Casgliadau Arlein

LINEN, embroidered with coloured silks in cross stitch. The top part has the following verses each separated by narrow, horizontal rows of ornament. There are various line-fillings – birds, crowns, diamonds, hearts, numerals, initials, tulip, etc.:

"Beauty without virtue is like a Painted Sepulchre Bad Company As Deadly Poison Shun. Thousands By It Are Ruined And Undone The Giddy Multitude Still Goes Astray Turn From The Broad And Choose The Narrow Way Friends are like Leaves that on the Trees do grow In Summers prosperous State much Love they shew But are you in Adversity then they Like Leaves from Trees in Autumn fall away Happy is he that hath a Friend indeed But he more happy is who none doth need Learning Is Like The Laurel Always Green Whilst other things like grass are fading seen”

Beneath there is a horizontal band of detached designs, including tulip, pink, lion, etc., symmetrically arranged. At the bottom is the inscription: “Mary Hall 2 March 1790”. There is a border of a single stripe.

Source: Guide to the Collection of Samplers & Embroideries (Cardiff: National Museum of Wales, 1939) by F.G. Payne.