^o A P P E N D I X, No. IV. 



der's draught," than that I have now the honour to pro- 

 duce. 



During the diftradlions that prevailed in Britain after the 

 Romans left this country, the manufaiflure of cloth, like eve- 

 ry other branch of induftry introduced by that civilized 

 people, fell into negle£t : But a manufacture of fuch general 

 utility could not be entirely loft. From probability only, we 

 might therefore fafely conclude that it was ftill carried on 

 to a certain degree. But notwithftanding the general igno- 

 lance that prevailed for many ages, and the inattention of 

 our writers to the progrefs of ufeful arts, we are ftill able to 

 gather from a few fcattered hints that have been accidental- 

 ly preferved, that the manufafture of wool was at all times 

 confidered as a favourite employment by the people of Eng- 

 land, and that the fuperior finenefs of that wool over all 

 others was univerfally known and freely acknowledged j 

 though our hiftorians in general have, through inattention, 

 difregarded thefe fa^fls, and given an erroneous account of 

 the introduftion and progrefs of the woollen manufaClure in 

 .^ England. The very name by which unmarried women in 

 I England are defigned, viz. SplnJIers, is a proof at once of the 

 \ antiquity and univerfality of this manufacture ; for the prac- 

 I tice muft have been univerfal, when it was thought proper 

 [to defign all women Spinfters 5 and the antiquity of this epi- 

 l thet is beyond the limits of any record, or even traditional 

 ^account 01 its ongm. 



The mother of Alfred the Great is reprefented as being 

 Ikilled in the fpinning of wool herfelf, and bufied in train- 

 ing her daughters to the fame employment. This feems 

 indeed to have been the favourite employment of the great 

 people of thofe times ; for Fabian, fpeaking of Edward the 

 Elder, who died anno 925, fays, " He fet his fons to fcole, 

 and his daughters he fet to ivcl iverke, taking example of 

 Charles the Conqueftadour *." 



It 



* Fabian. Chron. ch, 179, 



