CUT WORK.

11

Though outwork is mentioned in Iiardyng s Chronicle,' when,describing the luxury in King Richard II.’s reign, he says

w Cut werke was greato both in court anti townes,

Both in menes lioddia and also in their gownes/

yet this oft quoted passage, no more than that of Chaucer, inwhich he accuses the priests of wearing gowns of scarlet andgreen colours ornamented with outwork, cannot be received asevidence of this mode of decoration being in general use. Itrefers rather to the fashion of cutting out 3 pieces of velvet orother materials, and sewing them down to the garment witha braid, the applied or “ applique ” work of later times.

That linen was then adorned with the needle, we have evidencein the work of his consort, Queen Anne of Bohemia. In thecathedral at Prague is preserved a priest’s robe, executed by herhand, a curious piece of mediaeval embroidery and outwork,yellow with ago, but in perfect condition.

Coeval with these styles of decoration was drawn-work, inwhich the welt and woof threads of the tissue were drawn, re-taining the design and forming the threads into a square network,rendered firm by a stitch at each intersection. The design wasthen embroidered, often in colours . 4

The linen shirt or smock was the special object of adornment,and on the decoration of the collar and sleeves much time andingenuity were expended.

In the ancient ballad of “ Lord Thomas ,” 5 the fair Annettecries:—

“ >Iy maids, gae to my dressing-room,

And dress me in my smock;

Tho one half is o’ the Holland fine,

The other o’ needlework.”

Chaucer, too, does not disdain to describe the embroidery ofa lady’s smock:—

“ White was her srnocke, embrooded all beforeAnd eke behynde, on her colar aboute.

Of cole blacke sylke, within and eko without.”

* “Chronicle of John Hardyng,” ciro. the Philippine Islands. It was revived in1T70. Europe during the last century,and speci-

s Temp. Rich. II. In their garments mens were executed closely resembling“ so much pouncing of chesell to mako lace, under the various appellations ofholes, so much dragging (zigzagging) of drawn-work (Fig. 28), Indian work (seesheers,’’ &o .—Good Fare on, Chaucer. “Denmark”), Dresden point (see “Ger-

1 Drawn-work continued to a late many ”), Hamburg point, &o.period in Russia, and is still to be found 5 Percy, “ lloliques of Ancient Po-rn fhe productions of Brazil, Chili, and dry."’ vol. iii.