Page:The history of silk, cotton, linen, wool, and other fibrous substances 2.djvu/19

CONTENTS.

PART FIRST.

ANCIENT HISTORY OF SILK.

CHAPTER I.

SPINNING, DYEING, AND WEAVING.

Whether Silk is mentioned in the Old Testament—Earliest Clothing—Coats of
Skin, Tunic, Simla—Progress of Invention—Chinese chronology relative to the
Culture of Silk—Exaggerated statements—Opinions of Mailla, Le Sage, M.
Lavoisnè, Rev. J. Robinson, Dr. A. Clarke, Rev. W. Hales, D.D., Mairan,
Bailly, Guignes, and Sir William Jones—Noah supposed to be the first emperor
of China—Extracts from Chinese publications—Silk Manufactures of the
Island of Cos—Described by Aristotle—Testimony of Varro—Spinning and
Weaving in Egypt—Great ingenuity of Bezaleel and Aholiab in the production
of Figured Textures for the Jewish Tabernacle—Skill of the Sidonian women
in the Manufacture of Ornamental Textures—Testimony of Homer—Great
antiquity of the Distaff and Spindle—The prophet Ezekiel's account of the
Broidered Stuffs, etc. of the Egyptians—Beautiful eulogy on an industrious
woman—Helen the Spartan, her superior skill in the art of Embroidery—Golden
Distaff presented her by the Egyptian queen Alcandra—Spinning a domestic
occupation in Miletus—Theocritus's complimentary verses to Theuginis on her
industry and virtue—Taste of the Roman and Grecian ladies in the decoration
of their Spinning Implements—Ovid's testimony to the skill of Arachne in
Spinning and Weaving—Method of Spinning with the Distaff—Described by
Homer and Catullus—Use of Silk in Arabia 500 years after the flood—Forster's
testimony 1

CHAPTER II.

HISTORY OF THE SILK MANUFACTURE CONTINUED TO THE 4TH CENTURY.

SPINNING, DYEING, AND WEAVING.—HIGH DEGREE OF EXCELLENCE ATTAINED
IN THESE ARTS.

Testimony of the Latin poets of the Augustan age—Tibullus—Propertius—Virgil—Horace—Ovid—Dyonisius
Perigetes—Strabo. Mention of silk by authors in