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HISTORY OF LACE.

“ I charge you tell this to thy wyfe in bed, and it may be that she,understanding the benelit it will be to her and her children, willturn Dutchwoman, and endeavour to save moneys.” Notwith-standing this good advice, in 1768, England received fromFlanders lace-work, 250,000?., to her disadvantage, as comparedto her exports.

The old Flemish laces are of great beauty. Fig. 50 representsa description of lace, called in the country Trolle Kant, a termwhich has been transferred to our own lace counties, in whichlace of a peculiar make is styled Trolly.

The guipures of Flanders were always held in high estimation.The thread of which they were made was finer than that ofFrance, and the fine flowing pattern, extending to some lengthlike an architectural border, had a magnificent appearance whenlaid flat upon the vestment, as was the fashion in the seventeenthcentury.

At one period much lace was smuggled into France fromBelgium by means of dogs trained for the purpose. A dog wascaressed and petted at home, fed on the fat of the land, then, aftera season, sent across the frontier, where he was tied up, half starved,and ill-treated. The skin of a bigger dog was then fitted to hisbody, and the intervening space filled with lace. The dog wasthen allowed to escape, and make his way home, where he waskindly welcomed with his contraband charge. These journeys wererepeated till the French custom house, getting scent, by degreesput an end to the traffic. Between 1820 and 1836, 40,278 dogswere destroyed, a reward of three francs being given for each. 12

BRUSSELS (BRABANT).

“ More subtile web Arachno cannot spin.”

Spenser,

“ From Lisle I carao to Brussels, where most of the fine laces are made you s< oworn in England .”—Lord Chesterfields, 1741.

At what period the manufacture of Brussels lace commenced,wo are ignorant. The ancient churches of Brabant possess, it issaid, many precious specimens, the gifts of munificent princes,

12 Those clogs wore of largo size, and ablo to carry from 22 to 20 lbs. They alsoconvoyed tobacco. The Swiss dogs smuggle watches.