BOOK IX. Lxiii. 137-LXV. 140 



aedile in the consulship of Cicero, 63 b.c. StufF 

 dipped twice over used at that time to be ternied 

 ' double-dyed,' and was regarded as a lavish 

 extravagance, but now almost all the more 

 agreeable purple stuffs are dyed in this way. 



LXIV. In a purple-dyed dress the rest of the Theotur 

 process is the same except that trumpet-shell dye is ^purpie° 

 not used, and in addition the juice is dikited with 

 water and with human urine in equal quantities; 

 and only half the amount of dye is used. This 

 produces that much admired paleness, avoiding deep 

 colouration, and the more diluted the more the 

 fleeces are stinted. 



The prices for dyestuff vary in cheapness with the 

 productivity of the coasts, but those who buy them 

 at an enormous price should know that deep-sea 

 piu-ple nowhere exceeds 50 sesterces and trumpet- 

 shell 100 sesterces per 100 Ibs. LXV. But every Eiaborau 

 end leads to fresh starts, and men make a sport rf^^*! '" " 

 of spending, and hke doubhng their sports by com- 

 bining tJiem and re-adulterating nature's adultera- 

 tions, for instance staining tortoiseshells, alloying gold 

 with silver to produce amber-metal ware, and adding 

 copper to these to make Corinthian ware. It is not 

 enough to have stolen for a dye the name of a gem, 

 ' sober-stone,''* but when fmished it is made drunk 

 again with Tyrian dye, so as to produce from tlie com- 

 bination an outlandish name * and a twofold luxury at 

 one time ; and when they have made shell-dye, they 

 think it an improvement for it to pass into Tyrian. 

 Repentance must have discovered this first, the 

 artificer altering a product that he disapproved of ; 

 but reason sprang up next, and a defect was turned 

 into a success by marvellous inventions, and a double 



257 



