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 works_, _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: 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." FOOTNOTES: [115] 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. [116] Illustrations, vol. ii. p. 92. [117] This seems to be a somewhat earlier edition of the second book in Mr. Douce's list. 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."