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the movables usually attached to this room. Such splendid and luxuriousarticles were, however,—as the name of the apartment implies,—confinedto the houses of persons in the highest ranks, and of some wealthymerchants, who, in these respects, yielded not to the noblest baron.Nor were they, even with the court, in general use; for we find SirJohn Haryngton, so late as the reign of Elizabeth, complaining of an“ error rather than awsterytie;” and inquiring if it would not “ as wellbecome the state of the chamber, to have easye quilted and lyned formsand stools for the lords and ladyes to sit on, as great plank forms, thattwo yeomen can scant remove out of their places, and waynscot stoolesso hard, that since great breeches were layd asyde, men can skantindewr to sitt on.”*

A more illustrative example could not be given than an abstract offurniture of the great chamber at Hengrave, the seat of Sir ThomasKytson: it contained, among other pieces of a minor sort, a longCarpet of English work, with Sir Thomas’s arms in the centre;! along Cable, and a square table, both having three several coverings, viz.,an English carpet, a Turkey carpet, and an embroidered cloth, bearingthe arms of Kytson and Cornwallis; two Clipboard with like cover-ings; twenty-four high-joined JS>t00te, covered with carpet-work, andfringed with crewell, and coverings of yellow buckram; six high-joinedstools, covered with plain crimson velvet, fringed with crimson silk and

* Nugse Antiques.

t This must have been a tapestry-cloth, or needle-work—carpet weaving being at that timeunknown in this country—and it was the fashion for ladies to work carpets, cushions, &c.with a needle. George, Lord Darcy, 1548, bequeathed to his daughter, Agnes Fairfax, his“ best-wrought silk carpet, bordered with crimson velvet, which she made.” And in 1557,Sir William Drury, of Hawsted, Knight, gave, in like manner, to his wife Elizabeth, “ onecarpitt for a cupbord, of those which were of her owne making.”