178 ACCOUNT OF THE DYE. 



though not precisely the same. The shells are said to have 

 been taken by an ingenious contrivance; the nets were baited 

 with mussels which were half dead, and their shells conse- 

 quently partly open; the fish pushed its trunk into the shell 

 in order to draw out its prey, upon which the mussel closed 

 entirely, and thus detained its prisoner. 



ESTHER. 



Were there not several tints of this dye? 



Yes; the various kinds were produced by using different 

 proportions of the two fish. To obtain the color called ame- 

 thyst, we read that lOOlbs. of the purple, and SOOlbs. of the 

 Buccinum were mixed together, and this enormous quantity 

 of fish only served to dye fifty pounds of wool. 



ESTHER. 



How was that tint mixed which was called the Tyrian 

 purple? 



MRS. F. 



The wool was first dipped into the Murex and then into 

 the Buccinum; and by this means, was obtained the finest 

 color, which appears, from what we read, to have had a kind 

 of shot appearance, blackish when viewed in front, but bril- 

 liant when seen on the side. Frederick, you may recollect 

 that Horace alludes to the double dyeing of the purple, when 

 he says (2d Book, 16th Ode), as rendered by Francis in his 

 translation: 



" Thy robes the ftwce-dyed purple stains." 



ESTHER. 



It was the custom to crush the Murex as soon as taken, 

 for, if kept, the animal ejected its purple dye. 



MRS. F. 



Aristotle tells us that a single shell sold for about 3/.; but 

 as it appears that only a single drop of the dye was produced 



