MATERIALS USED BY THE WEAVER

Virgil speaks of, “how the Seres spin their fleecy forests in aslender twine.”

Pliny, writing of the Chinese, says, “ They have a pleasant, healthyclimate, a clear atmosphere, gentle and favourable winds, in manyplaces dusky woods (of mulberry trees) from which, working the fleecyproduct of the trees with frequent sprinklings of water, they comb offa very delicate and fine substance, a mixture of down and moisture,and, sprinkling the thread of it, they make silk, which was formerlyused by nobles, but now by the lowest class, without distinction.

Dionysius Periegetes (a.D. 275—325) says, “ The Seres (Chinese)make precious garments resembling in colour the flowers of the field,and rivalling in fineness the work of spiders.”

Wrought silk was brought from Persia to Greece in B.C. 325. TheRoman Emperor Heliogabalus in A.D. 220 first wore a garment ofsilk. In 780 Charlemagne sent Offa, King of Mercia, a present oftwo silken vests.

COTTON. —Cotton is also a product of the East. Pliny says,“ The Seres are celebrated for a most delicate wool (cotton) whichthey collect from the trees in their own country and send to all partsof the world to be made into beautiful garments.”

It was, however, in India and Central Asia that cotton fabrics, suchas the famous muslins of Mosul, reached their highest development.The former country was the original home of the cultivation of cotton

Hemp. —Hemp was also used in the production of ancient fabricsHerodotus says, “Hemp grows in Scythia; it is very like flax, onlyit is a much taller and coarser plant.

“ The Thracians make garments of it which closely resemble linen,so much so, indeed, that, if a person has never seen hemp, he is sureto think that they are of linen, and if he has, unless he is veryexperienced in such matters, he will not know of which materialthey are.”

The Latin name, Cannabis sativa, of the hemp plant, has given thename of canvas to a woven hempen fabric.

Gold and Silver.— Threads of gold and silver have beenextensively used in the past, occasionally alone, but more usuallyin combination with silk and cotton threads, for the production ofsumptuous fabrics.

The earliest description of the interweaving of gold and linen isgiven in the Book of Exodus :

“ And he made the ephod of gold, blue and purple, and scarlet andfine twined linen, and they did beat the gold into thin plates and cutit into wires (strips) to work in the blue and the purple and the scarlet,and in the fine linen, with cunning work.”

In medieval times the fabrics of India and China in the East,

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