THE PRAISE of the Needle. "To all dispersed sorts of arts and trades, A grave Reformer of old rents decay'd, Stops holes and seames and desperate cuts display'd, We should without our bibs and biggins bee; No shadowes, shapparoones, caules, bands, ruffs, kuffs, 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. 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 As if it were her sister, or the same. Flowers, plants and fishes, beasts, birds, flyes, and bees, Moreover, posies rare, and anagrams, So for weake learners, other workes here be, Thus skilful, or unskilful, each may take 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, 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, The Spanish stitch, Rosemary stitch, and Mowse stitch All these are good, and these we must allow, And these are everywhere in practise now: 2 And in this booke there are of these some store, 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 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 household word," seems to have been equally celebrated for a handsome person, an engaging address, an amiable disposition, and high talents. Language exhausts itself in his eulogy. But the * *For example:-" Egli avea tenuto sempre un contegno da guadagnarsi il cuore di tutto. Rispettoso verso il maestro, ottenne dal Papa che le sue pitture in una volta delle camere Vaticane rimanessero 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 |