"He that holds fast the golden mean,
And lives contentedly between
The little and the great,
Feels not the wants that pinch the poor,
Nor plagues that haunt the rich man's door,
Imbittering all his taste." ~E.Lee, 1837
Against Lateness and Mischief
"How doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour, And gather
honey all the day From every open flower:
How skilfully she builds her cell, How
neat she spreads the wax: And labours
hard to store it well, With the sweet
food she makes. In works of labour
or of skill I would be busy too; For
Satan finds some mischief still For idle
hands to do. In books or work, or healthful
play, Let my first years be past,
That I may give for every day,
Some good account at last." ~Mary Brooks, 1792
Simile
A Sampler resembles an elegant mind,
Whose passions by reason subdu'd and refin'd,
Move only in lines of affection and duty,
Reflecting a picture of order and beauty.
From the Letters of Katherine Philips, a poet and
the subject of my dissertation:
"I am now at Landshipping [Wales] with Lucasia, who
desires you to believe she is much your Servant, and
thanks you for your last Favour [letter], which I believe she
will answer when a piece of Needle-work, to which
she is now wholly devoted, will give her leave."
(written to Sir Charles Cottrell, April 12, 1662)
I love this quote as it so aptly describes the relationship
of many dedicated needleworkers to their craft.
True Virtue
By this Exemplar I am taught
How letters great and small are wrought
So by the example of the wise
May I true virtue learn to prize. (Janie Appelbaum, 1895)
A Stitcher's Prayer
Lord, grant that I may see to stitch
Until my dying day,
And when my last short thread is clipped
And scissors tucked away,
The work that I have done live on,
That other folk may see
The pleasure I have known, Lord
In the skill you gave to me.
(Mary-Dick Digges 1934-2001)
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