Ilijlory of the Art of Dyemg. 2il 



Mofl; of the experiments in regard to this purple were 

 made by Reaumur* and Du Hamclf. riie latter found a 

 huccinum on the coaft of Poitou ; but in particular, certain 

 balls fliaped like an egg, which he calls purple eggs, and 

 which contained a yellowini liquor, lliis liquor, when 

 dropped on a piece of linen, gave it a pale yellow colour; 

 but in a few minutes, to his great ailoniflunent, it changed to 

 all the fliades of yellow, green, and fky-blue, till it at length 

 was converted into purple. The experiment mult be made 

 in the open air; and Du Hamel obferves that the fun-beams 

 contribute a great deal to the durability and darknefs of thei 

 colour. 



'J'hat this great influence of the fun^beams on the purple 

 was not unknown to the aritients, is proved by the account 

 left us of this colour by a Greek female author J, and which, 

 in all probability, firfl induced the above writers to undertake 

 their experiments. As the paffage which contains this in- 

 formation §, and which was pointed out to me by a friend, 

 deferves to be better known, I fliall here fubjoin the follow- 

 ing tranllation of it : 



*^ The Phoenicians at prefent (in the lith century) catch 

 this animal (the purple (liell-fiOi) in the following manner, 

 and give with it, to wool, fuch a beautiful colour that thu 

 deceived eye miftakes it for flowers. 



*^ They form a ftrong rope^ of confiderable lengthj made 

 of twilled ruihes, faftened together with knots, fo as that they 

 can let it down into the fea. To this rope they attach balkets 

 made of ruihes or reeds plaited through each other. Thefe 



* Memoires de I'Acad, des Sciences for 171 1, 



p. i«i. 



f Ibid, for the year 1736, p. 49. 



1 FAulocia MacreiiiJDolitifra*, a daughter of die Greek emperor Con- 

 ftantinc VHl. who lived about tli^e end of the tenth century. Her book, 

 which is called iwua, contains very interefting information refpefling cele- 

 brated perfons of every condition, with other things wiirthy of notice. It 

 was prcferved in mattufcript in the king's Hbrary at Paris, but intended for 

 publication. — See Anfelm. Bandurius Not, ad Anliq. Polity p. 8i8 ; l^^bricit 

 Bib. Gra-cay vol. vi. p. 715 j /. Cb. JFdlf Fragmenia Mulierum Grata- 

 ruini-.p. 3p; and Catalog. Fcminarum olim illufti under the head Etuto^^ 



§ Du Frefnc-has infertcd it in the appendix 10 his Glajfarivm under ^e 

 ^ord Koy)(v'Ktvrtt. 



D d 3 . ^ ' bafkets 



