Hlstcnry of the Aft of Dyeing. 805 



©f woad) taken from an old author, was made of what the 

 dyers at present call the flower of the woad. 



But the Brasilian grains and Brasilian wood are mentioned 

 in more old charters, as, for example, of the years 1198 and 

 1306, under the name of braxilis. This wood, therefore, 

 may have not taken its name from the country called Brasil ; 

 but the latter rather got its name from the wood, which was 

 found there in abundance, and in the language of the country 

 was called ibirapitanga. In my opinion the name hrasilis 

 comes from hragia^ in French braise, a burning coal, which 

 it may have obtained both from its colour and its having the 

 property of communicating it to others. But, as 1 shall have 

 an opportunity hereafter of enlarging further on this dye stuff, 

 I shall proceed to another discovery of that period, made by 

 a Florentine, viz. that of dyeing by orchilla-weed. 



A Florentine merchant, who about the year 1300 traded 

 in the Levant, happening to make water on a rock, observed 

 that the green colour of the moss which grew on it, and on 

 which the urine accidentally fell, was changed to a beautiful 

 blueish colour. Reflecting a little further on this circum- 

 stance, he found after several experiments, that when mixed 

 with urine and other things it communicated to cloth a co- 

 lumbine colour. This process he long kept as a secret, and 

 acquired by it a great deal of money. The invention at that 

 period was so profitable to the Florentines, and excited so 

 much wonder, that the family of the inventor, which still 

 exists in Italy, were called Rucellai, from the name of the 

 moss, which in Spanish is distinguished by the appellation of 

 orciglia, and the dye made from it is called orchilla*. 



After this period the manufactures in Italy increased so 

 that the attention of the different governments was particu- 

 larly directed to the art of dyeing. In the year 1429 there 

 were published at Venice some regulations respecting dyeing 

 {Mariegola dell* Arte dei Tintori), in which certain precepts 

 were given for dyeing, and according to which dyers were to 

 exercise their art f. These regulations were renewed in the ^ 

 year 15 1<), with a great many improvements. One John 



* Domenico Manni Commentar. de Florentinorum Inventis, e. '20. 

 t Zanon Lcttcrc dell' Agricultura, kc. toin. iii. p. 2. Ictt. 6. 



Vol. IX. Qq Ventura 



