DYEING SUBSTANCES. 303 



sold the Franks an abundance of brilliant, silk robes, 

 embroidered stuffs, and prepared furs. Charle- 

 magne's dress at the time was nothing but a rude 

 sheep-skin. In the course of the ninth and tenth 

 centuries, dyed silks, &c. imported by the Italians 

 from the East, mainly for the decoration of churches, 

 are repeatedly mentioned by the same old authors. 

 At the time of the crusades the Venetians and 

 Genoese especially contrived to import many oriental 

 productions and manufactures, which, by affording 

 new means as well as new objects for imitation, con- 

 tributed greatly to restore the arts. 



For a long period Italy, and particularly Venice, 

 possessed almost exclusively the art of dyeing ; which 

 was at length introduced into France. In the reign 

 of Francis the First an enterprising individual, named 

 Giles Gobelin, erected large buildings in the place 

 which still bears his name, for the purpose of carry- 

 ing on this trade. His undertaking was considered 

 to be so rash, that the title of Gobelin's Folly was 

 given to the establishment. Berthollet remarks, that 

 the success which, contrary to their forebodings, 

 crowned Gobelin's exertions, so astonished his fellow- 

 citizens, that they believed he had entered into a 

 compact with the devil. 



The minister Colbert, whose enlightened mind was 

 so indefatigably directed towards the promotion of 

 those peaceful arts whereby the true happiness of 

 society can best be fostered, turned his attention to 

 the art of dyeing, with the desire of amending its 

 processes and of removing frauds in its practice. 

 With this two-fold view, he caused, in the year 1672, 

 a code of instruction for dyers to be published, not 

 only to inform, but to control this class of persons in 

 their operations. While applauding the motive of 

 Colbert, we cannot but be sensible that restraints 

 of this kind, though they may prevent impositions on 



