A history of lace

264 HISTORY OF LACE. CHAPTEK XXIII. QUEEN ELIZABETH. “ By land and sea a Virgin Queen I reign, And spurn to dust both Antichrist and Spain.” Old Masque. “ Tell me, Dorinda, why so gay ? Why such embroidery, fringe, and lace ? Can any dresses find a way To stop the approaches of decay, And mend a ruined face ? ” Lord Dorset. Up to tlie present time our mention of lace, both in the statutes and the royal wardrobe accounts, has been but scanty. Suddenly, in the days of the Virgin Queen, both the privy expenses and the inventories of New Year’s gifts overflow with notices of passe- ments, drawn work, cutwork, crown lace, 1 bone lace for ruffs, Spanish, chain, by as, 2 parchment, hollow, 3 billament, and diamond 1 Crown lace,—so called from the pattern worked being a succession of crowns sometimes intermixed with acorns or roses. A relic of this lace may still be found in the “ faux galon ” sold by the German Jews, for the decoration of fancy dresses and theatrical purposes. It is frequently mentioned. We have:— “ 12 yards laquei, called crown lace of black gold and silk.”- G. W. A. Eliz. 4 & 5. “ 18 yards crown lace purled with one wreath on one side.”—Ibid. 5 & 0. 2 “llvirgis laquei By as.”—Ibid. 29 & 30. 3 Hemming and edging 8 yards of luff of cambric with white lace called hollow lace, and various entries of Spanish lace, fringe, black chain, diamond, knotted, hollow, and others, are scattered through the earlier wardrobe accounts of Queen Elizabeth. The accounts of the keepers of the great wardrobe, which we shall have occasion so frequently to cite, are now deposited in the Public Record Office, to which place they were transferred from the Audit Office, in 1859. They extend from the 1 Elizabeth = 15o8 to 10th Oct. 1781, and comprise 160 volumes, written in Latin, until 1730-31, when the account appears in English, and is continued so to the end. 1743-49 is the last account in which the items are given. 4 Eliz. 30 & 31. Billament lace occurs both in the ‘‘ shoppes ” and inventories of the day. Among the list of foreigners settled in the Oity of London in 1571 (“ State Papers, Dom.” Eliz. vol. lxxxiv. P. R. O.), are : William Crutall, “usetb