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HISTORY OF LACE.
“ mawscli,” or “ masoli,” as the pinking of silk and muslin is termedin Scotland, an advertisement of which accomplishment “ donehere ” may frequently be seen in the shop-windows of the old townof Edinburgh.
In the palace of Holyrood is still exhibited a small basketlined with blue silk, and trimmed with a bone lace of rudely spunflax, run on with a ribbon of the same colour, recorded to be anoffering sent by Queen Elizabeth to her cousin previous to thebirth of her godchild. Antiquaries assert the story to be a fable.Whether the lace be of the time or not, as a work of art it is ofno credit to any country.
How Queen Mary, in her youth, was instructed in the arts ofpoint coupe and lacis, according to the works of Vinciolo, has beenalready related. 10 Of her talents as a needlewoman there is ampleproof in the numerous beds, screens, &c., treasured as relics in thehouses of the nobles where she was held captive. She knittedhead-dresses of gold “ reseille,” with cuffs and collars 11 en suite, 12to say nothing of nightcaps, and sent them as presents to Eliza-beth, 13 all of which, we are told, the queen received most gra-ciously. Mary, in her early portraits as daupnine of France,wears no thread lace. Much fine gold embroidered with passa-ment enriches her dresses; her sleeves are of gold reseuil. Inthose of a later date, like that taken when in Lochleven Castle,her veil is bordered with a narrow bone lace—as yet a rarity ; maybe one of the same noted in the inventory of 1578, as “Fyve litellvaills of wovin rasour (reseau) of threde, ane meekle twa ofthame,passmentit with perle and black silk.” 14
10 Page 7.
11 Her lace ruffs Mary appears to havehad from France, as we may infer from aletter written by Walsingham, at Paris,to Burleigh, when the queen was captiveat Sheffield Castle, 1578: “ I have of lategranted a passport to one that conveyetha box of linen to the queen of Scots, wholeaveth not this town for three or fourdays. I think your Lordship shall seesomewhat written on some of the linencontained in the same, that shall be worththe reading. Her Majesty, under colourof seeing the fashion of the ruffes, maycause the several parcels of the linen tobo held to the fire, whereby the writingmpy appear; for I judge there will be
some such matter discovered, which wasthe cause why I did the more willinglygrant the passport.”
12 In 1575.
13 There was some demur about receiv-ing the nightcaps, for Elizabeth declared“ that great commotions had taken placein the Privy Council, because she hadaccepted the gilts of the Queen of Scots.They therefore remained for some time inthe hands of I,a Motile, the ambassador,but were finally accepted .”—Miss Strick-land.
14 “ Inventaire of our Soveiaino Lordand his dearest moder, 1578.” RecordOffice, Edinburgh.