SIXTH WEEK-THURSDAY.

CLOTHING.-ITS ANCIENT HISTORY.

HAVING in the preceding paper given a rapid sketch of the state of clothing in primitive times, I shall devote the present to an extract from the work of a French writer of the last century,* whose researches into the origin of the arts and sciences are curious and interesting.

This author begins by stating, that the skins of animals formed the chief clothing of the human race, after the confusion of their language, and the consequent dispersion of their families had caused them to lose many of the arts they had derived from their antediluvian ancestors, and reduced numerous tribes to a state of barbarism; and he thus proceeds" The skins of animals are not naturally adapted to form an exact and commodious covering to the human body. It was necessary, therefore, to find the art of adjusting them to its shape, and uniting several of them together. The greatest part of mankind were for a long time without the use of thread. They were obliged to supply the want of it by some other expedients. We may judge of these original contrivances, by those of several modern nations. The garments of the people of Greenland, are sewed with the guts of seadogs and other fish, dried in the air, and cut into very slender thongs. The Esquimaux, the savages of Africa and America, use the sinews of animals for the same purpose. They must have used them, also, in the first ages. Hesiod mentions these ancient practices. Thorns, sharp bones, and the like, supplied the place of awls, needles, and pins, in sewing their garments. The ancient inhabitants of Peru, who, in many respects were a sagacious civilized people, knew nothing of needles and * M. Goguet.

pins. They made use of long thorns, for sewing and fastening their vestments. We might mention several nations who, at this day, are reduced to the same expedients.

"As men became more civilized, they improved on these primitive practices. They endeavoured to find garments more agreeable and commodious than the bark of trees, leaves, skins, &c. It was soon perceived that a better use might be made of the outer covering of animals. They endeavoured to find out methods for taking off the hair or wool, and forming these into a covering as substantial and warm, but more pliable than their skins or furs. This art is very ancient. In the patriarchal ages, we see the people of Mesopotamia and Palestine, took great care in shearing their sheep.* The first stuffs were probably a kind of felt; men would begin with uniting the different parts of the wool or hair, with some glutinous matter. By this means they might make a stuff, tolerably soft, and nearly of an equal thickness. The ancients made very much use of felt.†

"One discovery leads to another. The thought of separating the hair or wool from the skin was one good step, but great advantage could not be made of this, without the further discovery of the art of uniting the different parts into one continued thread, by means of the spindle. This invention is of very great antiquity. The Egyptians say it was Isis who taught them the art of spinning. The Chinese give the honour of this invention to the consort of their Emperor Yao. We may observe on this subject, that the traditions of almost all nations ascribe the honour of inventing the art of spinning, weaving, and sewing, to women. The Lydians ascribed this discovery to Arachne, the Greeks to Minerva, the Peruvians to Mama-oella, wife to Manco-capuc, their first sovereign. It was also to women that the Greek and Roman antiquities attributed the invention of the

* Genesis, xxxi. 19, and xxxviii. 12, 13.

† Pliny, book viii. sect. 73.

needle, and the art of spinning the silk of certain worms, and weaving it into stuffs. I cannot determine whether these traditions be founded on real history, or have only arisen from these particular occupations having, in all ages and countries, been allotted to the fair sex.

“We can say nothing certain concerning the manner in which men first made use of yarn. It is probable they would make many essays, and compose a variety of works, as tresses, net-work, &c., till by degrees they found out the web by warp and woof. We might form a great many conjectures about the origin of weaving. We might say, with an ancient author, that men owe the discovery of this art to the spider.* They took notice of the manner in which this insect warped its web ; they observed how she guided and managed the threads, by the weight of her own body, &c. But, without mentioning the various hypotheses which might be formed on this subject, I imagine that the idea of the web of warp and woof might strike men first, from the inspection of the inner bark of certain trees. Some of these, if we except their coarseness and stiffness, bear a very great resemblance to a web; the fibres are interwoven, and cross each other almost at right angles. The manner, therefore, in which the filaments of these barks are disposed, might very possibly give the first hint of the web of warp and woof.†

"When we reflect on the prodigious numbers, and great variety of machines which are at present employed in the fabrication of our stuffs, we can hardly allow ourselves to believe, that men in these first ages could form any thing like them. Yet it is easy to conceive they might, if, instead of viewing our own complicated

* Democritus apud Plut.

The conjectures mentioned above seem to be little better than ingenious trifling. The process of weaving was a quite natural step, as I have already mentioned, after the invention of spinning. The coincidence, however, between this art and the intertwisting of vegetable fibres in the case of the inner bark of some trees, and the crossing of the slender threads in that of the spider's web, is sufficiently curious.

methods, we observe the simple ones of several modern nations.

struments.

"The inhabitants of greater India, Africa, and America, at present weave stuffs with a very few simple inThe people of these remote ages might do the same. Though the workmen of the countries mentioned are strangers to many branches of knowledge which we possess, yet we can never sufficiently admire the beauty and fineness of their stuffs. They use no other instruments but a shuttle and a few small pieces of wood. By the help, therefore, of such simple tools, men, in these early times, might accomplish the task of weaving cloths of warp and woof.

"However this may be, the invention of weaving is extremely ancient. Abraham, in refusing the booty offered him by the king of Sodom, says, 'I will not take from thread of the woof, even to a shoe latchet.' Moses says, that Abimelech made a present of a veil to Sarah. He observes, also, that Rebecca covered herself with a veil when she perceived Isaac. Jacob gave his son Joseph a coat of divers colours. Moses tell us further, that Pharaoh arrayed this patriarch in vestures of fine cotton.* A weaver's shuttle is mentioned in the book of Job. These facts sufficiently prove the great antiquity of the art of weaving with warp and woof."+

* Our author endeavours to prove, that the stuff given to Joseph, which most commentators translate by the name byssus, was cotton. This is by no means certain. Some think that it was a kind of bright yellow silk, which adheres like a tuft to a very large kind of shellfish, called pinnæ marina; while others think, that it was a kind of very fine flax which grew in Egypt or Judea. Pollux, however, says, that the byssus came from a kind of nut which grew in Egypt; that they opened the nut, extracted this substance, spun it, and wove it into garments. Philostratus describes it much in the same manner; whence our author concludes, that it must have been cotton. But it is- not generally believed that cotton was so early known, much less that it was then cultivated in Egypt.

↑ Goguet's Origin of Laws, Arts, and Sciences, vol. i. book 2.

SIXTH WEEK-FRIDAY.

CLOTHING.-ITS ANCIENT HISTORY CONTINUED.

THERE are three ways by which we are enabled to judge of the state of mankind in the early ages with regard to articles of dress; we may consult historical records; we may examine ancient statues; and we may discover actual specimens of ancient clothing, especially in the envelopes of mummies, as noticed in a previous volume.

In referring to the first of these methods, I have already adverted to the writings of Moses. In these we find various incidental or direct notices, by which some light is thrown on the subject. I have elsewhere mentioned the proof we have from this source of the progress of the art of weaving linen in Egypt, as far back as the time of Joseph.* In these writings, too, we find proofs of taste and magnificence in articles of dress, in the description given of the habits of the high priest, and the vails of the tabernacle. The tissue of all these works was of linen, of wool, of goats' hair, and of byssus. The richest colours, gold, embroidery, and precious stones, united to embellish them.

That the art of dyeing stuffs was familiar in those early ages, we have sufficient proof. They were even woven of divers colours. We read of Joseph's "coat of many colours," a gift of paternal affection, and an object of envy to his brethren; and though we were to consider this as a mis-translation, yet we find in the book of Exodus several instances in which party-coloured cloths are distinctly spoken of.† Embroidery is also mention

66 Spring" The Flax Plant.

+ Exodus xxvi. 31. "Thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work," or, "of an agreeable variety," as it might be translated. See also the 1st verse of that chapter, and the 2d verse of the 39th chapter.