SILK FABRICS. 583 



1699 white figured damask is quoted in a London account 

 at 8j., and in 1700 rich tissue damask is at \is. 6d. 



Two other kinds of silk remain, lutestring and Mantua. 

 The former of these was originally a French product, but 

 was naturalised in England towards the close of the century, 

 was protected by a prohibitive duty, while the manufacturers 

 of the article were incorporated into a company, with a term 

 during which they received a monopoly. But before their 

 term was out, the fashion changed, the company spent its 

 capital, and the manufacture was abandoned. I find it in 1650 

 at 135-., in 1667 at 55. (when it is said to be striped), in 1701 at 

 6s. 6d. Mantua does not occur till the end of the period. I 

 find it at Js. 6d. and Js. yd. in 1700, the former being described 

 as yellow, the latter as black and white. In 1701 white and 

 black and white are at 6s. 6d., in 1702 striped at Js. 6d., plain 

 at Js. All the purchases of Mantua are made in London. 



I find shagareen at 4^. a yard in 1699, and two articles sold 

 by the piece, Atlas at 70^. and 65^., blue striped cotnege at 

 35$-. the piece. I cannot guess what these materials are : I 

 only know that they are purchases made for one or more of 

 Johnson's daughters. Nothing is I imagine more difficult to 

 define than the character and materials of obsolete fabrics. 



In 1605 Eton College furnished their College chapel with 

 a new altar-cloth. They bought 16} yards of purple velvet, 

 two yards of Watchet damask, i.e. I suppose watered silk, 

 15 J yards of fustian lining, an ounce of Venice gold and an 

 ounce of silver (by which I suppose is meant gold and silver 

 thread), half an ounce of gold perle at 6j., a quarter of an ounce 

 of perle at 6s., and another quarter of an ounce at $s. 8d. The 

 whole cost was 17 9^, 



In 1613 one Robins, one of the fellows of Eton College, 

 bequeathed a sum of money to be laid out in the purchase 

 of tapestry, and the College expended on this object 73. It 

 was long an ornament of some part of the College buildings, 

 and I heard, when I was investigating the Eton accounts, 

 that this tapcMr\. having become worn and moth-eaten, had 



