WILLIAM LEE. 153 



happy idea of imitating those movements by a machine. 

 According to a third version, Lee, while yet unmarried, excited 

 the contempt of his mistress by contriving a machine to imitate 

 the primitive process of knitting, and was rejected by her. 

 And a fourth account, sHghtly resembling the first tradition, 

 exhibits Lee in a very unamiable light It is said that he had 

 taken a pique against a townswoman with whom he was in 

 love, and who, it seems, disregarded his passion. She got her 

 livelihood by knitting stockings, and with the unamiable view 

 of depreciating her calling, he constructed the stocking-frame. 

 He first worked at it himself, and afterwards taught his brothers 

 and others of his relations. 



All these accounts agree that the stocking-frame was invented 

 by Lee. A writer in the Quarterly Review, 18 16, however, 

 cautiously observes: "This painting might give rise to the 

 story of Lee's having invented the machine to facilitate the 

 labour of knitting, in consequence of falling in love with a 

 young country girl, who, during his visits, was more attentive 

 to her knitting than to his proposals ; or the story may, perhaps, 

 have suggested the picture." 



The story of Lee's after-lite corroborates his being the 

 inventor. He is mentioned as such in the petition of the 

 stocking-weavers of London, to allow them to establish a guild. 

 It is related that he practised his new invention some time at 

 Calverton, near Nottingham. After remaining there for five 

 years, he applied to Queen Elizabeth for countenance and 

 support She neglected him, and so did her successor, James 

 I. ; so Lee in disgust transferred himself and his machines to 

 France, where Henri IV. and his gracious minister. Sully, gave 

 the inventor a welcome reception. After the assassination of 

 Henri, Lee shared in the persecution of the Protestants, and is 



