he
mouth being invariably shaven; whereas, in Continental work, the
beard is allowed to grow into the moustache, closely surrounding the
mouth. There are other peculiarities belonging to English design--such
as the angels rising between the shrine-work on the pillars out of a
flame or cloud pattern, and the pillars very often formed of twined
stems bearing vine-leaves or else oak-leaves and acorns. The
compartments which frame the groups, when they are not placed in
niches, are usually variations of the intersected circle and square.
Plate 77 shows the cherubim which from the thirteenth to the sixteenth
centuries are found on English ecclesiastical embroideries--also the
vase of lilies (emblematic of the Virgin), and the Gothic flowers
which are so commonly _parseme_ over our mediaeval altar frontals and
vestments.

[Illustration: Fig. 26.]

It appears that in the reign of Edward III. the people ingeniously
evaded the penalties against the excess of luxury in dress, by wearing
something that looked as gay, but was less expensive than the
forbidden materials; and which did not come under the letter of the
law. They invented a spurious kind of embroidery which was, perhaps,
partly painted (such examples are recorded). In the 2nd Henry VI.
(1422) it was enacted that all such work should be forfeited to the
king. The accusation was that "divers persons belonging to the craft
of Brouderie make divers works of Brouderie of insufficient stuffe and
unduly wroughte with gold and silver of Cyprus, and gold of Lucca, and
Spanish laton (or tin); and that they sell these at the fairs of
Stereberg, Oxford, and Salisbury, to the great deceit of our Sovereign
Lord and all his people." In those days any dishonest work or material
was illegal and punishable.[596]

This was, in fact, a protectionist measure in favour of the chartered
embroiderers, and gave them a slight taste of the advantages of
protection. For a time it was doubtless useful in keeping up the
standard of national work. Then followed further measures for the
benefit of the established monopolies. First, a statute in 1453 (Henry
VI.), forbidding the importation of foreign embroideries for five
years. This is re-enacted under Edward IV., Richard III., and Henry
VII.; and was partially repealed in the 3rd and 5th George III. While
we are on this subject, we may remark that in 1707, the importation of
embroidery was forbidden to the East India Company, and we closed our