3 1 4 History of the Art of Dyeing, 



being imported into Europe, were much employed by the 

 German, Italian, and French dyers. By these productions 

 they were enabled to prepare dyes much more beautiful and 

 at less expense than they had ever been able by means of 

 the dye-stuffs before known. 



As the Germans did not obtain these new dye-stuffs so 

 early, and were not yet acquainted with the art of treating 

 them, the Flemish and French dyers came to Germany in 

 great numbers, and united themselves to the German cloth 

 and woad dyers, under the name of the art, u'oad, and fine 

 dyers^. 



Thus, in the middle of the IGth century, a Fleming named 

 John Nicolaus Schmidt established a house for fine dyeing at 

 Geraf. But on this occasion the jealousy and envy of the 

 black dyers, who had hitherto been secret enemies to the 

 woad dyers, were displayed in their full force. They not 

 only persecuted with all their might the new strangers, but 

 they endeavoured to make the new dye materials, which the 

 line dyers particularly used, to appear to the different princes 

 contemptible and pernicious ; especially as they were already 

 disagreeable to financiers, because they lessened the consump- 

 tion of indigenous productions, and especially of woad. Tlie 

 elector of Saxony | and duke Ernest the Pious §, therefore, 

 not only issued severe prohibitions against indigo ; but it was 

 made a subject of discussion at the diet, where it was de- 

 scribed as a pernicious eating devil and corrosive dye-stuff jj. 

 The use of these ingredients, however, had become so pre- 

 valent, and their superiority to the indigenous was too evi- 

 dent to admit of their being entirely banished. On the other 

 hand the division into fine and common dyers, to which the 

 French and Dutch dyers were already accustomed, was more 

 firmly established -, and both kinds distinguished themselves 

 by their greater or less dexterity ; by the dye-stuffs they em- 



* Hence arose, no doubt, the connexion which still subsists between 

 the German tine dyers and the French, English, and German dyers, as 

 the black dyers cannot go beyond the boundaries of Germany. 



f Ludewig ut supra, p. 1. 



X Codex Augustceus, part i. p. 236, 1521, 15^17. 



§ Gothaische Landeford>:ung, p. ^. 



II R. Pol. 0. zu Frankf. lo/T- tit. 21. § 3. 



ployed ) 



