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

CHAPTER II.
HISTORY OF THE SILK MANUFACTURE CONTINUED
TO THE FOURTH CENTURY.
SPINNING, DYEING, AND WEAVING. HIGH DEGREE OF EXCELLENCE
ATTAINED IN THESE ARTS.
Testimony of the Latin Poets of the Augustan age—Tibullus—Propertius—Virgi)
—Horace—Ovid—Dyonisius Perigetes— Strabo. Mention of silk by authors in
the first century—Seneca the Philosopher—Seneca the Tragedian—Lucan
Pliny—Josephus—Saint John—Silius Italicus—Statius—Plutarch—Juven.il
Martial—Pausanias— Galen—Clemens Alexandrinus—Caution to Cliristian
converts against the use of silk in dress. Mention of silk by authors in the
second century—TertuUian—Apuleius—Ulpian—Julius Pollux—Justin. Men-
tion of silk by authors in the third century—iElius Lampidius—Vopiscus
Trebellius Pollio—Cyprian—Solinus—Ammianus Marcellinus—Use of silk by
the Roman emperors—Extraordinary beauty of the textures— Use of water to
detach silk from the trees—Invectives of these authors against extravagance in
dress—The Seres described as a happy people—Their mode of traffic, etc.
(Macpherson's opinion of the Chinese.)—City of Dioscurias, its vast commerce in
former times.— (Colonel Syke's account of the Kolissura silk-worm—Dr. Rox-
burgh's description of the Tusseh silk -worm.)
The next Authors, who make mention of silk, are the Latin
poets of the Augustan age, Tibullus and Propertius, Virgil,
Horace, and Ovid. The Parthian war, and. the increased in-
tercourse between the Roman empire and the kingdoms of the
East, had been the means of recently introducing every kind
of silken goods into more general use, although these manufac-
tures were still so rare as to be the objects of curiosity and ad-
miration, and were therefore well adapted to be brought in
among the embellishments of poetical imagery.
The appearance of the silken flags attached to the gilt
standards of the Parthians (Florus iii. 11.) must have been a
very striking sight for the army of Crassus, contributing both
to inflame their cupidity and to alarm them with a sense of the
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