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

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THE COTTON MANUFACTURE. 323<br />

Catullus (64.), speaking <strong>of</strong> the black sail Avliich iEgeus fur-<br />

nished for the ships <strong>of</strong> his son <strong>The</strong>seus, calls it " Carbasus<br />

Ibera,^^ " an Iberian sail." As, on the one h<strong>and</strong>, he here uses<br />

the proper term for <strong>cotton</strong>, without intending to describe the sail<br />

as <strong>cotton</strong>, so on the <strong>other</strong> h<strong>and</strong> he calls the sail Iberian merely<br />

because Iberia was a country adjoining Colchis, <strong>and</strong> from Colchis<br />

(as will be shown in Part LV.) the Greeks <strong>and</strong> Romans<br />

obtained a great supply <strong>of</strong> flax <strong>and</strong> sail-cloth.<br />

TibuUus, or Lygdamus, entreats (iii. 2. 17.), in the contem-<br />

plation <strong>of</strong> his death <strong>and</strong> funeral, that after his bones have been<br />

washed, first with wine, <strong>and</strong> then with milk, they may be dried<br />

" carbaseis velis," with <strong>linen</strong> napkins. Although he uses the<br />

proper term for <strong>cotton</strong>, he probably did not intend to denote any<br />

preference for <strong>cotton</strong> rather than <strong>linen</strong>. His bones, after being<br />

wiped, were to be deposited in a marble urn.<br />

Propertius seems to have aimed at a display <strong>of</strong> knowledge on<br />

these subjects (see Part First, chapter II.) ; <strong>and</strong> in the follow-<br />

ing passage (iv. 3.) he probably used Carhasa in its proper<br />

sense, as he is referring to Eastern habits<br />

Raptave odorata carbasa lina duci.<br />

Muslins taken among the spoils from a scented general<br />

In the last Elegy <strong>of</strong> the same Book he refers to the story <strong>of</strong><br />

the young Vestal virgin, who, when the flame was extinguished<br />

upon the altar <strong>com</strong>mitted to her care, <strong>and</strong> when the scourge<br />

appeared to await her for her neglect, threw upon the ashes a<br />

fillet <strong>of</strong> muslin from her head, <strong>and</strong> saved her life by its ignition,<br />

which was supposed to be effected by the favor <strong>of</strong> the goddess<br />

Vel cui, <strong>com</strong>missos cum Vesta rcposceret ignes,<br />

Exhibuit vivos carbasus alba focos.<br />

<strong>The</strong> fire had died, <strong>and</strong> Vesta urged her claim,<br />

When the while <strong>cotton</strong> show'd a living flame.<br />

<strong>The</strong> story is related by Valerius Maximus (i. 7.). Although<br />

we are not informed <strong>of</strong> the date <strong>of</strong> the event, it appears from<br />

his language that the fillet was <strong>of</strong> fine muslin :<br />

:<br />

'•' Cum<br />

carha-<br />

sum^ quam optimam hahehat, foculo imposuisset, subito ignis<br />

emicuit." This description is well suited to the nature <strong>of</strong> cot<br />

ton, than which nothing was more easily ignited.<br />

<strong>The</strong> passage in Virgil's Georgics, which mentions <strong>cotton</strong>, has<br />

:

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