508 History of the Art of Dyeing, 



state till Colbert, the great minister of Louis XIV. in the 

 year 1669, undertook to pay attention to its improvement. 

 With this view he examined the establishment and defects of 

 the French dyeing, and a M. d'Albo, at his desire, composed 

 a set of regulations respecting dyeing, which were printed and 

 published at Paris in the years 16G9 and 1672*. 



The introduction to this book contains a proof of Colbert's 

 mode of thinking in regard to this art : — " If the silk, woollen, 

 and linen manufactories," says he, " are those which con- 

 tribute most to the support and advancement of trade and 

 commerce, dyeing, which supplies that variety of colours by 

 which the most beautiful things in nature are imitated and 

 represented, may be considered as the soul of it, without 

 which the body would be animated only by feeble life. Wool 

 and silk in their natural colours, formerly raw articles of little 

 value, now find sale in the country, when they have received 

 from dyeing those attractions which render them valuable and 

 agreeable to the most savage nations/' 



The treatise itself is divided into twelve chapters : the first 

 treats on the five principal colours, and the preparation of the 

 articles before ihey are dyed 5 the second, of the application 

 of the dye-stuffs ; the third, of the different shades of the above 



nearly terminated, as Gobelin was passing through the court-yard with a 

 light in his hand, the devil came to fetch him away. Gobelin begged for 

 a respite, but the evil spirit would not grant it. Gobelin at last requested 

 that the devil would wait till the bit of candle in his hand was burnt out. 

 This being granted. Gobelin immediately threw it into a well and pushed 

 the devil in after it. The devil thus outwitted was exceedingly angry ; 

 but Gobelin had time to get a guard of ecclesiastics, who secured him from 

 similar attacks in future. — See Zanon as above, sixth book, third letter. 

 * The title is : Instruction ginirale pour la Teinture det Laines et Mcl- 

 nvfactures de Laine de toutes Couleurs, et ponr la Ctdture des Drogues ou 

 Ingrcdiens quon y employe: a Paris 1672. 12mo. This work was re- 

 printed in the last century under the following title : Le Teinturier par- 

 fait: ou Instruction nouvelle et generale pour la Teinture des Laines et Ma-- 

 nufacture de Laine de toutes Couleurs, et pour la Culture des Drogues on 

 Jngrediens quon y employe: k Leyde, chez Theod. Haack, I7O8. 8vo. 

 The iast edition appeared in 1726 in two parts. There is also a German 

 edition by Paul James Marperger, M'ith the title Ars Tinctoria fundu" 

 mcrUalis. Respecting this book see Memoires concernant les Arts et les 

 Sciences for the year 16/3 ; and the Leipz. Sammlm^gen, vol. iii. for 1716, 

 p. 1013. 



colours \ 



