Page:The history of silk, cotton, linen, wool, and other fibrous substances 2.djvu/238

 and the Etymologicum Magnum, judiciously concludes as follows: "From all these it is manifest, that [Greek: amorginoi chitônes], whether they took their name from a place, from their color, or from the raw material, were a kind of valuable robe, worn by the rich, fashionable, and luxurious women."

A subsequent passage of the Lysistrata (v. 736-741) still further illustrates this subject. A woman laments, that she has left at home her [Greek: amorgis] without being peeled ([Greek: alopon]), and she goes to peel it ([Greek: apodeirein]). The mallow no less than flax and hemp, would require the bark to be stript off, and doubtless the best time for stripping it is as soon as the plant is gathered.

II. Cratinus died about 420 B. C. The following line, from his comedy called [Greek: Malthakoi], represents a person spinning [Greek: Amorgos].

[Greek: Amorgon endon brytinên nêthein tina].

Cratina Fragmenta, a Runkel, p. 29.

III. Julius Pollux, speaking of garments made of [Greek: Amorgos] (L. vii. c. 13.) quotes the Medea of Antiphanes thus; [Greek: Ên chitôn amorginos]. This author was contemporary with Aristophanes.

IV. Eupolis wrote about the same time, and his authority may be added to the rest as proving that garments of Amorgos were admired by luxurious persons at Athens.

V. Clearchus of Soli mentions the use of a cover of Amorgos for inclosing a splendid purple blanket. This application of it is agreeable to the foregoing evidence, showing that the amorgine webs were transparent. The silky translucence of the lace-like web of mallow would have a very beautiful effect over the fine purple of the downy blanket.

VI. Æschines in an oration against Timarchus, the object of which is to hold up to contempt the extravagancies of this Athenian spendthrift, in his enumeration of them, he mentions (p. 118, ed. Reiskii.) that Timarchus took to his house a "woman skilled in making cloths of Amorgos."