Queen, goodly apparel of tinsel, cloth of gold, and velvet, laid on with parchment lace of gold, when she saw it, said, 'What shall I do with it?' Mary said, 'Gentlewoman, wear it.' 'Nay,' quoth she, 'that were a shame to follow my Lady Mary against God's word, and leave my Lady Elizabeth, which followeth God's word.'"
In the list of the Protestant refugees in England, 1563 to 1571,[124] among their trades, it is stated "some live by making matches of hempe stalks, and parchment lace."
Again, Sir Robert Bowes, "once ambassador to Scotland," in his inventory, 1553, has "One cassock of wrought velvet with p'chment lace of gold."[125]
"Parchment lace[126] of watchett and syllver at 7s. 8d. the ounce," appears also among the laces of Queen Elizabeth.[127]
King Charles I. has his carpet bag trimmed with "broad parchment gold lace,"[128] his satin nightcaps with gold and silver parchment laces,[129] and even the bag and comb case "for his Majesty's barber" is decorated with "silver purle and parchment lace."[130]
Again, Charles II. ornaments the seats on both sides the throne with silver parchment lace.[131] In many of the inventories circ. 1590, "sylke parchment lace" is noted down, and "red" and "green parchment lace," again, appear among the wares found "in ye Shoppes."[132]
But to return to the word guipure.
In an inventory of the Church of the Oratoire, at Paris, of the seventeenth century, are veils for the host: one, "de taffetas blanc garny d'une guipure"; the other, "de satin blanc à fleurs, avec une dentelle de guipure."[133]
These guipures will have also been of silk. When the term was first transferred to the thread passements which are now called guipure, it is difficult to say, for we can find no trace of it so applied.
Be that as it may, the thread guipures are of old date; many of the patterns bear the character of the rich ornamentation and capricious interlacings of the Renaissance; others, again, are "pur Louis Quatorze" (Fig. 18). The finest thread guipures were the produce of Flanders and Italy. They are most varied in their style. In some the bold flowing patterns are united by brides; in others by a coarse réseau, often circular, and called "round ground."
Fig. 18.
Guipure.—(Louis XIV.)
In that class called by the lace-makers "tape guipure," the outline of the flowers is formed by a pillow or handmade braid about the eighth of an inch in width (Fig. 19).
The term guipure is now so extensively applied it is difficult to give a limit to its meaning. We can only define it as lace where the flowers are either joined by "brides," or large coarse stitches, or lace that has no ground at all. The modern Honiton and Maltese are guipures, so is the Venetian point.
Fig. 19.
Tape Guipure, Bobbin-made.—(Genoa.)
Most of these laces are enumerated in a jeu d'esprit, entitled "La Révolte des Passemens," published at Paris in 1661.[134]
In consequence of a sumptuary edict against luxury in apparel, Mesdames les Broderies—
"Les Poinctes, Dentelles, Passemens
Qui, par une vaine despence,
Ruinoient aujourd'huy la France"—
meet, and concert measures for their common safety. Point de Gênes, with Point de Raguse, first address the company; next, Point de Venise, who seems to look on Raguse with a jealous eye, exclaims—
"Encore pour vous, Poinct de Raguse,
Il est bon, crainte d'attentat,
D'en vouloir perger un estat.
Les gens aussy fins que vous estes
Ne sont bons que, comme vous faites,
Pour ruiner tous les estats.
Et vous, Aurillac ou Venise,
Si nous plions notre valise,"
what will be our fate?
The other laces speak, in their turn, most despondently, till a "vieille broderie d'or," consoling them, talks of the vanity of this world:—"Who knows it better than I, who have dwelt in kings' houses?" One "grande dentelle d'Angleterre" now proposes they should all retire to a convent. To this the "Dentelles de Flandres" object; they would sooner be sewn at once to the bottom of a petticoat.
Mesdames les Broderies resign themselves to become "ameublement;" the more devout of the party to appear as "devants d'autel;" those who feel too young to renounce the world and its vanities will seek refuge in the masquerade shops.
"Dentelle noire d'Angleterre" lets herself out cheap to a fowler, as a net to catch woodcocks, for which she felt "assez propre" in her present predicament.
The Points all resolve to retire to their own countries, save Aurillac, who fears she may be turned into a strainer "pour passer les fromages d'Auvergne," a smell insupportable to one who had revelled in civet and orange-flower.
All were starting—
"Chacun, dissimulant sa rage,
Doucement ploit son bagage,
Resolu d'obéir au sort,"
when
"Une pauvre malheureuse,
Qu'on apelle, dit on, la Gueuse,"
arrives, in a great rage, from a village in the environs of Paris. "She is not of high birth, but has her feelings all the same. She will never submit. She has no refuge—not even a place in the hospital. Let them follow her advice and 'elle engageoit sa chaînette,' she will replace them all in their former position."
Next morn, the Points assemble. "Une grande Cravate[135] fanfaron" exclaims:—
"Il nous faut venger cet affront,
Revoltons-nous, noble assemblée."
A council of war ensues:—
"La dessus, le Poinct d'Alençon
Ayant bien appris sa leçon
Fit une fort belle harangue."
Flanders now boasts how she had made two campaigns under Monsieur, as a cravat; another had learned the art of war under Turenne; a third was torn at the siege of Dunkirk.
"Racontant des combats qu'ils ne virent jamais,"
one and all had figured at some siege or battle.
"Qu'avons nous à redouter?"
cries Dentelle d'Angleterre. No so, thinks Point de Gênes, "qui avoit le corps un peu gros."
They all swear—
"Foy de Passement,
Foy de Poincts et de Broderie,
De Guipure et d'Orfévrerie,
De Gueuse de toute façon,"
to declare open war, and to banish the Parliament.
The Laces assemble at the fair of St. Germain, there to be reviewed by General Luxe.
The muster-roll is called over by Colonel Sotte Depense. Dentelles de Moresse, Escadrons de Neige, Dentelles de Hâvre, Escrues, Soies noires, and Points d'Espagne, etc., march forth in warlike array, to conquer or to die. At