This fine coverlet of state, what we would now call a christening blanket, was usually made of silk; often it was richly embroidered, sometimes with a text of Scripture. It was generally lace-bordered, or edged with a narrow, home-woven silk fringe. The christening-blanket of Governor Bradford of the Plymouth Colony still is owned by a descendant; it is whole of fabric and unfaded of dye. It is rich crimson silk, soft of texture, like heavy sarcenet silk, and is powdered at regular distances about six inches apart with conventional sprays of flowers, embroidered chiefly in pink and yellow, in minute silk cross-stitch. Another beautiful silk christening blanket was quilted in an intricate flower pattern in almost imperceptible stitches. Another of yellow satin has a design in white floss that gives it the appearance of being trimmed with white silk lace. Best of all was to embroider the cloth with designs and initials and emblems and biblical references. A coat-of-arms or crest was very elegant. The words, “God Bless the Babe,” were not left wholly to the pincushions which every babe had given him or her, but appeared on the christening blanket. A curious design shown me was called _The Tree of Knowledge_. The figure of a child in cap, apron, bib, and hanging sleeves stands pointing to a tree upon which grew books as though they were apples. The open pages of each book-apple is printed with a title, as, _The New England Primer, Lilly’s Grammar, Janeway’s Holy Children, The Prodigal Daughter._ An inventory of the christening garments of a child in the seventeenth century reads thus:— “1. A lined white figured satin cap. 2. A lined white satin cap embroidered in sprays with gold coloured silk. 3. A white satin palm embroidered in sprays of yellow silk to match. This is 44 inches by 34 inches in size. 4. A palm of rich ‘still yellow’ silk lined with white satin. This is 54 inches by 48 inches in size. 5. A pair of deep cuffs of white satin, lace trimmed and embroidered. 6. A pair of linen mittens trimmed with narrow lace, the back of the fingers outlined with yellow silk figures.” Knitted Flaxen Mittens. Knitted Flaxen Mittens. The satin cuffs were for the wear of the older person who carried the child. The infant was placed upon the larger palm or cloth, and the smaller one thrown over him, over his petticoats. The inner cap was very tight to the head. The outer was embroidered; often it turned back in a band. There was a significance in the use of yellow; it is the altar color for certain church festivals, and was proper for the pledging of the child.