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

200 THE MALLOW, ITS USES BY THE ANCIENTS.
and the Etymologicum Magnum, judiciously concludes as fol-
lows : " From all these it is manifest, that dfiSpytvoi x'^^m,
whether they took their name from a place, from their color, or
from the raw material, were a kind of valuable robe, worn by
the rich, fashionable, and luxurious women."
A subsequent passage of the Lysistrata (v. 736-741) still
further illustrates this subject. A woman laments, that she has
left at home her dpLopyis icithout being jjeeled (aXonov), and she
goes to ])eel if (dTroSetptiv). The mallow no less than flax and
hemp, would require the bark to be stript off, and doubtless the
best time for stripping it is as soon as the plant is gathered.
II. Cratinus died about 420 B. C. The following hne, from
his comedy called Ma\eaKo\j represents a person spinning 'A/^opyrfs.
'A-HOpyov tviov [SpVTivriv vf)Qciv Tiva.
Cratina Fragmenta, a RunJcel, p. 29.
III. Julius Pollux, speaking of garments made of 'Ajwpyds (L.
vii. c. 13.) quotes the Medea of Antiphanes thus ; "^Hi- x^to^v
dii6pyivoi. This author was contemporary with Aristophanes.
IV. Eupohs wrote about the same time, and his authority
may be added to the rest as proving that garments of Amorgos
were admired by luxurious persons at Athens*.
V. Clearchus of Solit mentions the use of a cover of Amor-
gos for inclosing a splendid purple blanket. This appUcation
of it is agreeable to the foregoing evidence, showing that the
amorgine wehs were transparent. The sillvy translucence of
the lace-like web of mallow would have a very beautiful effect
over the fine purple of the downy blanket.
VI. ^schines in an oration against Timarchus, the object
of which is to hold up to contempt the extravagancies of this
Athenian spendthrift, in his enumeration of them, he mentions
(p. 118, ed. Reiskii.) that Timarchus took to his house " a woman
skilled in making cloths of Amorgos."
* See Harpocration, p. 29. ed. Blancardi. 1683. 4to. Also Plier. et Eupolidis
Fragmenta, a Runkel, p. 150.
t Ap. AlhencBum, L. vi. p. 255, Casaub. Clearclnis probably wrote about 100
years later than the before-mentioned authors, but the circumstances related by
him may have occurred about the time when those authors flourished, and even
at Athens.