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

PASTORAL LIFE OF THE ANCIENTS. 283
This fence shall hid thcc scorn tlie winds and showers
The Tyrian lawn pretends no equal powers.
ElpJiiustoii's Translation.
In the following epigram of Martial (vi. 11.), addressed to his
friend Marcus, we observe a similar opposition between the fine
and fashionable cloth of Tyre, and the thick coarse " sagum"
produced in Gaul.
Proud Tyrian thine, gross Gaulish mine array
In purple thee can e'er I love in gray ?
Juvenal gives exactly the same account of the woollen man-
ufactures of Gaul. In the following passage the needy depend-
ant of a rich man is speaking of tlie lacernas from that coun-
try, which were sometimes presented to hhn by his patron.
Some coarse brown cloaks perhaps I chance to get,
Of Gallic fabric, as a fence from wet.
Satir. ix. v. 30.
—
Owen's Translation.
To the same effect are several passages in the Epistles of
Sidonius Apollinaris, who was Bishop of Clermont in Auvergne
in the fifth century. He mentions, for example, that the at-
tendants on Prince Sigismer at his marriage wore green iSaga
with red borders, and he describes a friend of his own as wear-
ing the Endromis*. Also in an account of his own villa he _
speaks of the pipe with seven holes, as the instrument of the
shepherds and herdsmen, who used to entertain themselves du-
ring the night with musical contests, while their cattle were
grazing with bells upon their necks.
All these passages are confirmed and illustrated by the testimony
of Strabo. According to him Gaul produced cattle of all
kindst. The Belgae, who occupied the most northern part, opposite
to Britain, excelled (he rest of the Gauls in their manu-
factures. Nevertheless their wool was coarse, and was spun
and woven by them into the thick Saga, which were both worn
by the natives of the country and exported in great quantities
to Rome and other parts of Italy. The Roman settlers, indeed,
* Viridantia saga limbis marginata puniceis. L. iv. Ep. 20. Tu endromida-
tus exterius. L. iv. Ep. 2.
t L. iv. cap. i. § 2. p. 6. ed. Siebenkees.
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