s might be made. There are remains of two red silk ties on
the front edges of each board, and the edges of the leaves are gilded
simply.

[Illustration: 9--Sermons by Samuel Ward. London, 1626-7.]

_Sermons by Samuel Ward._ London, 1626-7.

Mr. Yates Thompson has kindly allowed me to describe and illustrate an
embroidered book belonging to him, bound in canvas, and measuring 5-3/4
by 4-1/4 inches. It is a collection of sermons preached by 'Samuel
Ward, Bachelour of Divinity,' and printed in London, 1626-7, the binding
being probably of about the latter date. On the upper cover is a lady in
a blue dress, seated, and holding a hawk on her left wrist, and a branch
with apples in her right. Round her are scattered flower sprays,
honeysuckle, foxglove, a stalk with two large pears, a cluster of
grapes, a twig with a butterfly upon it, and a wild-rose spray. The
lady, the petals of the flowers, and the leaves are all worked in
tapestry-stitch; the bird and the lady's hair in long straight stitches;
the stalks, fruits, and grasses are worked in variously coloured silk
threads, thickly and strongly bound round with very fine silver wire.
The lady has a coif, cuff, and belt of short pieces of silver and gold
guimp arranged like a plait.

The under side shows a seated lady in a green dress, playing a lute
left-handed. This most unusual position is probably not really
intentional, but the drawing has accidentally been reversed. She is
surrounded, like her companion with the hawk, by flower sprays, a
thistle, cornflower, strawberries, a rose, lily, bluebell, and small
bunch of grapes, making a kind of arbour, with a wreath of red cloud at
the top. The lady, the petals of the flowers, and the leaves are worked
in fine tapestry-stitch; the stalks and fruits in coloured silks, mixed
with silver wire. The lady has a coif and a cuff of silver guimp
arranged in the same way as that on the other side.

The back is divided into four panels by silver guimp, each containing a
flower worked in tapestry-stitch, a blue flower, a wild rose, a pansy,
and a thistle. The ground of the whole is loosely overcast with silver
thread, the constructive lines of the book being marked by rows of
silver guimp arranged in small arches. The edges are bound by a strong
silver braid. The head and tail bands are worked in silver thread--an
unusual method--and the edges are gilt and gauffred.

There are two ties on each board of striped silk, much frayed