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purple, was accounted by an Emperor as a luxury too 

 expensive even for an Empress, and that Empress his 

 wife, Severa ; its value being equal to that of gold, by 

 weight. Others there were at Rome, and enough even 

 at that day, who were by no means thus scrupulous in 

 regard to price. But it was not till long after the seat 

 of the Roman Empire had been transferred to Byzanti- 

 um or Constantinople, that the distinct and more perfect 

 knowledge of the nature and origin of silk became 

 known, and the mystery of the long sought "golden 

 fleece " was revealed to Europe. 



Jn the sixth century, two monks arrived at the court 

 of the Emperor Justinian, at Constantinople, from a mis- 

 sionary expedition to China. They had brought with 

 them the seeds of the mulberry, and communicated to 

 him the discovery of the mode of rearing the silk-worms. 

 And although the exportation of the insects from China 

 was forbidden, on pain of death, yet by the liberal prom- 

 ises and persuasions of Justinian, they undertook anew 

 expedition, and at length they returned through Bouk- 

 haria and Persia to Constantinople, in 555, with the eggs 

 of the precious insect concealed in the hollow of their 

 canes or pilgrims' staves, which they had obtained in the 

 far and still more distant country. Until this time, the 

 extensive manufactures of the Phoenician cities of Tyre 

 and Berytus had received their whole supplies of raw 

 silk through Persia from China. Even to the days of 

 Justinian, according to ancient historians, no person at 

 Constantinople knew to a certainty that silk was the pro- 

 duction of an insect. It was generally supposed to be 

 produced from the bark or leaves of trees, or growing 

 like the finest hair from their branches. A new era now 

 commenced. 



In Greece, the culture and manufacture of silk soon over- 

 spread the country ; the noblest families th'emselves aided 

 by their example. The people of Thebes and Athens,from 

 the time of Justinian, cultivated and manufactured silk 

 for 400 years. And the Venetians in the height of their 



