and yet pearls may be looked upon as pretty nearly a possession of everlasting duration—they descend from a man to his heir, and they are alienated from one to another just like any landed estate. but the colors that are extracted from the murex and the “purple” fade from hour to hour; and yet luxury, which has similarly acted as a mother to them, has set upon them prices almost equal to those of pearls.
purples commonly live seven years. like the murex, they keep themselves in concealment for thirty days, about the time of the rising of the dog-star; in the spring season they unite in large bodies, and by rubbing against each other, produce a viscous saliva, from which a kind of wax is formed. the murex does the same; but the purple has that exquisite juice which is so greatly sought after for the purpose of dyeing cloth, situated in the middle of the throat. this secretion consists of a tiny drop contained in a white vein, from which 161 the precious liquid used for dyeing is distilled, being of the tint of a rose somewhat inclining to black. the rest of the body is entirely destitute of this juice. it is a great point to take the fish alive; for when it dies, it ejects this juice. from the larger ones it is extracted after taking off the shell; but the small fish are crushed alive, together with the shells, upon which they eject this secretion.
in asia the best purple is that of tyre, in africa that of meninx and the parts of g?tulia that border on the ocean, and in europe that of laconia. it is for this color that the fasces and the axes of rome make way in the crowd; it is this that asserts the majesty of childhood;[147] it is this that distinguishes the senator from the man of equestrian rank; by persons arrayed in this color are prayers addressed to propitiate the gods; on every garment it sheds a lustre, and in the triumphal vestment it is to be seen mingled with gold. let us be prepared then to excuse this frantic passion for purple, even though at the same time we are compelled to enquire, why it is that such a high value has been set upon the produce of this shell-fish, seeing that while in the dye the smell of it is offensive, and the color then is harsh, of a greenish hue, and strongly resembling that of the sea when in a tempestuous state?
the tongue of the purple is a finger in length, and by means of this it finds subsistence, by piercing other shell-fish, so hard is the point of it. they die in fresh water, and in places where rivers discharge themselves into the sea; otherwise, when taken, they will live as long as fifty days on their saliva. all shell-fish grow very fast, purples especially; they come to their full size at the end of a year.
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were i at this point to pass on to other subjects, luxury, no doubt, would think itself defrauded of its due, and so accuse me of negligence; i must therefore make my way into the very workshops, so that, just as among articles of food the various kinds and qualities of corn are known, all those who place the enjoyment of life in these luxuries may have a still better acquaintance with the objects for which they live.
there are two kinds of fish that produce the purple color; the elements in both are the same, the combinations only are different; the smaller fish is that which is called the “buccinum,” from its resemblance to the conch by which the sound of the buccinus or trumpet is produced, and to this circumstance it owes its name: the opening in it is round, with an incision in the margin. the other fish is known as the “purpura,” or purple, and has a grooved and projecting muzzle, which being tubulated on one side in the interior, forms a passage for the tongue; besides which, the shell is studded with points up to the very apex, which are ordinarily seven in number, and disposed in a circle; these are not found on the buccinum, though both of them have as many spirals as they are years old. the buccinum attaches itself only to crags, and is gathered about rocky places.
purples are of numerous kinds, differing only in their element and place of abode. there is the mud purple, the sea-weed purple, both of which are held in the very lowest esteem; the reef-purple, which is collected on the reefs or out at sea; the color from which is still too light and thin. then there is the variety known as the pebble-purple, wonderfully well adapted for dyeing; and, better than any of them, that known by the name of “dialutensis,” because of the various natures of the soil on which it feeds. purples are taken with a kind of osier kipe of small size, and with large meshes; these are cast into the sea, baited with cockles which snap at an object, just as we see mussels do, and close the shell instantaneously. though half dead when they are returned to the sea, these 163 animals come to life again, and open their shells with avidity; upon which the purples seek them, and commence the attack, by protruding their tongues. the cockles, on the other hand, the moment they feel themselves pricked, shut their shells, and hold fast the object that has wounded them: in this way, victims to their greediness, they are drawn up to the surface hanging by the tongue.
the most favorable season for taking these fish is after the rising of the dog-star, or else before spring; for when they have once discharged their waxy secretion, their juices have no consistency: this, however, is a fact unknown in the dyers’ workshops, although it is a point of primary importance. after it is taken, the vein is extracted, of which we have previously spoken, to which it is requisite to add salt, twenty ounces to every hundred pounds of juice. they are then left to steep for a period not exceeding three days, for the fresher they are, the greater virtue there is in the liquor. it is then set to boil in vessels of tin, and every eight thousand pounds ought to be boiled down to five hundred pounds of dye, by the application of a moderate heat; for which purpose the vessel is placed at the end of a long funnel, communicating with the furnace; while thus boiling, the liquor is skimmed from time to time, and with it the flesh, which necessarily adheres to the veins. about the tenth day, generally, the whole contents of the cauldron are in a liquefied state, upon which a fleece, from which the grease has been cleansed, is plunged into it by way of making trial; but until such time as the color is found to satisfy the wishes of those preparing it, the liquor is still kept on the boil. the tint that inclines to red is looked upon as inferior to that which is of a blackish hue. the wool is left to lie in soak for five hours, and then, after carding it, it is thrown in again, until it has fully imbibed the color of that bright lustre, which approaches the shining crimson hue of the kermes-berry, a tint that is particularly valued.
