I have a sampler from 1796 to decipher. Old Trot calling the history buffs! Pic attached

[OldTrot]

I need your eyes again! This time it's a 230 year old sampler. These were very very commonplace back then -young girls generally did them

This one is partially completed and tricky to decipher. Any help? Does anyone know if it's a saying / poem/ verse from back then? From the limited words you can see

It was done by a ?Bent and it's called 'On Ambition'

You will need to zoom in and squint!

Top line ? ? ? we cannot be the cheat

???? to be great

Aha! Hello again!

Blimey. This is a tough one... we might need x-ray specs!

@reddingweddy hello! Next time I'll set up an ongoing thread in history so everyone who's interested can add bits to it

And yep this is tough and the only way to crack it is to maybe know the verse or whatever it is

She's silk embroidered all the flowers but not the words, they're just pencilled in

The first bit ends "we cannot see the Cheat" although it might not be cheat. The s of see is the old fashioned s that looks like an f.

Second line ends "silence to be Great"?

Third line ..

'When wild ambition in ?? we find'

Just a guess but maybe "in our heart" is the missing bit of the third line?

When (?) … we cannot be the cheat
When things… the confidence to be great
When wild ambition … we find
.content and … our mind (?)
…
…return no…

bit too near bedtime!

Am googling the verse but no luck yet

Last line, "happiness return no more"?

No, I can't find it either

These female virtue type samplers were all the rage back then.

Dunno if ambition would be considered a female virtue though? Not to folk in the 18th century

1. ...we cannot be the Cheat
2. Of.....confidence to be Great 3)When wild ambition in .....we find 4)...we the fond...
3. ...returns no...

all I got

Ambition was considered a bad thing, especially in girls, wasn't it?

I'm racking my brains, I know that an old fashioned book for girls I read had something about how bad ambition was. Possibly Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Is it the same verse as in this sampler?

justajoy.com/cgi-bin/Display_Item.asp?ID=3595

Verse entitled 'On Ambition' reads 'Dazzled with Hope we cannot fee the Cheat> Of aiming with Impatience to be great> When wild Ambition in the Heart we find> Farewel Content and Quiet of the Mind> For glittring Clouds we leave the folid Shore> And wonted Happinefs returns no more' and 'This Work in hands my Friends may have> When I am Dead and laid in Grave'.

@PermanentTemporary yes. It wouldn't have been considered a female virtue back then so it's quite surprising that this sampler is 'on ambition'

Unless it's all about how being ambitious is a very bad thing for a young girl to have! That would make sense

Oooh , I reckon you have found it

@AntoinetteSatterwhite has it - yes, ambition is being described as a barrier to contentment in this verse

@AntoinetteSatterwhite YOU HAVE GOT IT!

How on earth did you find that? You're so clever. Thanks

Amazing!

Now to work out what it means. Ambition is a bad thing?

I think we have a winner!

Kind of a warning to be content with your lot in life

ambition in the virtue sense was considered bad for Girls more likely to be in the vein of ambition is striving against God's plan and to quote " But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith be content." I Timothy 6 etc
think the word under wild ambition is contentment I tried googling ode to ambirtion but got nothing like that

What a shame we just can't see her name

Oh hang on

It's Elizabeth??

See pic . Same amount of letters and I'm sure I can see a Z

i see it was found while i was writing, yes irt means basically ambition is a bad thing!!!! so be content with what you have got

Obviously her ambition to complete the sampler was never fulfilled!