PREFACE. A History of .Lace. The title of this book may at first call forth surprise, and many folks wonder how so trivial a matter as lace can require a history. This fabric, however, like those of porcelain, stained glass, and others essentially artistic, has, from its first origin, been an object of interest to all classes, from the potentate to the peasant, and, from the cradle to the coffin, has served as a favourite decoration to all those whose means permitted its acquirement. Church, court, camp, and state, all alike valued the produc tions of the needle and the pillow, and by their patronage encouraged the prosperity of the manufacture. Little, indeed scarce any, knowledge on this subject can be gamed from books; one author copies his statistics from another, seldom troubling himself to verify the accuracy of his predecessor. ^ ardrobe accounts, household bills, and public acts are the most thful guides; and from these documents alone we write, as a running commentary at the foot of each page will testify. b