212 llijhry of the Art of Dyeing, 



bafkets have fpikcs at the mouth; for the points of the riifiies 

 or rccds all run towards each other inwardly, lo that, when 

 looked at from without, the entrance feems cafy, but when 

 the ilfti have got into it thev cannot return *. Thefe ballcet?^ 

 the fifliermeii let down to the roeks, failening to the upper 

 end of the rope a piece of cork that it may Hoat ; and in this 

 manner they are left night and day, and when the balket i? 

 drawn up it is found to he full of the purple (licll-fifli. The 

 animals arc then cut in pieces, and when freed from dirt 

 are faked ; after which they are thrown into a kettle over 

 the fire. When heated the blood feparates itfelf, become? 

 fiuid, and begins to throw up fcum ; a part of it turns red and 

 another blue, and another airumes fomc other colour. If a 

 piece of cloth be now put into this liquor, it acquires the fame 

 colour after it is thoroughly impregnated with it. 



*' The purple colour does not acquire all its brilliancy till 

 it has been expolcd to the fun ; for the rays of that luminary 

 give it more brightnefs, and render the colour darker ; and 

 Its fpiendour, by the celeflial lire, is brought to the greateft 

 perfections" 



This pafTage, combined with the neweft difeoveries and a 

 little practice, might eaiilv enable us to prepare purple a^ 

 beautiful as that of the antients. But the perfe6lion to which 

 other dyes have been brought, and the dye-ftuf^s difcovered 

 in modern times, render this method of dyeing tumeeefrary. 



One might ahnoft be induced to ])elieve that the antients 

 had no other eohjurs befides purple ; but the contrary is 

 proved by the whole hiftory of antiquity. Nay, it is probable 

 that they had otiier colours before purple, only thev were 

 either not fo durable or fo pleiiiing to the eve, and tliercfore 

 the antient writers did not think it worth their while to fay 

 any thing refpcCling them. , ^ ^ 



The Greeks, about the period of Alexander the Great, and 

 under his fuccefibrs, firit began to render black, dark blue, 

 yellow, and green dyes, &;c. more beautiful, and tb learn ihe 

 art of fixing them on linen t. We find, however, am jn^ 



Ijp Xhis isexadly the fonnof Ibme bal'kttsziuick cU prcient fot'catchingfiffi. 

 % S-e Pliny, lib. xix. c- i. Zano, Lcucrc dcU' Agiicult. toMi. in. p. i, 

 let. 6. p. z%i. Cluimbers'is Uuiverfai JJittionary, under the iiead Dyeinp. 



the 



