UNIVALVES. 131 
to the Tyrian dye, with which, according to Pliny, 
it was indeed occasionally confounded, under the 
name of scarlet. The use of the coccus in dyeing is 
very ancient, since it appears from commentators, to 
be alluded to in Exodus :— 
** And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they 
made cloths of service, to do service in the holy 
place, and made the holy garments for Aaron. 
‘** And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, 
and purple, and scarlet, of needle work; as the 
Lord commanded Moses.” —xxxix. 1, 29. 
In after times the lighter kinds of Tyrian purple 
were used in dyeing parchments, or vellum, with the 
design of rendering still more splendid the gold and 
silver letters with which they were adorned; and these, 
Casiri tells us, reflected objects like a mirror. But as 
Tyrian robes were confined to the palace, and person 
of the Emperor, so this magnificent and expensive 
style of writing was appropriated to Biblical manu- 
scripts and the libraries of princes. Hence Theonas 
admonishes Lucian, the grand chamberlain, not to 
permit any transcription upon purple vellum, in gold 
and. silver letters, unless especially required by the 
Prince; and hence, I entreat you, says Boniface, 
Bishop of Mentz, the Apostle of Germany, in a 
letter to the Abbess, Cadburga: ‘I intreat you, 
send me the epistle of the Apostle St. Peter, written 
K 2 
