The history of silk, cotton, linen, wool, and other fibrous ... - Cd3wd.com

AFTER ITS FIRST INTRODUCTION INTO EUROPE. 73
SEVENTH CENTURY.
DOROTHEUS, ARCHIMANDRITE OF PALESTINE, A. D. 601.
'noTTcp yap hScSvuivos hXoo'ipiKov.—Dodr. 2, 05 quoted in Cod. Tlieodos. Gollio-
fredi. L. Bat. 1665.
For as a man wearing a tunic entirely of silk.
THEOPHYLACTUS SIMOCATTA, A. D. 629.
This author, in his Universal History (/. vii. c. 9.), informs us
that the silk manufacture was carried on at Chubdan, with the
greatest skill and activity, which was probably the same as
Khotan, or, as it was called in his time, Ku-tan*.
We have, moreover, the following account of the origin of
the growth and manufacture of silk in that countr}' (p. 55, 56.).
"The monastery of Lou-clie [occupied by Buddhists) is to
the south-west of the royal city. Formerly the inhabitants of
this kingdom had neither mulberries nor silk-worms. They
heard of them in the East country, and sent an embassy to ask
for them. The King of the East refused the request, and is-
sued the strictest injunctions to prevent either mulberries or
silk-worms' eggs from being conveyed across the border. Then
the King of Kiu-sa-tan-na {i. e. Koustana, or Khotan) asked
of him a princess in marriage. This having been granted, the
king charged the officer of his court who went to escort her, to
say, that in his country there were neither mulberry-trees nor
cocoons, and that she must introduce them, or he without silk
dresses. The princess, having received this information, ob-
tained the seed both of mulberries, and silk-worms, which
she concealed in her head-dress. On arriving at the frontier,
the officers searched every where, but dare not touch the tur-
ban of the princess. Having arrived at the spot, where the
monastery of Lou-che was afterwards erected, she deposited
the seed both of the mulberries and worms. Tlie trees were
planted in the spring, and she afterwards went herself to assist
in gathering the leaves. At first the Avorms were fed upon the
* Intineraire de Hiuan Tlisang, Appendice ii. h. Foe Koue Ki, p. 399.
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