THE SILK- WORM. 19 



prospect of gain, or, as some have asserted, an indignant 

 zeal excited by seeing a lucrative branch of commerce en- 

 grossed by unbelieving nations, prompted them to impart 

 to the emperor the secret, hitherto so well preserved by the 

 Chinese, that silk was produced by a species of worm ; and 

 to acquaint him with their belief that the eggs might be suc- 

 cessfully transported, and the insects propagated in his do- 

 minions. They likewise explained to Justinian the modes 

 of preparing and manufacturing the slender filament, mys- 

 teries hitherto either altogether unknown or but imperfectly 

 understood in Europe. By the promise of a great reward 

 the monks were induced to return to China, and there, with 

 much difficulty eluding the vigilant jealousy of the Chinese, 

 they succeeded in obtaining a quantity of silkworms' eggs. 

 These they concealed in a hollow cane, and at length, in 

 the year 552, conveyed them in safety to Constantinople. 

 The eggs were hatched at the proper season by the warmth 

 of manure, and the worms were fed with the leaves of the 

 wild mulberry-tree. These worms, in due time, spun their 

 silk, and propagated, under the careful tendance of the 

 monks ; who also instructed the Romans in the whole pro- 

 cess of manufacturing their production. 



For a period of more than six hundred years, the produc- 

 tion of silk appears to have been confined to the eastern 

 empire, juitil Roger I., king of Sicily, on returning from his 

 invasion of the East, introduced it into his kingdom, where 

 it soon became an important occupation, and the manufac- 

 ture of silk speedily attained a decided excellence. From 

 Sicily we trace its progress over the greater part of Italy 

 and Spain ; and thence, under Francis I., into France. 



James I. of England, stimulated by the success attending 

 the production of silk in France during the reigns of Henry 

 IV. and Louis XIII., made great efforts to accomplish its 

 introduction into England. A second attempt was made in 



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