Page:History of the Royal Society.djvu/320

 the Powder or fecula of a Root; so as the flour of the Bran being joyned with the Mather, and made clammy and glutinous by boyling, I doubt not but both sticking upon the villi of the Stuff dyed, the Mather sticks the better by reason of the starchy pastiness of the Bran-flour joyned with it.

'Gums have been used by Dyers about Silk, viz. Gum Arabick, Gum Dragant, Mastick, and Sanguis Draconis. These Gums tend little to the tincture of the said Silk, no more than Gum doth in ordinary writing Ink, which only gives it a consistence to stay just where the Pen delivers it, without running abroad uncertainly: So Gum may give the Silk a glassiness, that is, may make it seem finer, as also stiffer; so as to make one believe the said stiffness proceeded from the quantity of Silk close woven: And lastly, to increase weight; for if an ounce of Gum, worth a penny, can be incorporated into a pound of Silk, the said penny in Gum produceth three Shillings, the price of an Ounce of Silk. Wherefore we shall speak of the use of each of the said four Gums, rather when treating of Sising and Stiffening, than now in a Discourse of Dying, where also we may speak of Honey and Molasses.

'We refer also the Descriptions of Fullers-earth, Soaps, Linseed-oyl, and Ox-galls, unto the head of Scouring, rather than to this of Dying.

'Wines and Aqua-vitæ have been used by some particular Artists; but the use of them being neither constant nor certain, I omit further mention of them. The like I say of Wheaten-flour and Leaven.

'Of Cummin-seed, Fenugreek-seed, Senna, and Agarick, I have as yet no satisfactory account. Rh