A woman's appeal 13] 



Authours as have written of the ordering and feeding 

 of Silkworms: thai this her LnventioD being thus made 

 known unto yon, her beloved friends in Virginia, she 

 is mosl confident, and assures herself you will .-ill there 

 instantly, without further delay (which will }»•• the joy 

 of her heart) become great ami rich Masters of this 

 noble Silk-work to all your unspeakable wealth." 

 With dramatic an. she delays the unfolding of her 

 wonderful secret until tin- torrent of appetizing sen- 

 tences has roused the curiosity to tin- highest pitch. 

 Now she i> ready, and the reader is eager: "In the 

 beginning of May lasl 1652, when her young Mulberry- 

 tree in her Garden began to put out its buds, then her 

 Bilkworm-eggs began to hatch, as the nature of this 

 creature i>. when her food begins once to appear, 

 she comes forth of her shell j sin- presently laying a 

 Mulberry- leaf e upon these Little crawling creatures, they 

 eame all upon it instantly: then she carried tin- leaf 

 ami thriii upon it to the tree, npon whose leaves they 

 mail'- hast to be; ami there they day ami oighl fed 

 themselves, creeping from leafe to leafe, and branch to 

 branch at their own liberties most pleasing to them- 

 lelves ; they grew and thrived wonderfully, ami sur- 



1 in largness of body those other vrormes she kept 

 in her chamber (she having been many .1 year a Mi>tris 



Ik worms, ami kept them by the Book-rules) this 

 food ami prosperous beginning heightened her hopes. 

 Tin- wormes, ;i> their nature i-. cast off or Blipped out 

 of their skins four Beverall times, >till growing greater 

 ami greater to tin- singular delighl ami content 

 their Mistris. About 15 dayes thus feeding upon the 



. they began that rare and glorious work of ^pin- 

 Ding their Silk-bottomea upon the Leaves and branches 



