Wilton, Mary Margaret Stanley Egerton; Wilton, Mary Margaret Stanley Egerton [Editor]: The art of needle-work from the earliest ages: including some notices of the ancient historical tapestries (London: Henry Colburn Publishers, 1841)

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CHAPTER IV.
NEEDLEWORK OF THE EGYPTIANS.

I( How is thy glory, Egypt, pass’d away !
Weep, child of ruin, o’er thy humbled name 1
The wreck alone that marks thy deep decay
Now tells the story of thy former fame!”
There can be little doubt that the Jewish maidens
were beholden to their residence in Egypt for that
perfectness of finish in embroidery which was dis-
played so worthily in the service of the Tabernacle.
Egypt was at this time the seat of science, of art, and
learning; for it was thought the highest summary
which could be given of Moses’ acquirements to say
that he was skilled in all the learning of the Egyp-
tians. By the researches of the curious, new proofs
are still being brought to light of the perfection
of their skill in various arts, and we are not with-
out testimony that the practice of the lighter and
more ornamental bore progress with that of the
stupendous and magnificent. Of these lighter pur-
suits we at present refer only to the art of needle-
work.
The Egyptian women were treated with courtesy,
with honour, and even with deference: indeed, some
historians have gone so far as to say that the women