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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 Plymouth, who still possess it.

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CHAPTER XX.

ON STITCHERY.

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"Here have I cause in men just blame to find,
That in their proper praise too partial bee,

And not indifferent to womankind,

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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, replyed 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 before 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 understandynge, 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

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 ourselves 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 alluded 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 admiration.

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

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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 wevyny or of embroidrie.

Then can I only muse and prie,

Upon her fingers long and small.”

Our modern Hercules, the Leviathan of literature, 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 flageolet, but I never made out a tune.

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Boswell." A flageolet, Sir! So small an instrument? I should have liked to hear you play on the

violoncello. That should have been your instru

ment."

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 knotting, nor did this Hercules disdain the distaff.'

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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 appreciation of the value of some sort of stitchery to his own half of the human race, if their intellects unfortunately had not been too obtuse for its acquisition. 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.

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Mr. Spectator,-You are always ready to receive 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

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