SCO Hl/lory of the Art of Dyeing* 



Bergman, the world would have been deprived of the greater 

 part of his important difcoveries. The many hterary friends 

 Bergman had in all nations, are a tellimony of the efteem in 

 which he was univerfally held; and his letters not only Ihow 

 how capable he was of maintaining a literary correfpondericc, 

 but that he pofleflcd a feeling heart. For the facred writings 

 be always entertained the utmoft reverence; he made them 

 the conftant rule of his actions; and if any one in his com* 

 pany attempted either openly or indire6lly to attack them, 

 or to queftion their divine origin, he defended them with a 

 warmth which on other occafions he feldom manifefted. 



XXV. Htjiory of the Art of Dyeing, from the earliefl Ages^ 

 By J. N. BiscHOFF *. 



H, 



OWEVER ufeful and laudable may be the exertions of 

 thofe who tr^ce back the various fteps by which the arts have 

 rifen from infancy to a ftate of improvement, and who en- 

 deavour to throw light on the periods of their invention^ and 

 to explain the means and accidental circumftanoes by which 

 they have been brought to perfection, it muft be allowed that 

 this talk i^ attended with great difficulty as well as uncer- 

 tainty. Such inventions, in general, have had fo rude an 

 origin, that mankind did not think them worth their atten- 

 tion till they had attained to a certain degree of perfection. 

 iThis difficulty feems in particular to occur in regard to the 

 origin of dyeing, as it appears to be much anterior to the 

 oldeft of the antient writers with which we are acquainted* 

 Every thing, therefore, that can be faid on the fubjeCi muft 

 be founded on conje6lure. 



In my opinion the origin of dyeing may be afcribed to that 

 natural vanity inherent in human nature, and which infpires 

 mankind with a defire to pleafe, and to diftinguifh themfelves 

 above others. The efiefts produced by the juice of certain 

 plants or befriey when bruifed, by the rain on different kinds 

 of earth, or by the blood of animals applied to cloth, fug- 



'^ From Ftrfucbc einer grfcbichte dcr ¥h berkunjl, 



gefted, 



