all "insertion" work
or lace.

There is another, by the same author, printed at Basil in 1599, which
varies but slightly from the foregoing.

This Frederick de Vinciolo is doubtless the same person who was
summoned to France, by Catherine de Medicis, to instruct the ladies of
the court in the art of netting the lace of which the then fashionable
ruffs were made.

In another volume we have--

"Corona delle Nobili et virtuose Donne, nel quale si dimostra in varij
Dissegni tutte le sorti di Mostre di punti tagliati, punti in Aria,
punti Fiamenghi, punti a Reticelle, e d'ogni altre sorte, cosi per
Freggi, per Merli, e Rosette, che con l'Aco si usano hoggidi per tutta
l'Europa.

"E molte delle quali Mostre possono servire ancora per opere a
Mazzette.

"Con le dichiarationi a le Mostre a Lavori fatti da Lugretia Romana.

"In Venetia appresso Alessandro di Vecchi, 1620."

The plates here are very similar to those in the above-mentioned
works. Some are accompanied by short explanations, saying where they
are most used and to whom they are best suited, as--

"Hopera Bellissima, che per il piu le Signore Duchese, et altre
Signore si servono per li suoi lavori."

"Queste bellissime Rosette usano anco le gentildonne Venetiane da far
traverse."

But certainly the best work of the kind is, "The Needle's Excellency,"
referred to in Mr. Douce's list. It contains a variety of plates, of
which the patterns are all, or nearly all, arabesque. They are
beautifully executed, many of them being very similar to, and equally
fine with, the German patterns before the colouring is put on, which,
though it guides the eye, defaces the work. These are seldom seen
uncoloured, the Germans having a jealousy of sending them; but we have
seen, through the polite attention of Mr. Wilks, of Regent Street, one
or two in this state, and we could not but admire the extreme delicacy
and beauty of the work. Some few of the patterns in the book we are
now referring to are so extremely similar, that we doubt not the
modern artists have borrowed the _idea_ of their beautifully traced
patterns from this or some similar work; thereby adding one more proof
of the truth of the oft quoted proverb, "There is nothing new under
the sun."

As a fitting close to this chapter, we give the Needle's praises in
full, as sung by the water poet, John Taylor, and prefixed to the
last-mentioned work.

THE PRAISE OF THE NEEDLE.

"To all dispersed sorts o