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

CHAPTER III,
HISTORY OF THE SILK MANUFACTURE FROM THE
THIRD TO THE SIXTH CENTURY.
SPINNING, DYEING, AND WEAVING. HIGH DEGREE OF EXCELLENCE
ATTAINED IN THESE ARTS.
Fourth centurj-—Curious account of silk found in the Edict of Diocletian—Extrav-
agance of the Consul Furius Placidus—Transparent silk shifts—Ausonius de-
scribes silk as the produce of trees—Quintus Aur Symmachus, and Claudian's tes-
timony of silk and golden textures—Their extraordinary beauty—Pisanders de-
scription—Periplus Maris Erythraji—Dido of Sidon. Mention of silk in the
laws of Manu—Rufiis Festus Avinus— Silk shawls—Marciannus Capella—In-
scription by M. N. Proculus, silk manufacturer—Extraordinary spiders' webs
Bombyces compared to spiders—Wild silk-worms of Tsouen—Kien and Tiao-
Kien—M. Bertin's account—Further remarks on wild silk-worms. Chris-
tian authors of the fourth century—Araobius—GregoriusNazienzenus—Basil
Illustration o-f the doctrine of the resurrection—Ambrose—Georgius Pisida
Macarius—Jerome — Chrj-sostom — Hcliodorus — Salmasius — Extraordinary
beauty of the silk and golden textures described by these authors—Their invectives
against Christians wearing silk. Mention of silk by Christian authors m
the fifth centurj'—Prudcntius—Palladius—Theodosian Code—Appolinaris Si-
donius—Alcimus Avitus. Sixth century—Boethius. (Manufactures of Tyre
and Sidon— Purple—Its great durability—Incredible value of purple stufEj
found in the treasury of the King of Persia.)
FOURTH CENTURY.
SoME^ curious evidence respecting the use of silk, both un-
mixed with Unen and with the warp of hnen, or some inferior
material, is found in the Edict of Diocletian, which was
published A. D. 303 for the purpose of fixing a maximum of
prices for all articles in common use throughout the Roman
Empire*. The passage pertaining to our present subject, is as
follows
:
* It was edited A. D. 1826, by Colonel Leake, as a sequel to his Journal of a
Tour in Asia. Mmor, and is also published ui Tr. of the Royal Society of Litera-
ture, vol. i. p. 181.
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