his
orders; and that he had never seen so beautiful a
piece of work before, and that the workman must
be paid his demands immediately." *
The manufactory languished however, even if it
did not become entirely extinct. But it was revived
in the reign of Louis XIV., and has since dispersed
productions of unequalled delicacy over the civilised
world.
*Sully's Memoirs, vol. iii.
TAPESTRY.
159
Ĉ
It was called "Gobelins," because the house in
the suburbs of Paris, where the manufacture is car-
ried on, was built by brothers whose names were
Giles and John Gobelins, both excellent dyers, and
who brought to Paris in the reign of Francis I. the
secret of dying a beautiful scarlet colour, still known
by their name.
In the year 1667 this place, till then called "Go-
belines' Folly," changed its name into that of "Ho-
tel Royal des Gobelins," in consequence of an edict
of Louis XIV. M. Colbert having re-established,
and with new magnificence enriched and completed
the king's palaces, particularly the Louvre and the
Tuilleries, began to think of making furniture suit-
able to the grandeur of those buildings; with this
view he called together all the ablest workmen in
the divers arts and manufactures throughout the
kingdom; particularly painters, tapestry makers
from Flanders, sculptors, goldsmiths, ebonists, &c.,
and by liberal encouragement and splendid pensions
called others from foreign nations.
The king purchased the Gobelins for them to work
in, and laws and articles were drawn up, amongst
which is one that no other tapestry work shall be
imported from any other country.
Nor did there need; for the Gobelins has ever
since remained the first manufactory of this kind in
the world. The quantity of the finest and noblest
works that have been produced by it, and the num-
ber of the best workmen bred up therein are incre-
dible; and the present flourishing condition of the
arts and manufactures of France is, in great measure,
owing thereto.
160
TAPESTRY.
Tapestry work in particular is their glory. During
the superintendence of M. Colbert, and his successor
M. de Louvois, the making of tapestry is said to
have been practised to the highest degree of per-
fection.
The celebrated painter, Le Brun, was appointed
chief director, and from his designs were woven
magnificent hangings of Alexander's Battles-The
Four Seasons-the Four Elements-and a series of
the principal actions of the life of Louis XIV. M. de
Louvois, during his administration, caused tapestries
to be made after the most beautiful originals in the
king's cabinet, after Raphael and Julio Romano, and
other celebrated Italian painters. Not the least in-
teresting part of the process was that performed by
the rentrayeurs, or fine-drawers, who so unite the
breadths of the tapestry into one picture that no
seam is discernible, but the whole appears like one
design. The French have had other considerable
manufactories at Auvergne, Felletin and Beauvais,
but all sank beneath the superiority of the Gobelins,
which indeed at one time outvied the renown of that
far-famed town, whose productions gave a title to
the whole species, viz., that of Arras.
Walpole gives an intimation of the introduction
of tapestry weaving into England, so early as the
reign of Edward III., "De inquirendo de mysterâ
Tapiciorum, London; " but usually William Shel-
don, Esq., is considered the introducer of it, and he
allowed an artist, named Robert Hicks, the use of
his manor-house at Burcheston, in Warwickshire;
and in his will, dated 1570, he calls Hicks "the only
auter and beginner of tapistry and arras within
TAPESTRY.
161
this realm." At his house were four maps of Ox-
ford, Worcester, Warwick, and Gloucestershires,
executed in tapestry on a large scale, fragments of
which are or were among the curiosities of Straw-
berry-hill. We meet with little further notice of
this establishment.
This beautiful art was, however, revived in the
reign of James I., and carried to great perfection
under the patronage of himself and his martyr son.
It received its death blow in common with other
equally beautiful and more important pursuits during
the triumph of the Commonwealth. James gave
£2000 to assist Sir Francis Crane in the establish-
ment of the manufactory at Mortlake, in Surry,
which was commenced in the year 1619. Towards
the end of this reign, Francis Cleyn, or Klein, a
native of Rostock, in the duchy of Mecklenburg,
was employed in forming designs for this institu-
tion, which had already attained great perfection.
Charles allowed him £100 a year, as appears from
Rymer's Fœdera: "Know ye that we do give and
grant unto Francis Cleyne a certain annuitie of one
hundred pounds, by the year, during his natural
life." He enjoyed this salary till the civil war, and
was in such favour with the king, and in such repu-
tation, that on a small painting of him he is described
as “Il famosissimo pittore Francesco Cleyn, mira-
colo del secolo, e molto stimato del re Carlo della
gran Britania, 1646."
The Tapestry Manufacture at Mortlake was indeed
a hobby, both of King James and Prince Charles,
and of consequence was patronised by the Court.
During Charles the First's romantic expedition to
162
TAPESTRY.
Spain, when Prince of Wales, with the Duke of
Buckingham, James writes-"I have settled with
Sir Francis Crane for my Steenie's business, and I
am this day to speak with Fotherby, and by my
next, Steenie shall have an account both of his busi-
ness, and of Kit's preferment and supply in means;
but Sir Francis Crane desires to know if my Baby
will have him to hasten the making of that suit of
Tapestry that he commanded him.” *
The most superb hangings were wrought here after
the designs of distinguished painters; and Windsor
Castle, Hampton Court, Whitehall, St. James's, Non-
such, Greenwich, and other royal seats, and many
noble mansions were enriched and adorned by its pro-
ductions. In the first year of his reign, Charles was
indebted £6000 to the establishment for three suits
of gold tapestry; Five of the Cartoons were wrought
here, and sent to Hampton Court, where they still
remain. A suit of hangings, representing the Five
Senses, executed here, was in the palace at Oatlands,
and was sold in 1649 for £270. Rubens sketched
eight pieces in Charles the First's reign for tapes-
try, to be woven here, of the history of Achilles, in-
tended for one of the royal palaces. At Lord Il-
chester's, at Redlinch, in Somersetshire, was a suit
of hangings representing the twelve months in com-
partments; and there are several other sets of the
same design. Williams, Archbishop of York, and
Lord Keeper, paid Sir Francis Crane £2500 for the
Four Seasons. At Knowl, in Kent, was a piece of the
same tapestry wrought in silk, containing the por-
traits of Vandyck, and St. Francis himself. At
* Miscellaneous State Papers, vol. i. No. 26.
TAPESTRY.
163
Lord Shrewsbury's (Heythorp, Oxfordshire) are,
or were, four pieces of tapestry from designs by
Vanderborght, representing the four quarters of the
world, expressed by assemblages of the nations in
various habits and employments, excepting Europe,
which is in masquerade, wrought in chiaroscuro.
And at Houghton (Lord Oxford's seat) were beau-
tiful hangings containing whole lengths of King
James, King Charles, their Queens, and the King of
Denmark, with heads of the Royal Children in the
borders. These are all mentioned incidentally as
the production of the Mortlake establishment.
After the death of Sir Francis Crane, his brother
Sir Richard sold the premises to Charles I. During
the civil wars, this work was seized as the property
of the Crown; and though, after the Restoration,
Charles II. endeavoured to revive the manufacture,
and sent Verrio to sketch the designs, his intention
was not carried into effect. The work, though lan-
guishing, was not altogether extinct; for in Mr. Eve-
lyn's very scarce tract intituled " Mundus Muliebris,”
printed in 1690, some of this manufacture is amongst
the articles to be furnished by a gallant to his mis-
tress.
One of the first acts of the Protectorate after the
death of the king, was to dispose of the pictures,
statues, tapestry hangings, and other splendid orna-
ments of the royal palaces. Cardinal Mazarine en-
riched himself with much of this royal plunder; and
some of the splendid tapestry was purchased by the
Archduke Leopold. This however found its way
again to England, being re-purchased at Brussels for
164
TAPESTRY.
£3000 by Frederick, Prince of Wales, father of
George III.
In 1663 "two well-intended statutes " were made :
one for the encouragement of the linen and tapestry
manufactures of England, and discouragement of
the importation of foreign tapestry:—and the other
-start not, fair reader-the other "for regulating
the packing of herrings." *
"The rich tapestry and arras hangings which belonged to St.
James's Palace, Hampton Court, Whitehall, and other Royal Seats,
were purchased for Cromwell: these were inventoried at a sum not
exceeding £30,000. One piece of eight parts at Hampton Court was
appraised at £8,260 : this related to the History of Abraham. Another
of ten parts, representing the History of Julius Cæsar, was appraised
at £5019."
165
CHAPTER XII
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
"And storied loves of knights and courtly dames,
Pageants and triumphs, tournaments and games."
ROSE'S PARTENOPEX,
It has been a favourite practice of all antiquity to
work with the needle representations of those sub-
jects in which the imagination and the feelings were
most interested. The labours of Penelope, of Helen,
and Andromache, are proverbial, and this mode of
giving permanency to the actions of illustrious indivi-
duals was not confined to the classical nations. The
ancient islanders used to work-until the progress of
art enabled them to weave the histories of their giants
and champions in Tapestry; and the same thing is
recorded of the old Persians; and this furniture is
still in high request among many Oriental nations,
especially in Japan and China. The royal palace of
Jeddo has profusion of the finest Tapestry; this in-
deed is gorgeous, being wrought with silk, and
adorned with pearls, gold, and silver.
It was considered a right regal offering from one
prince to another. Henry III., King of Castile, sent
a present to Timour at Samarcand, of Tapestry
166
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
which was considered to surpass even the works of
Asiatic artists in beauty: and when the religious and
military orders of some of the princes of France and
Burgundy had plunged them into a kind of crusade
against the Turkish Sultan Bajazet, and they became
his prisoners in the battle of Nicopolis, the King of
France sent presents to the Sultan, to induce him to
ransom them; amongst which Tapestry represent-
ing the battles of Alexander the Great was the most
conspicuous.
Tapestry was not used in the halls of princes alone,
but cut a very conspicuous figure on all occasions of
festivity and rejoicing. It was customary at these
times to hang ornamental needlework of all sorts from
the windows or balconies of the houses of those streets
through which a pageant or festal procession was to
pass; and as the houses were then built with the
upper stories far overhanging the lower ones, these
draperies frequently hung in rich folds to the ground,
and must have had, when a street was thus in its
whole length appareled and partly roofed by the
floating streamers and banners above-somewhat the
appearance of a suite of magnificent saloons.
"Then the high street gay signs of triumph wore,
Covered with shewy cloths of different dye,
Which deck the walls, while Sylvan leaves in store,
And scented herbs upon the pavement lie.
Adorned in every window, every door,
With carpeting and finest drapery;
But more with ladies fair, and richly drest
In costly jewels and in gorgeous vest."
When the Black Prince entered London with King
John of France, as his prisoner, the outsides of the
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
167
houses were covered with hangings, consisting of
battles in tapestry-work.
And in tournaments the lists were always deco-
rated" with the splendid richness of feudal power.
Besides the gorgeous array of heraldic insignia near
the Champions' tents, the galleries, which were made
to contain the proud and joyous spectators, were
covered with tapestry, representing chivalry both in
its warlike and its amorous guise: on one side the
knight with his bright faulchion smiting away hosts
of foes, and on the other side kneeling at the feet of
beauty."
But the subjects of the tapestry in which our ances-
tors so much delighted were not confined to bona fide
battles, and the matter-of-fact occurrences of every-
day life. Oh no! The Lives of the Saints were fre-
quently pourtrayed with all the legendary accom-
paniments which credulity and blind faith could in-
vest them with. The "holy and solitary" St. Cuth-
bert would be seen taming the sea-inonsters by his
word of power: St. Dunstan would be in the very act
of seizing the "handle" of his Infernal Majesty's
face with the red-hot pincers; and St. Anthony in
the "howling wilderness," would be reigning omni-
potent over a whole legion of sprites. Here was food
for the imagination and taste of our notable great-
grandmother! Yet let us do them justice. If some
of their religious pieces were imbued even to a ridi-
culous result, with the superstitions of the time, there
were others, numberless others, scripture pieces, as
chaste and beautiful in design, as elaborate in exe-
cution. The loom and needle united indeed brought
these pieces to the highest perfection, but many a
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meek and saintly Madonna, many a lofty and ener-
getic St. Paul, many a subdued and touching Mag-
dalene were produced by the unaided industry of the
pious needlewoman. Nay, the whole Bible was
copied in needlework; and in a poem of the fifteenth
century, by Henry Bradshaw, containing the Life of
St. Werburgh, a daughter of the King of the Mer-
cians, there is an account rather historical than le-
gendary,"* of many circumstances of the domestic
life of the time. Amongst other descriptions is that
of the tapestry displayed in the Abbey of Ely, on the
occasion of St. Werburgh taking the veil there. This
Tapestry belonged to king Wulfer, and was brought
to Ely Monastery for the occasion. We subjoin
some of the stanzas:
"It were full tedyous, to make descrypcyon
Of the great tryumphes, and solempne royalte,
Belongynge to the feest, the honour and provysyon,
By playne declaracyon, upon every partye;
But the sothe to say, withouten ambyguyte,
All herbes and flowres, fragraunt, fayre, and swete,
Were strawed in halles, and layd under theyr fete.
"Clothes of golde and arras † were hanged in the hall
Depaynted with pyctures, and hystoryes manyfolde,
Well wroughte and craftely, with precious stones all
Glysteryng as Phebus, and the beten golde,
Lyke an erthly paradyse, pleasaunt to beholde:
As for the said moynes,‡ was not them amonge,
But prayenge in her cell, as done all novice yonge.
* Warton.
† Arras, a very common anachronism. After the production of
the arras tapestries, arras became the common name for all tapes-
tries: even for those which were wrought before the looms of Arras
were in existence.
‡ Moynes-nun. Lady Werburg
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY. 169
"The story of Adam, there was goodly wrought,
And of his wyfe Eve, bytwene them the serpent,
How they were deceyved, and to theyr peynes brought;
There was Cayn and Abell, offerynge theyr present,
The sacryfyce of Abell, accepte full evydent:
Tuball and Tubalcain were purtrayed in that place,
The inventours of musyke and crafte by great grace.
"Noe and his shyppe was made there curyously
Sendynge forthe a raven, whiche never came again;
And how the dove returned, with a braunche hastely,
A token of comforte and peace, to man certayne:
Abraham there was, standing upon the mount playne
To offer in sacrifice Isaac his dere sone,
And how the shepe for hym was offered in oblacyon.
"The twelve sones of Jacob there were in purtrayture,
And how into Egypt yonge Josephe was solde,
There was imprisoned, by a false conjectour,
After in all Egypte, was ruler (as is tolde).
There was in pycture Moyses wyse and bolde,
Our Lorde apperynge in bushe flammynge as fyre,
And nothing thereof brent, lefe, tree, nor spyre.*
"The ten plages of Egypt were well embost,
The chyldren of Israel passyng the reed see,
Kynge Pharoo drowned, with all his proude hoost,
And how the two table, at the Mounte Synaye
Were gyven to Moyses, and how soon to idolatry
The people were prone, and punysshed were therefore,
How Datan and Abyron, for pryde were full youre."+
Then Duke Joshua leading the Israelites: the
division of the promised land; Kyng Saull and David,
and "prudent Solomon;" Roboas succeeding;
"The good Kynge Esechyas and his generacyon,
And so to the Machabus, and dyvers other nacyon."
Spyre-twig, branch.
+ Youre burnt.
1
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ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
All these
"Theyr noble actes, and tryumphes marcyall,
Freshly were browdred in these clothes royall."
"But over the hye desse, in the pryncypall place,
Where the sayd thre kynges sate crowned all,
The best hallynge * hanged, as reason was,
Whereon were wrought the nine orders angelicall
Dyvyded in thre ierarchyses, not cessynge to call
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, blessed be the Trynite,
Dominius Deus Sabaoth, three persons in one deyte,"
Then followed in order our Blessed Lady, the
twelve Apostles, "eche one in his figure," the four
Evangelists "wrought most curyously," all the dis-
ciples
46
Prechynge and techynge, unto every nacyon,
The faythtes + of holy chyrche, for their salvacyon.”
Martyrs then followed, right manifolde;" Con-
fessors "fressely embrodred in ryche tyshewe and
fyne." Saintly virgins "were brothered the clothes
of gold within," and the long array was closed on the
other side of the hall by
"Noble auncyent storyes, and how the stronge Sampson
Subdued his enemyes by his myghty power;
Of Hector of Troye, slayne by fals treason;
Of noble Arthur, kynge of this regyon;
With many other mo, which it is to longe
Playnly to expresse this tyme you amonge."
But the powers of the chief proportion of needle-
women, and of many of the subsequent tapestry looms
were devoted to giving permanence to those fables
* Hallynge-Tapestry.
+ Faythtes-feats, facts.
‡ Brothered-embroidered.
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
171
which, as exhibited in the Romances of Chivalry,
formed the very life and delight of our ancestors in
66
that happy season
Ere bright Fancy bent to reason ;
When the spirit of our stories,
Filled the mind with unseen glories;
Told of creatures of the air,
Spirits, fairies, goblins rare,
Guarding man with tenderest care."
These fables, says Warton, were not only perpe-
tually repeated at the festivals of our ancestors, but
were the constant objects of their eyes. The very
walls of their apartments were clothed with romantic.
history.
We have mentioned the history of Alexander in
Tapestry as forming an important part of the peace
offering of the king of France to Bajazet, and pro-
bably there were few princes who did not possess a
suit of tapestry on this subject; a most important
one in romance, and consequently a desired one for
the loom.
There seems an innate propensity in the writers of
the Romance of Chivalry to exaggerate, almost to
distortion, the achievements of those whose heroic
bearing needed no pomp of diction, or wild flow of
imagination to illustrate it. Thus Charlemagne, one
of the best and greatest of men, appears in romance
like one whose thirst for slaughter it requires my-
riads of Paynims" to quench.
"
Arthur, on the contrary, a very (if history tell
truth) a very "so-so" sort of a man, having not one
tithe of the intellect or the magnanimity of him to
whom we have just referred-Arthur is invested in
I 2
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ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
romance with a halo of interest and of beauty which
is perfectly fascinating; and it seems almost impos-
sible to divest oneself of these impressions and to
look upon him only in the unattractive light in which
history represents him.
A person not initiated in romance would suppose
that the real actions of Alexander-the subjugator of
Greece, the conqueror of Persia, the captor of the
great Darius, but the generous protector of his
family-might sufficiently immortalize him. By no
ineans. He cuts a considerable figure in many
romances; but in one, appropriated more exclusively
to his exploits, he "surpasses himself." The world
was conquered:-from north to south, and from east
to west his sovereignty was acknowledged; so he
forthwith flew up into the air to bring the aerial po-
tentates to his feet. But this experiment not an-
swering, he descended to the depths of the waters
with much better success; for immediately all their
inhabitants, from the whale to the herring, the canni-
bal shark, the voracious pike, the majestic sturgeon,
the lordly salmon, the rich turbot, and the delicate
trout, with all their kith, kin, relations, and allies,
the lobster, the crab, and the muscle,
"The sounds and seas with all their finny drove "
crowd round him to do him homage: the oyster lays
her pearl at his feet, and the coral boughs meekly
wave in token of subjection. Doubtless in addition
to the legitimate "battles" these exploits, if not
fully displayed, were intimated by symbols in the
Tapestry.
The Tale of Troy was a very favourite subject for
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
173
Tapestry, and was found in many noble mansions,
especially in France. It has indeed been conjectured,
and on sufficient grounds, that the whole Iliad had
been wrought in a consecutive series of hangings.
Though during the early part of the middle ages
Homer himself was lost, still the "Tale of Troy
divine" was kept alive in two Latin works, which in
1260 formed the basis of a prose romance by a
Sicilian.
66
The great original himself however, had become
the companion not only of the studious and learned,
but also of the fair and fashionable, while yet the
Flemish looms were in the zenith of their popularity.
This subject formed part of the decoration of Holy-
rood House, on the occasion of the marriage of Henry
the Seventh's daughter to James, King of Scotland
in 1503. We are told in an ancient record, that the
hanginge of the queene's gret chammer represented
the ystory of Troye toune, that the king's grett
chammer had one table, wer was satt, hys chamer-
layne, the grett sqyer, and many others, well served;
the which chammer was haunged about with the
story of Hercules, together with other ystorys."
And at the same solemnity," in the hall wher the
qwene's company wer satt in lyke as in the other,
an wich was haunged of the history of Hercules."
The tragic and fearful story of Coucy's heart
gave rise to an old metrical English Romance, called
the Knight of Courtesy and the Lady of Faguel.'
It was entirely represented in tapestry. The inci-
dent, a true one, on which it was founded, occurred
about 1180; and was thus:—
"Some hundred and odd years since, there was
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ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
in France one Captain Coucy, a gallant gentleman
of an ancient extraction, and keeper of Coucy Castle,
which is yet standing, and in good repair. He fell
in love with a young gentlewoman, and courted her
for his wife. There was a reciprocal love between
them; but her parents understanding of it, by way
of prevention, they shuffled up a forced match 'twixt
her and one Monsieur Faiell who was a great heir :
Captain Coucy hereupon quitted France in discon-
tent, and went to the wars in Hungary against the
Turk; where he received a mortal wound, not far
from Bada. Being carried to his lodging, he lan-
guished for some days; but a little before his death
he spoke to an ancient servant of his, that he had
many proofs of his fidelity and truth; but now he
had a great business to intrust him with, which he
conjured him by all means to do, which was, That
after his death, he should get his body to be opened
and then to take his heart out of his breast, and put
in an earthen pot, to be baked to powder; and then
to put the powder in. a handsome box, with that
bracelet of hair he had worn long about on his left
wrist, which was a lock of Mademoiselle Faiell's
hair, and put it among the powder, together with a
little note he had written with his own blood to her;
and after he had given him the rites of burial, to
make all the speed he could to France, and deliver
the box to Mademoiselle Faiell. The old servant
did as his master had commanded him, and so went
to France; and coming one day to Monsieur Faiell's
house, he suddenly met with him, who examined
him because he knew he was Captain Coucy's ser-
vant, and finding him timorous and faltering in his
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
175
speech, he searched him, and found the said box in
his pocket with the note, which expressed what was
therein. He dismissed the bearer with menaces,
that he should come no more near his house: Mon-
sieur Faiell going in, sent for his cook, and delivered
him the powder, charging him to make a little well-
relished dish of it, without losing a jot of it, for it
was a very costly thing; and commanded him to
bring it in himself, after the last course at supper.
The cook bringing in the dish accordingly, Mon-
sieur Faiell commanded all to void the room, and
began a serious discourse with his wife: However
since he had married her, he observed she was
always melancholy, and he feared she was inclining
to a consumption; therefore he had provided for
her a very precious cordial, which he was well as-
sured would cure her. Thereupon he made her eat
up the whole dish; and afterwards much importun-
ing him to know what it was, he told her at last, she
had eaten Coucy's heart, and so drew the box out
of his pocket, and showed her the note and brace-
let. In a sudden exultation of joy, she with a far-
fetched sigh said,This is precious indeed,' and so
licked the dish, saying, It is so precious, that 'tis
pity to put ever any meat upon't.' So she went to
to bed, and in the morning she was found stone
dead."
But a more national, a more inspiriting, and a
more agreeable theme for the alert finger or the
busy loom is found in the life and adventures of
that prince of combatants, that hero of all heroes,
Guy Earl of Warwick. Help me, shades of renowed
* Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ.
2
176
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
slaughterers, whilst I record his achievements! Bear
witness to his deed, ye grisly phantoms, ye bloody
ghosts of infidel Paynims, whom his Christian
sword mowed down, even as corn falls beneath the
the reaper's sickle, till the redoubtable champion
strode breast deep in bodies over fifteen acres co-
vered with slaughtered foes! * And all this from
Christian zeal!
"In faith of Christ a Christian true
The wicked laws of infidels,
He sought by power to subdue.
"So passed he the seas of Greece,
To help the Emperour to his right,
Against the mighty Soldan's host
Of puissant Persians for to fight:
Where he did slay of Sarazens
And heathen Pagans many a man,
And slew the Soldan's cousin dear,
Who had to name, Doughty Colbron,
"Ezkeldered that famous knight,
To death likewise he did pursue,
And Almain, king of Tyre also,
Most terrible too in fight to view:
He went into the Soldan's host,
Being thither on ambassage sent,
And brought away his head with him,
He having slain him in his tent."
Or passing by his
"Feats of arms
In strange and sundry heathen lands,"
note his beneficent progress at home—
* "Fifteen acres were covered with the bodies of slaughtered
Saracens ; and so furious were the strokes of Sir Guy, that the pile
of dead men, wherever his sword had reached, rose as high as his
breast."-Ellis, vol. ii,
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
177
"In Windsor forest he did slay
A boar of passing might and strength;
The like in England never was,
For hugeness both in breadth and length.
Some of his bones in Warwick yet,
Within the castle there do lye;
One of his shield bones to this day
Hangs in the city of Coventry.
"On Dunsmore heath he also slew
A monstrous wild and cruel beast,
Call'd the dun cow of Dunsmore heath,
Which many people had opprest;
Some of her bones in Warwick yet
Still for a monument doth lie,
Which unto every looker's view,
As wondrous strange they may espy.
"And the dragon in the land,
He also did in flight destroy,
Which did both men and beasts oppress,
And all the country sore annoy:
Or look we at him all doughty as he was, as the
pilgrim of love, as subdued by the influence of the
tender passion, a suppliant to the gentle Phillis,
and ready to compass the earth to fulfil her wishes,
and to prove his devotion :
"Was ever knight for lady's sake
So tost in love, as I, Sir Guy;
For Phillis fair, that Lady bright,
As ever man beheld with eye;
She gave me leave myself to try
The valiant knight with shield and spear,
Ere that her love she would grant me,
Who made me venture far and near.”
Or, afterwards view him as-
"All clad in grey in Pilgrim sort,
His voyage from her he did take,
Unto that blessed, holy land,
For Jesus Christ, his Saviour's sake."
1 3
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ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
Lastly, recal we the time when the fierce and ruth-
less Danes were ravaging our land, and there was
scarce a town or castle as far as Winchester, which
they had not plundered or burnt, and a proposal
was made, and per force acceded to by the English
king to decide the struggle by single combat. But
the odds were great: Colbrand the Danish cham-
pion, was a giant, and ere he came to a combat he
provided himself with a cart-load of Danish axes,
great clubs with knobs of iron, squared barrs of steel
lances and iron hooks wherewith to pull his adver-
sary to him.
On the other hand the English-and sleepless
and unhappy, the king Athelstan pondered the
circumstance as he lay on his couch, on St. John
Baptist's night-had no champion forthcoming,
even though the county of Hants had been promised
as a reward to the victor. Roland, the most valiant
knight of a thousand, was dead; Heraud, the pride
of the nation, was abroad; and the great and valiant
Guy, Earl of Warwick, was gone on a pilgrimage.
The monarch was perplexed and sorrowful; but an
angel appeared to him and comforted him.
In conformity with the injunctions of this gracious
messenger, the king, attended by the Archbishop
of Canterbury and the Bishop of Chichester, placed
himself at the north gate of the city (Winchester)
at the hour of prime. Divers poor people and pil-
grims entered thereat, and among the rest appeared
a man of noble visage and stalwart frame, but wan
withal, pale with abstinence, and macerated by rea-
son of journeying barefoot. His beard was vene-
rably long and he rested on a staff; he wore a
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
179
pilgrim's garb, and on his bare and venerable head
was strung a chaplet of white roses. Bending low,
he passed the gate, but the king warned by the
vision, hastened to him, and entreated him " by his
love for Jesus Christ, by the devotion of his pil-
grimage, and for the preservation of all England,
to do battle with the giant." The Palmer thus con-
jured, underwent the combat, and was victorious.
After a solemn procession to the Cathedral, and
thanksgiving therein, when he offered his weapon to
God and the patron of the Church, before the High
Altar, the pilgrim withdrew, having revealed himself
to none but the king, and that under a solemn pledge
of secrecy. He bent his course towards Warwick,
and unknown in his disguise, took alms at the hands
of his own lady-for, reader, this meek and holy pil-
grim, was none other than the wholesale slayer,
whose deeds we have been contemplating—and then
retired to a solitary place hard by –
"Where with his hand he hew'd a house,
Out of a craggy rock of stone;
And lived like a palmer poor,
Within that cave himself alone.'
Nor was this at all an unusual conclusion to life
of butchery; all the heroes of romance turned her-
mits; and as they all, at least all of Arthur's Round
Table, were gifted with a very striking development
of the organ of combativeness, their profound piety
at the end of their career might not improbably
give rise to a very common adage of these days
regarding sinners and saints.
But here was a theme for Tapestry-workers! a
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ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
real original, genuine English romance; for though
the only pieces now extant be, or may be, translated
from the French, still there are many concurring
circumstances to prove that the original, often
quoted by Chaucer, was an ancient metrical English
one. That it is difficult to find who Sir Guy was,
or in fact, to prove that there ever was a Sir Guy
at all, is nothing to the purpose; leave we that to
antiquarians, and their musty folios. Guy of
Warwick was well known from west to east, even as
far as Jerusalem, where, in Henry the Fourth's time,
Lord Beauchamp was kindly received by those in
high stations, because he was descended from
"A shadowy ancestor, so renowned as Guy."
One tapestry on this attractive subject which was
in Warwick Castle, before the year 1398, was so
distinguished and valued a piece of furniture, that a
special grant was made of it by King Richard II.
conveying "that suit of arras hangings in Warwick
Castle, which contained the story of Guy Earl of
Warwick," together with the Castle of Warwick and
other possessions, to Thomas Holland, Earl of
Kent. And in the restoration of forfeited property
to this lord after his imprisonment, these hangings
are particularly specified in the patent of King
Henry IV., dated 1399.
And the Castle wherein the tapestry was hung
was worthy of the heroes it had sheltered. The
first building on the site was supposed to be coeval
with our Saviour, and was called Caer-leon; almost
overthrown by the Picts and Scots, it lay in ruins
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
181
till Caractacus built himself a manor-house, and
founded a church to the honour of St. John the
Baptist. Here was afterwards a Roman fort, and
here again was a Pictish devastation. A cousin of
King Arthur rebuilt it, and then lived in it-Arth-
gal, first Earl of Warwick, a Knight of the Round
Table; this British title was equivalent to Ursus in
Latin, whence Arthgal took the Bear for his ensign :
and a successor of his, a worthy progenitor of our
valiant Sir Guy, slew a mighty giant in a duel; and
because this giant's delicate weapon was a tree pulled
up by the roots, the boughs being snagged from it,
the Earls of Warwick, successors of the victor, bore
a ragged staff of silver in a sable shield for their
cognisance.
We are told that,-
"When Arthur first in court began,
And was approved king,
By force of arms great victoryes wanne,
And conquest home did bring.
Then into England straight he came
With fifty good and able
Knights, that resorted unto him,
And were of his round table."
Of these the most renowned were Syr Perceval,
Syr Tristan, Syr Launcelot du Lac, Syr Ywain,
Syr Gawain, Syr Galaas, Syr Meliadus of Leonnoys,
Sir Ysaie, Syr Gyron, &c. &c., and their various
and wondrous achievements were woven into a
series of tales which are known as the "Romances
of the Round Table." Of course the main subject
of each tale is interrupted by ten thousand varied
episodes, in which very often the original object
182
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
seems entirely lost sight of. Then the construction
of many of these Romances, or rather their want of
construction, is marvellous; their genealogies are
interminable, and their geography miraculous.
One of the most marvellous and scarce of these
Romances, and one, the principal passages of which
were frequently wrought into Tapestry, was the
“Roman du Saint Greal," which is founded upon
an incident, to say the least very peculiar, but
which was perhaps once considered true as Holy
Writ. St. Joseph of Arimathœa, a very important
personage in many romances, having obtained the
hanap, or cup from which our Saviour administered
the wine to his disciples, caught in the same cup
the blood which flowed from his wounds when on
the Cross. After he had first achieved various ad-
ventures, and undergone an imprisonment of forty-
two years, St. Joseph arrives in England with the
sacred cup, by means of which numerous miracles
are performed; he prepares the Round Table, and
Arthur and his Knights all go in quest of the hanap,
which by some, to us unaccountable, circumstance,
had fallen into the hands of a sinner. All make the
most solemn vow to devote their lives to its reco-
very; and this they must indeed have done, and
not short lives either, if all recorded of them be
true. None, however, but two, ever see the sacred
symbol; though oftentimes a soft ray of light would
stream across the lonesome wild, or the dark path-
less forest, or unearthly strains would float on the
air, or odours as of Paradise would entrance the
senses, while the wandering and woeworn knight
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY. 183
would feel all fatigue, all sense of personal incon-
venience, of pain, of sickness, or of sorrow, vanish
on the instant; and then would he renew his vows,
and betake himself to prayer; for though all un-
worthy to see the Holy Grayle, he would feel that it
had been borne on viewless pinions through the air
for his individual consolation and hope. And Syr
Galahad and Syr Perceval, the two chaste and
favoured knights who, "after the dedely flesshe had
beheld the spiritual things," the holy St. Grael-
never returned to converse with the world. The
first departed to God, and "flights of angels sang
him to his rest;" the other took religious clothing
and retired to a hermitage, where, after living a
full holy life for a yere and two moneths, he passed
out of this world."
66
But wide as is the range of the Romances of the
"Round Table," they form but a portion of those
which solaced our ancestors. Charlemagne and his
Paladins were, so to speak, the solar system round
which another circle revolved; Alexander furnished
the radiating star for another, derived chiefly per-
haps from the East, where numbers of fictitious tales
were prevalent about him; and many Romances were
likewise woven around the mangled remains of
classic heroes.
"The mightiest chiefs of British song
Scorn'd not such legends to prolong ;
They gleam through Spenser's elfic dream,
And mix in Milton's heavenly theme:
And Dryden in immortal strain,
Had raised the 'Table Round' again.”
The Stories of the Tapestry in the Royal Palaces
184
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
of Henry VIII. are preserved in the British
Museum.*
These are some of them re-copied from Warto.
In the tapestry of the Tower of London, the
original and most ancient seat of our monarchs,
there are recited, Godfrey of Bulloign; the Three
Kings of Cologne; the Emperor Constantine; St.
George; King of Erkenwald; the History of Her-
cules; Fame and Honour; the Triumph of Divinity ;
Esther and Ahasueras; Jupiter and Juno; St.
George; the Eight Kings; the Ten Kings of
France; the Birth of our Lord; Duke Joshua; the
Riche History of King David; the Seven Deadly
Sins; the Riche History of the Passion; the Stem of
Jesse; Our Lady and Son; King Solomon; the
Woman of Canony; Meleager; and the Dance of
Maccabee.
At Durham Place were the Citie of Ladies (a
Frence allegorical Romance); the Tapestrie of
Thebes and of Troy; the City of Peace; the Pro-
digal Son; Esther, and other pieces of Scripture.
At Windsor Castle the Siege of Jerusalem; Aha-
sueras; Charlemagne; the Siege of Troy; and
Hawking and Hunting.
At Nottingham Castle, Amys and Amelion.
At Woodstock Manor, the tapestrie of Charle-
magne.
At the More, a palace in Hertfordshire, King
Arthur, Hercules, Astyages, and Cyrus.
At Richmond, the arras of Sir Bevis, and Virtue
and Vice fighting.
Among the rest we have also Hannibal, Holofe-
* Harl. MSS. 1419.
ROMANCES WORKED IN TAPESTRY.
185
rnes, Romulus and Remus, Eneas, and Susan-
nah.
Many of these subjects were repeated at West-
minster, Greenwich, Oatlands, Bedington in Surrey,
and other royal seats, some of which are now
unknown as such.
186
CHAPTER XIII.
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.-PART I.
"What neede these velvets, silkes, or lawne,
Embrodery, feathers, fringe and lace.”—BP. HALL.
"Time was, when clothing sumptuous or for use,
Save their own painted skins, our Sires had none.
As yet black breeches were not."-CowPER.
MANIFOLD indeed were the varieties in mode
and material before that beau ideal of all that is
graceful and becoming-the" black breeches"—were
invented. For though in many parts of the globe
costume is uniform, and the vest and the turban of
a thousand years ago are of much the same make
as now, this is not the case in the more polished
parts of Europe, where that "turncoat whirligig
maniac, yclept Fashion," is the pole-star and beacon
of the multitude of men, from him who has the
last new cut from Stultz," to him who is magni-
ficent and happy in the "reg'lar bang-up-go" from
the eastern parts of the metropolis.
It would seem that England is peculiarly cele-
brated for her devotion at Fashion's shrine; for we
are told that "an Englishman, endevoring some-
time to write of our attire, made sundrie platformes
for his purpose, supposing by some of them to find
out one stedfast ground whereon to build the summe
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
187
of his discourse. But in the end (like an orator
long without exercise) when he saw what a difficult
peece of worke he had taken in hand, he gave over
his travell, and onely drue the picture of a naked
man, unto whome he gave a paire of sheares in the
one hand, and a piece of cloth in the other, to the
end he should shape his apparell after such fashion
as himselfe liked, sith he could find no kind of
garment that could please him anie while together,
and this he called an Englishman. Certes this
writer shewed himself herein not to be altogether
void of iudgement, sith the phantasticall follie of our
nation, even from the courtier to the carter, is such,
that no forme of apparell liketh vs longer than the
first garment is in the wearing, if it continue so long
and be not laid aside, to receive some other trinket
newlie devised.
"And as these fashions are diverse, so likewise
it is a world to see the costlinesse and the curiositie;
the excesse and the vanitie; the pompe and the
brauerie; the change and the varietie; and, finallie,
the ficklenesse and the follie that is in all degrees ;
insomuch that nothing is more constant in England
than inconstancie of attire.
"In women, also, it is most to be lamented, that
they doo now far exceed the lightnesse of our men
(who nevertheless are transformed from the cap
even to the verie shoo) and such staring attire as
in time past was supposed meet for none but light
housewives onlie, is now become a habit for chast
and sober matrons.
“Thus it is now come to passe, that women are
become men, and men transformed into monsters."
188
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
66
This ever-revolving wheel is still turning; and
so all-important now is THE MODE that one half of
the world is fully occupied in providing for the per-
sonal embellishment of the other half and them-
selves; and could we contemplate the possibility of
a return to the primitive simplicity of our ancient
sires," we must look in the same picture on one half
of the world as useless as a drug on the face of crea-
tion. Why, what a desert would it be were all
dyers, fullers, cleaners, spinners, weavers, printers,
mercers and milliners, haberdashers and modistes,
silk-men and manufacturers, cotton-lords and fustian-
men, tailors and habit makers, mantuamakers and
corset professors, exploded? We pass over pin and
needle makers, comb and brush manufacturers,
jewellers, &c. The ladies would have nothing to
live for; (for on grave authority it has been said,
that “woman is an animal that delights in the toi-
lette;") the gentlemen nothing to solace them.
The toilette" is the very zest of life with both;
and if ladies are more successful in the results of
their devoirs to it, it is because "nous sommes faites
pour
embellir le monde," and not because gentlemen
practice its duties with less zeal, devotion, or assi-
duity—as many a valet can testify when contempla-
ting his modish patron's daily heap of "failures."
Indeed to put out of view the more obvious, weighty,
and important cares attached to the due selection
and arrangement of coats, waistcoats, and indispen-
sables, the science of "Cravatiana" alone is one
which makes heavy claims on the time, talents, and
energies of the thorough-going gentleman of
fashion. He should be thoroughly versed in all its
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
189
varieties-The Royal George: The Plain Bow:
The Military: The Ball Room: The Corsican :
The Hibernian Tie: The Eastern Tie: The Hunt-
ing Tie: The Yankee Tie: (the "alone original "
one)-The Osbaldiston Tie: The Mail Coach Tie:
The Indian Tie, &c. &c. &c.
Though of these and their numberless offshoots,
the Yankee Tie lays most claim to originality, the
Ball Room one is considered the most exquisite, and
requires the greatest practice. It is thus described
by a "talented" professor :-
"The cloth, of virgin white, well starched and
folded to the proper depth, should be made to sit
easy and graceful on the neck, neither too tight nor
loose; but with a gentle pressure, curving inwards
from the further extension of the chin, down the
throat to the centre dent in the middle of the neck.
This should be the point for a slight dent, extending
from under each ear, between which, more imme-
diately under the chin, there should be another slight
horizontal dent just above the former one. It has
no tie; the ends, crossing each other in broad folds
in front, are secured to the braces, or behind the
back, by means of a piece of white tape. A bril-
liant broach or pin is generally made use of to secure
more effectually the crossing, as well as to give an
additional effect to the neckcloth."
What a world of wit and invention-what a fund
of fancy and taste-what a mine of zeal and ability
would be lost to the world, "if those troublesome
disguises which we wear" were reduced to their old
simplicity of form and material! Industry and
talent would be at discount, for want of materials
190
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
whereon to display themselves; and money would
be such a drug, that politicians would declaim on
the miseries of being without a national debt. Com-
merce, in many of its most important branches, would
be exploded; the "manufacturing districts" would
be annihilated; the "agricultural interest" would,
consequently and necessarily, be at a "very low
ebb;" and the "New World," the magnificent and
imperial empress (that is to be) of the whole earth,
might sink again to the embraces of those minute
and wonderful artificers from whom, I suppose, she
at first proceeded--the coral insects; for who would
want cotton! No, no. Selfish preferences, individual
wishes, must merge in the general good of the human
race; and however" their own painted skins" might
suffice our "sires," clothing, "sumptuous," as well
for use," must decorate ourselves.
as "
To whom, then, are the fullers, the dyers, the
cleaners-to whom are the spinners and weavers,
and printers and mercers, and milliners and haber-
dashers, and modistes, and silk-men and manufac-
turers, cotton lords and fustian men, mantua-makers
and corset professors, indebted for that nameless
grace, that exquisite finish and appropriateness,which
gives to all their productions their charm and their
utility?—To the NEEDLEWOMAN, assuredly. For
though the raw materials have been grown at Sea
Island and shipped at New York,-have been con-
signed to the Liverpool broker and sold to the Man-
chester merchant, and turned over to the manufacturer,
and spun and woven, and bleached and printed, and
placed in the custody of the warehouseman, or on
the shelf of the shopkeeper-of what good would it
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
191
be that we had a fifty-yard length of calico to shade
our oppressed limbs on a "dog-day," if we had not
the means also to render that material agreeably
available? Yet not content with merely rendering
it available, this beneficent fairy, the needlewoman,
casts, "as if by the spell of enchantment, that in-
effable grace over beauty which the choice and
arrangement of dress is calculated to bestow." For
the love of becoming ornament-we quote no less
an authority than the historian of the State of
Europe in the Middle Ages,'—" is not, perhaps, to
be regarded in the light of vanity; it is rather an
instinct which woman has received from Nature to
give effect to those charms which are her defence."
And if it be necessary to woman with her charms, is
it not tenfold necessary to those who-Heaven help
them!-have few charms whereof to boast? For, as
Harrison says, "it is now come to
"it is now come to passe that men
are transformed into monsters."
"
"Better be out of the world than out of the
fashion," is a proverb which, from the universal as-
sent which has in all ages been given to it, has now
the force of an axiom. It was this self evident pro-
position which emboldened the beau of the four-
teenth century, in spite of the prohibitions of popes
and senators,-in spite of the more touching per-
sonal inconvenience, and even risk and danger, at-
tendant thereupon-to persist in wearing shoes of
so preposterous a length, that the toes were obliged
to be fastened with chains to the girdle ere the
happy votary of fashion could walk across his own
parlour! Happy was the favourite of Croesus, who
could display chain upon chain of massy gold wreathed
192
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
and intertwined from the waistband to the shoe,
until he seemed almost weighed down by the burthen
of his own wealth. Wrought silver did excellently
well for those who could not produce gold; and for
those who possessed not either precious metal, and
who yet felt they "might as well be out of the world
as out of the fashion," latteen chains, silken cords,
aye, and cords of even less costly description, were
pressed into service to tie up the crackowes, or piked
shoes. For in that day, as in this, "the squire en-
deavours to outshine the knight, the knight the
baron, the baron the earl, the earl the king, in
dress." To complete the outrageous absurdity of
these shoes, the upper parts of them were cut in imita-
tion of a church-window, to which fashion Chaucer
refers when describing the dress of Absalom, the
Parish Clerk. He-
"Had Paul 'is windowes corven on his shose."
Despite the decrees of councils, the bulls of the
Pope, and the declamations of the Clergy, this ridicu-
lous fashion was in vogue near three centuries.
And the party-coloured hose, which were worn
about the same time, were a fitting accompaniment
for the crackowes. We feel some difficulty in reali-
sing the idea that gentlemen, only some half century
ago, really dressed in the gay and showy habiliments
which are now indicative only of a footman; but it
is more difficult to believe, what was nevertheless
the fact, that the most absurd costume in which the
"fool" by profession can now be decked on the stage,
can hardly compete in absurdity with the outré cos-
tume of a beau or a belle of the fourteenth century.
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
193
The shoes we have referred to: the garments, male
or female, were divided in the middle down the whole
length of the person, and one half of the body was
clothed in one colour, the other half in the most
opposite one that could be selected. The men's
garments fitted close to the shape; and while one
leg and thigh rejoiced in flaming yellow or sky-blue,
the other blushed in deep crimson. John of Gaunt
is portrayed in a habit, one half white, the other a
dark blue; and Mr. Strutt has an engraving of a
group assembled on a memorable occasion, where
one of the figures has a boot on one leg and a shoe
on the other. The Dauphiness of Auvergne, wife
to Louis the Good, Duke of Bourbon, born 1360, is
painted in a garb of which one half all the way down
is blue, powdered with gold fleurs-de-lys, and the
other half to the waist is gold, with a blue fish or
dolphin (a cognizance, doubtless) on it, and from the
waist to the feet is crimson, with white "fishy
naments; one sleeve is blue and gold, the other
crimson and gold.
In addition to these absurd garments, the women
dressed their heads so high that they were obliged
to wear a sort of curved horn on each side, in order
to support the enormous superstructure of feathers
and furbelows. And these are what are meant by
the "horned head-dresses" so often referred to in
old authors. It is said that, when Isabel of Bavaria
kept her court at Vincennes, A.D. 1416, it was ne-
cessary to make all the doors of the palace both
higher and wider, to admit the head-dresses of the
queen and her ladies, which were all of this horned
kind.
K
194
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
This high bonnet had been worn, under various
modifications, ever since the fashion was brought
from the East in the time of the Crusades. Some
were of a sugar-loaf form, three feet in height;
and some cylindrical, but still very high. The
French modistes of that day called this formidable
head-gear bonnet à la Syrienne. But our author
says, if female vanity be violently restrained in one
point, it is sure to break out in another; and Romish
anathemas having abolished curls from shading fair
brows, so much the more attention was paid to head-
gear, that the bonnets and caps increased every year
most awfully in height and size, and were made in
the form of crescents, pyramids, and horns of such
tremendous dimensions, that the old chronicler
Juvenal des Ursins makes this pathetic lamentation
in his History of Charles VI. :—
"Et avoient les dames et damoyselles de chacun
costé, deux grandes oreilles si larges, que quand
elles vouloient passer par l'huis d'une chambre il
fallait qu'elles se tournassent de costé et baisassent,
ou elles n'eussent pu passer:" that is, "on every
side old ladies and young ladies were seen with such
high and monstrous ears (or horns), that when they
wanted to enter a room they were obliged perforce
to stoop and crouch sideways, or they could not
pass." At last a regular attack was made on the
high head-gear of the fifteenth century by a popular
monk, in his sermons at Nôtre Dame, in which he
so pathetically lamented the sinfulness and enormi-
ties of such a fashion, that the ladies, to show their
contrition, made auto da fés of their Syrian bonnets
in the public squares and market-places; and as the
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
195
Church fulminated against them all over Europe,
the example of Paris was universally followed.
Many attempts had previously been made by
zealous preachers to effect this alteration. In the
previous century a Carmelite in the province of
Bretagne preached against this fashion, without the
power to annihilate it: all that the ladies did was to
change the particular shape of the huge coiffures
after every sermon. "No sooner," says the chro-
nicler, “had he departed from one district, than the
dames and damoyselles, who, like frightened snails,
had drawn in their horns, shot them out again longer
than ever; for nowhere were the hennins (so called,
abbreviated from gehinnin, incommodious,) larger,
more pompous or proud, than in the cities through
which the Carmelite had passed.
"All the world was totally reversed and disordered
by these fashions, and above all things by the strange
accoutrements on the heads of the ladies. It was a
portentous time, for some carried huge towers on
their foreheads an ell high; others still higher caps,
with sharp points, like staples, from the top of which
streamed long crapes, fringed with gold, like ban-
ners." Alas, alas! ladies, dames, and demoiselles
were of importance in those days! When do we
hear, in the present times, of Church and State inter-
fering to regulate the patterns of their bonnets?" *
It is no wonder that fashions so very extreme and
absurd should call forth animadversion from various
quarters. Thus wrote Petrarch in 1366:-
"Who can see with patience the monstrous, fan-
tastical inventions which the people of our times
*Lady's Magazine.
K 2
196
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
have invented to deform, rather than adorn, their
persons? Who can behold without indignation
their long pointed shoes; their caps with feathers;
their hair twisted and hanging down like tails; the
foreheads of young men, as well as women, formed
into a kind of furrows with ivory-headed pins; their
bellies so cruelly squeezed with cords, that they suffer
as much pain from vanity as the martyrs suffered for
religion? Our ancestors would not have believed,
and I know not if posterity will believe, that it was
posssible for the wit of this vain generation of ours to
invent so many base, barbarous, horrid, ridiculous
fashions (besides those already mentioned) to dis-
figure and disgrace itself, as we have the mortifica-
tion to see every day."
And thus Chaucer, a few years later:-
:
"Alass! may not a man see as in our daies the
sinnefull costlew array of clothing, and namely in
too much superfluite, or else in too disordinate scan-
tinese as to the first, not only the cost of embrau-
dering, the disguysed indenting, or barring, ounding,
playting, wynding, or bending, and semblable waste
of clothe in vanitie." The common people also
"were besotted in excesse of apparell, in wide sur-
coats reaching to their loines, some in a garment
reaching to their heels, close before and strowting
out on the sides, so that on the back they make men
seem women, and this they called by a ridiculous
name, gowne," &c. &c.
Before this time the legislature had interfered,
though with little success: they passed laws at West-
minster, which were said to be made "to prevent
that destruction and poverty with which the whole
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
197
kingdom was threatened, by the outrageous, exces-
sive expenses of many persons in their apparel, above
their ranks and fortunes."
:
Sumptuary edicts, however, are of little avail, if
not supported in "influential quarters." King
Richard II. affected the utmost splendour of attire,
and he had one coat alone which was valued at
30,000 marks it was richly embroidered and in-
wrought with gold and precious stones. It is not in
human nature, at least in human nature of the " more
honourable" gender, to be outdone, even by a king.
Gorgeous and glittering was the raiment adopted by
the satellites of the court, and, heedless of “that
destruction and poverty with which the whole king-
dom was threatened," they revelled in magnificence.
Of one alone, Sir John Arundel, it is recorded, that
he had at one time fifty-two suits of cloth of gold
tissue. At this time, says the old Chronicle,
"Cut werke was great bothe in court and tounes,
Bothe in mens hoddes, and also in their gounes,
Brouder and furres, and gold smith werke ay newe,
In many a wyse, eche day they did renewe."
of ex-
Unaccountable as it may seem, this rage
pense and show in apparel reached even the (then)
poverty-stricken sister country Scotland; and in
1457 laws were enacted to suppress it.
It is told of William Rufus, that one morning
while putting on his new boots he asked his chamber-
lain what they cost; and when he replied "three
shillings," indignantly and in a rage he cried out,
"you-how long has the king worn boots of so
paltry a price? Go, and bring me a pair worth a
mark of silver." He went, and bringing him a much
t
4
"
,
198
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
cheaper pair, told him falsely that they cost as much
as he had ordered: "Ay," said the king, "these
are suitable to royal majesty."
This is merely a specimen of the monarch's shallow-
headed extravagance; but the costume of his time
and that immediately preceding it was infinitely
superior in grace and dignity to that of the fantas-
tical period we have been describing. The English
at this period were admired by all other nations, and
especially by the French, from whom in subsequent
periods we have copied so servilely, for the richness
and elegance of their attire. With a tunic simply
confined at the waist, over this, when occasion re-
quired, a full and flowing mantle, with a veil con-
fined to the back of the head with a golden circlet,
her dark hair simply braided over her beautiful
and intelligent brow and waving on her fair throat,
the wife of the Conqueror looked every inch a queen,
and what was more, she looked a modest, a dig-
nified, and a beautiful woman.
The male attire was of the same flowing and
majestic description: and the "brutal" Anglo-
Saxons and the "barbarous" Normans had more
delicacy than to display every division of limb or
muscle which nature formed, and more taste than
to invent divisions where, Heaven knows, nature
never meant them to be. The simple coiffure re-
quired little care and attendance, but if a fastening
did happen to give way, the Anglo-Norman lady
could raise her hand to fasten it if she chose. The
arm was not pinioned by the fiat of a modiste.
And the material of a dress of those days was as
rich as the mode was elegant. Silk indeed was not
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
199
common; the first that was seen in the country was
in 780, when Charlemagne sent Offa, King of Mer-
cia, a belt and two vests of that beautiful material;
but from the particular record made of silk mantles
worn by two ladies at a ball at Kenilworth in 1286,
we may fairly infer that till this period silk was not
often used but as
a robe pontifical,
Ne'er seen but wonder'd at.”
Occasionally indeed it was used, but only by persons
of the highest rank and wealth. But the woollens
were of beautiful texture, and Britain was early
famous in the art of producing the richest dyes. The
Welsh are still remarkable for extracting beautiful
tints from the commonest plants, such most probably
as were used by the Britons anciently; and it is
worthy of note that the South Sea cloths, manu-
factured from the inner bark of trees, have the same
stripes and chequers, and indeed the identical
patterns of the Welsh, and, as supposed, of the an-
cient Britions. Linen was fine and beautiful; and
if it had not been so, the rich and varied embroidery
with which it was decorated would have set off a
coarser material.
Furs of all sorts were in great request, and a
mantle of regal hue, lined throughout with vair or
sable, and decorated with bands of gold lace and
flowers of the richest embroidery, interspersed with
pearls, clasped on the shoulder with the most pre-
cious gems, and looped, if requisite, with golden
tassels, was a garment at which a nobleman, even of
these days, need not look askance.
200
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
Robert Bloet, second bishop of Lincoln, made a
present to Henry I. of a cloak of exquisitely fine
cloth, lined with black sables with white spots,
which cost a sum equivalent to £1500 of our money.
The robes of females of rank were always bordered
with a belt of rich needlework; their embroidered
girdles were inlaid, or rather inwrought, with gold,
pearls, and precious stones, and from them was
usually suspended a large purse or pouch, on which
the skill of the most accomplished needlewomen was
usually expended.
66
This rich and becoming mode of dress was gra-
dually innovated upon until caprice reigned para-
mount over the national wardrobe. For fashion
is essentially caprice; and fashion in dress the
caprice of milliners and tailors, with whom recherche
and exaggeration supply the place of education and
principle." That this modern definition applied as
accurately to former times as these, an instance may
suffice to show. Richard I. had a cloak made, at
enormous cost, with precious and shining metals
inlaid in imitation of the heavenly bodies; and
Henry V. wore, on a very memorable occasion, when
Prince of Wales, a mantle or gown of rich blue satin,
full of small eylet-holes, as thickly as they could be
put, and a needle hanging by a silk thread from
every hole.
The following incident, quoted from Miss Strick-
land's Life of Berengaria, will show the esteem
in which a rich, and especially a furred garment was
held. Richard I. quarrelled with the virtuous St.
Hugh, bishop of Lincoln, on the old ground of exact-
ing a simoniacal tribute on the installation of the
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
201
prelate into his see. Willing to evade the direct
charge of selling the see, King Richard intimated
that a present of a fur mantle worth a thousand
marks might be a composition. St. Hugh said he
was no judge of such gauds, and therefore sent the
king a thousand marks, declaring, if he would devour
the revenue devoted to the poor, he must have his
wilful way.
But as soon as Richard had pocketed
the money he sent for the fur mantle. St. Hugh set
out for Normandy to remonstrate with the king on
this double extortion. His friends anticipated that
he would be killed; but St. Hugh said, "I fear him
not," and boldly entered the chapel where Richard
was at mass, when the following scene took place
"Give me the embrace of peace, my son," said
St. Hugh.
"That you have not deserved," replied the king.
"Indeed I have," said St. Hugh, "for I have
made a long journey on purpose to see my son."
So saying, he took hold of the king's sleeve and
drew him on one side. Richard smiled and em-
braced the old man. They withdrew to the recess
behind the altar and sate down.
"In what state is your conscience?" asked the
bishop.
Very easy," said the king.
"How can that be, my son," said the bishop,
"when you live apart from your virtuous queen, and
are faithless to her; when you devour the provision
of the poor, and load your people with heavy ex-
actions? Are those light transgressions, my son?"
The king owned his faults, and promised amend-
ment; and when he related this conversation to his
K 3
202
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
courtiers he added, « Were all our prelates like
Hugh of Lincoln, both king and barons must submit
to their righteous rebukes."
Furs were much used now as coverings for beds;
and they were considered a necessary part of dress
for a very considerable period.
In Sir John Cullum's Hawsted, mention is made.
that in 1281 Cecilia, widow of William Talmache,
died, and, amongst other bequests, left "to Thomas
Battesford, for black coats for poor people, xxxs. in
part." "To John Camp, of Bury St. Edmunds,
furrier, for furs for the black coats, viijs. xjd." On
which the reverend and learned author remarks,
"We should now indeed think that a black coat
bestowed on a poor person wanted not the addition
of fur: such, however, was the fashion of the time;
and a sumptuary law of Edward III. allows handi-
craft and yeomen to wear no manner of furre, nor of
bugg, but only lambe, coney, catte, and foxe."
*
The distinction in rank was expressly shown by
the kind of fur displayed on the dress, and these
distinctions were regulated by law and rigidly en-
forced. By a statute passed in 1455, for regulating
the dress of the Scottish lords of parliament, the
gowns of the earls are appointed to be furred with
ermine, while those of the other lords are to be lined
with "criestay, gray, griece, or purray."
The more precious furs, as ermine and sable, were
reserved exclusively for the principal nobility of
Persons of an inferior rank wore the
vair or gris (probably the Hungarian squirrel); the
both sexes.
* Bugg-buge, lamb's furr.-Dr. Jamieson.
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
203
citizens and burgesses, the common squirrel and
lamb skins; and the peasants, cat and badger skins.
The mantles of our kings and peers, and the furred
robes of the several classes of our municipal officers,
are the remains of this once universal fashion.
Furs often formed an important part of the ran-
som of a prisoner of rank:-
"Sir," quoth Count Bongars, "war's disastrous hour
Hath cast my lot within my foeman's power.
Name ransome as you list; gold, silver bright,
Palfreys, or dogs, or falcons train'd to flight;
Or choose you sumptuous furs, of vair or gray;
I plight my faith the destin'd price to pay. **
Certain German nobles who had slain a bishop
were enjoined, amongst other acts of penance, “ut
varium, griseum, ermelinum, et pannos coloratos,
non portent."
The skin of the wild cat was much used by the
clergy. Bishop Wolfstan preferred lambskin; say-
ing in excuse, "Crede mihi, nunquam audivi, in
ecclesia, cantari catus Dei, sed agnus Dei; ideo
calefieri agno volo."
The monk of Chaucer had
his sleeves purfiled, at the hond,
With gris, and that the finest of the lond."
It is not till about the year 1204 that there is any
specific enumeration of the royal apparel for festival
occasions. The proper officers are appointed to bring
for the king on this occasion "a golden crown, a red
satin mantle adorned with sapphires and pearls,
a robe of the same, a tunic of white damask ;
and slippers of red satin edged with goldsmith's
* Ancassin and Nicolette.
204
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
work; a balbrick set with gems; two girdles
enamelled and set with garnets and sapphires; white
gloves, one with a sapphire and one with an ame-
thist; various clasps adorned with emeralds, tur-
quois, pearls, and topaz; and sceptres set with
twenty-eight diamonds."*
So much for the king:-And for the queen—
oh! ye enlightened legislators of the earth, ye
omnipotent and magisterial lords of creation, look
on that picture—and on this.
For our lady the queen's use, sixty ells of fine
linen cloth, forty ells of dark green cloth, a skin
of minever, a small brass pan, and eight towels.”
But John, who in addition to his other amiable
propensities was the greatest and most extravagant
fop in Europe, was as parsimonious towards others
as selfish and extravagant people usually are Whilst
even at the ceremony of her coronation he only af-
forded his Queen "three cloaks of fine linen, one of
scarlet cloth, and one grey pelisse, costing together
127. 5s. 4d.;" he himself launched into all sorts of
expenditure. He ordered the minutest articles for
himself and the queen; but the wardrobe accounts
of the sovereigns of the middle ages prove that they
kept a royal warehouse of mercery, haberdashery,
and linen, from whence their officers measured out
velvets, brocades, sarcenets, tissue, gauzes, and
trimmings, of all sorts. A queen, says Miss Strick-
land, had not the satisfaction of ordering her own
gown when she obtained leave to have a new one;
the
warlike hand of her royal lord signed the order for
*The first instance in which the name of this stone is found.-
Miss Lawrence.
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
205
the delivery of the materials from his stores, noting
down with minute precision the exact quantity to a
quarter of a yard of the cloth, velvet, or brocade, of
which the garment was composed.
"Blessed be the memory of King Edward III.
and Philippa of Hainault his queen, who first in-
vented clothes," was, we are told, the grateful
adjuration of a monkish historian, who referred
probably not to the first assumption of apparel, but
to the charter which was granted first by that
monarch to the "cutters and linen armourers," sub-
sequently known as the merchant-tailors, who at
that period were usually the makers of all garments,
silk, linen, or woollen. Female fingers had suffi-
cient occupation in the finer parts of the work; in
the "silke broiderie" with which every garment of
fashion was embellished; in the tapestry; in the
spinning of wool and flax, every thread of which was
drawn by female hands, and in the weaving of which
a great portion was also executed by them.
In the forty-fourth year of this king, "as the
book of Worcester reporteth, they began to use
cappes of divers coloures, especially red, with costly
lynings; and in the year 1372, the forty-seventh of
the above prince, they first began to wanton it in a
new round curtall weede, which they call a cloake, and
in Latin armilausa, as only covering the shoulders,
and this notwithstanding the king had endeavoured
to restrain all these inordinances and expenses in
clothing; as appears by the law by Parliament
established in the thirty-sixth year of his reign.
All ornaments of gold or silver, either on the daggers,
girdles, necklaces, rings, or other ornaments for the
206
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
3
body, were forbid to all that could not spend ten
pounds a-year; and farther, that no furre or pre-
tious and costly apparel, should be worne by any
but men possessed of 100l. a year."
Besides the rigid enactments of the law, and the
anathemas of divines, other and gentler means were
from time to time resorted to as warnings from that
sin of dress which seems inherent in our nature, or
as inducements to a more becoming one. We quote
a specimen of both :-
"There was a lady whiche had her lodgynge by
the chirche, And she was alweye accustomed for to be
longe to araye her, and to make her freshe and gay,
insomuch that it annoyed and greued moche the
parson of the chirche, and the parysshens. And it
happed on a Sonday that she was so longe, that she
sent to the preeste that he shod tarye for her, lyke
as she had been accustomed. And it was thenne
ferforthe on the day. And it annoyed the peple.
And there were somme that said, How is hit? shall
not this lady this day be pynned ne wel besene in a
Myrroure? And somme said softely, God sende to
her an evyll syght in her myrroure that causeth us
this day and so oftymes to muse and to abyde for
her. And thene as it plesyd God for an ensample,
as she loked in the myrroure she sawe therein
the Fende, whiche shewed hymselfe to her so fowle
and horryble, that the lady wente oute of her wytte,
and was al demonyak a long tyme. And after God
sente to her helthe. And after she was not so longe
in arayeng but thanked God that had so suffered
her to be chastysed."*
* The Knyght of the Toure
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
207
(
The Garment of Gude Ladyis' is a lecture of a
most beguiling kind, and an exquisite picture.
"Wald my gud lady lufe me best,
And wirk after my will,
I suld ane garment gudliest
ar mak hir body till.
Of he honour suld be her hud,
Upoun hir heid to weir,
Garneist with governance so gud,
Na demyng* suld hir deir.†
"Hir kirtill suld be of clene constance,
Lasit with lesum lufe,
The mailyeis‡ of continwance
For nevir to remufe.
"Her gown suld be of gudliness,
Weill ribband with renowne,
Purfillit § with plesour in ilk place,
Furrit with fyne fassoun.
"Her belt suld be of benignitie,
About hir middill meit;
Hir mantill of humilitie,
To tholl
bayth wind and weit.
"His hat suld be of fair having**,
And her tepat of trewth,
Hir patelet ++ of gude pansing,
Hir hals-ribbane of rewth.
"Hir slevis suld be of esperance,
To keip hir fra dispair;
Hir gluvis of the gud govirnance,
To hyd hir fingearis fair.
Demyng-censure.
Mailyeis-network.
+ Deir-dismay.
§ Purfillit-furbelowed.
|| Fassoun-address, politeness. Tholl-endure.
** Having-behaviour.
T
†† Patelet-run.
208
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
"Hir schone suld be of sickernes *
In syne that scho nocht slyd;
Hir hois of honestie, I ges,
I suld for hir provyd.
"Wald scho put on this garmond gay,
I durst sweir by my seill,
That scho woir nevir grene nor gray
That set hir half so weill.”
* Sickernes steadfastness.
!
209
CHAPTER XIV.
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.-PART II.
"And the short French breeches make such a comelie vesture
that, except it were a dog in a doublet, you shall not see anie so
disguised as are my countriemen of England.”—HOLINSHED.
"Out from the Gadis to the eastern morne,
Not one but holds his native state forlorne.
When comelie striplings wish it were their chance
For Cenis' distaffe to exchange their lance;
And weare curl'd periwigs, and chalk their face,
And still are poring on their pocket glasse ;
Tyr'd with pinn'd ruffs, and fans, and partlet strips,
And buskes and verdingales about their hips:
And tread on corked stilts a prisoner's pace."
BP. JOSEPH HALL.
They brought in fashions strange and new,
With golden garments bright;
The farthingale and mighty ruff,
With gowns of rich delight."
A WARNING-PIECE TO ENGLAND.
THE
queen (Anne Neville) of Richard III. seems
to have been somewhat more regally accoutred than
those of her royal predecessors to whom we referred
in the last chapter. Among "the stuff delivered to
the queen at her coronation are twenty-seven yards
of white cloth of gold for a kirtle and train, and a
210
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
mantle of the same, richly furred with ermine. This
was the dress in which she rode in her litter from
the Tower to the palace of Westminster. This was
an age of long trains, and the length was regulated
by the rank of the wearer; Anne, for her whole
purple velvet suit, had fifty-six yards. From the en-
tries of scarlet cloth given to the nobility for mantles
on this occasion, we find that duchesses had thirteen
yards, countesses ten, and baronesses eight."
The costume of Henry VII.'s day differed little
from that of Edward IV., except in the use of shirts
bordered with lace and richly trimmed with orna-
mental needlework, which continued a long time in
vogue amongst the nobility and gentry.
A slight inspection of the inventories of Henry
VIII.'s apparel will convince us of a truth which we
should otherwise, readily have guessed, viz., that no
expense and no splendour were spared in the "swash-
ing costume" of his day. Its general aspect is too
familiar to us to require much comment. We may
remark, however, that four several acts were passed
in his reign for the reformation of apparel, and that
all but the royal family were prohibited from wear-
ing "any cloth of gold of purpure colour, or silk of
the same colour," upon pain of forfeiture of the same
and £20 for every offence. Shirt bands and ruffles
of gold were worn by the privileged, but none under
the degree of knight were permitted to decorate
their shirts with silk, gold, or silver. Henry VIII.'s
"knitte gloves of silk "are particularly referred to,
and also his “handkerchers" edged with gold, silver,
or fine needlework. These handkerchiefs, wrought
with gold and silver, were not uncommon in the
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
211
after-times. In the ballad of George Barnwell, it is
said of Milwood-
"A handkerchief she had,
All wrought with silk and gold,
Which she, to stay her trickling tears,
Before her eyes did hold."
In the east these handkerchiefs are common, and it
is still a favourite occupation of the Egyptian ladies
to embroider them.
We are surprised now to find to what minute par-
ticulars legal enactments descended. "No husband-
man, shepherd, or common labourer to any artificer,
out of cities or boroughs (having no goods of their
own above the value of £10), shall use or wear any
cloth the broad yard whereof passeth 2s. 4d., or any
hose above the price of 12d. the yard, upon pain of
imprisonment in the stocks for three days."
66
It was in a subsequent reign, that of Mary, that a
proclamation was issued that no man should weare
his shoes above sixe inches square at the toes." We
have before seen that the attention of the grave and
learned members of the Senate, the "Conscript Fa-
thers" of England, was devoted to the due regula-
tion of this interesting part of apparel, when the
shoe-toes were worn so long that they were obliged to
be tied up to the waist ere the happy and privileged
wearer could set his foot on the ground. Now,
however, "a change came o'er the spirit of the" day,
and it became the duty of those who exercised a
paternal surveillance over the welfare of the com-
munity at large to legislate regarding the breadth
of the shoe-toes, that they should not be above "sixe
inches square."
"Great," was anciently the cry-" Great is Diana of
212
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
the Ephesians;" but how immeasurably greater and
mightier has been, through that and all succeeding
ages, the supreme potentate who with a mesh of
flimsy gauze or fragile silk has constrained nations
as by a shackle of iron, that shadowy, unsubstantial,
ever-fleeting, yet ever-exacting deity-FASHION! At
her shrine worship all the nations of the earth. The
savage who bores his nose or tattooes his tawny skin
is impelled by the same power which robes the
courtly Eastern in flowing garments; and the dark-
hued beauty who smears herself with blubber is in-
fluenced by the selfsame motive which causes the
fair-haired daughter of England to tint her delicate
cheek with the mimic rose.
And it is not merely in the shape and form of
garments that this deity exercises her tyrannic sway,
transforming "men into monsters," and women like-
wise-if it were possible: her vagaries are infinite
and unaccountable; yet, how unaccountable soever,
nave ever numberless and willing votaries. It was
once the fashion for people who either were or fan-
cied themselves to be in love to prove the sincerity
of their passion by the fortitude with which they
could bear those extremes of heat and cold from
which unsophisticated nature would shrink. These
"penitents of love," for so the fraternity-and a
pretty numerous one it was-was called, would clothe
themselves in the dog-days in the thickest mantles
lined throughout with the warmest fur: when the
winds howled, the hail beat, and snow invested the
earth with a freezing mantle, they wore the thinnest
and most fragile garments. It was forbidden to
wear fur on a day of the most piercing cold, or to
appear with a hood, cloak, gloves, or muff. They
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
213
supposed or pretended that the deity whom they
thus propitiated was Love: we aver that the auto-
crat under whose irreversible decrees they thus suc-
cumbed-was FASHION.
And, after all, who is this all-powerful genius?
What is her appearance? Whence does she arise?
Did she alight from the skies, while rejoicing stars
sang Pæans at her birth? Was she born of the
Sunbeams while a glittering Rainbow cast a halo of
glory around her? or did she spring from Ocean
while Nereids revelled around, and Mermaids
strung their Harps with their own golden locks, soft
melodies the while floating along the glistering
waves, and echoing from the Tritons' booming shells
beneath? No. Alas, no! She is subtle as the air;
she is evanescent as a sunbeam, and unsubstantial
as the ocean's froth ;—but she is none of these.
She is—but we will lay aside our own definition in
order that the reader may have the advantage of
that of one of the greatest and wisest of statesmen.
"Quelqu'un qui voudrait un peu étudier d'où
part en première source ce qu'on appelle LES MODES
verrait, à notre honte, qu'un petit nombre de gens,
de la plus méprisable espèce qui soit dans une ville,
laquelle renferme tout indifféremment dans son sein;
pour qui, si nous les connaissions, nous n'aurions
que le mépris qu'on a pour les gens sans meurs, ou
la pitié qu'on a pour les fous, disposent pourtant
de nos bourses, et nous tiennent assujettis à tous
leurs caprices."
Can this indeed be that supereminent deity for
whom so "many do shipwrack their credits," and
make themselves "ridiculous apes, or at best but
214
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
like the cynnamon-tree, whose bark is more worth
than its body."
Clothes" writes a venerable historian, "are for
necessity; warm clothes for health; cleanly for
decency; lasting for thrift; and rich for magnifi-
cience. Now, there may be a fault in their number,
if too various; making, if too vain; matter, if too
costly; and mind of the wearer, if he takes pride
therein.
“He that is proud of the russling of his silks, like
a madman laughs at the rattling of his fetters. For
indeed, clothes ought to be our remembrancers of
our lost innocency. Besides, why should any brag
of what's but borrowed? Should the Estrige snatch
off the Gallant's feather, the Beaver his hat, the
Goat his gloves, the Sheep his sute, the Silkworm
his stockings, and Neat his shoes (to strip him no far-
ther than modesty will give leave), he would be left
in a cold condition. And yet 'tis more pardonable
to be proud, even of cleanly rags, than (as many are)
of affected slovennesse. The one is proud of a mole-
hill, the other of a dunghill."
But the worthy Fuller's ideal picture of suitable
dress was the very antipodes of the reality of Eliz-
abeth's day, when that rage for foreign fashions
existed which has since frequently almost inun-
dated the island, and our ancestors masked them-
selves
in garish gaudery
To suit a fool's far-fetched livery.
A French hood join'd to neck Italian,
The thighs from Germany and breast from Spain.
An Englishman in none, a fool in all,
Many in one, and one in several.”
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
215
And Shakspeare, who has perhaps suffered no
peculiarity of his time to escape observation, makes
Portia satirize this affectation in her English ad-
mirer:-"How oddly he is suited! I think he bought
his doublet in Italy, his round hose in France, his
bonnet in Germany, and his behaviour every-
where."
A reverend critic thus remarks on the luxurious
modes of his time: "These tender Parnels must
have one gown for the day, another for the night;
one long, another short; one for winter, another for
summer. One furred through, another but faced;
one for the workday, another for the holiday. One
of this colour, another of that. One of cloth, another
of silk or damask. Change of apparel; one afore
dinner, another at after: one of Spanish fashion,
another of Turkey. And to be brief, never content
with enough, but always devising new fashions and
strange. Yea, a ruffian will have more in his ruff
and his hose than he should spend in a year. He
which ought to go in a russet coat spends as much
on apparel for him and his wife as his father would
have kept a good house with."
The following is of later date, and seems, some-
what unjustly we think, to satirize the fair sex
alone.
66
Why do women array themselves in such fan-
tastical dresses and quaint devices; with gold, with
silver, with coronets, with pendants, bracelets, ear-
rings, chains, rings, pins, spangles, embroideries,
shadows, rebatoes, versicoloured ribbons, feathers,
fans, masks, furs, laces, tiffanies, ruffs, falls, calls,
cuffs, damasks, velvets, tassels, golden cloth, silver
216
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
tissue, precious stones, stars, flowers, birds, beasts,
fishes, crisped locks, wigs, painted faces, bodkins,
setting sticks, cork, whalebone, sweet odours, and
whatever else Africa, Asia, and America can pro-
duce; flaying their faces to produce the fresher
complexion of a new skin, and using more time in
dressing than Cæsar took in marshelling his army,
-but that, like cunning falconers, they wish to
spread false lures to catch unwary larks, and lead
by their gaudy baits and dazzling charms the minds
of inexperienced youth into the traps of love?"
Though the costume of Elizabeth's day, especially
at the period of her coronation was, splendid, it had
not attained to the ridiculous extravagance which
at a later period elicited the above-quoted strictures;
and we are told that her own taste at an early period
of life was simple and unostentatious. Her dress
and appearance are thus described by Aylmer, Lady
Jane Grey's tutor, and afterwards Bishop of
London.
"The king (Henry VIII.) left her rich clothes
and jewels; and I know it to be true, that, in seven
years after her father's death, she never in all that
time looked upon that rich attire and precious
jewels but once, and that against her will. And
that there never came gold or stone upon her head,
till her sister forced her to lay off her former sober-
ness, and bear her company in her glittering gay-
ness.
And then she so wore it as every man might
see that her body carried that which her heart mis-
liked. I am sure that her maidenly apparel, which
she used in King Edward's time, made noblemen's
daughters and wives to be ashamed to be dressed
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME
217
and painted like peacocks; being more moved with
her most virtuous example than with all that ever
Paul or Peter wrote touching that matter. Yea, this
I know, that a great man's daughter (Lady Jane
Grey) receiving from Lady Mary, before she was
queen, good apparel of tinsel, cloth of gold and velvet,
laid on with parchment-lace of gold, when she saw it,
said, 'What shall I do with it?' Marry!' said a
gentlewoman, wear it.' Nay,' quoth she, that
were a shame, to follow my Lady Mary against
God's Word, and leave my Lady Elizabeth, which
followeth God's Word.' And when all the ladies,
at the coming of the Scots' Queen Dowager, Mary
of Guise, (she who visited England in Edward's
time), went with their hair frownsed, curled, and
double-curled, she altered nothing, but kept her old
maidenly shame-facedness."
And there is a print from a portrait of her when
young, in which the hair is without a single orna-
ment, and the whole dress remarkably simple.
Yet this is the lady whose passion for dress in
after life could not be sated; to whom, or at least
before whom (and the Queen was not slow in ap-
propriating and resenting the hint*), Latimer,
Bishop of London, thought it necessary to preach
on the vanity of decking the body too finely; and
who finally left behind her a wardrobe containing
three thousand dresses. A modern fair one may
wonder how such a profusion of dresses could be
*"Her Majesty told the ladies, that if the Bishop held more
discourse on such matters, she would fit him for heaven; but he
should walk thither without a staff, and leave his mantle behind
him."
L
218
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
accommodated at all, even in a royal wardrobe, with
fitting respect to the integrity of puffs and furbelows.
But clothes were not formerly kept in drawers,
where but few can be laid with due regard to the
safety of each, but were hung up on wooden pegs,
in a room appropriated to the sole purpose of re-
ceiving them; and though such cast-off things as
were composed of rich substances were occasionally
ripped for domestic uses (viz., mantles for infants,
vests for children, and counterpanes for beds), ar-
ticles of inferior quality were suffered to hang by the
walls till age and moths had destroyed what pride
would not permit to be worn by servants or poor
relations. To this practice, also, does Shakspeare
allude: Imogen exclaims, in Cymbeline,'-
"Poor I am stale, a garment out of fashion;
And, for I am richer than to hang by the walls,
I must be ripp'd—”
The following regulations may be interesting;
and the knowledge of them will doubtless excite
feelings of joy and gratitude in our fair readers that
they are born in an age where "will is free," and
the dustman's wife may, if it so please her, outshine
the duchess, without the terrors of Parliament be-
fore her eyes—
"By the Queene.
Whereas the Queene's Maiestie, for avoyding of
the great inconvenience that hath growen and dayly
doeth increase within this her Realme, by the in-
ordinate excesse in Apparel, hath in her Princely
wisdome and care for reformation thereof, by sundry
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
219
former Proclamations, straightly charged and com-
manded those in Authoritie under her to see her
Lawes provided in that behalfe duely executed;
Whereof notwithstanding, partly through their neg-
ligence, and partly by the manifest contempt and
disobedience of the parties offending, no reformation
at all hath followed; Her Maiestie, finding by ex-
perience that by Clemencie, whereunto she is most
inclinable, so long as there is any hope of redresse,
this increasing evill hath not beene cured, hath
thought fit to seeke to remedie the same by cor-
rection and severitie, to be used against both these
kindes of offenders, in regard of the present dif-
ficulties of this time; wherein the decay and lacke
of hospitalitie appeares in the better sort in all
countreys, principally occasioned by the immeasu-
rable charges and expenses which they are put to
in superfluous apparelling their wives, children, and
families, the confusion also of degrees in all places
being great; where the meanest are as richly ap-
parelled as their betters, and the pride that such
inferior persons take in their garments, driving
many for their maintenance to robbing and stealing
by the hieway, &c. &c.
66
'Her Maiestie doth straightly charge and com-
mand-
That none under the degree of a Countess wear :
Cloth of gold or silver tissued;
Silke of coulor purple.
Under the degree of a Baronesse :
Cloth of golde;
Cloth of silver;
Tinselled satten;
L 2
220
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
Sattens branched with silver or golde;
Sattens striped with silver or golde;
Taffaties brancht with silver or golde;
Cipresses flourisht with silver or golde;
Networks wrought in silver or golde;
Tabines brancht with silver or golde;
Or any other silke or cloth mixt or embroidered
with pearle, golde, or silver.
"Under the degree of a Baron's eldest sonne's wife:
Any embroideries of golde or silver;
Passemaine lace, or any other lace, mixed with
golde, silver, or silke;
Caules, attires, or other garnishings for the head
trimmed with pearle.
Under the degree of a Knighte's wife :-
Velvet in gownes, cloakes, savegards, or other
uppermost garments;
Embroidery with silke.
Under the degree of a Knighte's eldest sonne's
wife :-
Velvet in kirtles and petticoates;
Sattens in gownes, cloakes, savegards, or other
uppermost garments.
"Under the degree of a Gentleman's wife, bearing
armes:-
Satten in kirtles,
Damaske,
Tuft taffetie,
Plaine taffetie,
Grograine
in gownes.
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
221
Venice and Paris seem to have been the chief
sources of fashion; from these depôts of taste were
derived the flaunting head dresses, the "shiptire,'
the "tire valiant," &c., which were commonly worn
in these days of gorgeous finery, and which were
rendered still more outré and unnatural by the dyed
locks which they surmounted. The custom of dyeing
the hair is of great antiquity, and was very prevalent
in the East. Mohammed dyed his hair red; Abu
Bekr his successor did the same, and it is a custom
among the Scenite Arabs even to this day.
The ancients often mixed gold dust in their hair,
and the Gauls used to wash the hair with a liquid
which had a tendency to redden it. It was doubtless
in personal compliment to Queen Elizabeth, that all
the fashionables of her day dyed their locks of a hue
which is generally considered the reverse of attrac-
tion. Periwigs, which were introduced into England
about 1572, were to be had of all colours. It is in
allusion to this absurd fashion that Benedick says of
the lady whom he might chuse to marry :-“ Her
hair shall be of what colour it please God."
Men first wore wigs in Charles the Second's time;
and these were gradually increased in size, until they
reached the acme of their magnificence in the reign
of William and Mary, when not only men, but even
young lads and children were disguised in enormous
wigs. And though in the reign of Queen Anne this
latter custom was not so common, yet the young
men had the want of wigs supplied by artificial curl-
ings, and dressing of the hair, which was then only
performed by the women.
:
222
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
One Bill preserved amongst the Harl. MSS.
runs thus:
"Next door to the Golden Ball. in St. Bride's
Lane, Fleet Street, Lyveth Lidia Beercraft. Who
cutteth and curleth ladies, gentlemen, and children's
hair. She sells a fine pomatum, which is mixed with
ingredients of her own making, that if the hair be
never so thin, it makes it grow thick; and if short,
it makes it grow long. If any gentleman's or chil-
dren's hair be never so lank, she makes it curle in a
little time, and to look like a periwig."
And this, indeed, the looking like a periwig, seems
to have been then the very beau ideal of all beauty
and perfection, for another fair tonsoress advertises
to cut and curl hair after the French fashion, "after
so fine a manner, that you shall not know it to be their
own hair.”
How applicable to these absurdities are the lines
of an amiable censor of a later day !—
"We have run
Through ev'ry change, that Fancy, at the loom
Exhausted, has had genius to supply;
And, studious of mutation still, discard
A real elegance, a little us'd,
For monstrous novelty and strange disguise."
To return to Elizabeth :-
The best known, and most distinguishing charac-
teristic of the costume of her day was the ruff; which
was worn of such enormous size that a lady in full
dress was obliged to feed herself with a spoon two feet
long. In the year 1580, sumptuary laws were pub-
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
223
lished by proclamation, and enforced with great ex-
actness, by which the ruffs were reduced to legal
dimensions. Extravagant prices were paid for them,
and they were made at first of fine holland, but early
in Elizabeth's reign they began to wear lawn and
cambric, which were brought to England in very
small quantities, and sold charily by the yard or
half yard; for there was then hardly one shopkeeper
in fifty who dared to speculate in a whole piece of
either. So "strange and wonderful was this stuff,"
says Stowe, speaking of lawn, "that thereupon rose
a general scoff or byeword, that shortly they would
wear ruffs of a spider's web." And another difficulty
arose; for when the Queen had ruffs made of this
new and beautiful fabric, there was nobody in Eng-
land who could starch or stiffen them; but happily
Her Grace found a Dutchwoman possessed of that
knowledge which England could not supply, and
"Guillan's wife was the first starcher the Queen had,
as Guillan himself was the first coachman.”
66
Afterward, in 1564, (16th of Elizabeth), one
Mistress Dinghen Vauden Plasse, born at Teenen in
Flanders, daughter of a worshipful knight of that
province, with her husband, came to London, and
there professed herself a starcher, wherein she ex-
celled; unto whom her own nation presently repaired
and employed her, rewarding her very liberally for
her work. Some of the curious ladies of that time,
observing the neatness of the Dutch, and the nicety
of their linen, made them cambric ruffs, and sent
them to Mistress Dinghen to starch; soon after they
began to send their daughters and kinswomen to
Mistress Dinghen, to learn how to starch; her usual
224
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
price was, at that time, 47. or 5l. to teach them to
starch, and 20s. to learn them to see the starch. This
Mrs. Dinghen was the first that ever taught starch-
ing in England.”
The RUFFS were adjusted by poking sticks of iron,
steel, or silver, heated in the fire-(probably some-
thing answering to our Italian iron), and in May
1582 a lady of Antwerp, being invited to a wedding,
could not, although she employed two celebrated
laundresses, get her ruff plaited according to her
taste, upon which "she fell to swearc and teare, to
curse and ban, casting the ruffes under feete, and
wishing that the devill might take her when shee
did wear any neckerchers againe." This gentleman,
whom it is said an invocation will always summon,
now appeared in the likeness of a favoured suitor,
and inquiring the cause of her agitation, he "took
in hande the setting of her ruffes, which he performed
to her great contentation and liking; insomuch, as
she, looking herself in a glasse (as the devill bade
her) became greatly enamoured with him. This
done, the young man kissed her, in the doing where-
of, he writhed her neck in sunder, so she died
miserably."
But here comes the marvel: four men tried in
vain to lift her "fearful body" when coffined for
interment; six were equally unsuccessful; "whereat
the standers-by marvelling, caused the coffin to be
opened to see the cause thereof: where they found
the body to be taken away, and a blacke catte, very
leane and deformed, sitting in the coffin, setting of
great ruffes and frizling of haire, to the great
feare and woonder of all the beholders."
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
225
The large hoop farthingales were worn now, but
they were said to be adopted by the ladies from a
laudable spirit of emulation, a praiseworthy desire
on their parts to be of equal standing with the "no-
bler sex," who now wore breeches, stuffed with
rags
or other materials to such an enormous size, that a
bench of extraordinary dimension was placed round
the parliament house, (of which the traces were
visible at a very late period) solely for their accom-
modation.
Strutt quotes an instance of a man whom the
judges accused of wearing breeches contrary to the
law (for a law was made against them): he, for his
excuse, drew out of his slops the contents; at first a
pair of sheets, two table-cloths, ten napkins, four
shirts, a brush, a glass, and a comb; with nightcaps
and other things of use, saying, "Your worship may
understand, that because I have no safer a store-
house, these pockets do serve me for a room to lay
up my goods in, and, though it be a strait prison,
yet it is big enough for them, for I have man
things of value yet within it.”
His excuse was
heartily laughed at and accepted.
This ridiculous fashion was for a short time dis-
used, but revived again in 1614. The breeches
were then chiefly stuffed with hair. Many satirical
rhymes were written upon them; amongst others, “ A
lamentable complaint of the poore Countrye Men
agaynst great hose, for the loss of their cattelles
tales." In which occur these :-
"What hurt, what damage doth ensue,
And fall upon the poore,
For want of wool and flaxe, of late,
Whych monstrous hose devoure.
L 3
226
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
"But haire hath so possess'd, of late,
The bryche of every knave,
That no one beast, nor horse can tell,
Whiche way his taile to save.”
Henry VIII. had received a few pairs of silk
stockings from Spain, but knitted silk ones were
not known until the second year of Elizabeth,
when her silk-woman, Mrs. Montague, presented
to Her Majesty a pair of black knit silk stock-
ings, for a new-year's gift, with which she was
so much pleased that she desired to know if the
donor could not help her to any more, to which
Mrs. Montague answered, "I made them care-
fully on purpose for your Majestie; and seeing
they please you so well, I will presently set more in
hand." Do so (said the Queen), for I like silk
stockings so well, that I will not henceforth wear
any more cloth hose." These shortly became com-
mon; though even over so simple an article as a
stocking, Fashion asserted her supremacy, and
at a subsequent period they were two yards
wide at the top, and made fast to the "petticoat
breeches," by means of strings through eyelet
holes.
But Elizabeth's predilection for rich attire is well
known, and if the costume of her day was fantastic,
it was still magnificent. A suit trimmed with sables
was considered the richest dress worn by men; and
so expensive was this fur, that, it is said a thousand
ducats were sometimes given for " a face of sables."
It was towards the close of her reign that the cele-
brated Gabrielle d'Estrées wore on a festive occa-
sion a dress of black satin, so ornamented with
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
227
pearls and precious stones, that she could scarcely
move under its weight. She had a handkerchief,
for the embroidering of which she engaged to pay
1900 crowns. And such it was said was the influ-
ence of her example in Paris, that the ladies orna-
mented even their shoes with jewels.
Yet even this costly magnificence was afterwards
surpassed by that of Villiers, Duke of Buckingham,
with whom it was common, even at an ordinary
dancing, to have his clothes trimmed with great
diamond buttons, and to have diamond hatbands,
cockades, and earrings, to be yoked with great and
manifold ropes and knots of pearl; in short, to be
manacled, fettered, and imprisoned in jewels: inso-
much that at his going to Paris in 1625, he had
twenty-seven suits of clothes made, the richest that
embroidery, lace, silk, velvet, gold, and gems could
contribute; one of which was a white uncut velvet
set all over, both suit and cloak, with diamonds
valued at fourscore thousand pounds, besides a great
feather, stuck all over with diamonds, as were also
his sword, girdle, hatband, and spurs.*
It would but weary our readers were we to dwell
on the well-known peculiarities of the "Cavalier
and Roundhead" days; and tell how the steeple-
crowned hat was replaced at the Restoration by the
plumed and jewelled velvet; the forlorn, smooth,
methodistical pate, by the curled ringlets and flow-
ing lovelock; the sober, sombre, "sad" coloured
garment, with its starched folds, by the gay, varied,
flowing drapery of all hues. Then, how the plume
* Life of Raleigh, by Oldys.
228
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
of feathers gave way to the simpler band and
buckle, and the thick large curling wig and full
ruffle, to the bagwig, the tie, and stock.
The dashing cloak and slashed sleeves were suc-
ceeded by the coat of ample dimensions, and the
waistcoat with interminable pockets resting on the
knees; the " breeches" were in universal use,
though they were not of the universal "black
which Cowper immortalises; but " black breeches"
and "powder" have had their reign, and are suc-
ceeded by the " inexpressible" costume of the present
day. We will conclude a chapter, which we fear to
have spun out tediously, by Lady Morgan's ani-
mated account of the introduction, in France, of
that universally-coveted article of dress-a Cash-
mir shawl:—
While partaking of a sumptuous collation (at
Rouen), the conversation naturally turned on the
splendid views which the windows commanded, and
on the subjects connected with their existence. The
flocks, which were grazing before us had furnished
the beautiful shawls which hung on the backs of the
chairs occupied by our fair companions, and which
might compete with the turbans of the Grand
Signor. It would be difficult now to persuade a
Parisian petite maitresse that there was a time when
French women of fashion could exist without a
cashmir, or that such an indispensable article of
the toilet and sultan was unknown even to the most
elegant. The first cashemir that appeared in
France,' said Madame D'Aubespine, (for an edu
cated French woman has always something worth
hearing to say on all subjects,) was sent over by
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
229
Baron de Tott, then in the service of the Porte, to
Madame de Tessé. When they were produced in
her society, every body thought them very fine, but
nobody knew what use to make of them. It was
determined that they would make pretty couvre-
pieds and veils for the cradle; but the fashion wore
out with the shawls, and ladies returned to their
eider-down quilts.'
"Monsieur Ternaux observed that though the
produce of the Cashmerian looms had long been
known in Europe, they did not become a vogue
until after Napoleon's expedition to Egypt; and
that even then they took, in the first instance, but
slowly.' The shawl was still a novelty in France,
when Josephine, as yet but the wife of the First
Consul, knew not how to drape its elegant folds,
and stood indebted to the brusque Rapp for the
grace with which she afterwards wore it.
"Permittez que je vous fasse l'observation,' said
Rapp, as they were setting off for the opera; 'que
votre schall n'est pas mis avec cette grace qui vous
est habituelle.'
CC
Josephine laughingly let him arrange it in the
manner of the Egyptian women. This impromptu
toilette caused a little delay, and the infernal ma-
chine exploded in vain!
"What destinies waited upon the arrangement
of this cashemir! A moment sooner or later, and
the shawl might have given another course to
events, which would have changed the whole face.
of Europe."
**
*Lady Morgan's France in 1829-30.
230
NEEDLEWORK IN COSTUME.
The Empress Josephine (says her biographer)
had quite a passion for shawls, and I question whe-
ther any collection of them was ever as valuable as
hers. At Navarre she had one hundred and fifty,
all extremely beautiful and high-priced. She sent
designs to Constantinople, and the shawls made
after these patterns were as beautiful as they were
valuable. Every week M. Lenormant came to Na-
varre, and sold her whatever he could obtain that
was curious in this way. I have seen white shawls
covered with roses, bluebells, perroquets, peacocks,
&c., which I believe were not to be met with any
where else in Europe; they were valued at 15,000
and 20,000 francs each.
The shawls were at length sold by auction at
Malmaison, at a rate much below their value. All
Paris went to the sale.
231
CHAPTER XV.
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.
"Where are the proud and lofty dames,
Their jewell'd crowns, their gay attire,
Their odours sweet?
Where are the love-eukindled flames,
The bursts of passionate desire
Laid at their feet?
Where are the songs, the troubadours,
The music which delighted then ?—
It speaks no more.
Where is the dance that shook the floors,
And all the gay and laughing train,
And all they wore ?
"The royal gifts profusely shed,
The palaces so proudly built,
With riches stor'd;
The roof with shining gold o'erspread,
The services of silver gilt,
The secret hoard,
The Arabian pards, the harness bright,
The bending plumes, the crowded mews,
The lacquey train,
Where are they ?—where!-all lost in night,
And scatter'd as the early dews
Across the plain."
BOWRING'S ANC. SPAN. ROMANCES.
ROMANCE and song have united to celebrate the
splendours of the "Field of the Cloth of Gold."
232
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.
The most scrupulously minute and faithful of re-
corders has detailed day by day, and point by point,
its varied and showy routine, and every subsequent
historian has borrowed from the pages of the old
chronicler; and these dry details have been so ex-
panded by the breath of Fancy, and his skeleton
frame has been so fleshed by the magical drapery of
talent, that there seems little left on which the
imagination can dilate, or the pen expatiate.
The astonishing impulse which has in various
ways within the last few years been given to the
searching of ancient records, and the development
of hitherto obscure and comparatively uninteresting
details, and vesting them in an alluring garb, has
made us as familiar with the domestic records of the
eighth Henry, as in our school-days we were with
the orthodox abstract of necessary historical in-
formation, that "Henry the Eighth ascended the
throne in the 18th year of his age;" that "he
became extremely corpulent;" that "he married
six wives, and beheaded two." Not even affording
gratuitously the codicil which the talent of some
writer hath educed-that "if Henry the Eighth
had not beheaded his wives, there would have been
no impeachment on his gallantry to the fair sex."
But in describing this, according to some, "the
most magnificent spectacle that Europe ever beheld,"
and to others, "a heavy mass of allegory and frip-
pery," historians have been contented to pourtray
the outward features of the gorgeous scene, and
have slightly, if at all, touched on the contending
feelings which were veiled beneath a broad though
thin surface of concord and joy. Truly, it were a
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD. 233
task of deep interest, even slightly to picture them,
or to attempt to enter into the feelings of the chief
actors on that field.
First and foremost, as the guiding spirit of the
whole, as the mighty artificer of that pageant on
which, however gaudy in its particulars the fates of
Europe were supposed to depend, and the earnest
eyes of Europe were certainly fixed-comes WOLSEY.
-Gorgeously habited himself, and the burnished
gold of his saddle cloth only partially relieved by the
more sombre crimson velvet; nay, his very shoes
gleaming with brilliants, and himself withal so lofty
in bearing, of so noble a presence, that this very
magnificence seemed but a natural appendage,
Wolsey took his lofty way from monarch to monarch;
and so well did he become his dignity, that none
but kings, and such kings as Henry and Francis,
would have drawn the eyes of the myriad spectators
from himself. And surely he was now happy ;
surely his ambition was now gratified to the utter-
most; now, in the eyes of all Europe did the two
proudest of her princes not merely associate with
him almost as an equal, but openly yield to his
suggestions-almost bow to his decisions. No-
loftily as he bore himself, courtly as was his de-
meanour, rapid and commanding as was his elo-
quence, and influential as seemed his opinions on all
and every one around-the cardinal had a mind ill
at ease, as, despite his self-control, was occasionally
testified by his contracted brow and thoughtful
aspect. After exerting all the might of his mighty
influence, and for his own aggrandisement, to pro-
cure this meeting between the two potentates, he
234
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.
had at the last moment seen fit to alter his policy.
He had sold himself to a higher bidder; he had
pledged himself to Charles in the very teeth of his
solemn engagement to Francis. Even whilst cele-
brating this league of amity, he was turning in his
own mind the means by which to rupture it; and
was yet withal, nervously fearful of any accident
which should prematurely break it, or lead to a dis-
covery of his own faithlessness.-So much for his
enjoyment!
So.
Our KING HENRY was all delight, and eager im-
petuous enjoyment. He had not outlived the good
promise of his youth; nor had his foibles become,
by indulgence, vices. He loved to see all around
him happy; he loved, more especially, to make them
He delighted in all the exercises of the field;
he was unrivalled in the tilt and the tournament;
and when engaged in them forgot kings and king-
doms. His vanity, outrageous as it was, hardly sat
ungracefully on him, so much was it elevated then
by bouyant good humour-so much was it softened
at that time by his noble presence, his manly grace,
his kingly accomplishments, and his regal muni-
ficence. The stern and selfish tyrant whom one
shudders to think upon, was then only "bluff King
Hal," loving and beloved, courted and caressed by
an empire. He gave himself up to the gaieties of
the time without a care for the present, a thought
for the future. Could he have glanced dimly into
that future! But he could not, and he was happy.
FRANCIS was admirably qualified to grace this
scene, and to enjoy it, as probably he did enjoy it,
vividly. Yet was this gratification by no means un-
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD. 235
:
alloyed. His gentle manly nature was irritated at
certain stipulations of Henry's advisers, by which
their most trivial intercourse was subjected to
specific regulations. There were recorded instances
enough of treacherous advantages taken to justify
fully this conduct on the part of Henry's ministers;
but Francis felt its injustice, as applied to himself,
and at that time, made use of a generous and well-
known stratagem to convince others. But in the
midst of his enjoyments he had misgivings on his
mind of a more serious nature, caused by the Em-
peror's recent visit to Dover. These misgivings
were increased by the meeting between Henry and
Charles at Gravelines; and too surely confirmed by
quickly-following circumstances.
The gentle and good KATHARINE of England,
and the equally amiable Queen CLAUDE, the care-
fully-trained stepdaughter of the noble and admi-
rable Anne of Bretagne, probably derived their
chief gratification here from the pleasure of seeing
their husbands amicable and happy. For queens
though they were, their happiness was in domestic
life, and their chief empire was over the hearts of
those domesticated with them.
Not so the DOWAGER QUEEN of France-the lively,
and graceful, and beautiful Duchess of Suffolk; for
though very fond of her royal brother, and devoted
to her gallant husband, she had yet an eye and an
ear for all the revelries around, and had a radiant
glance and a beaming smile for all who crowded to
do homage to her charms. And yet her heart must
have been somewhat hard-and that we know it was
not-if she could have inhaled the air of France, or
236
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.
trod its sunny soil, without recollections which must
have dimmed her eye at the thoughts of the past,
even whilst breathing a thanksgiving for the present.
Somewhat less than five years ago, she had been
taken thither a weeping bride; youth, nature, in-
clination, nay, hope itself, sacrificed to that expe-
diency by which the actions of monarchs are regu-
lated. We are accustomed to read these things so
much as mere historical memoranda, to look upon
them in their cold unvarnished simplicity of detail,
like the rigid outlines of stiff old portraits which we
can scarcely suppose were ever meant to represent
living flesh and blood-that it requires a strong
effort to picture these circumstances to our eyes as
actually occurring.
In considering the state policy of the thing-and
the apparent national advantage of the King of
England's sister being married to the King of
France-we forget that this King of England's
sister was a fair young creature, with warm heart,
gushing affections, and passions and feelings just
opening in all the vividness of early womanhood;
and that she was condemned to marry a sickly,
querulous, elderly man, who began his loving rule
by dismissing at once, even while she was 'a
stranger in a foreign land," every endeared friend
and attendant who had accompanied her thither;
and that, worse than all, her young affections had
been sought and gained by a noble English gentle-
man, the favourite of the English king, and the
pride of his Court.
CC
Surely her lot was hard; and well might she
weepingly exclaim, "Where is now my hope?"
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD. 237
Little could she suppose (for Louis, though infirm,
was not aged) that three or four short months would
see her not only at liberty from her enforced vows,
but united to the man of her heart.
Must there not, while watching the tilting of her
graceful and gallant husband, must there not have
been melancholy in her mirth?-must there not, in
the keen encounter of wits during the banquet or
the ball-must there not have mingled method with
her madness?
Who shall record, or even refer to the hopes, and
feelings, and wishes, and thoughts, and reflections
of the thousands congregated thither; each one
with feelings as intense, with hopes as individually
important as those which influenced the royal King
of France, or the majestic monarch of England!
The loftiest of Christendom's knights, the loveliest.
of Christendom's daughters were assembled here;
and the courteous Bayard, the noble Tremouille, the
lofty Bourbon, felt inspired more gallantly, if pos-
sible, than was even their wont, when contending in
all love and amity with the proudest of England's
champions, in presence of the fairest of her blue-
eyed maidens, the noblest of her courtly dames.
Nor were the lofty and noble alone there congre-
gated. After the magnificent structure for the king
and court, after every thing in the shape of a tene-
ment in, out, or about the little town of Guisnes,
and the neighbouring hamlets, were occupied, two
thousand eight hundred tents were set up on the
side of the English alone. No noble or baron
would be absent; but likewise knights, and squires,
and yeomen flocked to the scene: citizens and city
238
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.
wives disported their richest silks and their heaviest
chains; jews went for gain, pedlars for knavery,
tradespeople for their craft, rogues for mischief.
Then there were "vagaboundes, plowmen, laborers,
wagoners, and beggers, that for drunkennes lay in
routes and heapes, so great resorte thether came,
that bothe knightes and ladies that wer come to see
the noblenes, were faine to lye in haye and strawe,
and hold theim thereof highly pleased."
The accommodations provided for the king and
privileged members of his court on this occasion
were more than magnificent; a vast and splendid
edifice that seemed to be endued with the magni
ficence, and to rise almost with the celerity of that
prepared by the slaves of the lamp, where the
richest tapestry and silk embroidery-the costliest
produce of the most accomplished artisans, were
almost unnoticed amid the gold and jewellery by
which they were surrounded-where all that art
could produce, or riches devise had been lavished-
all this has been often described. And the tent
itself, the nucleus of the show, the point where the
"brother" kings were to confer, was hung round
with cloth of gold: the posts, the cones, the cords,
the tents, were all of the same precious metal, which
glittered here in such excessive profusion as to give
I that title to the meeting which has superseded all
others" The Field of the Cloth of Gold.”
This gaudy pageant was the prelude to an era of
great interest, for while dwelling on the "galanty
shew" we cannot forget that now reigned Solyman
the magnificent, and that this was the age of Leo
the Tenth; that Charles the Fifth was now begin-
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTII OF GOLD. 239
ning his influential course; that a Sir Thomas More
graced England; and that in Germany there was
"one Martin Luther," who "belonged to an order of
strolling friars." Under Leo's munificent encou-
ragement, Rafaello produced those magnificent
creations which have been the inspiration of subse-
quent ages; and at home, under Wolsey's en-
lightened patronage, colleges were founded, learning
was encouraged, and the College of Physicians first
instituted in 1518, found in him one of its warmest
advocates and firmest supporters.
A modern writer gives the following amusing
picture of part of the bustle attendant on the event
we are considering. "The palace (of Westminster)
and all its precincts became the elysium of tailors,
embroiderers, and sempstresses. There might you
see many a shady form gliding about from apartment
to apartment, with smiling looks and extended
shears, or armed with ell-wands more potent than
Mercury's rod, driving many a poor soul to per-
dition, and transforming his goodly acres into velvet
suits, with tags of cloth of gold. So continual were
the demands upon every kind of artisan, that the
impossibility of executing them threw several into
despair. One tailor who is reported to have under-
taken to furnish fifty embroidered suits in three
days, on beholding the mountain of gold and velvet
that cumbered his shop-board, saw, like Brutus, the
impossibility of victory, and, with Roman fortitude,
fell on his own shears. Three armourers are said
to have been completely melted with the heat of
their furnaces; and an unfortunate goldsmith swal-
240
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.
lowed molten silver to escape the persecutions of
the day.
"The road from London to Canterbury was co-
vered during one whole week with carts and wag-
gons, mules, horses, and soldiers; and so great was
the confusion, that marshals were at length stationed
to keep the whole in order, which of course increased
the said confusion a hundred fold. So many were
the ships passing between Dover and Calais, that
the historians affirm they jostled each other on the
road like a herd of great black porkers.
"The King went from station to station like a
shepherd, driving all the better classes of the country
before him, and leaving not a single straggler be-
hind."
Though we do not implicitly credit every point of
this humorous statement, we think a small portion
of description from the old chronicler Hall (we will
really inflict only a small portion on our readers)
will justify a good deal of it; but more especially it
will enlighten us as to some of the elaborate con-
ceits of the day, in which, it seems, the needle was
as fully occupied as the pen.
Indeed, what would the "Field of the Cloth of
Gold" have been without the skill of the needle-
woman? Would it have been at all?
"The Frenche kyng sette hymself on a courser
barded, covered with purple sattin, broched with
golde, and embraudered with corbyns fethers round
and buckeled; the fether was blacke and hached
with gold. Corbyn is a rauen, and the firste silable
of corbyn is Cor, whiche is a harte, a penne in Eng-
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD. 241
lish, is a fether in Frenche, and signifieth pain, and
so it stode; this fether round was endles, the buckels
wherwith the fethers wer fastened, betokeneth
sothfastnes, thus was the devise, harte fastened in
pain endles, or pain in harte fastened endles.
"Wednesdaie the 13 daie of June, the twoo
hardie kynges armed at all peces, entered into the
feld right nobly appareled, the Frenche kyng and
all his parteners of chalenge were arraied in purple
sattin, broched with golde and purple velvet, em-
brodered with litle rolles of white sattin wherein
was written quando, all bardes and garmentes wer
set full of the same, and all the residue where was
no rolles, were poudered and set with the letter ell
as thus, L, whiche in Frenche is she, which was in-
terpreted to be quando elle, when she, and ensuyng
the devise of the first daie it signifieth together,
harte fastened in pain endles, when she.
Co
The Frenche kyng likewise armed at al pointes
mounted on a courser royal, all his apparel as wel
bardes as garmentes were purple velvet, entred the
one with the other, embrodred ful of litle bookes of
white satten, and in the bokes were written a me;
aboute the borders of the bardes and the borders of
the garmentes, a chaine of blewe like iron, resem-
blyng the chayne of a well or prison chaine, whiche
was enterpreted to be liber, a booke; within this
boke was written as is sayed, a me, put these two
together, and it maketh libera me; the chayne be-
tokeneth prison or bondes. and so maketh together
in Englishe, deliver me of bodes; put to ye reason,
the fyrst day, second day, and third day of chaunge,
for he chaunged but the second day, and it is hart
M
242 THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF gold.
fastened in paine endles, when she deliuereth me not
of bondes; thus was thinterpretation made, but
whether it were so in all thinges or not I may not
say."
The following animated picture from an author
already quoted, has been drawn of this spirit-stirring
scene:
66
Upon a large open green, that extended on the
outside of the walls, was to be seen a multitude of
tents of all kinds and colours, with a multitude of
busy human beings, employed in raising fresh pa-
vilions on every open space, or in decorating those
already spread with streamers, pennons, and banners
of all the bright hues under the sun. Long lines of
horses and mules, loaded with armour or baggage,
and ornamented with gay ribbons to put them in
harmony with the scene, were winding about all over
the plain, some proceeding towards the town, some
seeking the tents of their several lords, while min-
gled amongst them, appeared various bands of
soldiers, on horseback and on foot, with the rays of
the declining sun catching upon the heads of their
bills and lances; and together with the white cas-
sock and broad red cross, marking them out from
all the other objects. Here and there, too, might
be seen a party of knights and gentlemen cantering
over the plain, and enjoying the bustle of the scene,
or standing in separate groups, issuing their orders
for the erection and garnishing of their tents; while
couriers, and poursuivants, and heralds, in all their
gay dresses, mingled wtth mule drivers, lacqueys,
and peasants, armourers, pages, and tent stretchers,
made up the living part of the landscape.
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD. 243
CC
The sounding of the trumpets to horse, the
shouts of the various leaders, the loud cries of
the marshals and heralds, and the roaring of artil
lery from the castle, as the king put his foot in the
stirrup, all combined to make one general outcry
rarely equalled. Gradually the tumult subsided,
gradually also the confused assemblage assumed a
regular form. Flags, and pennons, and banderols,
embroidered banners, and scutcheons; silver pillars,
and crosses, and crooks, ranged themselves in long
line; and the bright procession, an interminable
stream of living gold, began to wind across the
plain. First came about five hundred of the gayest
and wealthiest gentlemen of England, below the
rank of baron; squires, knights, and bannerets, ri-
valling each other in the richness of their apparel
and the beauty of their horses; while the pennons
of the knights fluttered above their heads, marking
the place of the English chivalry. Next appeared
the proud barons of the realm, each with his banner
borne before him, and followed by a custrel with the
shield of his arms. To these again succeeded the
bishops, not in the simple robes of the Protestant
clergy, but in the more gorgeous habits of the
Church of Rome; while close upon their steps rode
the higher nobility, surrounding the immediate
person of the king, and offering the most splendid
mass of gold and jewels that the summer sun ever
shone upon.
Slowly the procession moved forward to allow
the line of those on foot to keep an equal pace. Nor
did this band offer a less gay and pleasing sight
M 2
244
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.
than the cavalcade, for here might be seen the
athletic forms of the sturdy English yeomanry,
clothed in the various splendid liveries of their
several lords, with the family cognisance embroi-
dered on the bosom and arm, and the banners and
banderols of their particular houses carried in the
front of each company. Here also was to be seen
the picked guard of the King of England, magni-
ficently dressed for the occasion, with the royal
banner carried in their centre by the deputy standard
bearer, and the banner of their company by their
own ancient. In the rear of all, marshalled by
officers appointed for the purpose, came the band
of those whose rank did not entitle them to take
place in the cavalcade, but who had sufficient in-
terest at court to be admitted to the meeting.
Though of an inferior class, this company was not
the least splendid in the field; for here were all the
wealthy tradesmen of the court, habited in many a
rich garment, furnished by the extravagance of
those that rode before; and many a gold chain
hung round their necks, that not long ago had lain
in the purse of some prodigal customer.”
But we cease, being fully of opinion with the old
chronicler that "to tell the apparel of the ladies,
their riche attyres, their sumptuous juelles, their
diversities of beauties, and their goodly behaviour
from day to day sithe the fyrst metyng, I assure
you ten mennes wittes can scarce declare it."
And in a few days, a few short days, all was at
an end; and the pomp and the pageantry, the mirth
and the revelry, was but as a dream-a most bitter,
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD. 245
indeed, and painful dream to hundreds who had
bartered away their substance for the sake of a
transient glitter:
"We seken fast after felicite
But we go wrong ful often trewely,
Thus may we sayen alle."
Homely indeed, after the paraphernalia of the
"Field of the Cloth of Gold," would appear the
homes of England on the return of their masters.
For though the nobles had begun to remove the
martial fronts of their castles, and endeavoured to
render them more commodious, yet in architecture
the nation participated neither the spirit nor the
taste of its sovereign. The mansions of the gentle-
men were, we are told, still sordid; the huts of the
peasantry poor and wretched. The former were
generally thatched buildings composed of timber,
or, where wood was scarce, of large posts inserted in
the earth, filled up in the interstices with rubbish,
plastered within, and covered on the outside with
coarse clay. The latter were light frames, prepared
in the forest at small expense, and when erected,
probably covered with mud. In cities the houses
were constructed mostly of the same materials, for
bricks were still too costly for general use; and the
stories seem to have projected forward as they rose
in height, intercepting sunshine and air from the
streets beneath. The apartments were stifling,
lighted by lattices, so contrived as to prohibit the
occasional and salutary admission of external air.
The floors were of clay, strewed with rushes, which
often remained for years a receptacle of every pol-
lution.*
* Henry.
246
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.
tures.
In an inventory of the goods and chattels of Sir
Andrew Foskewe, Knight, dated in the 30th year of
King Henry the Eighth, are the following furni
We select the hall and the best parlour, in
which he entertained company, first premising that
he possessed a large and noble service of rich
plate worth an amazing sum, and so much land as
proved him to be a wealthy man ;—
"The hall.-A hangin of greine say, bordered
with darneng (or needlework); item a grete side
table, with standinge tressels; item a small joyned
cuberde, of waynscott, and a short piece of counter-
fett carpett upon it; item a square cuberde, and a
large piece of counterfett wyndowe, and five formes,
&c.
"Perler.-Imprim., a hangynge of greene say and
red, panede; item a table with two tressels, and a
greyne verders carpet upon it; three greyne verders
cushyns; a joyned cupberd, and a carpett upon it;
a piece of verders carpet in one window, and a piece
of counterfeit carpett in the other; one Flemishe
chaire; four joyned stooles; a joyned forme; a
wyker skryne; two large awndyerns, a fyer forke,
a fyer pan, a payer of tonges; item a lowe joyned
stole; two joyned foote-stoles; a rounde table of
cipress; and a piece of counterfeitt carpett upon it;
item a paynted table (or picture) of the Epiphany
of our Lord.
دو
*
But notwithstanding this apparent meagreness of
accommodation, luxury in architecture was making
rapid strides in the land. Wolsey was as magnifi-
cent in this taste as in others, as Hampton Court,
*Strutt's Manners and Customs.
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD. 247
" a residence," says Grotius," befitting rather a
god than a king," yet remains to attest. The walls of
his chambers at York Place, (Whitehall,) were hung
with cloth of gold, and tapestry still more precious,
representing the most remarkable events in sacred
history for the easel was then subordinate to the
loom.
The subjects of the tapestry in York Place con-
sisted, we are told, of triumphs, probably Roman;
the story of Absalom, bordered with the cardinal's
arms; the Petition of Esther, and the Honouring of
Mordecai; the History of Sampson, bordered with
the cardinal's arms; the History of Solomon; the
History of Susannah and the Elders, bordered with
the cardinal's arms; the History of Jacob, also bor-
dered; Holofernes and Judith, bordered; the Story
of Joseph, of David, of St. John the Baptist; the
History of the Virgin; the Passion of Christ; the
Worthies; the Story of Nebuchadnezzar; a Pil-
grimage; all bordered.
This place-Whitehall-Henry decorated magni-
ficently; erected splendid gateways, and threw a
gallery across to the Park, where he erected a tilt-
yard, with all royal and courtly appurtenances, and
converted the whole into a royal manor. This was
not until after fire had ravaged the ancient, time-
honoured, and kingly palace of Westminster, a place
which perhaps was the most truly regal of any
which England ever beheld. Recorded as a royal re-
sidence as early-almost-as there is record of the
existence of our venerable abbey; inhabited by
Knute the Dane; rebuilt by Edward the Confessor;
remodelled by Henry the Third; receiving lustre
248
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.
from the residence, and ever-added splendour from
the liberality of a long line of illustrious monarchs,
it had obtained a hold on the mind which is even
yet not passed away, although the ravages of time,
and of fire, and the desecrations of subsequent
ages, have scarcely left stone or token of the original
structure.
After the fire, however, Henry forsook it. He it
was who first built St. James's Palace on the site of
an hospital which had formerly stood there. He also
possessed, amongst other royal retreats, Havering
Bower, so called from the legend of St. Edward re-
ceiving a ring from St. John the Evangelist on this
spot by the hands of a pilgrim from the Holy Land;
which legend is represented at length in Westminster
Abbey; Eltham, in Kent, where the king frequently
passed his Christmas; Greenwich, where Elizabeth
was born; and Woodstock, celebrated for
"the unhappy fate
Of Rosamond, who long ago
Prov'd most unfortunate."
The ancient palace of the Savoy had changed its
destination as a royal residence only in his father's
time. With the single exception of Westminster—
if indeed that-the most magnificent palace which
the hand of liberality ever raised, which the finger
of taste ever embellished. Various indeed have been
the changes to which it has been doomed, and now
not one stone remains on another to say that such
things have been. Now-of the thousands who
traverse the spot, scarce one, at long and far distant
intervals, may glance at the dim memories of the
past, to think of the plumed knights and high-born
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.
249
dames who revelled in its halls; the crowned and
anointed kings who, monarch or captive, trod its
lofty chambers; the gleaming warriors who paced its
embattled courts; the gracious queen who caused its
walls to echo the sounds of joy; the subtle heads
which plodded beneath its gloomy shades; the un-
happy exiles who found a refuge within its dim
recesses; or* the lame, the sick, the impotent, who
in the midst of suffering blessed the home that
sheltered them, the hands that ministered to their
woes.
No. The majestic walls of the Savoy are in the
dust, and not merely all trace, but all idea of its
radiant gardens and sunny bowers, its sparkling
fountains and verdant lawns, is lost even to the
imagination in the matter-of-fact, business-like de-
meanour of the myriads of plodders who are ever
traversing the dusty and bustling environs of Water-
loo-bridge. In our closets we may perchance com-
pel the unromantic realities of the present to yield
beneath the brilliant imaginations of the past; but
on the spot itself it is impossible.
Who can stand in Wellington street, on the verge
of Waterloo-bridge, and fancy it a princely mansion
from the lofty battlements of which a royal banner
is flying, while numerous retainers keep watch below?
Probably the sounds of harp and song may be heard
as lofty nobles and courtly dames are seen to tread
the verdant alleys and flower-bestrewn paths which
lead to the bright and glancing river, where a costly
barge (from which the sounds proceed) is waiting
* It was at length converted into an hospital.
M 3
250
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD.
its distinguished freight. Ever and anon are these
seen gliding along in the sunbeams, or resting at
the avenue leading to one or other of the noble
mansions with which the bright strand is sprinkled.
Of these, perhaps, the most gorgeous is York-
place, while farthest in the distance rise the fortified
walls of the old palace of Westminster, inferior only
to those of the ancient abbey, which are seen to
rise, dimmed, yet distinct, in the soft but glowing
haze cast around by the setting sun.
And that building seen on the opposite side of
the river? Strangely situated it seems, and in a
swamp, and with none of the felicity of aspect ap-
pertaining to its loftier neighbour, the Savoy. Yet
its lofty tower, its embattled gateway, seem to infer
some important destination. And such it had.
The unassuming and unattractively placed edifice
has outlived its more aspiring neighbours; and
while the stately palace of the Savoy is extinct, and
the slight remains of Westminster are desecrated,
the time-honoured walls of Lambeth yet shelter the
head of learning and dignify the location in which
they were reared.
Eastward of our position the city looks dim and
crowded; but, with the exception of the sprinkled
mansions to which we have alluded, there is little to
break the natural characteristics of the scene be-
tween Temple-bar and the West Minster. The her-
mitage and hospital on the site of Northumberland
House harmonise well with the scene; the little
cluster of cottages at Charing has a rural aspect;
and that beautiful and touching memento of un-
failing love and undiminished affection—that tribute
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD 251
to all that was good and excellent in woman-the
Cross, which, formed of the purest and, as yet, un-
soiled white marble, raised its emblem of faith and
hope, gleaming like silver in the brilliant sky-that
-would that we had it still!
Somewhat nearer, the May-pole stands out in gay
relief from the woods which envelop the hills north-
ward, where yet the timid fawn could shelter, and
the fearful hare forget its watch; where yet per-
chance the fairies held their revels when the moon
shone bright; where they filled to the brim the
fairy-cups" and pledged each other in dew; where
they played at "hide and seek" in the harebells,
ran races in the branches of the trees, and nestled
on the leaves, on which they glittered like diamonds;
where they launched their tiny barks on the spark-
ling rivulets, breathing ere morning's dawn on the
flowers to awaken them, tinting the gossamer's web
with silver, and scattering pearls over the drops of
dew.
Closer around, among meadows and pastures, are
all sounds and emblems of rural life; which as yet.
are but agreeably varied, not ruthlessly annihilated,
by the encroachments of population and the increase
of trade.
Truly this is a difficult picture to realise on
Waterloo-bridge, yet is it nevertheless a tolerably
correct one of this portion of our metropolis at the
time of "The Field of the Cloth of Gold.”
252
CHAPTER XVI.
THE NEEDLE.
"A grave Reformer of old Rents decay'd.”—J. Taylor.
"His garment-
With thornes together pind and patched was.”
FAERIE QUEEne.
Hodge. "Tush, tush, her neele, her neele, her neele, man; tys
neither flesh nor fish,
A lytle thing with an hole in the ende, as bright as any
syller,
Small, long, sharp at the point, and straight as any
piller."
Diccon. "I know not what it is thou menest, thou bringst me more
in doubt."
Hodge. “Knowest not what Tom tailor's man sits broching thro'
a clout ?
A neele, a neele, a neele, my gammer's neele is gone.
GAMMER GURTON'S NEEDle.
It is said in the old chronicles that previous to the
arrival of Anne of Bohemia, Queen of Richard the
Second, the English ladies fastened their robes with
skewers; but as it is known that pins were in use
among the early British, since in the barrows that
have been opened numbers of "neat and efficient"
ivory pins were found to have been used in arrang-
THE NEEDLE.
253
ing the grave-clothes, it is probable that this remark
is unfounded.
The pins of a later date than the above were made
of boxwood, bone, ivory, and some few of silver.
They were larger than those of the present day,
which seem to have been unknown in England till
about the middle of the fifteenth century. In 1543,
however, the manufacture of brass pins had become
sufficiently important to claim the attention of the
legislature, an Act having been passed that year by
which it was enacted, "That no person shall put to
sale any pins, but only such as shall be double
headed and have the head soldered fast to the
shank, the pins well smoothed, and the shank well
sharpened."
Gloucestershire is noted for the number of its pin
manufactories. They were first introduced in that
county, in 1626, by John Tilsby; and it is said that
at this time they employ 1,500 hands, and send up
to the metropolis upwards of £20,000 of pins an-
nually.
Our motto says, however, that his garment
"With thornes together pind and patched was ;"
and a French writer says, that before the invention
of steel needles people were obliged to make use of
thorns, fish bones, &c., but that since "l'établisse-
ment des sociétés, ce petit outil est devenu d'un
usage indispensable dans une infinité d'arts et d'oc-
casions
"J
He proceeds: "De toutes les manières d'attacher
l'un à l'autre deux corps flexibles, celle qui se
pratique avec l'aiguille est une des plus universelle-
254
THE NEEDLE.
ment répandues: aussi distingue-t'-on un grand
nombre d'aiguilles différentes. On a les aiguilles à
coudre, ou de tailleur; les aiguilles de chirurgie,
d'artillerie, de bonnetier, ou faiseur de bas au mé-
tier, d'horloger, de cirier, de drapier, de gainier, de
perruquier, de coiffeuse, de faiseur de coiffe à per-
ruques, de piqueur d'étuis, tabatières, et autres
semblables ouvrages; de sellier, d'ouvrier en soie,
de brodeur, de tapissier, de chandellier, d'emballeur;
à matelas, à empointer, à tricoter, à enfiler, à presser,
à brocher, à relier, à natter, à boussole ou aimantée,
&c. &c."
Needles are said to have been first made in Eng-
land by a native of India, in 1545, but the art was
lost at his death; it was, however, recovered by
Christopher Greening, in 1560, who was settled with
his three children, Elizabeth, John, and Thomas, by
Mr. Damar, ancestor of the present Lord Milton,
at Long Crendon, in Bucks, where the manufactory
has been carried on from that time to the present
period.*
Thus our readers will remark, that until far on in
the sixteenth century, there was not a needle to be
had but of foreign manufacture; and bearing this
circumstance in mind, they will be able to enter
more fully into the feelings of those who set such
inestimable value on a needle. And, indeed, if all
we are told of them be true, needles could not be
* It is worth while to remark the circumstance, that by a machine
of the simplest construction, being nothing in fact but a tray, 20,000
needles thrown promiscuously together, mixed and entangled in every
way, are laid parallel, heads to heads, and points to points, in the
course of three or four minutes.
THE NEEDLE.
255
too highly esteemed. For instance, we were told of
an old woman who had used one needle so long and
so constantly for mending stockings, that at last the
needle was able to do them of itself. At length,
and while the needle was in the full perfection of its
powers, the old woman died. A neighbour, whose
numerous " "olive branches" caused her to have a
full share of matronly employment, hastened to
possess herself of this domestic treasure, and ga-
thered round her the weekly accumulation of sew-
ing, not doubting but that with her new ally, the
wonder-working needle, the unwieldy work-basket
would be cleared, "in no time," of its overflowing
contents. But even the all-powerful needle was of
no avail without thread, and she forthwith proceeded
to invest it with a long one. But thread it she could
not; it resisted her most strenuous endeavours. In
vain she turned and re-turned the needle, the eye
was plain enough to be seen; in vain she cut and
screwed the thread, she burnt it in the candle, she
nipped it with the scissars, she rolled it with her
lips, she twizled it between her finger and thumb:
the pointed end was fine as fine could be, but enter
the eye of the needle it would not At length, de-
termined not to relinquish her project whilst any
hope remained of its accomplishment, she borrowed
a magnifying glass to examine the "little weapon
more accurately. And there," large as life and
twice as natural," a pearly gem, a translucent drop,
a crystal tear stood right in the gap, and filled to
overflowing the eye of the needle. It was weeping
for the death of its old mistress; it refused conso-
lation; it was never threaded again.
256
THE NEEDLE.
We give this incident on the testimony of a gal-
lant naval officer; an unquestionable authority,
though we are fully aware that some of our readers
may be ungenerously sceptical, and perhaps even
rude enough to attempt some vile pun about the
brave sailor's “drawing a long yarn."
If, however, Gammer Gurton's needle resembled
the one we have just referred to, and that, too, at a
time when a needle, even not supernaturally en-
dowed, was not to be had of English manufacture,
and therefore could only be purchased probably at
a high price, we cannot wonder at the aggrieved
feelings of her domestic circle when the catastrophe
occurred which is depicted as follows:-The parties
interested were the Dame Gammer Gurton herself;
Hodge, her farming man; Tib, her maid; Cocke,
her boy; and Gib, her cat. The play from which
our quotation is taken is not without some preten-
sions to wit, though of the coarsest kind: it is sup-
posed to have been first performed at Christ's Col-
lege, Cambridge, in 1566; and Warton observes on
it, that while Latimer's sermons were in vogue at
court, Gammer Gurton's needle might well be
tolerated at the university.
ACT I. SCENE 3. HODge and Tib.
Hodge. "I am agast, by the masse, I wot not what to do;
I had need blesse me well before I go them to:
Perchance, some felon spirit may haunt our house indeed,
And then I were but a noddy to venter where's no need."
Tib. "I'm worse than mad, by the masse, to be at this stay.
I'm chid, I'm blam'd, and beaten all th' hours on the
day.
Lamed and hunger starved, pricked up all in jagges,
Having no patch to hide my backe, save a few rotten
ragges."
THE NEEDLE.
257
Hodge. "I say, Tib, if thou he Tib, as I trow sure thou be,
What devil make ado is this between our dame and thee ?"
Tib. "Truly, Hodge, thou had a good turn thou wart not here this
while;
It had been better for some of us to have been hence a
mile :
My Gammer is so out of course, and frantike all at once,
That Cocke, our boy, and I poor wench, have felt it on
our bones."
Hodge. "What is the matter, say on, Tib, whereat she taketh
so on ?"
Tib." She is undone, she saith (alas) her life and joy is gone:
(C
If she hear not of some comfort, she is she saith but dead,
Shall never come within her lips, on inch of meat ne
bread.
And heavy, heavy is her grief, as, Hodge, we all shall
feel."-
Hodge. My conscience, Tib, my Gammer has never lost her
neele ?"
Tib. "Her neele."
Hodge." Her neele ?"
Tib. “Her neele, by him that made me !”
Hodge. "How a murrain came this chaunce (say Tib) unto her
dame?
Tib. "My Gammer sat her down on the pes, and bade me reach
thy breches,
And by and by, a vengeance on it, or she had take two
stitches
To clout upon the knee, by chaunce aside she lears,
And Gib our cat, in the milk pan, she spied over head and
ears.
Ah! out, out, theefe, she cried aloud, and swapt the
breeches down,
Up went her staffe, and out leapt Gib at doors into the
town:
And since that time was never wight cold set their eyes
upon it.
God's malison she have Cocke and I bid twentie times
light on it."
Hodge. "And is not then my breches sewed up, to-morrow that I
shuld wear?"
258
THE NEEDLE.
Tib. "No, in faith, Hodge, thy breches lie, for all this never the
near."
Hodge. "Now a vengeance light on al the sort, that better shold
have kept it;
The cat, the house, and Tib our maid, that better should
have swept it.
Se, where she cometh crawling! Come on, come on thy
lagging way;
Ye have made a fair daies worke, have you not? pray
you, say."
ACT I. SCENE 4. GAMMER, Hodge, Tib, Cocke.
Gammer. “ Alas, alas, I may well curse and ban
This day, that ever I saw it, with Gib and the milke
pan.
For these, and ill lucke together, as knoweth Cocke my
boy,
Have stacke away my dear neele, and rob'd me of my
joy,
My fair long straight neele, that was mine only trea-
sure,
The first day of my sorrow is, and last of my pleasure.”
Hodge. "Might ha kept it when ye had it; but fools will be fools
still:
Lose that is fast in your hands? ye need not, but ye
will."
Gommer. "Go hie the, Tib, and run along, to th' end here of the
town.
Didst carry out dust in thy lap? seek where thou porest
it down;
And as thou sawest me roking in the ashes where I
morned,
So see in all the heap of dust thou leave no straw un-
turned."
Hodge. "Your neele lost? it is pitie you shold lacke care and endles
sorrow.
Tell me, how shall my breches be sewid? shall I go
thus to-morrow ?"
Gammer. “Ah, Hodge, Hodge, if that I could find my neele, by
the reed,
THE NEEDLE.
259
I'd sew thy breches, I promise the, with full good
double threed,
And set a patch on either knee, shall last this months
twain,
Now God, and Saint Sithe, I pray, to send it back
again."
Hodge. "Whereto served your hands and eyes, but your neele
keep?
What devil had you els to do? ye keep, I wot, no
sheep.
I'm fain abrode to dig and delve, in water, mire and
clay,
Sossing and possing in the dirt, still from day to day
A hundred things that be abroad, I'm set to see them
weel;
And four of you sit idle at home, and cannot keep a
neele."
Gammer. "My neele, alas, I lost, Hodge, what time I me up
hasted,
To save milk set up for thee, which Gib our cat hath
wasted."
Hodge. "The devil he take both Gib and Tib, with all the rest;
Im always sure of the worst end, whoever have the
best.
Where ha you ben fidging abroad, since you your neele
lost ?"
Gammer. "Within the house, and at the door, sitting by this same
post;
Where I was looking a long hour, before these folke
came here
But, wel away! all was in vain, my neele is never the
near !"
"Gammer Gurton's Needle," says Hazlitt, "is a
regular comedy, in five acts, built on the circum-
stance of an old woman having lost her needle
which throws the whole village into confusion, till it
is at last providentially found sticking in an un-
lucky part of Hodge's dress. This must evidently
have happened at a time when the manufactures of
260
THE NEEDLE.
Sheffield and Birmingham had not reached the
height of perfection which they have at present
done. Suppose that there is only one sewing needle
in a village, that the owner, a diligent notable old
dame, loses it, that a mischief-making wag sets it
about that another old woman has stolen this valu-
able instrument of household industry, that strict
search is made every where in-doors for it in vain,
and that then the incensed parties sally forth to
scold it out in the open air, till words end in blows,
and the affair is referred over to the higher autho-
rities, and we shall have an exact idea (though,
perhaps, not so lively a one) of what passes in this
authentic document between Gammer Gurton and
her gossip Dame Chat; Dickon the Bedlam (the
causer of these harms); Hodge, Gammer Gurton's
servant; Tyb, her maid; Cocke, her 'prentice boy;
Doll Scapethrift; Master Baillie, his master; Dr.
Rat, the curate; and Gib, the cat, who may fairly
be reckoned one of the dramatis persona, and per-
forms no mean part."
From the needle itself the transition is easy to
the needlework which was in vogue at the time when
this little implement was so valuable and rare a
commodity. We are told that the various kinds of
needlework practised at this time would, if enume-
rated, astonish even the most industrious of our
modern ladies. The lover of Shakspeare will re-
member that the term point device is often used by
him, and that, indeed, it is a term frequently met
with in the writers of that age with various appli-
cations; and it is originally derived, according to
Mr. Douce, from the fine stitchery of the ladies.
THE NEEDLE.
261
It has been properly stated, that point device sig-
nifies exact, nicely, finical; but nothing has been
offered concerning the etymology, except that we
got the expression from the French. It has, in
fact, been supplied from the labours of the needle.
Poinct, in the French language, denotes a stitch;
devise any thing invented, disposed, or arranged.
Point devise was, therefore, a particular sort of pat-
terned lace worked with the needle; and the term
point lace is still familiar to every female. They
had likewise their point-coupé, point-compté, dentelle
au point devant l'aiguille, &c. &c.
But it is apparent, he adds, that the expression
point devise became applicable, in a secondary sense,
to whatever was uncommonly exact, or constructed
with the nicety and precision of stitches made or
devised with the needle.
Various books of patterns of needlework for the
assistance and encouragement of the fair stitchers
were published in those days. Mr. Douce enume-
rates some of them, and the omission of any part of
his notation would be unpardonable in the present
work.
The earliest on the list is an Italian book, under
the title of "Esemplario di lavori: dove le tenere
fanciulle et altre donne nobile potranno facilmente
imparare il modo et ordine di lavorare, cusire, racca-
mare, et finalment far tutte quelle gentillezze et
lodevili opere, le quali pò fare una donna virtuosa
con laco in mano, con li suoi compasse et misure.
Vinegia, per Nicolo D'Aristotile detto Zoppino,
MDXXIX. 8vo."
* Illustrations, vol. ii.
p.
92.
262
THE NEEDLE.
CC
The next that occurs was likewise set forth by an
Italian, and entitled, Les singuliers et nouveaux
pourtraicts du Seigneur Federic de Vinciolo Veni-
tien, pour toutes sortes d'ouvrages de lingerie.
Paris, 1588. 4to." It is dedicated to the Queen of
of France, and had been already twice published.
In 1599 a second part came out, which is much
more difficult to be met with than the former, and
sometimes contains a neat portrait, by Gaultier, of
Catherine de Bourbon, the sister of Henry the
Fourth.
The next is "Nouveaux pourtraicts de point
coupé et dantelles en petite moyenne et grande
forme, nouvellement inventez et mis en lumière.
Imprimé à Montbeliard, 1598. 4to." It has an ad-
dress to the ladies, and a poem exhorting young
damsels to be industrious; but the author's name
does not appear. Vincentio's work was published
in England, and printed by John Wolfe, under the
title of "New and Singular Patternes and Workes
of Linnen, serving for paternes to make all sortes of
lace, edginges, and cutworkes. Newly invented for
the profite and contentment of ladies, gentilwomen,
and others that are desireous of this Art. 1591. 4to."
He seems also to have printed it with a French
title.
We have then another English book, of which
this is the title: "Here foloweth certaine Patternes
of Cutworkes; newly invented and never published
before. Also, sundry sortes of spots, as flowers,
birdes, and fishes, &c., and will fitly serve to be
wrought, some with gould, some with silke, and
some with crewell in coullers; or otherwise at your
THE NEEDLE.
263
pleasure. And never but once published before.
Printed by Rich. Shorleyker." No date. In oblong
quarto.
And lastly, another oblong quarto, entitled, "The
Needle's Excellency, a new booke, wherein are di-
vers admirable workes wrought with the needle.
Newly invented and cut in copper for the pleasure
and profit of the industrious." Printed for James
Boler, &c., 1640. Beneath this title is a neat en-
graving of three ladies in a flower garden, under
the names of Wisdom, Industrie, and Follie. Pre-
fixed to the patterns are sundry poems in commend-
ation of the needle, and describing the characters
of ladies who have been eminent for their skill in
needlework, among whom are Queen Elizabeth and
the Countess of Pembroke. The poems were com-
posed by John Taylor the water poet. It appears
that the work had gone through twelve impressions,
and yet a copy is now scarcely to be met with. This
may be accounted for by supposing that such books
were generally cut to pieces, and used by women to
work upon or transfer to their samplers. From the
dress of a lady and gentleman on one of the pat-
terns in the last mentioned book, it appears to have
been originally published in the reign of James the
First. All the others are embellished with a multitude
of patterns elegantly cut in wood, several of which are
eminently conspicuous for their taste and beauty.
We are happy to add a little further information
on some of these works, and on others preserved in
the British Museum.
"Les singuliers et nouveaux Pourtraicts du Sei-
gneur Federic de Vinciolo Venitien, pour toutes
264
THE NEEDLE.
sortes d'ouvrages de Lingerie. Dédié à la Reyne.
A Paris, 1578."*
The book opens with a sonnet to the fair, which
announces to them an admirable motive for the
work itself:
"Pour tromper vos ennuis, et l'esprit employer."
Aux Dames et Damoiselles.
SONNET.
“ L'un s'efforce à gaigner le cœur des grāds Seigneurs
Pour posseder en fin une exquise richesse;
L'autre aspire aux estats, pour monter en altesse,
Et l'autre, par la guerre alléche les honneurs.
Quand à moy, seulement pour chasser mes langueurs,
Je me sen satisfaict de vivre en petitesse,
Et de faire si bien, qu'aux Dames ie delaisse
Un grand contentement en mes graves labeurs.
"Prenez doncques en gré (mes Dames) ie vous prie,
Ces pourtrais ouvragez lesquels ie vous dedie,
Pour tromper vos ennuis, et l'esprit employer.
"En ceste nouveauté, pourrez beaucoup apprendre,
Et maistresses en fin en cest œuvre vous rendre,
Le travail est plaisant: Si grand est le loyer.”
Which, barring elegant diction and poetic rule,
may be read thus :—
Whilst one man worships lordly state
As yielding all that he desires-
This, fertile acres begs from fate;
Another, bloody laurels fires.
To dissipate my devils blue,
Trifles, I'm satisfied to do;
For surely if the fair I please,
My very labours smack of ease.
*This seems to be a somewhat earlier edition of the second book
in Mr. Douce's list.
THE NEEDLE.
265
Take then, fair ladies, I you pray,
The book which at your feet I lay,
To make you happy, brisk and gay.
learn anew,
There's much you here may
Which comme il faut will render you,
And bring you joy and honour too.
Proceed we to the-
Ouvrages de point Coupé," of which there are
thirty-six. Some birds, animals, and figures are
introduced; but the patterns are chiefly arabesque,
set off in white, on a thick black ground.
Then, with a repetition of the ornamented title-
page, come about fifty patterns, which are repre-
sented much like the German patterns of the present
day, in squares for stitches, but not so finely wrought
as some which we shall presently notice. These
patterns consist of arabesques, figures, birds, beasts,
flowers, in every variety. To many the stitches are
ready counted (as well as pourtrayed), thus:—
"Ce Pélican contient en longueur 70 mailles, et
en hauteur 65.” This pattern of maternity is repre-
sented as pecking her breast, towards which three
young ones are flying; their course being indicated
by the three lines of white stitches, all converging
to the living nest.
Ce Griffon cõtient en hauteur 58 mailles, et en
lõgueur 67." Small must be the skill of the needle-
woman who does not make this a very rampant
animal indeed.
"Ce Paon contient en longueur 65 mailles, et en
hauteur 61."
<<
La Licorne en hauteur cõtiết 44 mailles, et en
longueur 62, &c. &c."
N
266
THE NEEDLE.
56
La bordure contient 25 mailles."
La bordure de haut cotiết 35 mailles." This is
a very handsome one, resembling pine apples.
"Ce quarré contient 65 mailles." There are se-
veral of these squares, and borders appended, of
very rich patterns.
But the book contains far more ambitious designs.
There are Sol, Luna, Mars, Mercury. Jupiter, Venus,
Saturn, Neptune, and others, whose dignities and
vocation must be inferred from the emblematical
accompaniments.
There is "La Déesse des fleurs représentant le
printemps."
"La Déesse des Bleds representant l'esté."
"Ce Baccus representant l'Autonne."
"Ceste figure representant l'hiver," &c. &c.
Appended is this "Extraict du Privilege."
"Per grace et privelege du Roy, est permis a Jean
le Clerc le jeune, tailleur d'histoires à Paris, d'im-
primer ou faire imprimer vedre et distribuer un livre
intitulé livre de patrons de Lingerie, DEDIE a la
ROYNE, nouvellement inventé par le Seigneur Fe-
deric de Vinciolo Venitien, avec deffences à tous
Libraires, Imprimeurs, ou autres, de quelque con-
dition et qualité quilz soyent, de faire ny contrefaire,
aptisser ny agrādir, ou pocher lesdits figures, ny
exposer en vente ledict Livre sans le cogé ou per-
mission dudict le Clerc, et ce jusques au temps et
terme de neuf ans finis et accomplis, sur peine de
confiscation de tous les livres qui se trouveront im-
primez, et damande arbitraire: comme plus a plein
est declaré en lettres patentes, données à Paris ce
douziesme jour de Novembre, 1587."
THE NEEDLE.
267
Another work, preserved in the British Museum,
was published at Strasbourg, 1596, seemingly from
designs of the same Vinciolo. These consist of
about six-and-thirty plates, with patterns in white
on a black ground, consisting of a few birds and
figures, but chiefly of stars and wreaths pricked out
in every possible variety; and at the end of the
book a dozen richly wrought patterns, without any
edging, were seemingly designed for what we should
now call "insertion" work or lace.
There is another, by the same author, printed at
Basil in 1599, which varies but slightly from the
foregoing.
This Frederick de Vinciolo is doubtless the same
person who was summoned to France, by Catherine
de Medicis, to instruct the ladies of the court in the
art of netting the lace of which the then fashionable
ruffs were made.
In another volume we have-
66
Corona delli Nobili et virtuose Donne, nel
quale si dimostra in varij Dissegni tutte le sorti di
Mostre di punti tagliati, punti in Aria, punti Fia-
menghi, punti à Reticelle, e d' ogni altre sorte, cosi
per Freggi, per Merli, e Rosette, che con l' Aco si
usano hoggidì per tutta l' Europa.
"E molte delle quali Mostre possono servire an-
cora per opere a Mayzette.
"Con le dichiarationi a le Mostre a Lavori fatti
da Lugretia Romana.
"In Venetia appresso Alessandro di Vecchi, 1620."
The plates here are very similar to those in the
above-mentioned works. Some are accompanied by
N2
268
THE NEEDLE.
short explanations, saying where they are most used
and to whom they are best suited, as—
Hopera Bellissima, che per il più le Signore
Duchese, et altre Signore si servono per li suoi
lavori."
<C
Queste bellissime Rosette usano anco le gentil-
donne Venetiane da far traverse."
But certainly the best work of the kind is, "The
Needle's Excellency," referred to in Mr. Douce's
list. It contains a variety of plates, of which the
patterns are all, or nearly all, arabesque. They are
beautifully executed, many of them being very si-
milar to, and equally fine with, the German patterns
before the colouring is put on, which, though it
guides the eye, defaces the work. These are seldom
seen uncoloured, the Germans having a jealousy of
sending them; but we have seen, through the polite
attention of Mr. Wilks, of Regent Street, one or two
in this state, and we could not but admire the ex-
treme delicacy and beauty of the work. Some few
of the patterns in the book we are now referring to
are so extremely similar, that we doubt not the mo-
dern artists have borrowed the idea of their beauti-
fully traced patterns from this or some similar work;
thereby adding one more proof of the truth of the
oft quoted proverb, "There is nothing new under
the sun.'
""
As a fitting close to this chapter, we give the
Needle's praises in full, as sung by the water poet,
John Taylor, and prefixed to the last-mentioned
work.
THE NEEDLE.
269
THE PRAISE of the Needle.
"To all dispersed sorts of arts and trades,
I write the needles prayse (that never fades)
So long as children shall be got or borne,
So long as garments shall be made or worne,
So logg as hemp or flax, or sheep shall bear
Their linnen wollen fleeces yeare by yeare:
So long as silkwormes, with exhausted spoile,
Of their own entrailes for man's gaine shall toyle:
Yea till the world be quite dissolv'd and past,
So long at least, the needles use shall last :
And though from earth his being did begin,
Yet through the fire he did his honour win:
And unto those that doe his service lacke,
He's true as steele and mettle to the backe
He hath indeed, I see, small single sight,
Yet like a pigmy, Polipheme in fight:
As a stout captaine, bravely he leades on,
(Not fearing colours) till the worke be done,
Through thicke and thinne he is most sharpely set,
With speed through stitch, he will the conquest get.
And as a souldier (Frenchefyde with heat)
Maim'd from the warres is forc'd to make retreat ;
So when a needles point is broke, and gone,
No point Mounsieur, he's maim'd, his worke is done,
And more the needles honour to advance,
It is a tailor's javelin, or his lance;
And for my countries quiet, I should like,
That women kinde should use no other pike.
It will increase their peace, enlarge their store,
To use their tongues lesse, and their needles more.
The needles sharpnesse, profit yields, and pleasure,
But sharpnesse of the tongue, bites out of measure.
A needle (though it be but small and slender)
Yet it is both a maker and a mender:
A grave Reformer of old rents decay'd,
Stops holes and seames and desperate cuts display'd,
And thus without the needle we may see
We should without our bibs and biggins bee;
No shirts or smockes, our nakednesse to hide,
No garments gay, to make us magnifide:
.
270
THE NEEDLE.
No shadowes, shapparoones, caules, bands, ruffs, kuffs,
No kerchiefes, quoyfes, chinclouts, or marry-muffes,
No croscloaths, aprons, handkerchiefes, or falls,
No table-cloathes, for parlours or for halls,
No sheetes, no towels, napkins, pillow beares,
Nor any garment man or woman weares.
Thus is a needle prov'd an instrument
Of profit, pleasure, and of ornament.
Which mighty queenes have grac'd in hand to take,
And high borne ladies such esteeme did make,
did grow,
That as their daughters daughters up
The needles art, they to the children show.
And as 'twas then an exercise of praise,
So what deserves more honour in these dayes,
Than this? which daily doth itselfe expresse
A mortall enemy to idlenesse.
The use of sewing is exceeding old,
As in the sacred text it is enrold:
Our parents first in Paradise began,
Who hath descended since from man to man:
The mothers taught their daughters, sires their sons
Thus in a line successively it runs
For generall profit, and for recreation,
From generation unto generation.
With work like cherubims embroidered rare,
The covers of the tabernacle were.
And by the Almighti's great command, we see,
That Aaron's garments broidered worke should be;
And further, God did bid his vestments should
Be made most gay, and glorious to behold.
Thus plainly and most truly is declar'd
The needles worke hath still bin in regard,
For it doth art, so like to nature frame,
As if it were her sister, or the same.
Flowers, plants and fishes, beasts, birds, flyes, and bees,
Hills, dales, plaines, pastures, skies, seas, rivers, trees;
There's nothing neere at hand, or farthest sought,
But with the needle may be shap'd and wrought.
In clothes of arras I have often seene,
Men's figur'd counterfeits so like have beene,
That if the parties selfe had been in place,
Yet art would vie with nature for the grace;
THE NEEDLE.
271
Moreover, posies rare, and anagrams,
Signifique searching sentences from names,
True history, or various pleasant fiction,
In sundry colours mixt, with arts commixion,
All in dimension, ovals, squares, and rounds,
Arts life included within natures bounds:
So that art seemeth merely naturall,
In forming shapes so geometricall;
And though our country everywhere is fild
With ladies, and with gentlewomen, skild
In this rare art, yet here they may discerne
Some things to teach them if they list to learne.
And as this booke some cunning workes doth teach,
(Too hard for meane capacities to reach)
So for weake learners, other workes here be,
As plaine and easie as are A B C.
Thus skilful, or unskilful, each may take
This booke, and of it each good use may make,
All sortes of workes, almost that can be nam'd,
Here are directions how they may be fram'd:
And for this kingdomes good are hither come,
From the remotest parts of Christendome,
Collected with much paines and industrie,
From scorching Spaine and freezing Muscovie,
From fertill France, and pleasant Italy,
From Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany,
And some of these rare patternes have beene fet
Beyond the bounds of faithlesse Mahomet:
From spacious China, and those kingdomes East,
And from great Mexico, the Indies West.
Thus are these workes, farrefetcht and dearely bought,
And consequently good for ladies thought.
Nor doe I derogate (in any case)
Or doe esteeme of other teachings base,
For tent worke, rais'd worke, laid worke, frost worke, net worke,
Most curious purles, or rare Italian cut worke,
Fine ferne stitch, finny stitch, new stitch, and chain stitch,
Brave bred stitch, Fisher stitch, Irish stitch, and Queen stitch,
The Spanish stitch, Rosemary stitch, and Mowse stitch
The smarting whip stitch, back stitch, and the crosse stitch
All these are good, and these we must allow,
And these are everywhere in practise now:
2
272
THE NEEDLE.
And in this booke there are of these some store,
With
many others, never seene before.
Here practise and invention may be free.
And as a squirrel skips from tree to tree,
So maids may (from their mistresse or their mother)
Learne to leave one worke, and to learne another,
For here they may make choice of which is which,
And skip from worke to worke, from stitch to stitch,
Until, in time, delightful practise shall
(With profit) make them perfect in them all.
Thus hoping that these workes may have this guide,
To serve for ornament, and not for pride:
To cherish vertue, banish idlenesse,
For these ends, may this booke have good successe."
273
CHAPTER XVII.
TAPESTRY FROM THE CARTOONS.
"For, round about, the walls yclothed were
With goodly Arras of great majesty,
Woven with gold and silk so close and nere,
That the rich metal lurked privily,
As faining to be hidd from envious eye;
Yet here, and there, and every where unwares
It shew'd itselfe and shone unwillingly;
Like to' a discolour'd Snake, whose hidden snares
Through the greene gras his long bright burnisht back declares."
FAERIE QUEEne.
RAPHAEL, whose name is familiar to all "as a house-
hold word," seems to have been equally celebrated
for a handsome person, an engaging address, an
amiable disposition, and high talents. Lan-
guage exhausts itself in his eulogy. But the
*
*For example:-" Egli avea tenuto sempre un contegno da gua-
dagnarsi il cuore di tutto. Rispettoso verso il maestro, ottenne dal
Papa che le sue pitture in una volta delle camere Vaticane rimanes-
sero intatte; giusto verso i suoi emuli ringraziava Dio d' averlo fatto
nascere a' tempi del Bonarruoti; grazioso verso i discepoli gl' istruì
e gli amò come figli; cortese anche verso gl' ignoti, a chiunque
ricorse a lui per consiglio prestò liberalmente l' opera sua, e per far
disegni al altrui o dar gl'indirizzo lasciò indietro talvolta i lavori
propri, non sapendo non pure di negar grazia, ma differirla.”—Lanzi,
vol. ii.
Consequently when his body before interment lay in the room in
N 3
274
TAPESTRY FROM THE CARTOONS.
extravagant encomiums of Lanzi and others must
be taken in a very modified sense, ere we arrive at
the rigid truth. The tone of morals in Italy " did
not correspond with evangelical purity;" and Ra-
phael's follies were not merely permitted, but en-
couraged and fostered by those who sought eagerly
for the creations of his pencil. His thousand en-
gaging qualities were disfigured by a licentiousness
which probably shortened his career, for he died at
the early age of thirty-seven.
Great and sincere was the grief expressed at
Rome for his untimely death, and no testimony of
sorrow could be more affecting, more simple, or
more highly honourable to its object than the
placing his picture of the Transfiguration over his
mortal remains in the chamber wherein he died.
which he was accustomed to paint, "Non v' ebbe si duro artefice che
a quello spettacolo non lagrimasse.”. "Ne pianse il Papa."
Of his works:-"Le sue figure veramente amano, languiscono, te-
mono, sperano, ardiscono; mostrano ira, placabilità, umiltà, orgoglio,
come mette bene alla storia: spesso chi mira que' volti, que' guardi,
quelle mosse, non si ricorda che ha innanzi una immagine; si sente
accendere, prende partito, crede di trovarsi in sul fatto.-Tutto parla
nel silenzio; ogni attore, Il cor negli occhi e nella fronte ha scritto; i
piccioli movimenti degli occhi, degli narici, della bocca, della dita
corrispondono a' primi moti d' ogni passione; i gesti più animatie
più vivi ne descrivono la violenza; e cio ch' è più, essi variano in
cento modi senza uscir mai del naturale, e si attemperano a cento ca-
ratteri senza uscir mai dalla proprietà. L'eroe ha movimenti da eroe,
il volgar da volgare; e quel che non descriverebbe lingua nè penna,
descrive in pochissimi tratti l'ingegno e l'arte di Raffaello." p. 65.
"Il paese, gli elementi, gli animali, le fabbriche, le manifatture,
ogni età dell' uomo, ogni condizione, ogni affetto, tutte comprese con
la divinità del suo ingegno, tutto ridusce più bello."-p. 71.
I have thought this long extract pardonable as applied to one
whose finest designs are now, through so many channels, rendered fa-
miliar to us.
TAPESTRY FROM THE CARTOONS.
275
It was probably within two years of the close of
his short life when he was engaged by Pope Leo the
Tenth to paint those cartoons which have more than
all his works immortalised his name, and which
render the brief hints we have given respecting him
peculiarly appropriate to this work.
The cartoons were designs, from Scripture chiefly,
from which were to be woven hangings to ornament
the apartments of the Vatican; and their dimensions
being of course proportioned to the spaces they
were designed to fill, the tapestries, though equal in
height, differed extremely in breadth.
The designs were,
1. The Nativity.
2. The Adoration of the Magi.
3.
4. The Slaughter of the Innocents.
5.J
6. The Presentation in the Temple.
7. The Miraculous Draught of Fishes.
8. St. Peter receiving the Keys.
9. The Descent of Christ into Limbus.
10. The Resurrection.
11. Noli me tangere.
12. Christ at Emmaus.
13. The Ascension.
14. The Descent of the Holy Ghost.
15. The Martyrdom of St. Stephen.
16. The Conversion of St. Paul.
17. Paul and Barnabas at Lystra.
18. Paul Preaching.
19. Death of Ananias.
20. Elymas the Sorcerer.
276
TAPESTRY FROM THE CARTOONS.
21. An earthquake; showing the delivery of Paul
and Silas from prison: named from the
earthquake which shook the foundations of
the building. The artist endeavours to
render it ideally visible to the spectator by
placing a gigantic figure, which appears to
be raising the superincumbent weight on
his shoulders; but the result is not altoge-
ther successful.
22. St. Peter healing the cripple.
23-24. Contain emblems alluding to Leo the
Tenth. These are preserved in one of
the privat eapartments of the Vatican
palace.
25. Justice. In this subject the figures of Reli-
gion, Charity, and Justice are seen above
the papal armorial bearings. The last
figure gives name to the whole.
When the cartoons were finished they were sent
into Flanders to be woven (at the famous manufac-
tory at Arras) under the superintendence of Barnard
Van Orlay of Brussels, and Michael Coxis, artists
who had been for some years pupils of Raphael at
Rome. Two sets were executed with the utmost
care and cost, but the death of Raphael, the murder
of the Pope, and subsequent intestine troubles seem
to have delayed their appropriation. They cost
seventy thousand crowns, a sum which is said to
have been defrayed by Francis the First of France,
in consideration of Leo's having canonised St.
Francis of Paola, the founder of the Minims.
Adrian the Second was a man alienissimo
da ogni bell' arte;" an indifference which may
66
TAPESTRY FROM THE CARTOONS.
277
account for the cartoons not being sent with the
tapestries to Rome, though some accounts say that
the debt for their manufacture remained unliqui-
dated, and that the paintings were kept in Flanders
as security for it. They were carried away by the
Spanish army in 1526-7 during the sack of Rome,
but were restored by the zeal and spirit of Mont-
morenci the French general, as set forth in the
woven borders of the tapestries Nos. 6 and 9. Pope
Paul the Fourth (1555) first introduced them to the
gaze of the public by exhibiting them before the
Basilica of St. Peter on the festival of Corpus Do-
mini, and also at the solemn "function of Beatifi-
cation." This use of them was continued through
part of the last century, and is now resumed.
In 1798 they were taken by the French from
Rome and sold to a Jew at Leghorn, and one of
them was burnt by him in order to extract the gold
with which they were richly interwoven; but happily
they did not furnish so much spoil as the speculator
hoped, and this devastation was arrested. The one
that was destroyed represented Christ's Descent into
Limbus; the rest were repurchased for one thou-
sand three hundred crowns, and restored to the
Vatican in 1814.
We have alluded to two sets of these tapestries,
and it is believed that there were two; whether
exactly counterparts has not been ascertained. We
have traced the migrations of one set. The other
was, according to some authorities, presented by
Pope Leo the Tenth to our Henry the Eighth;
whilst others say that our king purchased it from
the state of Venice. It was hung in the Banqueting
278
TAPESTRY FROM THE CARTOONS.
House of Whitehall, and after the unhappy execu-
tion of Charles the First, was put up, amongst other
royal properties, to sale. Being purchased by the
Spanish ambassador, it became the property of the
house of Alva, and within a few years back was sold
by the head of that illustrious house to Mr. Tupper,
our consul in Spain, and by him sent back to this
country.
These tapestries were then exhibited for some
time in the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly, and were
afterwards repurchased by a foreigner. Probably
they have been making a "progress" throughout
the kingdom, as within this twelvemonth we had
the satisfaction of viewing them at the principal
town in a northern county. The motto of our chapter
might have been written expressly for these tapes-
tries, so exquisitely accurate is the description as
applied to them of the gold thread:
"As here and there, and every where unwares
It shew'd itselfe and shone unwillingly;
Like to' a discolour'd snake, whose hidden snares
Through the greene gras his tong bright burnisht back declares.”
The cartoons themselves, the beautiful originals
of these magnificent works, remained in the Nether-
lands, and were all, save seven, lost and destroyed
through the ravages of time, and chance, and revo-
lution. These seven, much injured by neglect, and
almost pounced into holes by the weaver tracing his
outlines, were purchased by King Charles the First,
and are now justly considered a most valuable pos-
session. It is supposed that the chief object of
Charles in the purchase was to supply the then
TAPESTRY FROM THE CARTOONS.
279
existing tapestry manufactory at Mortlake with
superior designs for imitation. Five of them were
certainly woven there, and it is far from improbable
that the remaining ones were also.*
There was also a project for weaving them by a
person of the name of James Christopher Le Blon,
and houses were built and looms erected at Chelsea
expressly for that purpose, but the design failed.
The British Critic," for January, this year, has
the following spirited remarks with regard to the
present situation of the cartoons. "The cartoons
of Raffaelle are very unfairly seen in their present
locale; a long gallery built for the purpose by Wil-
liam the Third, but in which the light enters through
common chamber windows, and therefore is so much
below the cartoons as to leave the greater part of
them in shade. We venture to say there is no
country in Europe in which such works as these-
unique, and in their class invaluable-would be
treated with so little honour. It has been decided
by competent opinions, that their removal to London
would be attended with great risk to their preser-
vation, from the soot, damp, accumulation of dust,
and other inconveniences, natural or incident to a
crowded city. This, however, is no fair reason for
their being shut up in their present ill-assorted
apartment. There is not a petty state in Germany
that would not erect a gallery on purpose for them;
* In a priced catalogue of His Majesty's collection of "Limnings,"
edited by Vertue, is the following entry. "Item, in a slit box-wooden
case, some Two CARTOONS of Raphael Urbinus for hangings to be
made by, and the other FIVE are by the King's appointment delivered
to Mr. Francis Cleen at Mortlake, to make hangings by.”
CARTONENSIA.
280
TAPESTRY FROM THE CARTOONS.
and a few thousand pounds would be well bestowed
in providing a fitting receptacle for some of the
finest productions of human genius in art; and of the
full value of which we alone, their possessors, seem
to be comparatively insensible. Various portions
of cartoons by Raffaelle, part of the same series or
set, exist in England; and it is far from unlikely
that, were there a proper place to preserve and ex-
hibit the whole in, these would in time, by presenta-
tion or purchase, become the property of the country,
and we should then possess a monument of the
greatest master of his art, only inferior to that
which he has left on the walls of the Vatican."
Of all these varied and beautiful paintings, that of
the Adoration of the Magi, from the variety of cha-
racter and expression, the splendor and oriental
pomp of the whole, the multitude of persons, between
forty and fifty, the various accessaries, elephants,
horses, &c., with the variety of splendid and orna-
mental illustrations, and the exquisite grouping, is
considered as the most attractive and brilliant in
tapestry. As a piece of general and varied interest
it may be so; but we well remember being, not so
suddenly struck, as attracted and fascinated by the
figure of the Christ when, after his resurrection, he
is recommending the care of his flock to St. Peter.
The colours have faded gradually and equably-(an
advantage not possessed by the others, where some
tints which have stood the ravages of time better
than those around them, are in places strikingly and
painfully discordant)—but in this figure the colours,
though greatly faded, have yet faded so harmo-
niously as to add very much to the illusion, giving
TAPESTRY FROM THE CARTOONS.
281
to the figure really the appearance of one risen from
the dead. The outline is majestic; turn which way
we would, we involuntarily returned to look again.
At length we mentioned our admiration to the
superintendent, and the reply of the enthusiastic
foreigner precluded all further remark-for nothing
further could be said:
Madam, I should have been astonished if you
had not admired that figure: it is itself; it is pre-
cisely the finest thing in the world.”
282
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS."
"A worthie woman judge, a woman sent for staie.'
"When Fame resounds with thundring trump, which rends the
ratling skies,
And pierceth to the hautie Heavens, and thence descending
flies
Through flickering ayre: and so conjoines the sea and shore
togither,
In admiration of thy grace, good Queene, thou'rt welcome
hither."-The Receyving of the Queene's Maiestie into
hir Citie of Norwich.
"We may justly wonder what has become of the industry of the
English ladies; we hear no more of their rich embroiderings, and
curious needlework. Is all the domestic simplicity of the former
ages entirely vanished ?"-AIKIN.
?”
THE age of Elizabeth presents a never-failing field
of variety through which people of all tastes may
delightedly rove, gathering flowers at will. The
learned statesman, the acute politician, the subtle
lawyer, will find in the measures of her Burleigh,
her Walsingham, her Cecil, abundant food for ap-
probation or for censure; the heroic sailor will glory
THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS."
283
over the achievements of her time; the adventurous
traveller will explore the Eldoradic regions with
Raleigh, or plough the waves with Drake and Fro-
bisher; the soldier will recal glorious visions of
Essex and Sidney, while poesy wreathes a bay
round the memory of the last, which shines freshly
and bright even in the age which produced a Ben
Jonson, and him who was born with a star on his
forehead to last through all time"-Shakspeare.
The age of Elizabeth was especially a learned
age. The study of the dead languages had hitherto
been confined almost exclusively to ecclesiastics and
scholars by profession, but from the time of Henry
the Seventh it had been gradually spreading
amongst the higher classes. The great and good
Sir Thomas More gave his daughters a learned
education, and they did honour to it; Henry the
Eighth followed his example; Lady Jane Grey
made learning lovely; and Elizabeth's pedantry
brought the habit into full fashion.
If a queen were to talk Sanscrit, her court would
endeavour to do so likewise. The example of
learned studies was given by the queen herself, who
translated from the Greek a play of Euripides, and
parts of Isocrates, Xenophon, and Plutarch; from
the Latin considerable portions of Cicero, Seneca,
Sallust, Horace, &c. She wrote many Latin letters,
and is said to have spoken five languages with
facility. As a natural consequence the nobility and
gentry, their wives and daughters, became enthu-
siasts in the cause of letters. "The novelty which
attended these studies, the eager desire to possess
what had been so long studiously and jealously con-
284
THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS."
cealed, and the curiosity to explore and rifle the
treasures of the Greek and Roman world, which
mystery and imagination had swelled into the mar
vellous, contributed to excite an absolute passion
for study and for books. The court, the ducal
castle, and the baronial hall were suddenly con-
verted into academies, and could boast of splendid
tapestries. In the first of these, according to
Ascham, might be seen the queen reading "more
Greeke every day than some prebendarie of this
thurch doth read Latin in a whole week ;" and while
the was translating Isocrates or Seneca, it may be
easily conceived that her maids of honour found it
convenient to praise and to adopt the disposition of
her time. In the second, observes Warton," the
daughter of a duchess was taught not only to distil
strong waters, but to construe Greek; and in the
third, every young lady who aspired to be fashion-
able was compelled, in imitation of the greater
world, to exhibit similar marks of erudition.”
A contemporary writer says, that some of the
ladies of the court employ themselves "in continuall
reading either of the holie Scriptures, or histories
of our owne or forren nations about us, and diverse
in writing volumes of their owne, or translating of
other mens into our English and Latine toongs. I
might here (he adds) make a large discourse of such
honorable and grave councellors, and noble person-
ages, as give their dailie attendance upon the
queene's majestie. I could in like sort set foorth a
singular commendation of the vertuous beautie, or
beautiful vertues of such ladies and gentlewomen
as wait upon his person, betweene whose amiable
THE DAYS OF GOOD QUEEN BESS." 285
countenances and costlinesse of attire there seemeth
to be such a dailie conflict and contention, as that it
is verie difficult for me to gesse whether of the twaine
shall beare awaie the preheminence. This further
is not to be omitted, to the singular commendation
of both sorts and sexes of our courtiers here in Eng-
land, that there are verie few of them which have
not the use and skill of sundrie speaches, beside an
excellent veine of writing before-time not regarded.
Would to God the rest of their lives and conversa-
tions were correspondent to these gifts! for as our
common courtiers (for the most part) are the best
lerned and endued with excellent gifts, so are manie
of them the worst men when they come abroad, that
anie man shall either heare or read of. Trulie it is
a rare thing with us now to heare of a courtier which
hath but his owne language. And to saie how
many gentlewomen and ladies there are, that beside
sound knowledge of the Greeke and Latine toongs,
are thereto no lesse skilful in the Spanish, Italian,
and French, or in some one of them, it resteth not
in me.
Sith I am persuaded, that as the noble-
men and gentlemen doo surmount in this behalfe, so
these come verie little or nothing at all behind them
for their parts, which industrie God continue, and
accomplish that which otherwise is wanting !"*
At this time the practice (derived from the chiv-
alrous ages, when every baronial castle was the
resort of young persons of gentle birth, of both
sexes) was by no means discontinued of placing
young women, of gentle birth, in the establishment
* Harrison.
286
THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS."
of ladies of rank, where, without performing any
menial offices, they might be supposed to have their
own understood duties in the household, and had in
return the advantage of a liberal education, and
constant association with the best company. Per-
sons of rank and fortune often retained in their
service many young people of both sexes of good
birth, and bestowed on them the fashionable educa-
tion of the time. Indeed their houses were the
best, if not then the only schools of elegant learn-
ing. The following letter, written in 1595, is from a
young lady thus situated:
"To my good mother Mrs. Pake, at Broumfield,
deliver this.
"DEARE MOTHER,
r
"My humble dutye remembred unto my
father and you, &c. I received upon Weddensday
last a letter from my father and you, whereby, I
understand, it is your pleasures that I should certifie
you what times I do take for my lute, and the rest
of my exercises. I doe for the most part playe of
my lute after supper, for then commonlie my lady
heareth me; and in the morninges, after I am
reddie, I play an hower; and my wrightinge and
siferinge, after I have done my lute. For my draw-
inge I take an hower in the afternowne, and my
French at night before supper. My lady hath not
bene well these tooe or three dayes: she telleth me,
when she is well, that she will see if Hilliard will
come and teche me; if she can by any means she
will, &c. &c.-As touchinge my newe corse in ser-
vice, I hope I shall performe my dutye to my lady
THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS."
287
with all care and regard to please her, and to behave
myselfe to everye one else as it shall become me.
Mr. Harrisone was with me upone Fridaye; he heard
me playe, and brought me a dusson of trebles; I
had some of him when I came to London. Thus
desiring pardone for my rude writinge, I leave you
to the Almightie, desiringe him to increase in you
all health and happines.
“Your obedient daughter,
<<
REBECCA PAKE."
Could any thing afford a stronger contrast to the
grave and certainly severe study to which Elizabeth
had habituated herself, than the vain and fantastic
puerility of many of her recreations and habits,-the
unintellectual brutality of the bearbaits which she
admired, or the gaudy and glittering pageants in
which she delighted? She built a gallery at White-
hall at immense expense, and so superficially, that it
was in ruins in her successor's time; but it was
raised, in order to afford a magnificent reception to
the ambassadors who, in 1581, came to treat of an
alliance with the Duke of Anjou. It was framed of
timber, covered with painted canvas, and decorated
with the utmost gaudiness. Pendants of fruit of
various kinds (amongst which cucumbers and even
carrots are enumerated) were hung from festoons
of flowers intermixed with evergreens, and the whole
was powdered with gold spangles; the ceiling was
painted like a sky with stars, sunbeams, and clouds,
intermixed with scutcheons of the royal arms; and
glass lustres and ornaments were scattered all
around. Here were enacted masques and pageants
288
THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS."
chiefly remarkable for their pedantic prolixity of
composition, and the fulsome and gross flattery
towards the queen with which they were throughout
invested.
Everything, in accordance with the rage of the
day, assumed an erudite, or, more truly speaking, a
pedantic cast. When the queen (says Warton)
paraded through a country town, almost every
pageant was a pantheon. When she paid a visit at
the house of any of her nobility, at entering the hall
she was saluted by the Penates, and conducted to
her privy chamber by Mercury. Even the pastry
cooks were expert mythologists. At dinner, select
transformations of Ovid's metamorphoses were ex-
hibited in confectionary; and the splendid iceing of
an immense historic plum-cake was embossed with a
delicious basso-relievo of the destruction of Troy.
In the afternoon, when she condescended to walk in
the garden, the lake was covered with Tritons and
Nereids; the pages of the family were converted
into wood-nymphs, who peeped from every bower;
and the footmen gambolled over the lawns in the
figure of satyrs.
Scarcely we think could even the effusions of
Euphues—a fashion also of this period-be more
wearisome to the spirit than a repetition of these
dull delights.
This predilection for learning, and the time per-
force given to its acquisition, must necessarily have
subtracted from those hours which might otherwise
have been bestowed on the lighter labours and
beguiling occupations of the needle. Nor does it
appear that after her accession Elizabeth did much
THE DAYS OF « GOOD QUEEN BESS."
289
patronise this gentle art. She was cast in a more
stirring mould. In her father's court, under her
sister's jealous eye, within her prison's solitary walls,
her needle might be a prudent disguise, a solacing
occupation, "woman's pretty excuse for thought.
But after her own accession to the throne action was
her characteristic.
''
""
Nevertheless we are not to suppose that, because
needlework was not a rage," it was frowned upon
and despised. By no means. It is perhaps for-
tunate that Elizabeth did not especially patronise
it; for so dictatorial and absolute was she, that by
virtue of the "right divine" she would have made
her statesmen embroider their own robes, and her
warriors lay aside the sword for the distaff. But
as, happily, it now only held a secondary place in
her esteem, we have Raleigh's poems instead of his
sampler, and Bacon's learning instead of his stitch-
ery. But it was not in her nature to suffer any
thing in which she excelled to lie quite dormant.
She was an accomplished needlewoman; some ex-
quisite proofs of her skill were then glowing in all
their freshness, and her excellence in this art was
sufficiently obvious to prevent the ladies of her
court from entirely forsaking it. Many books, with
patterns for needlework, were published about this
time, and in a later one Queen Elizabeth is especially
celebrated in a laudatory poem for her skill in it.
That proficiency in ornamental needlework was an
absolute requisite in the accomplishments of a
country belle, may be inferred from the prominent
place it holds in Drayton's description of the well-
0
290 THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS."
educated daughter of a country knight in Elizabeth's
days:
"The silk well couth she twist and twine,
And make the fine march pine,
And with the needlework:
And she couth help the priest to say
His mattins on a holy day,
And sing a psalm in kirk.
"She wore a frock of frolic green,
Might well become a maiden queen,
Which seemly was to see;
A hood to that so neat and fine,
In colour like the columbine,
Ywrought full featously."
The march pine or counterpanes here alluded to,
taxed in these days to the fullest extent both the
purse of the rich and the fingers of the fair. Eliza-
beth had several most expensively trimmed with
ermine as well as needlework; the finest and richest
embroidery was lavished on them; and it was no
unusual circumstance for the counterpane for the
"standing" or master's bed to be so lavishly adorned
as to be worth a thousand marks.
At no time was ornamental needlework more ad-
mired, or in greater request in the everyday con-
cerns of life, than now. Almost every article of
dress, male and female, was adorned with it. Even
the boots, which at this time had immense tops
turned down and fringed, and which were commonly
made of russet cloth or leather, were worn by some
exquisites of the day of very fine cloth (of which
enough was used to make a shirt), and were em-
broidered in gold or silver, or in various-coloured
THE DAYS OF “GOOD QUEEN BESS." 291
silks, in the figures of birds, animals, or antiques;
and the ornamental needlework alone of a pair of
these boots would cost from four to ten pounds
The making of a single shirt would frequently cost
107., so richly were they ornamented with " needle-
worke of silke, and so curiously stitched with other
knackes."
Woman's triflings," too, their handkerchiefs,
reticules, workbags, &c., were decorated richly. We
have seen within these few days a workbag which
would startle a modern fair one, for, as far as regards
size, it has a most "industrious look," but which,
despite the ravages of near three centuries, yet gives
token of much original magnificence. It is made of
net, lined with silk; the material, the net itself, (a
sort of honeycomb pattern, like what we called a
few years ago the Grecian lace,) was made by the
fair workwoman in those days, and was a fashionable
occupation both in France and England. This bag
is wrought in broad stripes with gold thread, and
between the stripes various flowers are embroidered
in different coloured silks. The bag stands in a
sort of card-board basket, covered in the same style ;
it is drawn with long cords and tassels, and is large
enough perhaps, on emergency, to hold a good sized
baby.
It is more than probable that female skill was in
request in various matters of household decoration.
The Arras looms, indeed, had long superseded the
painful fingers of notable dames in the construc-
tion of hangings for walls, which were universally
used, intermingled and varied in the palaces and
nobler mansions by "painted cloth," and cloth of
o 2
292
THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS."
gold and silver. Thus Shakspeare describes Imo-
gen's chamber in Cymbeline:
"Her bed-chamber was hanged
With tapestry of silk and silver."
We have remarked that Henry the Eighth's
palaces were very splendid; Elizabeth's were
equally so, and more consistently finished in minor
conveniences, as it is particularly remarked that
"easye quilted and lyned formes and stools for the
lords and ladyes to sit on" had superseded the
"great plank forms, that two yeomen can scant
remove out of their places, and waynscot stooles so
hard, that since great breeches were layd asyde
men can skant indewr to sitt on." Her two pre-
sence chambers at Hampton Court shone with
tapestry of gold and silver, and silk of various
colours; her bed was covered with costly coverlids
of silk, wrought in various patterns, by the needle ;
and she had many" chusions," moveable articles of
furniture of various shapes, answering to our large
family of tabourets and ottomans, embroidered with
gold and silver thread.
But it was not merely in courts and palaces that
arras was used; it was now, of a coarser fabric,
universally adopted in the houses of the country
gentry. The wals of our houses on the inner
sides be either hanged with tapisterie, arras-work,*
or painted cloths, wherein either diverse histories,
or hearbes, beasts, knots, and such like are stained,
*From this separate mention of tapisterie and arras-work by so
accurate a describer as Harrison, it would seem that tapestry of the
needle alone was not, even yet, quite exploded.
THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS." 293
or else they are seeled with oke of our owne, or
wainescot brought hither out of the east countries."
The tapestry was now suspended on frames, which,
we may infer, were often at a considerable distance
from the walls, since the portly Sir John Falstaff
ensconced himself "behind the arras
behind the arras" on a me-
morable occasion; Polonius too met his death there ;
and indeed Shakspeare presses it into the service
on numerous occasions.
The following quotation will give an accurate
idea of properties thought most valuable at this
time; and it will be seen that ornamental needle-
work cuts a very distinguished figure therein. It
is a catalogue of his wealth given by Gremio when
suing for Bianca to her father, who declares that the
wealthiest lover will win her, in the Taming of the
Shrew.
Gremio. "
First, as you know, my house within the city
Is richly furnished with plate and gold;
Basons and ewers, to lave her dainty hands;
My hangings all of Tyrian tapestry;
In ivory coffers I have stuff'd my crowns;
In
cypres chests my arras, counterpoints,
Costly apparel, tents, and canopies,
Fine linen, Turkey cushions boss'd with pearl,
Valence of Venice gold, in needlework,
Pewter and brass, and all things that belong
To house or house-keeping."
The age of Elizabeth was one which powerfully
appeals to the imagination in various ways. The
æra of warlike chivalry was past; but many of its
lighter observances remained, and added to the
variety of life, and perhaps tended to polish it. We
294
THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS."
.
are told, for instance, that as the Earl of Cumberland
stood before Elizabeth she dropped her glove; and
on his picking it up graciously desired him to keep
it. He caused the trophy to be encircled with
diamonds; and ever after, at all tilts and tourneys,
bore it conspicuously placed in front of his high
crowned hat. Jousting and tilting in honour of the
ladies (by whom prizes were awarded) continued
still to be a favourite diversion. There were annual
contentions in the lists in honour of the sovereign,
and twenty-five persons of the first rank established
a society of arms for this purpose, of which the
chivalric Sir Henry Lee was for some time pre-
sident.
The "romance of chivalry " was sinking to be suc-
ceeded by the heavier tomes of Gomberville, Scudery,
&c., but the extension of classical knowledge, the
vast strides in acquirement of various kinds, the
utter change, so to speak, in the system of literature,
all contributed to the downfall of the chivalric
romance. Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia introduced a
rage for high-flown pastoral effusions; and now too
was re-born that taste for metaphorical effusion and
spiritual romance, which was first exhibited in the
fourth century in the Bishop of Tricca's romance of
"Barlaam and Josaphat," and which now pervaded
the fast-rising puritan party, and was afterwards
fully developed in that unaccountably fascinating
work, “The Pilgrim's Progress." Nevertheless, as
yet
"Courted and caress'd,
High placed in hall, a welcome guest,"
THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS.'
295
the harper poured to lord and lady gay not indeed
"his unpremeditated lay," but a poetical abridg-
ment (the precursor of a fast succeeding race of
romantic ballads) of the doughty deeds of renowned
knights, so amply expatiated upon in the time-
honoured folios of the "olden time." The wander-
ing harper, if fallen somewhat from his "high
estate," was still a recognised and welcome guest;
his "matter being for the most part stories of old
time, as the tale of Sir Topas, the reportes of Bevis
of Southampton, Guy of Warwicke, Adam Bell, and
Clymme of the Clough, and such other old romances
or historical rhimes." Though the character of the
minstrel gradually lost respectability, yet for a con-
siderable part of Elizabeth's reign it was one so
fully acknowledged, that a peculiar garb was still
attached to the office.
Mongst these, some bards there were that in their sacred rage
Recorded the descents and acts of everie age.
Some with their nimbler joynts that strooke the warbling string;
In fingering some unskild, but onelie vsed to sing
Vnto the other's harpe: of which you both might find
Great plentie, and of both excelling in their kind.”
The superstitions of various kinds, the omens, the
warnings, the charms, the "potent spells" of the
wizard seer, which
"Could hold in dreadful thrall the labouring moon,
Or draw the fix'd stars from their eminence,
And still the midnight tempest,”.
the supernatural agents, the goblins, the witches,
296
THE DAYS OF “GOOD QUEEN BESS."
the fairies, the satyrs, the elves, the fauns, the
66
shapes that walk," the
"Uncharnel'd spectres, seen to glide
Along the lone wood's unfrequented path"-
the being and active existence of all these was con-
sidered “true as holy writ" by our ancestors of the
Elizabethan age. On this subject we will transcribe
a beautifully illustrative passage from Warton :-
CC
Every goblin of ignorance" (says he)" did not
vanish at the first glimmerings of the morning of
science. Reason suffered a few demons still to
linger, which she chose to retain in her service under
the guidance of poetry. Men believed, or were
willing to believe, that spirits were yet hovering
around, who brought with them airs from heaven, or
blasts from hell; that the ghost was duly relieved
from his prison of torment at the sound of the cur-
few, and that fairies imprinted mysterious circles on
the turf by moonlight. Much of this credulity was
even consecrated by the name of science and pro-
found speculation. Prospero had not yet broken
and buried his staff, nor drowned his book deeper
than did ever plummet sound. It was now that the
alchemist and the judicial astrologer conducted his
occult operations by the potent intercourse of some
preternatural being, who came obsequious to his call,
and was bound to accomplish his severest services,
under certain conditions, and for a limited duration
of time. It was actually one of the pretended feats
of these fantastic philosophers to evoke the queen
of the fairies in the solitude of a gloomy grove, who,
THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS."
297
preceded by a sudden rustling of the leaves, appeared
in robes of transcendant lustre. The Shakspeare
of a more instructed and polished age would not
have given us a magician darkening the sun at noon,
the sabbath of the witches, and the cauldron of
incantation."
It were endless, and indeed out of place here, to
attempt to specify the numberless minor supersti-
tions to which this credulous tendency of the public
mind gave birth or continuation; or the marvels of
travellers, as the Anthropophagi, the Ethiops with
four eyes, the Hippopodes with their nether parts
like horses, the Arimaspi with one eye in the fore-
head, and the Monopoli who have no head at all,
but a face in their breast-which were all devoutly
credited. One potent charm, however, we are con-
strained to particularise, since its infallibility was
mainly dependent on the needlewoman's skill. It
was a waistcoat which rendered its owner invulner-
able: we believe that if duly prepared it would be
found proof not only against silver bullets," but
also against even the “ charmed bullet" of German
notoriety. Thus runs the charm :-
“On Christmas daie at night, a thread must be
sponne of flax, by a little virgine girle, in the name
of the divell; and it must be by hir woven, and also
wrought with the needle. In the brest or forepart
thereof must be made with needleworke two heads;
on the head at the right side must be a hat and a
long beard, and the left head must have on a crowne,
and it must be so horrible that it maie resemble
Belzebub; and on each side of the wastcote must
be wrought a crosse."
o 3
298
THE DAYS OF "GOOD QUEEN BESS.”
The newspaper, that now mighty political engine,
that "thewe and sinew" of the fourth estate of the
realm, took its rise in Elizabeth's day. How would
her legislators have been overwhelmed with amaze-
ment could they have beheld, in dim perspective, this
child of the press, scarcely less now the offspring of
the imagination than those chimeras of their own
time to which we have been alluding; and would
not the wrinkled brow of the modern politician be
unconsciously smoothened, would not the careworn
and profound diplomatist" gather up his face into
a smile before he was aware," if the FIRST NEWS-
PAPER were suddenly placed before him? It is not
indeed in existence, but was published under the
title of "The English Mercurie," in April, 1588, on
the first appearance near the shores of England of
the Spanish Armada, a crisis which caused this inno-
vation on the usual public news-letter circulated in
manuscript. No. 50, dated July 23, 1588, is the
first now in existence; and as the publication only
began in April, it shows they must have been issued
frequently. We have seen this No. 50, which is
preserved in the British Museum.*
In it are no advertisements-no fashions-no law
reports-no court circular-no fashionable arrivals
—no fashionable intelligence-no murders-no rob-
beries-no reviews-no crim. cons.-no elopements
no price of stocks—no mercantile intelligence—
no police reports-no "leaders,"-no literary me-
moranda-no poets' corner-no spring meetings—
no radical demonstrations-no conservative dinners
-but
* Sloane MSS. No. 4106.
THE DAYS OF “GOOD QUEEN BESS.”
299
CC
The
English Mercurie,
"Published by AUTHORITIE,
"For the Prevention of False Reportes,
Whitehall, July 23, 1588."
Contains three pages and a half, small quarto, of
matter of fact information.
Two pages respecting the Armada then seen
"neare the Lizard, making for the entrance of the
Channell," and appearing on the surface of the water
"like floating castles."
A page of news from Ostend, where “ nothing
was talked of but the intended invasion of England.
His Highnesse the Prince of Parma having com-
pleated his preparationes, of which the subjoined
Accounte might be depended upon as exacte and
authentique."
Something to say-for a newspaper.
And a few lines dated " London, July 13, of the
lord mayor, aldermen, common councilmen, and
lieutenancie of this great citie" waiting on Her Ma-
jesty with assurances of support, and receiving a
gracious reception from her.
Such was the newspaper of 1588.
The great events of Elizabeth's reign, in war, in
politics, in legislation, belong to the historian; the
great march of mind, the connecting link which that
age formed between the darkness of the preceding
ones (for during the period of the wars of the Roses
all sorts of art and science retrograded), and the
300
THE DAYS OF “ GOOD QUEEN BESS."
*
high cultivation of later days, it is the province of
the metaphysician and philosopher to analyse; and
even the lighter characteristics of the time have
become so familiar through the medium of many
modern and valuable works, that we have ventured
only to touch very superficially on some few of the
more prominent of them.
301
CHAPTER XIX.
TAPESTRY OF THE SPANISH ARMADA, BETTER KNOWN
AS TAPESTRY OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS.
"He did blow with his wind, and they were scattered."
'INSCRIPTION on the Medal.'
THE year 1588 had been foretold by astrologers to
be a wonderful year, the " climacterical year of the
world ;" and the public mind of England was at that
period sufficiently credulous and superstitious to be
affected with vague presentiments, even if the pre-
paration of an hostile armada so powerful as to be
termed "invincible," had not seemed to engraft on
these vague surmises too real and fearful a ground-
work of truth.
The preparations of Philip II. in Spain, com-
bined with those of the Duke of Parma in the Low
Countries, and furthered by the valued and effec-
tive benediction of the shaken and tottering, but
still influential and powerful head of the Roman
church, had produced a hostile array which, with
but too much probability of success, threatened the
conquest of England, and its subjugation to the
papal yoke. Not since the Norman Conquest had
302
TAPESTRY OF THE SPANISH ARMADA.
any event occurred which, if successful, would be
fraught with results so harassing and distressing to
the established inhabitants of the island. Though
the Norman Conquest had, undoubtedly, in the
course of time, produced a beneficial and civilising
and ennobling influence on the island, it was long
and bitter years ere the groans of the subjugated
and oppressed Anglo-Saxons had merged in the
contented peacefulness of a united people.
Yet William was certainly of a severe temper,
and was incited by the unquenchable opposition of
the English to a cruel and exterminating policy.
Philip of Spain seemed not to promise milder mea-
sures. He was a bigot, and moreover hated the
English with an utter hatred. During his union
with Mary he had utterly failed to gain their good
will, and his hatred to them increased in an exact
ratio to the failure of his desired influence with
them.
Neither time, nor trouble, nor care, nor ex-
pense, was spared in this his decided invasion; and
it is said that from Italy, Sicily, and even America,
were drafted the most experienced captains and sol-
diers to aid his cause. Well, then, might England
look with anxiety, and even with terror, to this
threatened and fast approaching event.
But her energies were fully equal to the emer-
gency. Elizabeth, now in the full plenitude of her
power, was at the acme of her influence over the
wills, and in a great degree over the affections of
her subjects, at least over by far the greater portion
of them; one factious and discontented party there
was, but too insufficient to be any effectual barrier
to her designs. And the cause was a popular one :
TAPESTRY OF THE SPANISH ARMADA. 303
Protestants and Romanists joined in deprecating a
foreign yoke. Her powerful and commanding ener-
gies did not forsake her. Her appeal to her sub-
jects was replied to with heart-thrilling readiness,
the city of London setting a noble example; for
when ministers desired from it five thousand men
and fifteen ships, the lord mayor, in behalf of the
city, craved their sovereign to accept of ten thousand
soldiers and thirty ships.
This spirited precedent was followed all through
the empire, all classes vied with each other in con-
tributing their utmost quota of aid, by means and
by personal service, and amongst many similar in-
stances it is recorded of "that noble, vertuous, ho-
nourable man, the Viscount Montague, that he now
came, though he was very sickly, and in age, with a
full resolution to live and dye in defence of the
queene, and of his countrie, against all invaders,
whether it were pope, king, and potentate whatso-
ever, and in that quarrell he would hazard his life,
his children, his landes and goods. And to shew his
mynde agreeably thereto, he came personally him-
selfe before the queene, with his band of horsemen,
being almost two hundred; the same being led by
his owne sonnes, and with them a yong child, very
comely, seated on horseback, being the heire of his
house, that is, ye eldest sonne to his sonne and heire;
a matter much noted of many, to see a grardfather,
father, and sonne, at one time on horsebacks afore a
queene for her service."
For three years had Philip been preparing, in all
parts of his dominions, for this overwhelming expe-
dition, and his equipments were fully equal to his
304 TAPESTRY OF THE SPANISH ARMADA.
extensive preparations; and so popular was the
project in Spain, and so ardent were its votaries,
that there was not a family of any note which had not
contributed some of its dearest and nearest mem-
bers; there were also one hundred and eighty Capu-
chins, Dominicans, Jesuits, and Mendicant friars; and
so great was the enthusiastic anticipation, that even
females hired vessels to follow the fleet which con-
tained those they loved; two or three of these were
driven by the storm on the coast of France.
This Armada consisted of about one hundred and
fifty ships, most of which were of an uncommon size,
strength, and thickness, more like floating castles
than anything else; and to this unwieldy size may,
probably, be attributed much of their discomfiture.
For the greater holiness of their action, twelve were
called the Twelve Apostles; and a pinnace of the
Andalusian squadron, commanded by Don Pedro de
Valdez, was called the "Holy Ghost." The fleet is
said to have contained thirty-two thousand persons,
and to have cost every day thirty thousand ducats.
The Duke of Parma's contemporary preparations
were also prodigious, and of a nature which plainly
declared the full certainty and confidence in which
the invaders indulged of making good their object.
But the preparations were doomed not to be even
tried. The finesse and manoeuvres of the shrewd
Sir Francis Walsingham* had caused the invasion
* He contrived, by means of a Venetian priest, his spy, to obtain
a copy of a letter from Philip to the Pope; a gentleman of the bed-
chamber taking the keys of the cabinet from the pockets of his holi-
ness as he slept. Upon intelligence thus obtained, Walsingham got
those Spanish bills protested at Genoa which should have supplied
money for the preparations.
TAPESTRY OF THE SPANISH ARMADA.
305
to be retarded for a whole year, and by this time
England was fully prepared for her foes. The result
is known. The hollow treaty of peace into which
Parma had entered in order, when all preparations
were completed, to take her by surprise, was entered
into with an equal share of hypocritical policy by Eli-
zabeth. "So (says an old historian) as they seemed
on both sides to sew the foxe's skin to the lion's."
So powerful was the effect on the public mind,
not only of this projected enterprise, but of its
almost unhoped for discomfiture, that all possible
means were taken to commemorate the event. One
method resorted to was the manufacture of tapestry
representing a series of subjects connected with it.
At that time Flanders excelled all others in the
manufacture of tapestry, it was scarcely indeed in-
troduced into England; and our ancestors had a
series of ten charts, designed by Henry Cornelius
Vroom, a celebrated painter of Haarlem, from
which their Flemish neighbours worked beautiful
draperies, which ornamented the walls of the House
of Lords.
At the time of the Union with Ireland, when
considerable repairs and alterations were made
here, these magnificent tapestries were taken down,
cleaned, and replaced, with the addition of large
frames of dark stained wood, which set off the work
and colouring to advantage. They formed a series
of ten pictures, round which portraits of the distin-
guished officers who commanded the fleet were
wrought into a border.
With a prescience, which might now almost seem
prophetic, Mr. John Pine, engraver, published in
+
306
TAPESTRY OF THE SPANISH ARMADA,
1739 a series of plates taken from these tapestries ;
and "because," says he, "time, or accident, or moths
may deface these valuable shadows, we have en-
deavoured to preserve their likeness in the preced-
ing prints, which, by being multiplied and dispersed
in various hands, may meet with that security from
the closets of the curious, which the originals must
scarce always hope for, even from the sanctity of
the place they are kept in."
On the 17th day of July, 1588, the English dis-
covered the Spanish fleet with lofty turrets like
castles, in front like a half moon, the wing thereof
spreading out about the length of seven miles, sail-
ing very slowly, though with full sails, the winds
being as it were tired with carrying them, and the
ocean groaning under the weight of them."
This forms the subject of the first tableau. The
English commanders suffered the Spaniards to pass
them unmolested, in order that they might hang
upon their rear, and harass them when they should
be involved in the Channel; for the English navy
were unable to confront such a power in direct and
close action. The second piece represents them
thus, near Fowey, the English coast displayed in the
back-ground, diversified perhaps somewhat too ela-
borately into hill and dale, and the foliage scattered
somewhat too regularly in lines over each hill, but
very pretty nevertheless. A small village with its
church and spire appears just at the water edge,
Eddystone lighthouse lifts its head above the waters,
and, fit emblem of the patriotism which now burned
throughout the land, and even glowed on the waters,
a huge sea monster uprears itself in threatening
TAPESTRY OF THE SPANISH ARMADA. 307
attitude against the invading host, and shows a
countenance hideous enough to scare any but Spa-
niards from its native shores.
No. 3 represents the first engagement between
the hostile fleets, and also the subsequent sailing of
the Spanish Armada up the channel, Closely fol-
lowed by the English, whose ships were so much
lighter, that in a running warfare of this kind they
had greatly the advantage. The sea is alive too
with dolphins and other strange fish, with right
British hearts, as it has been said that " they
seemed to oppose themselves with fierce and grim
looks to the progress of the Spanish fleet." The
view of the coast here is very good; and, where it
retires from Start Point so as to form a bay or har-
bour, the perspective is really admirably indicated
by two vessels dimly defined in the horizon.
The views of the coast are varied and interesting;
and the distances and perspective views are much
more accurately delineated than was usual at the
time; but, as we have remarked, they were designed
by an eminent painter, and one whose particular
forte was the delineation of shipping and naval
scenes.
The pictures are certainly as a series devoid of
variety. In two of them the Calais shore is in-
troduced; and the intermixture of fortifications,
churches, houses, and animated spectators, eagerly
crowding to behold the fleets sailing by, produces
an enlivening and busy scene, which, set off by the
varied, lively, and appropriate colouring of the ta-
pestry, would have a most striking effect. But the
man who, unmoved by the excitement about him, is
308
TAPESTRY OF THE SPANISH ARMADA.
calmly fishing under the walls, without even turning
his head toward the scene of tumult, must be blessed
with an apathy of disposition which the poor en-
raged dolphins and porpoises might have envied.
With these exceptions the tapestries are all sea
pieces with only a distant view of the coast, and
portray the two fleets in different stages of their
progress, sometimes with engagements between
single ships, but generally in an apparent state of
truce, the English always the pursuers, and the
Spaniards generally drawn up in form of a crescent.
The last however shows the invading fleet hurriedly
and in disorder sailing away, when bad weather,
the Duke of Parma's delay, and a close engagement
of fourteen hours, in which they "suffered griev-
ously," having" had to endure all the heavy cannon-
ading of their triumphant opponents, while they
were struggling to get clear of the shallows," con-
vinced them of the impossibility of a successful close
to their enterprise, and made them resolve to take
advantage of a southern breeze to make their pas-
sage up the North sea, and round Scotland home.
"He that fights and runs away,
May live to fight another day."
CC
About these
So, however, did not the Spaniards.
north islands their mariners and soldiers died daily
by multitudes, as by their bodies cast on land did
appear. The Almighty ordered the winds to be so
contrary to this proud navy, that it was, by force,
dissevered on the high seas west upon Ireland;
and so great a number of them driven into sundry
dangerous bays, and upon rocks, and there cast
ཚ་ས་ཁ་ན་
TAPESTRY OF THE SPANISH ARMADA.
309
away; some sunk, some broken, some on the sands,
and some burnt by the Spaniards themselves."
Misfortune clung to them; storm and tempest on
the sea, and inhospitable and cruel treatment when
they were forced on shore so reduced them, that of
this magnificent Armada only sixty shattered vessels
found their home; and their humbled commander,
the Duke de Medina Sidonia, was led to understand
that his presence was not desired at court, and that
a private country residence would be the most
suitable.
It was on this occasion, when the instant danger
was past but by no means entirely done away, as
for some time it was supposed that the Armada, after
recruiting in some northern station, would return,
that Elizabeth with a general's truncheon in her
hand rode through the ranks of her army at Til-
bury, and addressed them in a style which caused
them to break out into deafening and tumultuous
shouts and cries of love, and honour, and obedience
to death. Thus magnificently the English heroine
spoke :
My loving People,-We have been persuaded
by some that are careful of our safety to take heed
how we commit ourselves to armed Multitudes; but
I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my
faithful and loving People. Let Tyrants fear; I have
always so behaved myself that, under God, I have
placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal
Hearts and Goodwill of my Subjects; and therefore I
am come amongst you, as you see at this time, not for
my Recreation and Disport, but being resolved, in the
midst and heat of the Battle, to live and die amongst
310
TAPESTRY OF THE SPANISH ARMADA.
you all; to lay down for my Gon, and for my kingdom,
and for my People, my Honour, and my Blood, even
in the dust. I know I have the body but of a weak
and feeble Woman, but I have the Heart and Stomach
of a King, and of a King of England too; and
think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any Prince
of Europe should dare to invade the Borders of
my Realm; to which, rather than any Dishonour
shall grow by me, I myself will take up Arms, I my-
self will be your General, Judge, and Rewarder of
every one of your Virtues in the Field; I know
already, for your forwardness, you have deserved
Rewards and Crowns; and we do assure you, in the
word of a Prince, they shall be duly paid you.
In
the mean time my Lieutenant-general shall be in my
stead, than whom never Prince commanded a more
noble or worthy subject; not doubting but, by your
obedience to my General, by your Concord in the
camp, and your Valour in the Field, we shall shortly
have a famous victory over those Enemies of my
GOD, of my Kingdoms, and of my People."
The tapestry, the magnificent memorial of this
great event, was lost irreparably in the devastating
fire of 1834. Some fragments, it is said, were pre-
served, but we have not been able to ascertain this
fact. One portion still exists at Plymouth, though
shorn of its pristine brilliancy, as some of the silver
threads were drawn out by the economists of the
time of the Commonwealth. This piece was cut out
to make way for a gallery at the time of the trial of
Queen Caroline, was secreted by a German servant
of the Lord Chamberlain, and sold by him to a
broker who offered it to Government for 500l.
TAPESTRY OF THE SPANISH ARMADA.
311
Some inquiry was made into the circumstances,
which, however, do not seem to have excited very
great interest, since the relic was ultimately bought
by the Bishop of Landaff (Van Mildert) for 201.
By him it was presented to the corporation of Ply-
mouth, who still possess it.
312
CHAPTER XX.
ON STITCHERY.
"Here have I cause in men just blame to find,
That in their proper praise too partial bee,
And not indifferent to womankind,
*
*
Scarse do they spare to one, or two, or three,
Rowme in their writtes; yet the same writing small
Does all their deedes deface, and dims their glories all."
Faerie Queene.
Christine, whiche understode these thynges of Dame Reason, re-
plyed upon that in this manere. Madame Ise wel yt ye myght
fynde ynowe & of grete nombre of women praysed in scyences and
in crafte; but knowe ye ony that by ye vertue of their felynge &
of subtylte of wytte haue founde of themselfe ony newe craftes and
scyences necessary, good, & couenable that were neuer founde be-
fore nor knowne? for it is not so grete maystry to folowe and to
lerne after ony other scyence founde and comune before, as it is
to fynde of theymselfe some newe thynge not accustomed before.
“Answere.-Ne doubte ye not ye contrary my dere frende but many
craftes and scyences ryght notable hathe ben founde by the wytte
and subtylte of women, as moche by speculacyon of understand-
ynge, the whiche sheweth them by wrytynge, as in craftes, yt
sheweth theym in werkynge of handes & of laboure."
The Boke of the Cyte of Ladyes.
AGAIN we must lament that the paucity of historical
record lays us under the necessity of concluding, by
inference, what we would fain have displayed by
ON STITCHERY.
313
direct testimony. The respectable authority quoted
above affirms that "many craftes and scyences ryght
notable hathe ben founde by the wytte and subtylte
of women," and it specifies particularly “werkynge
of handes," by which we suppose the "talented"
author means needlework. That the necessity for
this pretty art was first created by woman, no one, we
think, will disallow; and that it was first practised,
as it has been subsequently perfected, by her, is
a fact of which we feel the most perfect conviction.
This conviction has been forced upon us by a train
of reasoning which will so readily suggest itself to
the mind of all our readers, that we content our-
selves with naming the result, assured that it is
unnecessary to trouble them with the intervening
steps. One only link in the chain of "circumstantial
evidence" will we adduce, and that is afforded by
the ancient engraving to which we have before al-
luded in our remarks upon Eve's needle and thread.
There whilst our "general mother" is stitching
away at the fig-leaves in the most edifying manner
possible, our "first father," far from trying to "put
in a stitch for himself," is gazing upon her in the
most utter amazement. And while she plies her
busy task as if she had been born to stitchery, his
eyes, not his fingers,
"Follow the nimble fingers of the fair,"
with every indication of superlative wonder and ad-
miration.
In fact, it is no slight argument in favour of the
original invention of sewing by women, that men
very rarely have wit enough to learn it, even when
P
314
ON STITCHERY.
invented. There has been no lack of endeavour,
even amongst the world's greatest and mightiest,
but poor "work" have they made of it. Hercules
lost all the credit of his mighty labours from his
insignificance at the spinning wheel, and the sceptre
of Sardanapalus passed from his grasp as he was
endeavouring to "finger the fine needle and nyse
thread."
These love-stricken heroes might have said with
Gower-had he then said it-
"What things she bid me do, I do,
And where she bid me go, I go.
And where she likes to call, I come,
I serve, I bow, I look, I lowte,
My eye followeth her about.
What so she will, so will I,
When she would set, I kneel by.
And when she stands, then will I stand,
And when she taketh her work in hand,
Of wevyng or of embroidrie.
Then can I only muse and prie,
Upon her fingers long and small.”
Our modern Hercules, the Leviathan of litera-
ture, was not more successful.
Dr. Johnson." Women have a great advantage
that they may take up with little things, without
disgracing themselves; a man cannot, except with
fiddling. Had I learnt to fiddle I should have done.
nothing else."
Boswell." Pray, Sir, did you ever play on any
musical instrument?"
Dr. Johnson." No, Sir; I once bought a flageo-
let, but I never made out a tune."
Boswell.—“ A flageolet, Sir! So small an instru-
ment? I should have liked to hear you play on the
ON STITCHERY.
315
violoncello.
ment."
That should have been your instru-
Dr. Johnson." Sir, I might as well have played
on the violoncello as another; but I should have
done nothing else. No, Sir; a man would never
undertake great things could he be amused with
small. I once tried knotting; Dempster's sister
undertook to teach me, but I could not learn it."
Boswell." So, Sir; it will be related in pompous
narrative, once for his amusement he tried knot-
ting, nor did this Hercules disdain the distaff.""
Dr. Johnson." Knitting of stockings is a good
amusement. As a freeman of Aberdeen, I should
be a knitter of stockings.
Nor was Dr. Johnson singular in his high appre-
ciation of the value of some sort of stitchery to his
own half of the human race, if their intellects un-
fortunately had not been too obtuse for its acquisi-
tion. The great censor of the public morals and
manners a century ago, the Spectator, recommends
the same thing, though with his usual policy he
feigns merely to be the medium of another's advice.
66
Mr. Spectator,-You are always ready to re-
ceive any useful hint or proposal, and such, I believe,
you will think one that may put you in a way to
employ the most idle part of the kingdom; I mean
that part of mankind who are known by the name
of the women's men, beaux, &c. Mr. Spectator,
you are sensible these pretty gentlemen are not
made for any manly employments, and for want of
business are often as much in the vapours as the
ladies. Now what I propose is this, that since knot-
P 2
316
ON STITCHERY.
ting is again in fashion, which has been found a
very pretty amusement, that you will recommend it
to these gentlemen as something that may make
them useful to the ladies they admire. And since
it is not inconsistent with any game or other diver-
sion, for it may be done in the playhouse, in their
coaches, at the tea-table, and, in short, in all places
where they come for the sake of the ladies (except
at church, be pleased to forbid it there to prevent
mistakes), it will be easily complied with. It is
besides an employment that allows, as we see by
the fair sex, of many graces, which will make the
beaux more readily come into it; and it shows a
white hand and a diamond ring to great advantage;
it leaves the eyes at full liberty to be employed as
before, as also the thoughts and the tongue. In
short, it seems in every respect so proper that it is
needless to urge it further, by speaking of the satis-
faction these male knotters will find when they see
their work mixed up in a fringe, and worn by the
fair lady for whom, and with whom, it was done.
Truly, Mr. Spectator, I cannot but be pleased I
have hit upon something that these gentlemen are
capable of; for it is sad so considerable a part of
the kingdom (I mean for numbers) should be of no
manner of use. I shall not trouble you further at
this time, but only to say, that I am always your
reader and generally your admirer.
C. B.
"P.S.-The sooner these fine gentlemen are set
to work the better; there being at this time several
fringes that stay only for more hands."
But, alas! the sanguine writer was mistaken in
ON STITCHERY.
317
supposing that at last gentlemen had found a some-
thing "of which they were capable." The days of
knotting passed away before they had made any
proficiency in it; nor have we ever heard that
they have adopted any other branch or stitch of
this extensive art. There is variety enough to
satisfy anybody, and there are gradations enough
in the stitches to descend to any capacity but a
man's. There are tambour stitch-satin-chain-
finny newbred - ferne - and queen-stitches;
there is slabbing-veining-and button stitch; seed-
ing-roping—and open stitch: there is sockseam-
herring-bone-long stitch-and cross stitch: there is
rosemary stitch-Spanish stitch-and Irish stitch:
there is back stitch-overcast-and seam stitch:
hemming-felling—and basting: darning-grafting
-and patching: there is whip stitch-and fisher
stitch: there is fine drawing-gathering-mark-
ing-trimming--and tucking.
Truly all this does require some vous, and the
lords of the creation are more to be pitied than
blamed for that paucity of intellect which deprives
them of "woman's pretty excuse for thought."
Raillery apart, sewing is in itself an agreeable
occupation, it is essentially a useful one; in many
of its branches it is quite ornamental, and it is a
gentle, a graceful, an elegant, and a truly feminine
occupation. It causes the solitary hours of domestic
life to glide more smoothly away, and in those social
unpretending reunions which in country life and in
secluded districts are yet not abolished, it takes
away from the formality of sitting for conversation,
abridges the necessity for scandal, or, to say the least
318
ON STITCHERY.
of it, as we h ve heard even ungallant lordly man
allow, it keeps us out of mischief.
And there are frequent and oft occurring circum-
stances which invest it with characteristics of a still
higher order. How many of "the sweet solicitudes
that life beguile" are connected with this interest-
ing occupation! either in preparing habiliments for
those dependent on our care, and for love of whom
many an unnecessary stitch which may tend to extra
adornment is put in; or in those numberless pretty
and not unuseful tokens of remembrance, which,
passing from friend to friend, soften our hearts by
the intimation they convey, that we have been cared
for in our absence, and that while the world looked
dark and desolate about us, unforgetting hearts far,
far away were holding us in remembrance, busy
fingers were occupied in our behoof. Oh! a reti-
cule, a purse, a slipper, how valueless soever in it-
self, is, when fraught with these home memories,
worth that which the mines of Golconda could not
purchase. And of such a nature would be the feel-
ings which suggested these well-known but exqui-
site lines:-
"The twentieth year is well nigh past,
Since first our sky was overcast,
Ah, would that this might be the last!
My Mary!
CC
Thy spirits have a fainter flow,
I see thee daily weaker grow,
Twas my distress that brought thee low,
Thy needles, once a shining store,
For my sake restless heretofore,
My Mary!
Now rust disused and shine no more,
My Mary!
ON STITCHERY.
319
"For though thou gladly would'st fulfil
The same kind office for me still,
Thy sight now seconds not thy will,
My Mary!
"But well thou play'dst the housewife's part,
And all thy threads with magic art,
Have wound themselves about this heart,
“ 66
My Mary!"
An interesting circumstance connected with needle-
work is mentioned in the delightful memoir written.
by lady Murray, of her mother, the excellent and
admirable Lady Grisell Baillie. The allusion itself
is very slight, merely to the making of a frill or a
collar;
but the circumstances connected with it are
deeply interesting, and place before us a vivid pic-
ture of the deprivations of a family of rank and
consequence in troublous times," and moreover
offer us a portrait from real life of true feminine
excellence, of a young creature of rank and family,
of cultivated and refined tastes and of high con-
nexions, utterly forgetting all these in the cheerful
and conscientious discharge, for years, of the most
arduous and humble duties, and even of menial and
revolting offices. It may be that my readers all
are not so well acquainted with this little book as
ourselves, and, if so, they will not consider the fol-
lowing extract too long.
<<
They lived three years and a half in Holland,
and in that time she made a second voyage to Scot-
land about business. Her father went by the bor-
rowed name of Dr. Wallace, and did not stir out for
fear of being discovered, though who he was, was
no secret to the wellwishers of the revolution. Their
320
ON STITCHERY.
great desire was to have a good house, as their
greatest comfort was at home; and all the people
of the same way of thinking, of which there were
great numbers, were continually with them. They
paid for their house what was very extravagant for
their income, nearly a fourth part; they could not
afford keeping any servant, but a little girl to wash
the dishes.
"All the time they were there, there was not a
week that my mother did not sit up two nights, to
do the business that was necessary. She went to
market, went to the mill to have the corn ground,
which it seems is the way with good managers there,
dressed the linen, cleaned the house, made ready
the dinner, mended the children's stockings and
other clothes, made what she could for them, and,
in short, did everything.
CC
Her sister, Christian, who was a year or two
younger, diverted her father and mother and the
rest who were fond of music. Out of their small
income they bought a harpsichord for little money,
but is a Rucar now in my custody, and most valu-
able. My aunt played and sang well, and had a
great deal of life and humour, but no turn to busi-
ness. Though my mother had the same qualifica-
tions, and liked it as well as she did, she was forced
to drudge; and many jokes used to pass betwixt
the sisters about their different occupations. Every
morning before six my mother lighted her father's
fire in his study, then waked him (she was ever a
good sleeper, which blessing, among many others,
she inherited from him); then got him, what he
ON STITCHERY.
321
usually took as soon as he got up, warm small beer
with a spoonful of bitters in it, which he continued
his whole life, and of which I have the receipt.
"C
Then she took up the children and brought
them all to his room, where he taught them every-
thing that was fit for their age; some Latin, others
French, Dutch, geography, writing, reading, Eng-
lish, &c.; and my grandmother taught them what
was necessary on her part. Thus he employed and
diverted himself all the time he was there, not being
able to afford putting them to school; and my
mother, when she had a moment's time, took a lesson
with the rest in French and Dutch, and also diverted
herself with music. I have now a book of songs of
her writing when there; many of them interrupted,
half-writ, some broke off in the middle of a sentence.
She had no less a turn for mirth and society than
any of the family, when she could come at it without
neglecting what she thought more necessary.
rr
Her eldest brother, Patrick, who was nearest
her age, and bred up together, was her most dearly
beloved. My father was there, forfeited and exiled,
in the same situation with themselves. She had seen
him for the first time in the prison with his father,
not long before he suffered;* and from that time
their hearts were engaged. Her brother and my
father were soon got in to ride in the Prince of
Orange's Guards, till they were better provided for
in the army, which they were before the Revolution.
They took their turn in standing sentry at the
Prince's gate, but always contrived to do it together,
* She was then a mere child, not more, if I remember rightly, than
twelve years old.
P 3
322
ON STITCHERY.
*
and the strict friendship and intimacy that then
began, continued to the last.
66
Though their station was then low, they kept
up their spirits; the prince often dined in public,
then all were admitted to see him: when any pretty
girl wanted to go in they set their halberts across
the door and would not let her pass till she gave
each of them a kiss, which made them think and
call them very pert soldiers. I could relate many
stories on this subject; my mother could talk for
hours and never tire of it, always saying it was the
happiest part of her life. Her constant attention was
to have her brother appear right in his linen and
dress; they wore little point cravats and cuffs, which
many a night she sat up to have in as good order.
for him as any in the place; and one of their greatest
expenses was in dressing him as he ought to be.
'As their house was always full of the unfortu-
nate people banished like themselves, they seldom
went to dinner without three, four, or five of them
to share it with them; and many a hundred times
I have heard her say she could never look back upon
their manner of living there without thinking it a
miracle. They had no want, but plenty of every-
thing they desired, and much contentment, and
always declared it the most pleasing part of her life,
though they were not without their little distresses;
but to them they were rather jokes than grievances.
The professors and men of learning in the place
came often to see my grandfather; the best enter-
tainment he could give them was a glass of alabast
beer, which was a better kind of ale than common.
He sent his son Andrew, the late Lord Kimmerg-
ON STITCHERY.
323
hame, a boy, to draw some for them in the cellar,
and he brought it up with great diligence, but in
the other hand the spigot of the barrel. My grand-
father said, 'Andrew! what is that in your hand?"
When he saw it he ran down with speed, but the
beer was all run out before he got there. This oc-
casioned much mirth, though perhaps they did not
well know where to get more.
CC
"It is the custom there to gather money for the
poor from house to house, with a bell to warn people
to give it. One night the bell came, and no money
was there in the house but a orkey, which is a doit,
the smallest of all coin; everybody was so ashamed
no one would go to give it, it was so little, and put it
from one to the other: at last my grandfather said,
Well, then, I'll go with it; we can do no more
than give all we have." They were often reduced
to this by the delay of the ships coming from Scot-
land with their small remittances; then they put
the little plate they had (all of which they carried
with them) in the lumber, which is pawning it, till
the ships came: and that very plate they brought
with them again to Scotland, and left no debt be-
hind them."
This is a long but not an uninteresting digres-
sion, and we were led to it from the recollection that
Lady Grisell Baillie, when encompassed with heavy
cares, not only sat up a night or two every week,
but felt a satisfaction, a pleasure, in doing so, to
execute the needlework required by her family.
And when sewing with a view to the comfort and
satisfaction of others, the needlewoman-insigni-
ficant as the details of her employment may ap
324
ON STITCHERY.
pear-has much internal satisfaction; she has a de-
finite vocation, an important function.
Nor few nor insignificant are her handmaidens,
one or other of whom is ever at her side, inspiriting
her to her task. Her most constant attendant is a
matron of stayed and sober appearance, called UTI-
LITY. The needlewoman's productions are found
to vary greatly, and this variation is ascribed with
truth to the influencing suggestions of the attendant
for the time being.
Thus, for instance, when Utility is her companion
all her labours are found to result in articles of which
the material is unpretending, and the form simple;
for however she may be led wandering by the vaga-
ries of her other co-mates, it is always found that
in moments of steady reflection she listens with the
most implicit deference to the intimations of this
her experienced and most respectable friend.
But occasionally, indeed frequently, Utility brings
with her a fair and interesting relative, called TASTE;
a gentle being, of modest and retiring mien, of most
unassuming deportment, but of exquisite grace;
and it is even observed that the needlewoman is
more happy in her labours, and more universally
approved when accompanied by these two friends,
than by any other of the more eccentric ones who
occasionally take upon themselves to direct her
steps.
Of these latter, FASHION is one of her most fre-
quent visitors, and it is very often found that as she
approaches Utility and Taste retire. This is not,
however, invariably the case. Sometimes the three
agree cordially together, and their united suffrages
ON STITCHERY.
325
and support enhance the fame of the needlewoman
to the very highest pitch; but this happy cordiality
is of infrequent occurrence, and usually of short
duration. Fashion is fickle, varying, inconstant ;
given to sudden partialities and to disruptions un-
looked for, and as sudden. She laughs to scorn
Utility's grave maxims, and exaggerates the grace-
ful suggestions of Taste until they appear complete
caricatures. Consequently they, offended, retire;
and Fashion, heedless, holds on her own course,
keeping the needlewoman in complete subjection to
her arbitrary rule, which is often enforced in her
transient absence by her own peculiar friend and
intimate-CAPRICE. This fantastic being has the
greatest influence over Fashion, who having no staple
character of her own, is easily led every way at the
beck of this whimsical and absurd dictator. The
productions which emanate from the hands of the
needlewoman under their guidance are much sought
for, much looked at, but soon fall into utter con-
tempt.
But there is another handmaiden created for the
delight and solace of mankind in general, and who
from the earliest days, even until now, has been the
loving friend of the needlewoman; ever whisper-
ing suggestions in her ear, or tracing patterns on
her work, or gently guiding her finger through the
fantastic maze. She is of the most exquisite beauty:
fragile in form as the gossamer that floats on a sum-
mer's breath-brilliant in appearance as the colours
that illumine the rainbow. So light, that she floats
on an atom; so powerful that she raises empires,
nay, the whole earth by her might. Her habits
326
ON STITCHERY.
are the most vagrant imaginable; she is indeed
the veriest little gossip in creation, but her dispo-
sition to roam is not more boundless than her power
to gratify it.
One instant she is in the depths of the ocean,
loitering upon coral beds; the next above the stars,
revelling in the immensity of space; one moment
she tracks a comet in his course, the next hobnobs
with the sea-king, or foots a measure with mermaids.
A most skilful architect, she will build palaces on
the clouds radiant with splendour and beautiful as
herself; then, demolishing them with a breath, she
flies to some moss-grown ruin of the earth, where a
glimpse of her countenance drives away the bat and
the owl; the wallflower, the moss, and the ivy, are
displaced by the rose, the lily, and the myrtle; the
damp building is clothed in freshness and splendour,
the lofty halls resound with the melody of the lute
and the harp, and the whole scene is vivid with light
and life, with brilliancy and beauty. Again, in an
instant, all is mute, and dim, and desolate, and the
versatile sorceress is hunting the otter with an Es-
quimaux; or, pillowed on roses whose fragrance is
wafted by softest zephyrs around, she listens to the
strain which the Bulbul pours; or, wrapped in
deepest maze of philosophic thought, she "treads
the long extent of backward time," by the gigantic
sepulchres of Egyptian kings; or else she flies
"from the tempest-rocked Hebrides or the ice-
bound Northern Ocean-from the red man's wilder-
ness of the west-from the steppes of Central Asia
--from the teeming swamps of the Amazon-from
the sirocco deserts of Africa-from the tufted islands
ON STITCHERY.
327
of the Pacific-from the heaving flanks of Ætna—
or from the marbled shores of Greece;"-and draws
the whole circle of her enchantments round the
needlewoman's fingers, within the walls of an humble
English cottage.
But it were equally unnecessary and useless to
dilate on her fairy wanderings. Suffice it to say
that so great is the beneficent liberality of this fas-
cinating being, that every corner of her rich domain
is open to the highest or lowest of mortals without
reserve; and so lovely is she herself, and so bewitch-
ing is her company, that few, few indeed, are they
who do not cherish her as a bosom friend and as
the dearest of companions.
"
Bearing, however, her vagrant characteristics in
mind, we shall not be surprised at the peculiar ideas
some people entertain of her haunts, nor at the
strange places in which they search for her person.
One would hardly believe that hundreds of thou-
sands have sought her through the smoke, din, and
turmoil of those lines where all antipathies to
comfort dwell,"—the railroads; while others, more
adventurous, plough the ocean deep, scale the mighty
mountains, or soar amid the clouds for her; or,
strange to say, have sought her in the battle field
'mid scenes of bloody death. Like Hotspur, such
would pluck her-
or would
for her.
"From the pale-faced moon ;
"Dive into the bottom of the deep,
Where fathom-line could never touch the ground"
But she is a lady before whom strength and pride
328
ON STITCHERY.
fall nerveless and abased; her gracious smiles are
to be wooed, not commanded; her bright presence
may be won, not forced;
"For spotless, and holy, and gentle, and bright,
She glides o'er the earth like an angel of light."
Possessing all the gentleness of her mother-
Taste, she shrinks from everything rude or abrupt;
and when, as has frequently been the case, persons
have attempted to lay violent hands upon her, she
has invariably eluded their vigilance, by leaving in
her place, tricked out in her superabundant orna-
ments to blind them, her half-brother-Whim, who
sprang from the same father-Wit, but by another
mother-Humour. She herself, wanderer as she is,
is not without her favourite haunts, in which she
lingers as if even loath to quit them at all.
Finally, wherever yet the accomplished needle-
woman has been found, in the Jewish tabernacle of
old-in the Grecian dome where the "Tale of Troy
divine" glowed on the canvass-or in the bower of
the high-born beauty of the bright days of the
sword and the lance"-in the cell of the pale re-
cluse-or in the turretted prison of the royal cap-
tive-there has FANCY been her devoted friend, her
inseparable companion.
329
CHAPTER XXI.
LES ANCIENNES TAPISSERIES;" TAPESTRY OF ST.
MARY'S HALL, COVENTRY; TAPESTRY OF HAMP-
TON COURT.
"There is a sanctity in the past."-BULWER.
ALL monuments of antiquity are so speedily passing
away, all traces of those bygone generations on
which the mind loves to linger, and which in their
dim and indistinct memories exercise a spell, a holy
often, and a purifying spell on the imagination are
so fleeting, and when irrevocably gone will be so
lamented that all testimonies which throw certain
light on the habits and manners of the past, how
slight soever the testimonies they afford, how trivial
soever the characteristics they display, are of the
highest possible value to an enlightened people, who
apply the experience of the past to its legitimate
and noblest use, the guidance and improvement of
the present.
In this point of view the work which forms the
subject of this chapter* assumes a value which its
intrinsic worth-beautiful as is its execution-would
* "Les Anciennes Tapisseries Historiées, ou Collection des Monu-
mens les plus remarquables, de ce genre, qui nous soient restés du
moyen age." A Paris.
330
ANCIENT TAPESTRIES.
not impart to it; and it is thus rendered not less
valuable as an historical record, than it is attractive
as a work of taste.
66
La chez eux, (we quote from the preface to the
work itself,) c'est un siège ou un tournoi; ici un
festin, plus loin une chasse; et toujours, chasse,
festin, tournoi, siège, tout cela est pourtraict au vif,
comme aurait dit Montaigne, tout cela nous retrace
au naturel la vie de nos pères, nous montre leurs
châteaux, leurs églises, leurs costumes, leurs armes
et même, grâce aux légendes explicatives, leur
langage à diverses époques. Il y a mieux. Si nous
nous en rapportons à l'inventaire de Charles V.,
exécuté en 1379, toute la litterature française des
siècles féconds qui précéderent celui de ce sage
monarque, aurait été par ces ordres traduite en laine."
This book consists of representations of all the
existing ancient tapestries which activity and re-
search can draw from the hiding-places of ages,
copied in the finest outline engraving, with letter-
press descriptions of each plate. They are pub-
lished in numbers, and in a style worthy of the
object. We do not despair of seeing this spirited
example followed in our own country, where many
a beautiful specimen of ancient tapestry, still capable
of renovation by care-is mouldering unthought of
in the lumber-rooms of our ancient mansions.
We have seen twenty-one numbers of this work,
with which we shall deal freely: excepting, however,
the eight parts which are entirely occupied by the
Bayeux Tapestry. Our own chapters on the sub-
ject were written before we were fortunate enough
to obtain a sight of these, which include the whole
ANCIENT TAPESTRIES.
331
of the correspondence on the tapestry to which we
in our sketch alluded.
LA TAPISSERIE DE NANCY-" aurait une illustre
origine, et remonterait à une assez haute antiquitè.
Prise dans la tente de Charles le Temeraire, lors de la
morte de ce prince, en 1477, devant la capitale de
la Lorraine, qu'il assiegeait, elle serait devenue un
meuble de la couronne, et aurait servi au palais des
ducs de ce pays, depuis René 2 jusqu'à Charles IV.
C'est une de ces anciennes tapisseries flamandes
dont le tissu, de laine tres fine, est éclairé par l'or
et la soie. La soie et la laine subsistent encore,
mais l'or ne s'aperçoit plus que dans quelques en-
droits et à la faveur d'un beau soleil. Nous ferons
remarquer que le costume des divers personnages
que figurent dans notre monument est tout à fait
caracteristique. Ce sont bien là les vêtements et
les ornements en usage vers la moitiè du quinzième
siècle, et la disposition artistique, le choix du sujet,
ainsi que l'exécution elle-même portent bien l'em-
preinte du style des œuvres de 1450 environ.-—————La
maison de Bourgogne était fort riche en joyaux, en
vaisselle d'or ou d'argent et en tapis.”
The tapestry presents an allegorical history, of
which the object is to depict the inconveniences con-
sequent on what is called "good cheer." Later on
this formed the subject of "a morality." Originally
this tapestry was only one vast page, the requisite
divisions being wrought in the form of ornamented
columns. It was afterwards cut in pieces, and un-
fortunately the natural divisions of the subject were
not attended to in the severment. More unhappily
still the pieces have since been rejoined in a wrong
332
ANCIENT TAPESTRIES.
order; and after every possible endeavour to read
them aright, the publishers are indebted to the
Morality" before referred to, which was taken from
it, and was entitled La Nef de Santé, avec le
gouvernail du corps humain, et la condamnaçion des
bancquetz, a la louenge de Diepte et Sobriéte, et la
Traictie des Passions de l'ame."
Banquet, Bonnecompagnie, Souper, Gourmandise,
Friandise, Passetemps, Je pleige d'autant, Je boy à
vous, and other rare personifications, not forgetting
that indispensable guest then in all courtly pastime,
Le fol, "go it" to their hearts' content, until they
are interrupted vi et armis by a ghastly phalanx in
powerful array of Apoplexie, Ydropsie, Epilencie,
Pleurisie, Esquinancie, Paralasie, Gravelle, Colicque,
&c.
TAPISSERIE DE DIJON." On conviendra qu'il
serait difficile de trouver un monument de ce genre
plus fidèle sur le rapport historique, plus intérressant
pour les arts, et plus digne d'etre reproduit par la
gravure. Je ferai en outre remarquer combien cet
immense tableau de laine, qui est unique, renferme
de détails precieux à la fois pour la panoplie, pour
les costumes, et l'architecture du commencement du
16 siècle, ainsi que pour l'histoire monumentale de
Dijon."
This tapestry, judging by the engravings in the
work we quote, must be very beautiful. The groups
are spirited and well disposed; and the counte-
nances have so much nature and expression in them,
as to lead us readily to credit the opinion of the
writer that they were portraits. The buildings are
well outlined; and in the third piece an excellent
ANCIENT TAPESTRIES.
333
effect is produced by exposing-by means of an
open window, or some simple contrivance of the sort-
part of the interior of the church of Notre Dame,
and so displaying the brave leader of the French
army, La Tremouille, as he offers thanks before the
shrine of the Virgin.
The tapestry was worked immediately after the
siege of Dijon, (1513) and represents in three scenes
the most important circumstances relating to it;
the costumes, the arms, and the architecture of the
time being displayed with fidelity and exactitude.
The first represents the invading army before the
walls; the second a solemn procession in honour of
Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Espoir. In the midst is
elevated the image of the Virgin, which is surrounded
by the clergy in their festal vestments, by the re-
ligious communities, by the nobility, the bourgeois,
and the military, all bearing torches.
To this solemn procession was attributed the truce
which led to a more lasting peace, though there are
some heterodox dissentients who attribute this sub-
stantial advantage to the wisdom and policy of the
able commander La Tremouille, who shared with
Bayard the honourable distinction of being sans
peur et sans reproche."
TAPISSERIES DE BAYARD -A château which be-
longed to this noted hero was despoiled at the
Revolution, and it was doubtless only owing to an
idea of its worthlessness that some of the ancient
tapestry was left there. These fragments, in a de-
plorable state, were purchased in 1807, and there
are yet sufficient of them to bear testimony to their
former magnificence, and to decide the date of their
334
ANCIENT TAPESTRIES.
creation at the close of the fourteenth or beginning
of the fifteenth century. The subjects are taken
from Homer's "Iliad," and "il est probable (says
M. Jubinal) que ce poëme se trouvait originairement.
reproduit en laine presque tout entier, malgré sa
longueur, car ce n'etait pas le travail qui effrayait
nos aieux."
Valenciennes was celebrated for the peculiar fine-
ness and gloss of its tapestry, By the indefatigable
industry of certain antiquarians, some pieces in good
preservation representing a tournament, have lately
been taken from a garret, dismantled of their triple
panoply of dust, cleaned and hung up; after being
traced from their original abode in the state apart-
ments of a prince through various gradations, to the
damp walls of a registry office, where, from their
apparent fragility alone, they escaped being cut into
floor mats.
Those of the CHATEAU D'HAROUE, and of the
COLLECTION DUSOMMERARD, are also named here;
but there is little to say about them, as the subjects
are more imaginary than historical. They are of
the sixteenth century, representing scenes of the
chase, and are enlivened with birds in every posi-
tion, some of them being, in proportion to other
figures, certainly larger than life, and "twice as
natural."
TAPISSERIES DE LA CHAISE DIEU.-"L'Abbaye
de la Chaise Dieu fut fondée en 1046 par Robert
qu'Alexandre 2de canonisa plus tard en 1070; et
dont l'origine se rattachait à la famille des comtes
de Poitou.
"Robert fut destinée de bonne heure aux fonctions
ANCIENT TAPESTRIES.
335
du sacerdoce." He went on pilgrimage to the tombs
of some of the Apostles, and it was on his return
thence that he was first struck with the idea of
founding a cœnobitical establishment.
"Reuni à un soldat nommé Etienne, à un solitaire
nommé Delmas, et à un chanoine nommé Arbert,
il se retira dans la solitude, et s'emparant du désert.
au profit de la religion, il planta la croix du Sauveur
dans les lieux jusque-là converts de forêts et de
bruyères incultes, et rassembla quelques disciples
pour vivre auprès de lui sous la règle qu'un ange
lui avait, disait il, apportée du ciel.
CC
Bientôt la réputation des cénobites s'etendit;
Robert fut reconnu comme leur chef. De toutes
parts on accourut les visiter. Des donations leur
furent faites, et sur les ruines d'une ancienne église
une nouvelle basilique s'éleva.
r
Telle est à peu prés l'histoire primitive de
l'abbaye de la Chaise-Dieu."
The Chaise-Dièu tapestries are fourteen in num-
ber, three of them are ten feet square, and the
others are six feet high by eighteen long, excepting
one which measures nearly twenty-six feet. Twelve
are hung on the carved wood-work of the choir of
the great church, and thus cover an immense space.
Further off is the ancient choir of the monks, of
which the wood-work of sculptured oak is surpris-
ingly rich. Not even the cathedral of Rheims, of
which the wood-work has long been regarded as the
most beautiful in the kingdom, contains so great a
number. Unhappily in times of intestine commo-
tion this chef d'oeuvre has been horribly mutilated
by the axes of modern iconoclasts, more ferocious
336
ANCIENT TAPESTRIES.
than the barbarians of old. The two other tapes-
tries are placed in the Church of the Penitents, an
ancient refectory of the monks which now forms a
dependent chapel to the great temple.
These magnificent hangings are woven of wool
and silk, and one yet perceives almost throughout,
golden and silver threads which time has spared.
When the artist prepared to copy them for the
work we are quoting, no one dreamt of the richness
buried beneath the accumulated dust and dirt of
centuries. They were carefully cleaned, and then,
says the artist, "Je suis ébloui de cette magnifi-
cence que nous ne soupçonnions plus. C'est ad-
mirable. Les Gobelins ne produisent pas aujourdhui
de tissus plus riches et plus éclatans. Imaginez
vous que les robes des femmes, les ornemens, les
colonnettes sont émaillées, ruisselantes de milliers
de pierres fines et de perles," &c.
It would be tedious to attempt to describe indi-
vidually the subjects of these tapestries. They
interweave the histories of the Old and New Testa-
ments; the centre of the work generally represent-
ing some passage in the life of our Saviour, whilst
on each side is some correspondent typical incident
from the Old Testament. Above are rhymed qua-
trains, either legendary or scriptural; and below
and around are sentences drawn from the prophets
or the psalms.
These tapestries appear to have been the produc-
tion of the close of the fifteenth and the beginning
of the sixteenth centuries, denoting in the architec-
ture and costumes more the reigns of Charles VIII.
and Louis XI., than of Louis XII. and Francis I.
ANCIENT TAPESTRIES.
337
>
Such pieces were probably long in the loom, since
the tapestry of Dijon, composed of a single lai of
twenty-one feet, required not less, according to a
competent judge, than ten years' labour.
There are some most beautiful, even amongst
these all-beautiful engravings, which we much regret
to see there-engravings of the tapestry in the
cathedral of Aix, which tapestry ought still to enrich
our own country. Shame on those under whose
barbarous rule these, amongst other valuable and
cherished monuments, were, as relics of papistry,
bartered for foreign gold. "L'histoire manuscrite
de la ville d'Aix dit que cette tapisserie avait servi
à l'église de St. Paul de Londres ou à toute autre
église cathédrale d'Angleterre; qu'à l'epoque de la
Reformation, les tableaux et les tapisseries ayant été
exclus des temples, les Anglais chercherent à vendre
dans les pays étrangers quelques unes des tapisseries
qui ornaient leurs cathédrales, et qu'ils en brulérent
un plus grand nombre !"
This tapestry represents the history of our Saviour,
in twenty seven compartments, being in the whole
about 187 feet long. It is supposed to have been
woven about 1511, when William Warham was
Archbishop of Canterbury, and Chancellor. War-
ham had been previously Bishop of London; and
as his arms are on this tapestry, and also the arms
of two prior bishops of London who are supposed to
have left legacies to ornament the church which were
applied towards defraying the expenses of this ma-
nufacture, it seems quite probable that its destina-
tion was St. Paul's, and not any other cathedral
church. The arms of the king are inwrought in two
338
ANCIENT TAPESTRIES.
places; for Henry contributed to the embellishment
of this church. He loved the arts; he decorated
churches; and though he seceded from the Roman
communion, he maintained throughout his life mag-
nificent decorations in his favourite churches as well
as the worship of the ancient Catholic Church. It
was first under Edward, and more decidedly under
Elizabeth, that the ceremonies of the church were
completely changed, and that those which had been
considered only decent and becoming were stigma-
tised as popish. Nor did this fantasy reach its
height until the time of Cromwell.
Lord Douglas, Earl of Buchan, who founded the
Society of Antiquaries in Edinburgh, endeavoured
during the interval of the Peace of Amiens, to treat
with the Archbishop of Aix for the re-purchase of
this tapestry. He would have placed it in a Gothic
church belonging to an ancient Scotch Abbey on
his domains. He had already ornamented this
church with several beautiful monuments of anti-
quity, and he wished to place this tapestry there as
a national monument, but the treaty was broken off.
The TAPESTRIES OF AULHAC, representing the
siege of Troy, and those of BEAUVAIS, embracing a
variety of subjects from history both sacred and pro-
fane; of the LOUVRE, representing the Miracle of
St. Quentin, tapestry representing ALEXANDER,
King of Scotland; and those of ST. REMI, at
Rheims, are all engraven and described.
Those of the magnificent cathedral church at
Rheims, consisting of forty tapestries, forming dif-
ferent collections, but all on religious subjects, will
probably form the material for future numbers.
ANCIENT TAPESTRIES.
339
THAT there are ancient tapestries existing in Eng-
land fully equal to those in France is, we think,
almost certain; but of course they are not to be
summoned from the "vasty deep" of neglect and
oblivion by the powerless voice of an obscure indi-
vidual. Gladly would we, had it been in our power,
have enriched our sketch by references to some of
them.
The following notice of a tapestry at Coventry is
drawn from "Smith's Selections of the ancient Cos-
tume of Britain;" and the names of the tapestries
at Hampton Court Palace from "Pyne's Royal Resi-
dences." We have recently visited Hampton Court
for the express purpose of viewing the tapestries.
There, we believe, they were, entirely (with the
exception of a stray inch or two here and there)
hung over with paintings.
The splendid though neglected tapestry of St.
Mary's Hall at Coventry offers a variety of ma-
terials no less interesting on account of the sanctity
and misfortunes of the prince (Henry VI.) who is
there represented, than curious as specimens of the
arts of drawing, dyeing, and embroidery of the time
in which it was executed.
It is thirty feet in length and ten in height; and
is divided into six compartments, three in the upper
tier and three in the lower, containing in all up-
wards of eighty figures or heads. The centre com-
partment of the upper row, in its perfect and original
state, represented the usual personification of the
Trinity-(the Trinity Guild held its meetings in
the hall of St. Mary) surrounded by angels bearing
the various instruments of the Passion. But the
Q 2
340
ANCIENT TAPESTRIES.
zeal of our early reformers sacrificed this part of the
work, and substituted in its stead a tasteless figure
of Justice, which now holds the scales amidst the
original group of surrounding angels.
The right hand division of this tier is occupied
with sundry figures of saints and martyrs, and the
opposite side is filled with a group of female saints.
In the centre compartment below is represented
the Virgin Mary in the clouds, standing on the
crescent, surrounded by the twelve Apostles and
many cherubs. But the two remaining portions of
this fine tapestry constitute its chief value and im-
portance to the city of Coventry, as they represent
the figures of Henry VI., his Queen, the ambitious, and
crafty, and cruel, yet beautiful and eloquent and
injured Margaret of Anjou, and many of their atten-
dants. During all the misfortunes of Henry, the
citizens of Coventry zealously supported him; and
their city is styled by historians "Queen Margaret's
secret bower." As the tapestry was purposely made
for the hall, and probably placed there during the
lives of the sovereigns, the figures may be consi-
dered as authentic portraits.
The first Presence Chamber in Hampton Court
is (or was) hung with rich ancient tapestry, repre-
senting a landscape, with the figures of Nymphs,
Fawns, Satyrs, Nereides, &c.
There is some fine ancient tapestry in the King's
Audience Chamber, the subjects being, on one side,
Abraham and Lot dividing their lands; and on the
other, God appearing to Abraham purchasing ground
for a burying-place.
ANCIENT TAPESTRIES.
341
#
The tapestry on the walls of the King's Drawing-
Room represents Abraham entertaining the three
Angels; also Abraham, Isaac, and Rebecca.
The tapestry which covers three sides of the
King's State Bedchamber represents the history of
Joshua.
The walls of the Queen's Audience Chamber are
covered with tapestry hangings, which represent the
story of Abraham and Melchisedec, and Abraham
and Rebecca.
The Ball Room is called also the Tapestry Gal-
lery, from the superb suite of hangings that orna-
ment its walls, which was brought from Flanders
by General Cadogan, and set up by order of
George I. The series of seven compartments de-
scribes the history of Alexander the Great, from the
paintings of the celebrated Charles le Brun. The
first represents the story of Alexander and his horse
Bucephalus; the second, the visit of Alexander to
Diogenes; the third, the passage of Alexander over
the Granicus; the fourth, Alexander's visit to the
mother and wife of Darius, in their tent, after the
battle of Arbela; the fifth, Alexander's triumphal
entrance into Babylon; the sixth, Alexander's
battle with Porus; the seventh, his second entrance
into Babylon. These magnificent hangings were
wrought at the Gobelins.
The tapestry hangings in the king's private
bedchamber describe the naval battle of Solebay
between the combined fleets of England and France
and the Dutch fleet, in 1672.
Of all the tapestries here recorded, the last only,
representing the Battle of Solebay, are now visible.
:
342
CHAPTER XXII.
EMBROIDERY.
"Flowers, Plants and Fishes, Beasts, Birds, Flyes, and Bees,
Hils, Dales, Plaines, Pastures, Skies, Seas, Rivers, Trees,
There's nothing neere at hand, or farthest sought,
But with the Needle may be shap'd and wrought.”
JOHN TAYLOR.
PERHAPS of all nations in very ancient times the
Medes and Babylonians were most celebrated for
the draperies of the apartments, about which they
were even more anxious than about their attire.
All their noted hangings with which their palaces
were so gorgeously celebrated were wrought by the
needle. And though now everywhere the loom is
in request, still these and other eastern nations
maintain great practice and unrivalled skill in
needle embroidery. Sir John Chardin says of the
Persians, "Their tailors certainly excel ours in their
sewing. They make carpets, cushions, veils for
doors, and other pieces of furniture of felt, in Mo-
saic work, which represents just what they please.
This is done so neatly, that a man might suppose
the figures were painted instead of being a kind of
inlaid work. Look as close as you will, the joining
EMBROIDERY.
343
cannot be seen;" and the Hall of Audience at
Jeddo, we are told, is a sumptuous edifice; the roof
covered with gold and silver of exquisite workman-
ship, the throne of massy gold enriched with pearls,
diamonds, and other precious stones. The tapestry
is of the finest silk, wrought by the most curious
hands, and adorned with pearls, gold, and silver,
and other costly embellishments.
About the close of the ninth or beginning of the
tenth century, the Caliph Moctadi's whole army,
both horse and foot, (says Abulfeda) were under
arms, which together made a body of 160,000 men.
His state officers stood near him in the most splendid
apparel, their belts shining with gold and gems.
Near them were 7000 black and white eunuchs.
The porters or door-keepers were in number 700.
Barges and boats, with the most superb decorations,
were swimming on the Tigris. Nor was the palace
itself less splendid, in which were hung 38,000
pieces of tapestry, 12,500 of which were of silk em-
broidered with gold. The carpets on the floor were
22,000. A hundred lions were brought out with a
keeper to each lion. Among the other spectacles
of rare and stupendous luxury, was a tree of gold
and silver, which opened itself into eighteen larger
branches, upon which, and the other less branches
sate birds of every sort, made also of gold and silver.
The tree glittered with leaves of the same metals,
and while its branches, through machinery, appeared
to move of themselves, the several birds upon them
warbled their natural notes.
The skill of the eastern embroiderer has always
had a wide field for display in the decoration of the
5
344
EMBROIDERY.
tents, which were in such request in hot countries,
among Nomadic tribes, or on military excursions.
The covering of tents among the Arabs is usually
black goats' hair, so compactly woven as to be im-
pervious to rain. But there is, besides this, always
an inner one, on which the skill and industry of the
fair artisan-for both outer and inner are woven
and wrought by women-is displayed. This is often
white woollen stuff, on which flowers are usually
embroidered. Curious hangings too are frequently
hung over the entrances, when the means of the
possessors do not admit of more general decoration.
Magnificent perdahs, or hangings of needlework, are
always suspended in the tents of persons of rank
and fashion, who assume a more ambitious decora-
tion; and there are accounts in various travellers of
tents which must have been gorgeous in the ex-
treme.
Nadir Shah, out of the abundance of his spoils,
caused a tent or tabernacle to be made of such
beauty and magnificence as were almost beyond de-
scription. The outside was covered with fine scarlet
broad cloth, the lining was of violet coloured satin,
on which were representations of all the birds and
beasts in the creation, with trees and flowers; the
whole made of pearls, diamonds, rubies, emeralds,
amethysts, and other precious stones; and the tent-
poles were decorated in like manner. On both sides
of the peacock throne was a screen, on which were
the figures of two angels in precious stones. The
roof of the tent consisted of seven pieces; and when
it was transported to any place, two of these pieces
packed in cotton were put into a wooden chest, two
EMBROIDERY.
345
of which chests were a sufficient load for an ele-
phant the screen filled another chest. The walls
of the tent-tent-poles and tent-pins, which were of
massy gold, loaded five more elephants; so that for
the carriage of the whole were required seven ele-
phants. This magnificent tent was displayed on all
festivals in the public hall at Herat, during the
remainder of Nadir Shah's reign.
Sir J. Chardin tells us that the late King of
Persia caused a tent to be made which cost 2,000,000.
They called it the House of Gold, because gold
glittered everywhere about it. He adds, that there
was an inscription wrought upon the cornice of the
antechamber, which gave it the appellation of the
Throne of the second Solomon, and at the same
time marked out the year of its construction. The
following description of Antar's tent from the
Bedouin romance of that name has been often
quoted:-
"When spread out it occupied half the land of
Shurebah, for it was the load of forty camels; and
there was an awning at the door of the pavilion
under which 4000 of the Absian horse could skir-
mish. It was embroidered with burnished gold,
studded with precious stones and diamonds, inter-
spersed with rubies and emeralds, set with rows of
pearls; and there was painted thereon a specimen
of every created thing, birds and trees, and towns,
and cities, and seas, and continents, and beasts, and
reptiles; and whoever looked at it was confounded
by the variety of the representations, and by the
brilliancy of the silver and gold: and so magnificent
was the whole, that when the pavilion was pitched,
Q 3
346
EMBROIDERY.
the land of Shurebah and Mount Saadi were illu-
minated by its splendour."
Extravagant as seems this description, we are
told that it is not so much exaggerated as we might
imagine. "Poetical license" has indeed been in-
dulged in to the fullest extent, especially as to the
size of the pavilion; yet Marco Polo in sober earnest
describes one under which 10,000 soldiers might be
drawn up without incommoding the nobles at the
audience.
It is well known that Mohammed forbade his
followers to imitate any animal or insect in their
embroideries or ornamental work of any sort. Hence
the origin of the term arabesque, which we now use
to express all odd combinations of patterns from
which human and animal forms are excluded. That
portion of the race which merged in the Moors of
Spain were especially remarked for their magnifi-
cent and beautiful decorative work; and from them
did we borrow, as before alluded to, the custom of
using tapestry for curtains.
At the present day none are perhaps more patient
and laborious embroiderers than the Chinese; their
regularity and neatness are supposed to be unequal-
led, and the extreme care with which they work pre-
serves their shades bright and shining.
The Indians excel in variety of embroidery. They
embroider with cotton on muslin, but they employ
on gauze, rushes, skins of insects, nails and claws of
animals, of walnuts, and dry fruits, and above all,
the feathers of birds. They mingle their colours
without harmony as without taste; it is only a
species of wild mosaic, which announces no plan,
EMBROIDERY.
347
and represents no object. The women of the wan-
dering tribes of Persia weave those rich carpets
which are called Turkey carpets, from the place of
their immediate importation. But this country was
formerly celebrated for magnificent embroideries,
and also for tapestries composed of silk and wool
embellished with gold. This latter beautiful art,
though not entirely lost, is nearly so for want of
encouragement. But of all eastern nations the
Moguls were the most celebrated for their splendid
embroideries; walls, couches, and even floors were
covered with silk or cotton fabrics richly worked
with gold, and often, as in ancient times, with gems
inwrought. But this empire has ever been prover-
bial for its splendour; at one time the throne of the
Mogul was estimated at 4,000,000l. sterling, made
up by diamonds and other jewels, received in gifts
during a long succession of ages.
We have, in a former chapter, alluded to the cus-
tom of embroidery in imitation of feathers, and also
for using real feathers for ornamental work. This
is much the custom in many countries. Some of
the inhabitants of New Holland make artificial
flowers with feathers, with consummate skill; and
they are not uncommon, though vastly inferior, here.
Various articles of dress are frequently seen made
of them, as feather muffs, feather tippets, &c.; and
we have seen within the last few months a bonnet
covered with peacock's feathers. This, however, is
certainly the extreme of fancy. The celebrated Mrs.
Montague had hangings ornamented with feathers:
the hangings doubtless are gone: the name of the
accomplished lady who displayed them in her
348
EMBROIDERY.
fashionable halls is sinking into oblivion, but the
poet, who perchance merely glanced at them, lives
for ever.
ON MRS. MONTAGUE'S FEATHER HANGINGS.
The birds put off their ev'ry hue,
To dress a room for Montague.
The peacock sends his heavenly dyes,
His rainbows and his starry eyes;
The pheasant plumes, which round infold
His mantling neck with downy gold ;
The cock his arch'd tail's azure shew;
And, river blanch'd, the swan his snow.
All tribes beside of Indian name,
That glossy shine, or vivid flame,
Where rises, and where sets the day,
Whate'er they boast of rich and gay,
Contribute to the gorgeous plan,
Proud to advance it all they can.
This plumage, neither dashing shower,
Nor blasts that shape the dripping bow'r,
Shall drench again or discompose—
But screen'd from ev'ry storm that blows
It boasts a splendour ever new,
Safe with protecting Montague."
!
Some Canadian women embroider with their own
hair and that of animals; they copy beautifully the
ramifications of moss agates, and of several plants.
They insinuate in their works skins of serpents and
morsels of fur patiently smoothed. If their em-
broidery is not so brilliant as that of the Chinese, it
is not less industrious.
The negresses of Senegal embroider the skin of
different animals of flowers and figures of all colours.
The Turks and Georgians embroider marvel-
lously the lightest gauze or most delicate crape.
EMBROIDERY.
349
They use gold thread with inconceivable delicacy ;
they represent the most minute objects on morocco
without varying the form, or fraying the finest gold,
by a proceeding quite unknown to us. They fre-
quently ornament their embroidery with pieces of
money of different nations, and travellers who are
aware of this circumstance often find in their old
garments valuable and interesting coins.
The Saxons imitate the designs of the most ac-
complished work-people; their embroidery with un-
twisted thread on muslin is the most delicate and
correct we are acquainted with of that kind.
The embroidery of Venice and Milan has long
been celebrated, but its excessive dearness prevents
the use of it. There is also much beautiful em-
broidery in France, but the palm for precedence is
ably disputed by the Germans, especially those of
Vienna.
This progress and variations of this luxury
amongst various nations would be a subject of
curious research, but too intricate and lengthened
for our pages. We have intimations of it at the
earliest period, and there is no age in which it ap-
pears to have been totally laid aside, no nation in
which it was in utter disrepute. Some of its most
beautiful patterns have been, as in architecture, the
adaptation of the moment from natural objects, for
one of the first ornaments in Roman embroidery,
when they departed from their primitive simplicity
in dress, was the imitation of the leaf of the acan-
thus the same leaf which imparted grace and
ornament to the Corinthian capital.
But it would be endless to enter into the subject
350
EMBROIDERY.
of patterns, which doubtless were everywhere origi-
nally simple enough, with
"here and there a tuft of crimson yarn,
Or scarlet crewel."
And patient minds must often have planned, and
assiduous fingers must long have wrought, ere such
an achievement was perfected, as even the covering
of the joint stool described by Cowper:-
"At length a generation more refin'd
Improved the simple plan; made three legs four,
Gave them a twisted form vermicular,
And o'er the seat with plenteous wadding stuff'd,
Induc'd a splendid cover, green and blue,
Yellow and red, of tapestry richly wrought
And woven close, or needlework sublime.
There might ye see the piony spread wide,
The full-blown rose, the shepherd and his lass,
Lapdog and lambkin with black staring eyes,
And parrots with twin cherries in their beak."
But from the days of Elizabeth the practice of
ornamental needlework, of embroidery, had gra-
dually declined in England: the literary and scho-
lastic pursuits which in her day had superseded the
use of the needle, did not indeed continue the
fashion of later times; still the needle was not re-
sumed, nor perhaps has embroidery and tapestry
ever from the days of Elizabeth been so much prac-
tised as it is now. Many individuals have indeed
been celebrated, as one thus:-
"She wrought all needleworks that women exercise,
With pen, frame, or stoole; all pictures artificial,
Curious knots or trailes, what fancy could devise;
Beasts, birds, or flowers, even as things natural."
EMBROIDERY.
351
But still embroidery had ceased to be looked upon
as a necessary accomplishment, or taught as an im-
portant part of education. In the early part of the
last century women had become so mischievous
from the lack of this employment, that the " Spec-
tator" seriously recommends it to the attention of
the community at large.
"MR. SPECTATOR,
"I have a couple of nieces under my direction
who so often run gadding abroad, that I do not
know where to have them. Their dress, their tea,
and their visits, take up all their time, and they go
to bed as tired doing nothing, as I am often after
quilting a whole under-petticoat. The only time
they are not idle is while they read your Spectator,
which being dedicated to the interests of virtue, I
desire you to recommend the long-neglected art of
needlework. Those hours which in this age are
thrown away in dress, play, visits, and the like, were
employed in my time in writing out receipts, or
working beds, chairs, and hangings for the family.
For my part I have plied my needle these fifty
years, and by my good will would never have it out
of my hand. It grieves my heart to see a couple of
idle flirts sipping their tea, for a whole afternoon, in
a room hung round with the industry of their great-
grandmother. Pray, Sir, take the laudable mystery
of embroidery into your serious consideration; and
as you have a great deal of the virtue of the last
age in you, continue your endeavours to reform
the present.
I am, &c.,
""
352
EMBROIDERY.
"In obedience to the commands of my venerable
correspondent, I have duly weighed this important
subject, and promise myself from the arguments
here laid down, that all the fine ladies of England
will be ready, as soon as the mourning is over (for
Queen Anne) to appear covered with the work of
their own hands.
“What a delightful entertainment must it be to
the fair sex whom their native modesty, and the
tenderness of men towards them exempt from public
business, to pass their hours in imitating fruits and
flowers, and transplanting all the beauties of nature
into their own dress, or raising a new creation in
their closets and apartments! How pleasing is
the amusement of walking among the shades and
groves planted by themselves, in surveying heroes
slain by the needle, or little Cupids which they have
brought into the world without pain!
"This is, methinks, the most proper way wherein
a lady can show a fine genius; and I cannot forbear
wishing that several writers of that sex had chosen
to apply themselves rather to tapestry than rhyme.
Your pastoral poetesses may vent their fancy in
great landscapes, and place despairing shepherds
under silken willows, or drown them in a stream of
mohair. The heroic writers may work of battles as
successfully, and inflame them with gold, or stain
them with crimson. Even those who have only a
turn to a song or an epigram, may put many valu-
able stitches into a purse, and crowd a thousand
graces into a pair of garters.
"If I may, without breach of good manners, ima-
gine that any pretty creature is void of genius, and
EMBROIDERY,
353
would perform her part herein but very awkwardly,
I must nevertheless insist upon her working, if it
be only to keep her out of harm's way.
"Another argument for busying good women in
works of fancy is, because it takes them off from
scandal, the usual attendant of tea-tables and all
other inactive scenes of life. While they are form-
ing their birds and beasts, their neighbours will be
allowed to be the fathers of their own children, and
Whig and Tory will be but seldom mentioned where
the great dispute is, whether blue or red is now the
proper colour. How much greater glory would
Sophronia do the general if she would choose rather
to work the battle of Blenheim in tapestry than sig-
nalise herself with so much vehemence against those
who are Frenchmen in their hearts!
"A third reason I shall mention is, the profit that
is brought to the family when these pretty arts are
encouraged. It is manifest that this way of life not
only keeps fair ladies from running out into expenses,
but is at the same time an actual improvement.
"How memorable would that matron be, who shall
have it subscribed upon her monument, She that
wrought out the whole Bible in tapestry, and died
in a good old age, after having covered 300 yards of
wall in the Mansion House!"
"The premises being considered, I humbly submit
the following proposals to all mothers in Great
Britain :-
‹ 1. That no young virgin whatsoever be allowed
to receive the addresses of her first lover, but in a
suit of her own embroidering.
"2. That before every fresh humble servant she
354
EMBROIDERY.
shall be obliged to appear with a new stomacher at
the least.
"3. That no one be actually married until she
hath the child-bed pillows, &c., ready stitched, as
likewise the mantle for the boy quite finished.
“These laws, if I mistake not, would effectually
restore the decayed art of needlework, and make
the virgins of Great Britain exceedingly nimble-
fingered in their business."
355
CHAPTER XXIII.
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
"And often did she look
On that which in her hand she bore,
In velvet bound and broider'd o'er-
Her breviary book.”—MARMION.
"Books are ours,
Within whose silent chambers treasure lies
Preserved from age to age-
These hoards of truth we can unlock at will."-WORDSWORTH.
DEEP indeed are our obligations for those treasures
which "we can unlock at will:" treasures of far more
value than gold or gems, for they oftentimes bestow
that which gold cannot purchase-even forgetfulness
of sorrow and pain. Happy are those who have a taste
for reading and leisure to indulge it. It is the most
beguiling solace of life: it is its most ennobling pur-
suit. It is a magnificent thing to converse with the
master spirits of past ages, to behold them as they
were; to mingle thought with thought and mind
with mind; to let the imagination rove-based how-
ever on the authentic record of the past-through
dim and distant ages; to behold the fathers and
prophets of the ancient earth; to hold communion
356
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
with martyrs and prophets, and kings; to kneel at
the feet of the mighty lawgiver; to bend at the shrine
of the eternal poet; to imbibe inspiration from the
eloquent, to gather instruction from the wise, and
pleasure from the gifted; to behold, as in a glass,
all the majesty and all the beauty of the mighty
PAST, to revel in all the accumulated treasures of
Time-and this, all this, we have by reading the pri-
vilege to do. Imagination indeed, the gift of heaven,
may soar elate, unchecked, though untutored through
time and space, through Time to Eternity, and may
people worlds at will; but that truthful basis which
can alone give permanence to her visions, that know-
ledge which ennobles and purifies and elevates them
is acquired from books, whether
Song of the Muses, says historic tale,
Science severe, or word of Holy Writ,
Announcing immortality and joy."
The "word of Holy Writ," the BIBLE-we pass
over its hopes, its promises, its consolations-these
themes are too sacred even for reference on our light
page-but here, we may remark, we see the world in
its freshness, its prime, its glory. We converse
truly with godlike men and angelic women.
We see
the mighty and majestic fathers of the human race
ere sin had corrupted all their godlike seeming; ere
sorrow the bequeathed and inherited sorrows of
ages-had quite seared the " human face divine;"
ere sloth, and luxury, and corruption, and decay,
had altered features formed in the similitude of
heaven to the gross semblance of earth; and we
walk step by step over the new fresh earth as yet
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
357
untrodden by foot of man, and behold the ancient
solitudes gradually invaded by his advancing steps.
Most gentle, most soothing, most faithful com-
panions are books. They afford amusement for the
lonely hour; solace perchance for the sorrowful one:
they offer recreation to the light-hearted; instruc-
tion to the inquiring; inspiration to the aspiring
mind; food for the thirsty one. They are inex-
haustible in extent as in variety and oh! in the
silent vigil by the suffering couch, or during the
languor of indisposition, who can too highly praise
those silent friends-silent indeed to the ear, but
speaking eloquently to the heart-which beguile,
even transiently, the mind from present depressing
care, strengthen and elevate it by communion with
the past, or solace it by hopes of the future!
Listen how sweetly one of the first of modern men
apostrophises his books:-
"My days among the dead are past;
Around me I behold,
Where'er these casual eyes are cast,
The mighty minds of old;
My never-failing friends are they,
With whom I converse day by day.
"With them I take delight in weal,
And seek relief in woe;
And while I understand and feel
How much to them I owe,
My cheeks have often been bedew'd,
With tears of thoughtful gratitude.
My thoughts are with the dead; with them
I live in long past years;
Their virtues love, their faults condemn,
Partake their hopes and fears,
And from their lessons seek and find
Instruction with a humble mind.
358
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
(*
My hopes are with the dead; anon
My place with them will be,
And I with them shall travel on
Through all futurity;
Yet leaving here a name, I trust,
That will not perish in the dust.” *
Yet how little are we of the present day, who have
books poured into our laps, able to estimate their
real value! Nor is it possible that they can ever
again be estimated as they once were. The univer-
sal diffusion of them, the incalculable multiplication
of them, seems to render it impossible that the world
can ever be deprived of them. No. We must call
up some of the spirits of the "pious and painful "
amanuenses of those days when the fourth estate of
the realm, the public press-wAS NOT-to tell us the
real value of the literary treasures we now esteem so
lightly. He will tell us that in his day the donation
of a single book to a religious house was thought to
give the donor a claim to eternal salvation; and that
an offering so valued, so cherished, would be laid on
the high altar amid pomp and pageantry. He might
perhaps personally remember the prior and convent
of Rochester pronouncing an irrevocable sentence of
damnation on him who should purloin or conceal
their treasured Latin translation of Aristotle's phy-
sics. He would tell us that the holiest and wisest
of men would forego ease and luxury and spend
laborious years in transcribing books for the
good of others; he will tell us that amongst many
others, Osmond, Bishop of Salisbury, did this, and
* Southey.
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
359
perchance he will name that Guido de Jars, in his
fortieth year, began to copy the Bible on vellum,
with rich and elegant decorations, and that the suns
of half a century had risen and set, ere, with unin-
termitting labour and unwearied zeal, he finished it
in his ninetieth. He will also tell us, that when a
book was to be sold, it was customary to assemble all
persons of consequence and character in the neigh-
bourhood, and to make a formal record that they
were present on this occasion. Thus, amongst the
royal MSS. is a book thus described:-
"This book of the Sentences belongs to Master
Robert, archdeacon of Lincoln, which he bought of
Geoffrey the chaplain, brother of Henry vicar of
Northelkingston, in the presence of Master Robert
de Lee, Master John of Lirling, Richard of Luda,
clerk, Richard the Almoner, the said Henry the vicar
and his clerk, and others: and the said archdeacon
gave the said book to God and saint Oswald, and to
Peter abbot of Barton, and the convent of Barden.”
These are a few, a very few of such instances as a
spirit of the fourteenth century might allude to-to
testify the value of books. Indeed, even so late as
the reign of Henry the VI., when the invention of
paper greatly facilitated the multiplication of MSS.
the impediments to study, from the scarcity of books,
must have been very great, for in the statutes of St.
Mary's College, Oxford, is this order-" Let no scho-
lar occupy a book in the library above one hour, or
two hours at the most; lest others shall be hindered
from the use of the same."
The scarcity of parchment seems indeed at times
to have been a greater hindrance to the promulga ·
360
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
tion of literature than even the laborious and tedious
transcription of the books. About 1120, one Mas-
ter Hugh, being appointed by the convent of St.
Edmondsbury to write a copy of the Bible, for their
library, could procure no parchment in England.
The following particulars of the scarcity of books be-
fore the era of printing, gathered chiefly by Warton,
are interesting.
In 855, Lupus, abbot of Ferrieres in France, sent
two of his monks to Pope Benedict the third, to beg
a copy of Cicero de Oratore, and Quintilian's Insti-
tutes, and some other books: for, says the abbot,
although we have part of these books, yet there is
no whole or complete copy of them in all France.
Albert, abbot of Gemblours, who with incredible
labour and immense expense had collected a hun-
dred volumes on theological, and fifty on general
subjects, imagined he had formed a splendid library.
About 790, Charlemagne granted an unlimited
right to hunting to the abbot and monks of Sithin,
for making their gloves and girdles of the skins of
the deer they killed, and covers for their books.
At the beginning of the tenth century, books were
so scarce in Spain, that one and the same copy of the
Bible, St. Jerome's Epistles, and some volumes of
ecclesiastical offices and martyrologies, often served
several different monasteries.
Amongst the constitutions given to the monks of
England by Archbishop Lanfranc, in 1072, the fol-
lowing injunction occurs: At the beginning of Lent,
the librarian is ordered to deliver a book to each of
the religious; a whole year was allowed for the
pe-
rusal of this book! and at the returning Lent, those
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
361
monks who had neglected to read the books they had
respectively received, are commanded to prostrate
themselves before the abbot to supplicate his indul-
gence. This regulation was partly occasioned by the
low state of literature in which Lanfranc found the
English monasteries to be; but at the same time it
was a matter of necessity, and partly to be referred
to the scarcity of copies of useful and suitable
authors.
John de Pontissara, Bishop of Winchester, bor-
rowed of his cathedral convent of St. Swithin at
Winchester, in 1299, BIBLIAM BENE GLOSSATAM, or
the Bible, with marginal annotations, in two large
folio volumes; but he gives a bond for due return
of the loan, drawn up with great solemnity. This
Bible had been bequeathed to the Convent the same
year by his predecessor, Bishop Nicholas de Ely :
and in consideration of so important a bequest, and
100 marks in money, the monks founded a daily mass
for the soul of the donor.
About 1225 Roger de Tusula, dean of York, gave
several Latin Bibles to the University of Oxford,
with a condition that the students who perused them
should deposit a cautionary pledge.
The Library of that University, before the year
1300, consisted only of a few tracts, chained or kept
in chests in the choir of St. Mary's Church.
Books often brought excessive prices in the
middle ages. In 1174, Walter, Prior of St. Swithin's
at Winchester, and afterwards abbot of Westminster,
purchased of the monks of Dorchester in Oxford-
shire Bede's Homilies and St. Austin's Psalter, for
twelve measures of barley, and a pall on which was
R
362
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
embroidered in silver the history of Birinus convert-
ing a Saxon king.
About 1400, a copy of John de Meun's Roman
de la Rose was sold before the palace-gate at Paris
for forty crowns, or 33l. 6v. 6d.
In Edward the Third's reign, one hundred marks
(equal to 10007.) were paid to Isabella de Lancaster,
a nun of Ambresbury, for a book of romance, pur-
chased from her for the king's use.
Warton mentions a book of the Gospels, in the
Cotton Library, as a fine specimen of Saxon calli-
graphy and decorations. It is written by Eadfrid,
Bishop of Durham, in the most exquisite manner.
Ethelwold his successor did the illuminations, the
capital letters, the picture of the cross, and the
Evangelists, with infinite labour and elegance; and
Bilfred, the anchorite, covered the book, thus
written and adorned, with silver plates and preci-
ous stones. It was finished about 720.
The encouragement given in the English monas-
teries for transcribing books was very considerable.
In every great abbey there was an apartment called
"The Scriptorium;" where many writers were con-
stantly busied in transcribing not only the Service
Books for the choir, but books for the Library. The
Scriptorium of St Alban's Abbey was built by
Abbot Paulin, a Norman, who ordered many
volumes to be written there, about 1080. Arch-
bishop Lanfranc furnished the copies. Estates were
often granted for the support of the Scriptorium
That at St. Edmundsbury was endowed with two
mills. The tithes of a rectory were appropriated
to the Cathedral convent of St. Swithin, at Win-
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
363
chester, ad libros transcribendos, in the year
1171.
Nigel in the year 1160 gave the monks of Ely
two churches, ad libros faciendos.
When the library at Croyland Abbey was burnt
in 1091, seven hundred volumes were consumed
which must have been thus laboriously produced.
Fifty-eight volumes were transcribed at Glaston-
bury during the government of one Abbot, about
the year 1300. And in the library of this monastery
the richest in England, there were upwards of four
hundred volumes in the year 1248.
But whilst there is sufficient cause to admire the
penmen of former days, in the mere transcription of
books, shall we not marvel at the beauty with which
they were invested; the rich and brilliant illumina-
tions, the finely tinted paintings, the magnificent
and laborious ornament with which not merely every
page, but in many manuscripts almost every line
was decorated! They, such as have been preserved,
form a valuable proportion of the riches of the prin-
cipal European libraries of the Vatican of Rome;
the Imperial at Vienna; St. Mark's at Venice; the
Escurial in Spain; and the principal public libaries in
England.
:
The art of thus illuminating MSS., now entirely
lost, had attained the highest degree of perfection,
and is, indeed, of ancient origin. In the remotest
times the common colours of black and white have
been varied by luxury and taste. Herodotus and
Diodorus Siculus mention purple and yellow skins,
on which MSS. were written in gold and silver; and
amongst the eastern nations rolls of this kind (that is
R 2
364
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
gold and silver on purple), exquisitely executed, are
found in abundance, but of a later date. Still they
appear to have been familiar with the practice at a
much more remote period; and it is probable that the
Greeks acquired this art from Egypt or India. From
the Greeks it would naturally pass to the Latins, who
appear to have been acquainted with it early in the
second century. The earliest specimen of purple or
rose-coloured vellum is recorded in the life of the
Emperor Maximinus the younger, to whom, in the
commencement of the third century, his mother made
a present of the poems of Homer, written on purple
vellum in gold letters. Such productions were,
however, at this time very rare. The celebrated
Codex Argenteus of Ulphilas, written in silver and
gold letters on a purple ground, about 360, is proba-
bly the most ancient existing specimen of this mag-
nificent mode of calligraphy. In the fourth century
it had become more common: many ecclesiastical
writers allude to it, and St. Jerome especially does
so; and the following spirited dialogue has reference
to his somewhat condemnatory allusions.
"Purple vellum Greek MSS." says Breitinger, "if
I remember rightly, are scarcer than white crows !"
BELINDA. "Pray tell us all about them,' as the
children say."
PHILEMON. "Well, then, at your next court visit, let
your gown rival the emblazoned aspect of these old
purple vellums, and let stars of silver, thickly
powdered" thereupon, emulate, if they dare, the
silver capital Greek letters upon the purple membra-
naceous fragments which have survived the desola-
tions of time! You see, I do not speak coldly upon
this picturesque subject!”
,
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
305
ALIMANSA, “Nor do I feel precisely as if I were in
the frigid zone! But proceed and expatiate."
PHILEMON. “The field for expatiating is unluckily
very limited. The fact of the more ancient MSS.
before noticed, the Pentateuch at Vienna, the frag-
ment of the Gospels in the British Museum, with a
Psalter or two in a few libraries abroad, are all the
MSS. which just now occur to me as being distin-
guished by a purple tint, for I apprehend little more
than a tint remains. Whether the white or the pur-
ple vellum be the more ancient, I cannot take upon
me to determine; but it is right you should be in-
formed that St. Jerom denounces as coxcombs, all
those who, in his own time, were so violently attached
to your favourite purple colour."
LISARDO. “I have a great respect for the literary
attainments of St. Jerom; and although in the
absence of the old Italic version of the Greek Bible,
I am willing to subscribe to the excellence of his
own, or what is now called the Vulgate, yet in matters.
of taste, connected with the harmony of colour, you
must excuse me if I choose to enter my protest
against that venerable father's decision."
PHILEMON." You appear to mistake the matter
St. Jerom imagined that this appetite for purple
MSS. was rather artificial and voluptuous; re-
quiring regulation and correction—and that, in the
end, men would prefer the former colour to the
intrinsic worth of their vellum treasures."
We must not omit the note appended to this
colloquy.
366
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
66
"The general idea seems to be that PURPLE VEl-
LUM MSS. were intended only for choice blades,"
let us rather say, tasteful bibliomaniacs-in book
collecting. St. Jerom, as Philemon above observes,
is very biting in his sarcasm upon these “ purple
leaves covered with letters of gold and silver."-" For
myself and my friends (adds that father), let us have
lower priced books, and distinguished not so much
for beauty as for accuracy.”
6
"Mabillon remarks that these purple treasures
were for the princes' and noblemen' of the
times.
"And we learn from the twelfth volume of the
Specileginum of Theonas, that it is rather somewhat
unseemly 'to write upon purple vellum in letters of
gold and silver, unless at the particular desire of a
prince.'"
The subject also of MSS. frequently regulated
the mode of executing it. Thus we learn from the
28th Epistle of Boniface (Bishop and Martyr) to the
abbess Eadburga, that this latter is entreated 'to
write the Epistles of St. Peter, the master and
Apostle of Boniface, in letters of gold, for the greater
reverence to be paid towards the Sacred Scriptures,
when the Abbess preaches before her carnally-
minded auditors."
About the close of the seventh century the Arch-
bishop of York procured for his church a copy of the
Gospels thus adorned; and that this magnificent
calligraphy was then new in England may be inferred
from a remark made on it that inauditam ante
seculis nostris quoddam miraculam."
This art, however, shortly after declined every-
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
367
where; and in England the art of writing in gold
letters, even without the rich addition of the purple-
tinted material, seems to have been but imperfectly
understood. The only remarkable instance of it
is said to be the charter of King Edgar, in the new
Minster at Winchester, in 966. In the fourteenth
century it seems to have been more customary than
in those immediately preceding it.
But we have been beguiled too long from that
which alone is connected with our subject, viz, the
binding of books. Probably this was originally a
plain and unadorned oaken cover; though as books
were found only in monastic establishments, or in
the mansions of the rich, even the cover soon be-
came emblematic of its valuable contents.
The early ornaments of the back were chiefly of
a religious character-a representation of the Virgin,
of the infant Saviour, of the Crucifixion. Dibdin
mentions a Latin Psalter of the ninth century in this
primitive and substantial binding, and on the oaken
board was riveted a large brass crucifix, originally,
probably, washed with silver; and also a MS. of the
Latin Gospels of the twelfth or thirteenth century, in
oaken covers, inlaid with pieces of carved ivory, re-
presenting our Saviour with an angel above him,
and the Virgin and Child.
The carved ivory may probably be a subsequent
interpolation, but it does not the less exemplify the
practice. But as the taste for luxury and ornament
increased, and the bindings, even the clumsy wooden
ones, became more gorgeously decorated-the most
costly gems and precious stones being frequently
inlaid with the golden ornaments-the shape and
368
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
form of them was altogether altered. With a view
to the preservation and the safety of the riches la-
vished on them, the bindings were made double,
each side being perhaps two inches thick; and on a
spring being touched, or a secret lock opened, it
divided, almost like the opening of a cupboard-door,
and displayed the rich ornament and treasure with-
in; whilst, when closed, the outside had only the
appearance of a plain, somewhat clumsy binding.
At that time, too, books were ranged on shelves
with the leaves in front; therefore great pains were
taken, both in the decoration of the edges, and also
in the rich and ornamental clasps and strings which
united the wooden sides. These clasps were fre-
quently of gold, inlaid with jewels.
The wooden sides were afterwards covered with
leather, with vellum, with velvet,—though probably
there is no specimen of velvet binding before the
fourteenth century; and, indeed, as time advanced,
there is scarcely any substance which was not ap-
plied to this purpose. Queen Elizabeth had a
little volume of prayers bound in solid gold, which
at prayer-time she suspended by a gold chain at
her side; and we saw, a few years ago, a small
devotional book which belonged to the Martyr-
King, Charles, and which was given by him to
the ancestress of the friend who showed it to us,
beautifully bound in tortoise-shell and finely-carved
silver.
But it was not to gold and precious stones alone
that the bindings of former days were indebted for
their beauty. The richest and rarest devices of the
needlewoman were often wrought on the velvet, or
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
369
brocade, which became more exclusively the fash-
ionable material for binding. This seems to have
been a favourite occupation of the high-born dames
about Elizabeth's day; and, indeed, if we remember
the new-born passion for books, which was at its
height about that time, we shall not wonder at their
industry being displayed on the covers as well as
the insides*. But very probably this had been a
favourite object for the needle long before this time,
though unhappily the fragility of the work was equal
to its beauty, and these needleworked covers have
doubtless, in very many instances, been replaced by
more substantial binding.
The earliest specimen of this description of bind-
ing remaining in the British Museum is "Fichetus
(Guil.) Rhetoricum, Libri tres. (Impr. in Membranis)
4to. Paris ad Sorbonæ, 1471. It has an illuminated
title-page, showing the author presenting, on his
knees, his book to the Pope; and it is decorated
throughout with illuminated letters and other orna-
ments; for long after the invention of printing,
blank spaces were left, for the capitals and headings
to be filled up by the pencil. Hence it is that we
find some books quite incomplete; these spaces
having been left, and not filled up.
When the art of illuminaitng still more failed,
the red ink was used as a substitute, and everybody
is acquainted with books of this style. The binding
of Fitchet's Rhetoric' is covered with crimson satin,
on which is wrought with the needle a coat-of-arms:
6
* We have seen cartouche-boxes embroidered precisely in the
same style, and probably therefore of the same period as some
of the embroidered books here referred to.
V
R 3
370
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
a lion rampant in gold thread, in a blue field, with a
transverse badge in scarlet silk; the minor orna-
ments are all wrought in fine gold thread.
The next in date which I have seen there is a de-
scription of the Holy Land, in French, written in
Henry VII.'s time, and illuminated. It is bound in
rich maroon velvet, with the royal arms: the garter
and motto embroidered in blue; the ground crim-
son; and the fleurs-de-lys, leopards, and letters of
the motto in gold thread. A coronet, or crown, of
gold thread, is inwrought with pearls; the roses at
the corners are in red silk and gold; and there is a
narrow border round the whole in burnished gold
thread.
There is an edition of Petrarch's Sonnets, printed
at Venice in 1544. It is in beautiful preservation.
The back is of dark crimson velvet, and on each
side is wrought a large royal coat-of-arms, in silk
and gold, highly raised. The book belonged to
Edward VI., but the arms are not his.
Queen Mary's Psalter, containing also the history
of the Old Testament in a series of small paintings,
and the work richly illuminated throughout, had
once an exterior worthy of it. The crimson velvet,
of which only small particles remain to attest its
pristine richness, is literally thread-bare; and the
highly-raised embroidery of a massy fleur-de-lys is
also worn to the canvas on which it was wrought.
On one side scarcely a gold thread remains, which
enables one, however, to perceive that the em-
broidery was done on fine canvas, or, perhaps, rather
coarse linen, twofold: that then it was laid on the
velvet, seamed to it, and the edges cut away, the
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
371
stitches round the edge being covered with a kind
of cordon, or golden thread, sewed over ;—just, in-
deed, as we sew muslin on net.
There are three, in the same depository, of the
date of Queen Elizabeth. One a book of prayers,
copied out by herself before she ascended the throne.
The back is covered with canvas, wrought all over
in a kind of tentstitch of rich crimson silk, and silver
thread intermixed. This groundwork may or may
not be the work of the needle, but there is little
doubt that Elizabeth's own needle wrought the
ornaments thereon, viz., H. K. intertwined in the
middle; a smaller H. above and below, and roses
in the corners; all raised high, and worked in blue
silk and silver. This is the dedication of the book:
"Illustrissimo ac potentissimo Henrico octavo, An-
gliæ, Franciæ, Hiberniæq. regi, fidei defensori, et
secundum Christum ecclesiæ Anglicanæ et Hiber-
nicæ supremo capiti. Elizabeta Majest. S. humillima
filia omne felicitatem precatur, et benedictionem
suam suplex petit.”
There is in the Bodleian library among the MSS.
the epistles of St. Paul, printed in old black letter,
the binding of which was also queen Elizabeth's
work; and her handwriting appears at the begin-
ning, viz.
“AUGUST.—I walk many times into the pleasant
fields of the Holy Scriptures, where I plucke up the
goodliesome herbes of sentences by pruning: eate
them by reading: chawe them by musing: and laie
them up at length in the hie seate of memorie by
gathering them together: that so having tasted thy
sweeteness I may the less perceive the bitterness of
this miserable life."
372
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
The covering is done in needlework by the queen
(then princess) herself: on one side an embroidered
star, on the other a heart, and round each, as borders,
Latin sentences are wrought, such as "Beatus qui
Divitias scripturæ legens verba vertit in opera."—
"Vicit omnia pertinax virtus." &c., &c.*
There is a book in the British Museum, very
petite, a MS containing a French Pastoral-date 1587
—of which the satin or brocade back is loaded with
needlework in gold and silver, which now, however,
looks heavy and tasteless.
But the most beautiful is Archbishop Parker's,
"De Antiquitate Britannicæ Ecclesiæ:" A.D. 1572.
The material of the back is rich green velvet, but
it is thickly covered with embroidery: there has not
indeed, originally, been space to lay a fourpenny-
piece. It is entirely covered with animals and
flowers, in green, crimson, lilac, and yellow silk, and
gold thread. Round the edge is a border about an
inch broad, of gold thread.
Of the date of 1624 is a book of magnificent pen-
manship, by the hand of a female, of emblems and
inscriptions. It is bound in crimson silk, having
in the centre a Prince's Feather worked in gold-
thread, with the feathers bound together with large
pearls, and round it a wreath of leaves and flowers.
Round the edge there is a broader wreath, with
corner sprigs all in gold thread, thickly interspersed
with spangles and gold leaves.
All these books, with the exception of the one
quoted from Ballard's Memoirs, were most oblig-
ingly sought out and brought to me by the gentle-
*Ballard's Memoirs.
NEEDLEWORK ON BOOKS.
373
men at the British Museum. Probably there are
more; but as, unfortunately for my purpose, the
books there are catalogued according to their
authors, their contents, or their intrinsic value,
instead of their outward seeming, it is not easy,
amidst three or four hundred thousand volumes, to
pick out each insignificant book which may happen
to be-
"In velvet bound and broider'd o'er."
374
CHAPTER XXIV.
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
"Thus is a Needle prov'd an Instrument
Of profit, pleasure, and of ornament,
Which mighty Queenes have grac'd in hand to take.”
JOHN TAYLOR.
NEEDLEWORK is an art so attractive in itself; it is
capable of such infinite variety, and is such a be-
guiler of lonely, as of social hours, and offers such
scope to the indulgence of fancy, and the display of
taste; it is withal-in its lighter branches--accom-
panied with so little bodily exertion, not deranging
the most recherché dress, nor incommoding the most
elaborate and exquisite costume, that we cannot
wonder that it has been practised with ardour even
by those the farthest removed from any necessity
for its exercise. Therefore has it been from the
earliest ages a favourite employment of the high
and nobly born.
The father of song hardly refers at all to the
noble dames of Greece and Troy but as occupied
in "painting with the needle." Some, the heroic
achievements of their countrymen on curtains and
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
375
draperies, others various rich and rare devices on
banners, on robes and mantles, destined for festival
days, for costly presents to ambassadors, or for offer-
ings to friends. And there are scattered notices at
all periods of the prevalence of this custom.
ages until this of
"inventions rare
Steam towns and towers."
In all
the preparation of apparel has fallen to woman's
share, the spinning, the weaving, and the manufacture
of the material itself from which garments were made.
But, though we read frequently of high-born dames
spinning in the midst of their maids, it is probable
that this drudgery was performed by inferiors and
menials, whilst enough, and more than enough of
arduous employment was left for the ladies them-
selves in the rich tapestries and embroideries which
have ever been coveted and valued, either as ar-
ticles of furniture, or more usually for the decoration
of the person.
Rich and rare garments used to be infinitely more
the attribute of high rank than they now are; and
in more primitive times a princess was not ashamed
to employ herself in the construction of her own ap-
parel or that of her relatives. Of this we have an
intimation in the old ballad of Hardyknute-be
ginning
66
Stately stept he east the wa',
And stately stept he west."
·
"Farewell, my dame, sae peerless good,
(And took her by the hand,)
Fairer to me in age you seem,
Than maids for beauty fam'd.
376
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
My youngest son shall here remain
To guard these lonely towers,
And shut the silver bolt that keeps
Sae fast your painted bowers.
"And first she wet her comely cheeks,
And then her boddice green,
Her silken cords of twisted twist,
Well plett with silver sheen;
And apron set with mony a dice
Of needlewark sae rare,
Wove by nae hand, as ye may guess,
Save that of Fairly fair."
But it harmonises better with our ideas of high or
royal life to hear of some trophy for the warrior,
some ornament for the knightly bower, or some de-
corative offering for the church, emanating from the
taper fingers of the courtly fair, than those kirtles
and boddices which, be they ever so magnificent,
seem to appertain more naturally to the "milli-
ner's practice." Therefore, though we give the
gentle Fairly fair all possible praise for notability
in the
"Apron set with mony a dice
Of needlework sae rare,"
we certainly look with more regard on such work
as that of the Danish princesses who wrought a
standard with the national device, the Raven, on it,
*
* This sacred stan lard was taken by the Saxons in Devonshire,
in a fortunate onset, in which they slew one of the Sea-kings with
eight hundred of his followers. So superstitious a reverence was
attached to this ensign that its loss is said to have broken the spirit
of even these ruthless plunderers. It was woven by the sisters of
Inguar and Ubba, who divined by it. If the Raven (which was
worked on it) moved briskly in the wind, it was a sign of victory,
but if it drooped and hung heavily, it was supposed to prognosticate
discomfiture
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
377
and which was long the emblem of terror to those
opposed to it on the battle-field. Of a gentler cha-
racter was the stupendous labour of Queen Matilda
-the Bayeux tapestry-on which we have dwelt too
long elsewhere to linger here, and which was wrought
by her and under her superintendence.
" CC
Queen Adelicia, the second wife of Henry I., was
a lady of distinguished beauty and high talent: she
was remarkable for her love of needlework, and the
skill with which she executed it. One peculiar pro-
duction of her needle has recently been described by
her accomplished biographer; it was a standard
which she embroidered in silk and gold for her
father, during the memorable contest in which he
was engaged for the recovery of his patrimony, and
which was celebrated throughout Europe for the
exquisite taste and skill displayed by the royal
Adelicia in the design and execution of her patriotic
achievement. This standard was unfortunately cap-
tured at a battle near the castle of Duras, in 1129,
by the Bishop of Liege and the Earl of Limbourg, the
old competitor of Godfrey for Lower Lorraine, and
was by them placed as a memorial of their triumph
in the great church of St. Lambert, at Liege, and
was for centuries carried in procession on Rogation
days through the streets of that city. The church
of St. Lambert was destroyed during the French
Revolution. The plain where this memorable trophy
was taken is still called the "Field of the Standard."
Perhaps, second only to Queen Matilda's work,
or indeed superior to it, as being entirely the
production of her own hand, were the needlework
pieces of Joan D'Albert, who ascended the throne
378
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
of Navarre in 1555. Though her own career was
varied and eventful, she is best known to posterity
as the mother of the great Henry IV. She adopted
the reformed religion, of which she became, not
without some risk to her crown thereby, the zealous
protectress, and on Christmas-day, 1562, she made
a public profession of the Protestant faith; she pro-
hibited the offices of the Catholic religion to be per-
formed in her domains, and suffered in consequence
many alarms from her Catholic subjects. But she
possessed great courage and fortitude, and baffled
all open attacks. Against concealed treachery she
could not contend. She died suddenly at the court
of France in 1572, as it was strongly suspected, by
poison.
This queen possessed a vigorous and cultivated
understanding; was acquainted with several lan-
guages, and composed with facility both in prose
and verse.
Her needlework, the amusement and
solace of her leisure hours, was designed by her as
"a commemoration of her love for, and steadiness
to, the reformed faith." It is thus described by
Boyle: "She very much loved devices, and she
wrought with her own hand fine and large pieces of
tapestry, among which was a suit of hangings of a
dozen or fifteen pieces, which were called THE PRI-
SONS OPENED; by which she gave us to understand
that she had broken the pope's bonds, and shook off
his yoke of captivity. In the middle of every piece
is a story of the Old Testament which savours of
liberty-as the deliverance of Susannah; the depar-
ture of the children of Israel out of Egypt; the
setting Joseph at liberty, &c. And at all the cor-
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
379
ners are broken chains, shackles, racks, and gibbets;
and over them in great letters, these words of the
third chapter of the second Epistle to the Corin-
thians, UBг SPIRITUS IBI LIBERTAS.
To show yet more fully the aversion she had con-
ceived against the Catholic religion, and particu-
larly against the sacrifice of the mass, having a fine
and excellent piece of tapestry, made by her mother,
Margaret, before she had suffered herself to be ca-
joled by the ministers, in which was perfectly well
wrought the sacrifice of the mass, and a priest who
held out the holy host to the people, she took out
the square in which was this history, and, instead of
the priest, with her own hand substituted a fox,
who turning to the people, and making a horrible
grimace with his paws and throat, delivered these
words, DOMINUS VOBISCUM.
We are told that Anne of Brittany, the good
Queen of France, assembled three hundred of the
children of the nobility at her court, where, under
her personal superintendence, they were instructed
in such accomplishments as became their rank and
sex, but the girls, most especially, made accom-
plished needle-women. Embroidery was their oc-
cupation during some specified hours of every day,
and they wrought much tapestry, which was pre-
sented by their royal protectress to different
churches.
Her daughter Claude, the queen of Francis I.,
formed her court on the same model and maintained
the same practice; Queen Anne Boleyn was edu-
cated in her court, and was doomed to consume a
large portion of her time in the occupation of the
ابر
380
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
needle. It was an employment little suited to her
lively disposition and coquettish habits, and we do
not hear, during her short occupation of the throne,
that she resorted to it as an amusement.
"Ai lavori d'Aracne, all 'ago, ai fusi
Inchinar non degnò la man superba."
The practice of devoting some hours to embroi-
dery seems to have continued in the French court.
When the young Queen of Scots was there, the
French princesses assembled every afternoon in the
queen's (Catherine of Medici's) private apartment,
where" she usually spent two or three hours in
embroidery with her female attendants."
It is also said, that Katharine of Arragon was in
the habit of employing the ladies of her court in
needlework, in which she was herself extremely
assiduous, working with them and encouraging them
by her example. Burnet records, that when two
legates requested once to speak with her, she came
out to them with a skein of silk about her neck, and
told them she had been within at work with her
women. An anecdote, as far as regards the skein
of silk, somewhat more housewifely than queenly.
In this she differed much from her successor,
Queen Catherine Parr, for having had her nativity
cast when a child, and being told, from the disposi-
tion of the stars and planets in her house, that she
was born to sit in the highest seat of imperial ma-
jesty; child as she was, she was so impressed by
the prediction, that when her mother required her
to work she would say, "My hands are ordained
to touch crowns and sceptres, not needles and
spindles."
NEE LEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
381
When the orphaned daughter of this lady, by
the lord admiral, was consigned to the care of the
Duchess of Suffolk, the furniture of "her former
nursery" was to be sent with her. The list is rather
curious, and we subjoin it.
Two pots, three goblets, one salt parcel gilt, a
maser with a band of silver and parcel gilt, and
eleven spoons; a quilt for the cradle, three pillows,
three feather-beds, three quilts, a testor of scarlet
embroidered with a counterpoint of silk say belong-
ing to the same, and curtains of crimson taffeta; two
counterpoints of imagery for the nurse's bed, six
pair of sheets, six fair pieces of hangings within the
inner chamber; four carpets for windows, ten pieces
of hangings of the twelve months within the outer
chamber, two quishions of cloth of gold, one chair
of cloth of gold, two wrought stools, a bedstead gilt,
with a testor and counterpoint, with curtains be-
longing to the same.'
Return we to Katharine of Arragon: her needle-
work labours have been celebrated both in Latin and
English verse. The following sonnet refers to spe-
cimens in the Tower, which now indeed are swept
away, having left not "a wreck behind.”
“I read that in the seventh King Henrie's reigne,
Fair Katharine, daughter to the Castile king,
Came into England with a pompous traine
Of Spanish ladies which shee thence did bring.
She to the eighth King Henry married was,
And afterwards divorc'd, where virtuously
(Although a Queene), yet she her days did pass
In working with the needle curiously,
As in the Tower, and places more beside,
Her excellent memorials may be seen;
Whereby the needle's prayse is dignifide
By her faire ladies, and herselfe, a Queene.
382
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
Thus far her paines, here her reward is just,
Her works proclaim her prayse, though she be dust."
The same pen also celebrated her daughter's skill
in this feminine occupation.
Mary was skilled in all sorts of embroidery; and
when her mother's divorce consigned her to a pri-
vate life, she beguiled the intervals of those severer
studies in which she peaceably and laudably occu-
pied her time in various branches of needlework. It
is not unlikely the Psalter we have alluded to else-
where was embroidered by herself; and a reference.
to the fashionable occupations of the day will bring
to our minds various trifling articles, the embroid-
ery of which beguiled her time, though they have
long since passed away.
"Her daughter Mary here the sceptre swaid,
And though she were a Queene of mighty power,
Her memory will never be decaid,
Which by her works are likewise in the Tower,
In Windsor Castle, and in Hampton Court,
In that most pompous roome called Paradise ;
Who ever pleaseth thither to resort,
May see some workes of hers, of wondrous price.
Her greatness held it no disreputation
To take the needle in her royal hand;
Which was a good example to our nation
To banish idleness from out her land:
And thus this Queene, in wisdom thought it fit,
The needle's worke pleas'd her, and she grac'd it.”
We extract the following notice of the gentle and
excellent Lady Jane Grey, from the Court Maga-
zine.'
"Ten days' royalty! Alas, how deeply fraught
with tragic interest is the historic page recording
the events of that brief period! and how immeasur-
able the results proceeding therefrom Love, beauty,
religious constancy, genius, and learning, vere seen
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
383
in early womanhood intermingling their glorious
halo with the dark shadowings of despotism, impri-
sonment, and violent death upon the scaffold!
"In the most sequestered part of Leicestershire,
backed by rude eminences, and skirted by lowly and
romantic valleys, stands Bradgate, the birth-place
and abode of Lady Jane Grey. The approach to
Bradgate from the village of Cropston is striking.
On the left stands a group of venerable trees, at the
extremity of which rise the remains of the once
magnificent mansion of the Greys of Groby. On
the right is a hill, known by the name of The Cop-
pice,' covered with slate, but so intermixed with
fern and forest-flowers as to form a beautiful con-
trast to the deep shades of the surrounding woods.
To add to the loveliness of the scene, a winding
trout-stream finds its way from rock to rock, wash-
ing the walls of Bradgate until it reaches the fer-
tile meadows of Swithland.
66
In the distance, situate upon a hill, is a tower,
called by the country-people Old John, commanding
a magnificent view of the adjoining country, includ-
ing the distant castles of Nottingham and Belvoir.
With the exception of the chapel and kitchen, the
princely mansion has now become a ruin; but a
tower still stands, which tradition points out as her
birth-place. Traces of the tilt yard are visible, with
the garden-walls, and a noble terrace whereon Jane
often walked and sported in her childhood; and the
rose and lily still spring in favourable nooks of that
wilderness, once the pleasance, or pleasure-garden
of Bradgate. Near the brook is a beautiful group
of old chestnut-trees.
384
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
"This was thy home then, gentle Jane,
This thy green solitude; and here
At evening from the gleaming pane,
Thine eye oft watched the dappled deer
(While the soft sun was in its wane)
Browsing beside the brooklet clear;
The brook runs still, the sun sets now,
The deer yet browseth-where art thou ?"
"Instead of skill in drawing she cultivated the
art of painting with the needle, and at Zurich is
still to be seen, together with the original MS. of
her Latin letters to the reformer Bullinger, a toilet
beautifully ornamented by her own hands, which
had been presented by her to her learned corre-
spondent."
In the court of Catherine de Medicis Mary
Queen of Scots was habituated to the daily practice
of needlework, and thus fostered her natural taste
for the art which she had acquired in the convent-
supposed to have been St. Germaine-en-Laye, where
she was placed during the early part of her resi-
dence in France. She left this convent with the
utmost regret, revisited it whenever she was per-
mitted, and gladly employed her needle in embroid-
ering an altarpiece for its church.
This predilection for needlework never forsook
her, but proved a beguilement and a solace during
the weary years of her subsequent imprisonment,
especially after she was separated from the female
friends who at first accompanied her. During a
part of her confinement, while she was still on com-
paratively friendly terms with Elizabeth, she trans-
mitted several elegant pieces of her own needlework
to this princess. She wrought a canopy, which was
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
385
placed in the presence-chamber at Whitehall, con-
sisting of an empalement of the arms of France and
Scotland, embroidered under an imperial crown.
It does not appear at what period of her life she
worked it. During the early part of her confine-
ment she was asked how, in unfavourable weather,
she passed the time within. She said that all that
day she wrought with her needle, and that the
diversity of the colours made the work seem less
tedious; and she continued so long at it till very
pain made her to give over.
66
Upon this occasion she entered into a pretty
disputable comparison between carving, painting,
and working with the needle; affirming painting, in
her own opinion, for the most commendable quality.
No doubt it was during her confinement in Eng-
land that she worked the bed still preserved at
Chatsworth."
The following notices from her own letters, though
trifling, are interesting memorials of this melancholy
part of her life:-
CC
July 9, 1574.-I pray you send me some
pigeons, red partridges, and Barbary fowls. I
mean to try to rear them in this country, or
keep them in cages: it is an amusement for a
prisoner, and I do so with all the little birds I can
obtain.
"July 18, 1574.-Always bear in mind that my
will in all things be strictly followed; and send me,
if it be possible, some one with my accounts. He
must bring me patterns of dresses and samples of
cloths, gold and silver, stuffs and silks, the most
costly and new now worn at court.
Order for me
S
386
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
at Poissy a couple of coifs, with gold and silver
crowns, such as they have made for me before. Re-
mind Breton of his promise to send me from Italy
the newest kind of head-dress, veils, and ribands,
wrought with gold and silver, and I will repay
him.
<<
September 22.-Deliver to my uncle the car-
dinal the two cushions of my work which I send
herewith Should he be gone to Lyons, he will
doubtless send me a couple of beautiful little dogs;
and you likewise may procure a couple for me; for,
except in reading and working, I take pleasure
solely in all the little animals I can obtain. You
must send them hither very comfortably put up in
baskets.
66
February 12, 1576.—I send the king of France
some poodle-dogs (barbets), but can only answer for
the beauty of the dogs, as I am not allowed either
to hunt or to ride.”*
It is said that one of the articles which in its pre-
paration beguiled her, perchance, of some melan-
choly thoughts, was a waistcoat which, having
richly and beautifully embroidered, she sent to her
son; and that this selfish prince was heartless
enough to reject the offering because his mother
(still surely Queen of Scotland in his eyes) ad-
dressed it to him as prince.
The poet so often quoted wrote the subjoined
sonnet in Queen Elizabeth's praise, whose skill with
her needle was remarkable. She was especially an
adept in the embroidering with gold and silver,
* Von Raumer's Contributions.
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
387
and practised it much in the early part of her life,
though perhaps few specimens of her notability now
exist:
"When this great queene, whose memory shall not
By any terme of time be overcast ;
For when the world and all therein shall rot,
Yet shall her glorious fame for ever last.
When she a maid had many troubles past,
From jayle to jayle by Maries angry spleene :
And Woodstocke, and the Tower in prison fast,
And after all was England's peerelesse queene.
Yet howsoever sorrow came or went,
She made the needle her companion still,
And in that exercise her time she spent,
As many living yet doe know her skill.
Thus shee was still, a captive, or else crown'd,
A needlewoman royall and renown'd."
Of Mary II., the wife of the Prince of Orange,
Bishop Fowler writes thus:-" What an enemy she
was to idleness! even in ladies, those who had the
honour to serve her are living instances. It is
well known how great a part of the day they were
employed at their needles and several ingenuities;
the queen herself, when more important business
would give her leave, working with them. And,
that their minds might be well employed at the
same time, it was her custom to order one to read
to them, while they were at work, either divinity or
some profitable history."
And Burnet thus:-" When her eyes were en-
dangered by reading too much, she found out the
amusement of work; and in all those hours that
were not given to better employment she wrought
with her own hands, and that sometimes with so
constant a diligence as if she had been to earn her
s 2
388
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
bread by it. It was a new thing, and looked like
a sight, to see a queen working so many hours
a day."
Her taste and industry in embroidery are testified
by chairs yet remaining at Hampton Court.
The beautiful and unfortunate Marie Antoinette,
lively as was her disposition, and fond as she was of
gaiety, did not find either the duties or gaieties of a
court inconsistent with the labours of the needle.
She was extremely fond of needlework, and during
her happiest and gayest years was daily to be found
at her embroidery-frame. Her approach to this was
a signal that other ladies might equally amuse
themselves with their various occupations of em-
broidery, of knitting, or of untwisting—the profitable
occupation of that day; and which was so fashion-
able, such a rage," that the ladies of the court
hardly stirred anywhere without two little work-
bags each-one filled with gold fringes, laces,
tassels, or any golden trumpery they could pick up,
the other to contain the gold they unravelled, which
they sold to Jews.
<<
It is said to be a fact that duchesses--nay, prin-
cesses have been known to go about from Jew to
Jew in order to obtain the highest price for their
gold. Dolls and all sorts of toys were made and
covered with gold brocades; and the gentlemen
never failed rendering themselves agreeable to their
fair acquaintance by presenting them with these
toys!
Every one knows that the court costume of the
French noblemen at that period was most expen-
sive; this absurd custom rendered it doubly, trebly
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
383
so; and was carried to such an excess, that fre-
quently the moment a gentleman appeared in a
new coat the ladies crowded round him and soon
divested it of all its gold ornaments.
The following is an instance:- The Duke de
Coigny one night appeared in a new and most expen-
sive coat suddenly a lady in the company remarked
that its gold bindings would be excellent for un-
twisting. In an instant he was surrounded-all the
scissors in the room were at work; in short, in a few
moments the coat was stripped of its laces, its ga-
loons, its tassels, its fringes; and the poor duke,
notwithstanding his vexation, was forced by polite-
ness to laugh and praise the dexterity of the fair
hands that robbed him."
But what a solace did that passion for needle-
work, which the queen indulged in herself and
encouraged in others, become to her during her
fearful captivity. This unhappy princess was born
on the day of the Lisbon earthquake, which seemed
to stamp a fatal mark on the era of her birth; and
many circumstances occurred during her life which
have since been considered as portentous.
""Tis certain that the soul hath oft foretaste
Of matters which beyond its ken are placed."
One circumstance, simple in itself and easily ex-
plained, is recorded by Madame Campan as having
impressed Marie with shuddering anticipations of
evil:-
"One evening, about the latter end of May, she
was sitting in the middle of her room, relating se-
veral remarkable occurrences of the day. Four wax
390
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
candles were placed upon her toilet; the first went
out of itself—I relighted it; shortly afterwards the
second, and then the third, went out also: upon
which the queen, squeezing my hand with an emo-
tion of terror, said to me, Misfortune has power to
make us superstitious; if the fourth taper go out
like the first, nothing can prevent my looking upon
it as a fatal omen!'-The fourth taper went out.”
At an earlier period Goëthe seems, with some-
what of a poet's inspiration, to have read a melan-
choly fate for her. When young he was completing
his studies at Strasburg. In an isle in the middle.
of the Rhine a pavilion had been erected, intended
to receive Marie Antoinette and her suite, on her
way to the French court.
I was admitted into it," says Goëthe, in his
Memoirs : on my entrance I was struck with the
subject depicted in the tapestry with which the
principal pavilion was hung, in which were seen
Jason, Creusa, and Medea; that is to say, a repre-
sentation of the most fatal union commemorated in
history. On the left of the throne the bride, sur-
rounded by friends and distracted attendants, was
struggling with a dreadful death; Jason, on the
other side, was starting back, struck with horror at
the sight of his murdered children; and the Fury
was soaring into the air in her chariot drawn by
dragons. Superstition apart, this strange coinci-
dence was really striking. The husband, the bride,
and the children, were victims in both cases: the
fatal omen seemed accomplished in every point."
The following notices of her imprisonment would
but be spoiled by any alteration of language. We
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
391
shall perceive that one of her greatest troubles in
prison, before her separation from the king and the
dauphin, was the being deprived of her sewing im-
plements.
During the early part of Louis XVI.'s impri-
sonment, and while the treatment of him and his
family was still human, his majesty employed him-
self in educating his son; while the queen, on her
part, educated her daughter. Then they passed
some time in needlework, knitting, or tapestry-
work.
(6
At this time the royal family were in great want
of clothes, insomuch that the princesses were em-
ployed in mending them every day; and Madame
Elizabeth was often obliged to wait till the king
was gone to bed, in order to have his to repair.
The linen they brought to the Tower had been lent
them by friends, some by the Countess of Suther-
land, who found means to convey linen and other
things for the use of the dauphin. The queen wished
to write a letter to the countess expressive of her
thanks, and to return some of these articles, but
her majesty was debarred from pen and ink; and
the clothes she returned were stolen by her jailors,
and never found their way to their right owner.
"After many applications a little new linen was
obtained; but the sempstress having marked it with
crowns, the municipal officers insisted on the prin-
cesses picking the marks out, and they were forced
to obey.
"Dec. 7.-An officer, at the head of a deputa-
tion from the commune, came to the king and read
a decree, ordering that the persons in confinement
392
NEEDLEWORK CF ROYAL LADIES.
should be deprived of all scissors, razors, knives—
instruments usually taken from criminals; and that
the strictest search should be made for the same, as
well on their persons as in their apartments. The
king took out of his pocket a knife and a small mo-
rocco pocket-book, from which he gave the pen-
knife and scissors. The officer searched every
corner of the apartments, and carried off the razors,
the curling-irons, the powder-scraper, instruments
for the teeth, and many articles of gold and silver.
They took away from the princesses their knitting-
needles and all the little articles they used for their
embroidery. The unhappy queen and princesses
were the more sensible of the loss of the little in-
struments taken from them, as they were in conse-
quence forced to give up all the feminine handi-
works which till then had served to beguile prison
hours. At this time the king's coat became ragged,
and as the Princess Elizabeth, his sister, was mend-
ing it, as she had no scissors, the king observed
that she had to bite off the thread with her teeth-
What a reverse!' said the king, looking tenderly
upon her; you were in want of nothing at your
pretty house at Montreuil.' Ah, brother!' she
replied, can I feel a regret of any kind while I
share your misfortunes?""
The Empress Josephine is said to have played
and sung with exquisite feeling: her dancing is
said to have been perfect. She exercised her pencil,
and-though such be not now antiquated for an
élégante - her needle and embroidery-frame, with
beautiful address.
Towards the close of her eventful career, when,
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
393
after her divorce from Bonaparte, she kept a sort of
domestic court at Navarre or Malmaison, she and
her ladies worked daily at tapestry or embroidery—
one reading aloud whilst the others were thus occu-
pied, and the hangings of the saloon at Malmaison
were entirely her own work. They must have been
elegant; the material was white silk, the embroi-
dery roses, in which at intervals were entwined her
own initials.
An interesting circumstance is related of a con-
versation between one of those ministering spirits a
sœur de la charité and Josephine, in a time of pecu-
liar excitement and trouble. At the conclusion
of it, the sœur, having discovered with whom she
was conversing, added, "Since I am addressing the
mother of the afflicted, I no longer fear my being
indiscreet in any demand I may make for suffering
humanity. We are in great want of lint; if your
majesty would condescend"
"I promise you
shall have some; we will make it ourselves."
From that moment the evenings were employed
at Malmaison in making lint, and the empress
yielded to none in activity at this work.
Few of my readers will have accompanied me to
this point without anticipating the name with which
these slight notices of royal needlewomen must con-
clude a name which all know, and which, knowing,
all reverence as that of a dignified princess, a noble
and admirable matron-Adelaide, our Dowager
Queen. It was hers to reform the morals of a court
which, to our shame, had become licentious; it was
hers to render its charmed circle as pure and virtu-
ous as the domestic hearth of the most scrupulous
s 3
394
NEEDLEWORK OF ROYAL LADIES.
British matron; it was hers to combine with the
chilling etiquette of regal state the winning virtues
of private life, and to weave a wreath of domestic
virtues, social charities, and beguiling though sim-
ple occupations, round the stately majesty of Eng-
land's throne.
The days are past when it would be either plea-
surable or profitable for the Queen of the British
empire to spend her days, like Matilda or Katha-
rine, "in poring over the interminable mazes of
tapestry;" but it is well known that Queen Adelaide,
and, in consequence of her Majesty's example, those
around her, habitually occupied their leisure mo-
ments in ornamental needlework; and there have
been, of late years, few Bazaars throughout the king-
dom, for really beneficent purposes, which have not
been enriched by the contributions of the Queen
Dowager-contributions ever gladly purchased at a
high price, not for their intrinsic worth, but be-
cause they had been wrought by a hand which every
Englishwoman had learnt to respect and love.
395
CHAPTER XXV.
ON MODERN NEEDLEWORK.
"Our Country everywhere is fild
With Ladies, and with Gentlewomen, skild
In this rare Art.”
TAYLOR.
"For here the needle plies its busy task,
The pattern grows, the well-depicted flower
Wrought patiently into the snowy lawn,
Unfolds its bosom; buds, and leaves, and sprigs,
And curling tendrils gracefully dispos'd,
Follow the nimble fingers of the fair;
A wreath that cannot fade.”
COWPER.
"The great variety of needleworks which the ingenious women of
other countries, as well as of our own, have invented, will furnish us
with constant and amusing employment; and though our labours
may not equal a Mineron's or an Aylesbury's, yet, if they unbend the
mind, by fixing its attention on the progress of any elegant or imi-
tative art, they answer the purpose of domestic amusement; and,
when the higher duties of our station do not call forth our exertions,
we may feel the satisfaction of knowing that we are, at least, inno-
cently employed."
MRS. GRIFFiths.
THE triumph of modern art in needlework is
probably within our own shores, achieved by our
Miss Lin-
own countrywoman,-Miss Linwood.
1
396
ON MODERN NEEDLEWORK.
wood's Exhibition" used to be one of the lions of
London, and fully deserves to be so now. To
women it must always be an interesting sight; and
the "nobler gender" cannot but consider it as a
curious one, and not unworthy even of their notice.
as an achievement of art. Many of these pictures
are most beautiful; and it is not without great
difficulty that you can assure yourself that they are
bona fide needlework. Full demonstration, however,
is given you by the facility of close approach to some
of the pieces.
Perhaps the most beautiful of the whole collection
a collection consisting of nearly a hundred pieces
of all sizes—is the picture of Miss Linwood herself,
copied from a painting by Russell, taken in about
her nineteenth year. She must have been a beauti-
ful creature; and as to this copy being done with a
needle and worsted,-nobody would suppose such a
thing. It is a perfect painting. In the catalogue
which accompanies these works she refers to her
own portrait with the somewhat touching expression,
(from Shakspeare,)
“Have I lived thus long—
This lady is now in her eighty-fifth year. Her
life has been devoted to the pursuit of which she
has given so many beautiful testimonies. She had
wrought two or three pieces before she reached her
twentieth year; and her last piece, "The Judgment
of Cain," which occupied her ten years, was finished
in her seventy-fifth year; since when, the failure of
her eyesight has put an end to her labours.
The pieces are worked not on canvas, nor, we are
ON MODERN NEEDLEWORK.
397
told, on linen, but on some peculiar fabric made
purposely for her. Her worsteds have all been
dyed under her own superintendence, and it is
said the only relief she has ever had in the manual
labour was in having an assistant to thread her
needles.
Some of the pieces after Gainsborough are ad-
mirable; but perhaps Miss Linwood will consider
her greatest triumph to be in her copy of Carlo
Dolci's Salvator Mundi," for which she has been
offered, and has refused, three thousand guineas.
The style of modern embroidery, now so fashion-
able, from the Berlin patterns, dates from the com-
mencement of the present century. About the year
1804 5, a print-seller in Berlin, named Philipson, pub-
lished the first coloured design, on checked paper,
for needlework. In 1810, Madame Wittich, who,
being a very accomplished embroideress, perceived
the great extension of which this branch of trade was
capable, induced her husband, a book and print-
seller of Berlin, to engage in it with spirit. From
that period the trade has gone on rapidly increasing,
though within the last six years the progression has
been infinitely more rapid than it had previously
been, owing to the number of new publishers who
have engaged in the trade. By leading houses up
to the commencement of the year 1840, there have
been no less than fourteen thousand copper-plate
designs published.
In the scale of consumption, and, consequently,
by a fair inference in the quantity of needlework
done, Germany stands first; then Russia, England,
France, America, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, &c.,
398
ON MODERN NEEDLEWORK.
the three first names on the list being by far the
largest consumers. It is difficult to state with pre-
cision the number of persons employed to colour
these plates, but a principal manufacturer esti-
mates them as upwards of twelve hundred, chiefly
women.
At first these patterns were chiefly copied in silk,
then in beads, and lastly in dyed wools; the latter
more especially, since the Germans have themselves.
succeeded in producing those beautiful "Zephyr"
yarns known in this country as the "Berlin wools."
These yarns, however, are only dyed in Berlin, being
manufactured at Gotha. It is not many years
since the Germans drew all their fine woollen yarns
from this country: now they are the exporters, and
probably will so remain, whatever be the quality of
the wool produced in England, until the art of
dyeing be as well understood and as scientifically
practised.
Of the fourteen thousand Berlin patterns which
have been published, scarely one-half are moderately
good; and all the best which they have produced
latterly are copied from English and French prints.
Contemplating the improvement that will probably
ere long take place in these patterns, needlework
may be said to be yet in its infancy.
The improvement, however, must not be confined
to the Berlin designers: the taste of the consumer,
the public taste must also advance before needle-
work shall assume that approximation to art which
is so desirable, and not perhaps now, with modern
facilities, difficult of attainment. Hitherto the chief
anxiety seems to have been to produce a glare of
ON MODERN NEEDLEWORK.
399
colour rather than that subdued but beautiful effect
which makes of every piece issuing from the Gobe-
lins a perfect picture, wrought by different means,
it is true, but with the very same materials.
The Berlin publishers cannot be made to under-
stand this; for, when they have a good design to
copy from, they mar all by the introduction of some.
adventitious frippery, as in the "Bolton Abbey,'
where the repose and beautiful effect of the picture
is destroyed by the introduction of a bright sky, and
straggling bushes of lively green, just where the
Artist had thought it necessary to depict the stillness
of the inner court of the Monastery, with its solemn
grey walls, as a relief to the figures in the fore-
ground.
Many ladies of rank in Germany add to their
pin-money by executing needlework for the ware-
houses.
France consumes comparatively but few Berlin
patterns. The French ladies persevere in the prac-
tice of working on drawings previously traced on
the canvas the consequence is that, notwithstand-
ing their general skill and assiduity, good work is
often wasted on that which cannot produce an
artist-like effect. They are, however, by far the
best embroideresses in chenille,-silk and gold.
By embroidery we mean that which is done on a
solid ground, as silk or cloth.
The tapestry or canvas-work is now thoroughly
understood in this country; and by the help of the
Berlin patterns more good things are produced here
as articles of furniture than in France.
The present mode of furnishing houses is fa-
400
ON MODERN NEEDLEWORK.
vourable to needlework. At a time when fashion
enacted that all the sofas and chairs of an apartment
should match, the completely furnishing it with
needlework (as so many in France have been) was
the constant occupation of a whole family-mother,
daughters, cousins, and servants-for years, and
must indeed have been completely wearisome; but
a cushion, a screen, or an odd chair, is soon accom-
plished, and at once takes its place among the many
odd-shaped articles of furniture which are now found
in a fashionable saloon.
Francfort-on-the-Maine is much busying itself
just now with needlework. The commenced works
imported from this city are made up partly from
Berlin patterns, and partly from fanciful combina-
tions; but although generally speaking well worked,
they are too complicated to be easy of execution,
and very few indeed of those brought to this country
are ever finished by the purchaser.
The history of the progress of the modern tapestry-
needlework in this country is brief. Until the year
1831, the Berlin patterns were known to very few
persons, and used by fewer persons still. They had
for some time been imported by Ackermann and
some others, but in very small numbers indeed. In
the year 1831, they, for the first time, fell under the
notice of Mr. Wilks, Regent-street, (to whose kind-
ness I am indebted for the valuable information on
the Berlin patterns given above,) and he imme-
diately purchased all the good designs he could
procure, and also made large purchases both of
patterns and working materials direct from Berlin,
and thus laid the foundation of the trade in England.
ON MODERN NEEDLEWORK.
401
He also imported from Paris a large selection of
their best examples in tapestry, and also an assort-
ment of silks of those exquisite tints which, as yet,
France only can produce; and by inducing French
artists, educated for this peculiar branch of design,
to accompany him to England, he succeeded in
establishing in England this elegant art.
This fashionable tapestry-work, certainly the most
useful kind of ornamental needlework, seems quite
to have usurped the place of the various other em-
broideries which have from time to time engrossed
the leisure moments of the fair. It may be called
mechanical, and so in a degree it certainly is; but
there is infinitely more scope for fancy, taste, and
even genius here, than in any other of the large
family of "satin sketches" and embroideries.
Yes, there is certainly room in worsted work for
genius to exert itself-the genius of a painter—in
the selection, arrangement, and combination of
colours, of light and shade, &c.; we do not mean in
glaring arabesques, but in the landscape and the
portrait. There is an instance given by Pennant,*
where the skill and taste of the needle-woman im-
parted a grace to her picture which was wanting in
the original.
"In one of the apartments of the palace (Lam-
beth) is a performance that does great honour to the
ingenious wife of a modern dignitary-a copy in
needlework of a Madonna and Child, after a most
capital performance of the Spanish Murillo. There
is most admirable grace in the original, which was
* Some account of London.-1793.
402
ON MODERN NEEDLEWORK.
sold last winter at the price of 800 guineas. It
made me lament that this excellent master had
wasted so much time on beggars and ragged boys.
Beautiful as it is, the copy came improved out of the
hand of our skilful countrywoman: a judicious
change of colour of part of the drapery has had a
most happy effect, and given new excellence to the
admired original."
Whilst recording the triumphs of modern needle-
work, we must not omit to mention a school for the
education of the daughters of clergy and decayed
tradesmen, in which the art of silk-embroidery was
particularly cultivated. This school was under the
especial patronage of Queen Charlotte; and a bed
of lilac satin, which was there embroidered for her,
is now exhibited at Hampton Court, and is really
magnificent.
Could we now take a more extended view of
modern needlework, how wide the range to which
we might refer, from the jewelled and golden-
wrought slippers of the East to the grass-embroidered
mocassins of the West; from the gorgeous and
glittering raiment of the courtly Persian, the volup-
tuous Turk, or the luxurious Indian, to the simple,
unattractive, yet exquisitely wrought garment made
by the Californian from the entrails of the whale:
a range wide as the Antipodes asunder in every
point except one! that is the equal though very
differently displayed skill, ingenuity, and industry
of the needlewoman in almost every corner of the
hearth from the burning equator to the freezing Pole.
This we must now pass.
Finally, feeling as we do that though ornamental
14.
ON MODERN NEEDLEWORK.
403
needlework may be a charming occupation for those
ladies whose happy lot relieves them from the ne-
cessity of" darning hose" and "mending night-
caps," yet that a proficiency in plain sewing is the
very life and being of the comfort and respectability
of the poor man's wife,—we cannot close this book
without one earnest remark on the systems of teach-
ing needlework now in use in the Central, National,
and other schools for the instruction of the poor.
There, now, the art is reduced to regular rule,
taught by regular system; and there are books of
instruction in cutting, in shaping, in measuring,-
one for the (late) Model School in Dublin, and
another, somewhat similar, for that in the Sanctuary,
Westminster, which would be a most valuable ac-
quisition to the work table of many a needle-loving
and industrious lady of the most respectable middle
classes of society.
Any of our readers who have been accustomed,
as we have, to see the domestic hearths and homes
of those who, brought up from infancy in factories,
have married young, borne large families, and per-
haps descended to the grave without ever having
learned how to make a petticoat for themselves, or
even a cap for their children,-any who know the
reality of this picture, and have seen the misery
consequent on it, will join us cordially in expressing
the earnest and heartfelt hope that the extension
of mental tuition amongst the lower classes may not
supersede, in the smallest iota, that instruction and
PRACTICE in sewing which next, the very next, to the
knowledge of their catechism, is of vital importance
404
ON MODERN NEEDLEWORK.
to the future well-doing of girls in the lower stations
of life.*
And now my task is finished; and to you, my
kind readers, who have had the courtesy to accom-
pany me thus far, I would fain offer a few words of
thanks, of farewell, and, if need be, of apology.
This is, I believe, the first history of needlework
ever published. I have met with no other; I have
heard of no other; and I have experienced no
trifling difficulties in obtaining material for this.
I have spared no labour, no exertions, no research.
I have toiled through many hundreds of volumes for
the chance of finding even a line adaptable to my
purpose sometimes I have met with this trifling
success, oftener not.
I do not mention these circumstances with any
view to exaggerate my own exertions, but merely to
convince those ladies, who having read the book,
may feel dissatisfied with the amount of information
contained therein, that really no superabundance of
material exists. The subject has in all ages been
deemed too trifling to obtain more than a passing
notice from the historical pen. To myself, my ex-
ertions have brought their own exceeding rich
reward;" for if perchance they were at times pro-
ductive of fatigue, they yet have winged the flight
* It cannot be too generally known that within late years schools
have been attached to the factories, where, for a fixed and certain
proportion of their time, girls are instructed in sewing and reading.
re
ON MODERN NEEDLEWORK.
405
of many lonely hours which might otherwise have
induced weariness or even despondency in their
lagging transit.
To you, my countrywomen, I offer the book, not
as what it might be, but as the best which, under
all circumstances, I could now produce. The tri-
umphant general is oftentimes deeply indebted for
success to the humble but industrious pioneer; and
those who may hereafter pursue this subject with
loftier aims, with more abundant leisure and greater
facilities of research, may not disdain to tread the
path which I have indicated. I offer to you my
book in the hope that it will cause amusement to
some, gratification perhaps of a higher order to
others, and offence-as I trust and believe-to
none.
THE END.
AUG 2 3 1910
London: Printed by W. CLOWES and Sons, Stamford Street.

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