of beauty."

But the subjects of the tapestry in which our ancestors so much
delighted were not confined to _bona fide_ battles, and the
matter-of-fact occurrences of every-day life. Oh no! The Lives of the
Saints were frequently pourtrayed with all the legendary
accompaniments which credulity and blind faith could invest them with.
The "holy and solitary" St. Cuthbert would be seen taming the
sea-monsters by his word of power: St. Dunstan would be in the very
act of seizing the "handle" of his Infernal Majesty's face with the
red-hot pincers; and St. Anthony in the "howling wilderness," would be
reigning omnipotent over a whole legion of sprites. Here was food for
the imagination and taste of our notable great-grandmother! Yet let us
do them justice. If some of their religious pieces were imbued even to
a ridiculous result, with the superstitions of the time, there were
others, numberless others, scripture pieces, as chaste and beautiful
in design, as elaborate in execution. The loom and needle united
indeed brought these pieces to the highest perfection, but many a
meek and saintly Madonna, many a lofty and energetic St. Paul, many a
subdued and touching Magdalene were produced by the unaided industry
of the pious needlewoman. Nay, the whole Bible was copied in
needlework; and in a poem of the fifteenth century, by Henry Bradshaw,
containing the Life of St. Werburgh, a daughter of the King of the
Mercians, there is an account "rather historical than legendary,"[84]
of many circumstances of the domestic life of the time. Amongst other
descriptions is that of the tapestry displayed in the Abbey of Ely, on
the occasion of St. Werburgh taking the veil there. This Tapestry
belonged to king Wulfer, and was brought to Ely Monastery for the
occasion. We subjoin some of the stanzas:--

"It were full tedyous, to make descrypcyon
Of the great tryumphes, and solempne royalte,
Belongynge to the feest, the honour and provysyon,
By playne declaracyon, upon every partye;
But the sothe to say, withouten ambyguyte,
All herbes and flowres, fragraunt, fayre, and swete,
Were strawed in halles, and layd under theyr fete.

"Clothes of golde and arras[85] were hanged in the hall
Depaynted with pyctures, and hystoryes manyfolde,
Well wroughte and craftely, with precious stones all
Glysteryng as Phebus, and the beten golde,
Lyke an erthly paradyse, pleasaunt to beholde:
As for the said