Odyssey, B. iv. l. 427. “And to throw on fair coverlets of purple, and to lay carpets upon them.”
[116]“I have macerated unbleached flax in vinegar saturated with salt, and after compression have obtained a felt, with a power of resistance quite comparable with that of the famous armor of Conrad of Montferrat; for neither the point of a sword, nor even balls discharged from fire-arms, were able to penetrate it.” Memoir on the substance called Pilina, by Papadopoulo-Vretos.
[117]The “gausapa,” or “gausapum,” was a kind of thick cloth, very woolly on one side, and used especially for covering tables and beds, and making cloaks to keep out the wet and cold. The wealthier Romans had it made of the finest wool, and usually of a purple color. It seems also to have been sometimes made of linen, but still with a rough surface.
[118]From ἀμφίμαλλα, “napped on both sides.” They probably resemble our baizes or druggets, or perhaps the modern blanket.
[119]About the time of Augustus, the Romans began to exchange the “toga,” which had previously been their ordinary garment, for the more convenient “lacerna” and “pænula,” which were less encumbered with folds, and better adapted for the usual occupations of life.
[120]According to the commonly received account, Tanaquil was the wife of Tarquinius Priscus, and a native of Etruria; when she removed to Rome, and her husband became king, her name was changed to Caia Cæcilia.
[121]The prætexta is described by Varro as a white toga, with a purple band or border; it was worn by boys until their seventeenth year, and by young women until their marriage.
[122]The trabea differed from the prætexta, in being ornamented with stripes (trabes) of purple, whence its name.
[123]Helen is introduced, Iliad, B. iii. l. 125, weaving an embroidered garment, in which were figured the battles of the Greeks and Trojans. It was probably somewhat of the nature of modern tapestry.
[124]The first sum amounts to about $23,000, the latter to $115,000.