This date, answering to the year 1133 of the Christian era, coincides with the middle of the reign of Roger II. and the inscription speaks clearly of a factory "prosperous and enlarged," not by Greek hands, but by Arabs. This would be sufficiently evident from the Arabo-Sassanide style of the ornaments even if it were not expressly stated, and we did net otherwise know that in imitation of the Ommiades, the Mussulman dynasties of the East or of the West had in the royal palace a workshop, called the Tiraz, for the manufacture of silk destined for weaving the robes of eminent persons. The Norman kings of Sicily had followed this example, while employing Arab workmen, and, if we are to believe Ebn Djobair, the manufacture of silk was but a convenient name for disguising the seraglio into which their fancy also introduced young Frank or French women.

That the introduction of the Greek artisans could net have had so great influence on the Sicilian workshop would seem to be confirmed by the fact that the alb in the Vienna museum made under William II. is also in the Arab style, with animals and fantastic birds, bearing the inscriptions, repeated in uncial letters and in Arabic. "Made in the happy city of Palermo, the fifteenth year of the reign of William II., by the grace of God, King of Sicily, Duke of Puglia, and Prince of Capua, son of William I., XlVth indiction." "(This alb) forms part of the vestments whose manufacture has been ordered in the royal workshops, ever well fitted up, by the very honoured King William II., who prays God to grant him His power; who is assisted with all His might, and who prays that he may be victorious; lord of Italy, of Lom-bardy, of Calabria, and of Sicily, powerful (protector) of the Roman Pope and defender of the Christian religion; dated from the little era XIII., the year 1181 of the era of Our Lord Jesus, the Messiah".

It may be well to add that the Sicilian looms were not limited to these exceptional works. They supplied for general use garments of moderate richness, as shown by this passage from Ebn Djobair describing the toilette of the Palermo ladies on the occasion of the feast of Christmas in 1185: "They appeared abroad dressed in gold-coloured silken robes, enveloped in elegant mantles, covered with coloured veils, wearing gilded half-boots, and they strutted about in their churches or dens overladen with necklaces, with paint and perfumes, quite after the fashion of Mussulman ladies".

M. Francisque Michel has not succeeded in ascertaining the exact time when the manufacture of silks passed over from Sicily to continental Italy.

Silken fragment, part of a sacerdotal vestment found in the tomb of a bishop of the twelfth Century at Bayonne. (Musee de Cluny).

In 1242 the workers in silk formed a numerous body in Lucca; but the war waged by the Florentines against this city ruined the industry, and when the place was taken in 1314 the workmen were dispersed, carrying their skill and experience to Venice, Florence, Milan, and Bologna, where workshops were now established.

At the same time, Venice at least may well have had workshops previous to this date, as may be inferred from a decree of the Grand Council issued in 1248. Allusion is also made to the Venetian textiles in an inventory of the treasury of the Holy See dated 1295.

Geneva also had its silk looms at this period, and Florence soon arrived at rendering her manufactories so important that she looked on them as far superior to those of Venice.

Some writers think that it was through Sicily and the Balearic Isles that Spain became acquainted with the manufacture of silk. But this can be easily shown to be a mistake. The industry was on the contrary introduced into Spain by the Arabs before the twelfth century, as testified by Conde in his "Histoire de la domination des Arabes en Espagne," by the geographer Edrisi, and by Abon Zacaria Jahia Mohammed ben Ahmed ebn el Awam, of Seville, author of the "Bock of Agriculture." During the Middle Ages the silken stuffs of Seville rivalled those of China, and at the time of the fall of Granada there were in operation upwards of 5000 wheels for twisting silk.

Almeria also enjoyed a universal reputation, and its fabrics were considered as amongst the finest. An Arabic writer quoted by Conde says that the Moorish king Aben Alahmar, who reigned in 1248, diligently encouraged sericulture and silk-weaving, adding that this industry had made such progress that the Granada silk was preferred to that of Syria.

After the destruction of the Arab power, the victorious Christians profited by the secrets of the conquered, and Toledo, Murcia, and Valencia soon produced fabrics equal to those of the old Mussulman looms.

Let us pass on to our own country. His perfect acquaintance with old French poetry enables M. Francisque Michel to date back very early the claims of France to consideration. He considers it a matter of certainty that silk was here manufactured so early as the twelfth century. Thus, by consulting "Li romans de Berte aus grans pies," he shows that the mother of Charlemagne, most famous of spinstresses, employed both gold and silk : -

Les deux filles Constance, ne vous en mentiiai. Sorent d'or et de soie ouvrer, car bien le sai. Deles eles fu Berte, qui moult ot le cuer vrai Quant ot veu lor oeuvre, si dist: "Je vous ferai Une oeuvre, s'il vous plaist, que vous aprenderai. Ma mere fu ouvriere, nee fu vers Aussai..' Lors prent Berte a ouvrer si com je vous dirai.. N'avoit meillor ouvriere de Tours jusqu 'a Cambrai.

In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the industry had arrived at great perfection in Paris. In the statement of Geoffroi de Fleuri's Accounts drawn up in 1316 we read: "Cloth of Gold of Paris, three pieces, worked .. to make a mantle for the queen, which she had at the entry into Rheims, eleven livres the piece." Of the same date is the " ordonnance du mestier des ouvriers de draps de soye de Paris et de veluyaus, et de boursserie en lac, qui affierent audit mcstier," from the terms of which M. Fr. Michel finds in the summonses issued by the Provost of Paris for the All Hallows term, 1318 : "Ph. Levesque, worker in cloth of silk, for his purchase of the trade . . . . XX. sous." The right of practising this trade was thus fixed at the sum of tenpence. Under the same date a fine of fifteen sous was imposed by the same provost on "Jehan de Brey, Jehan du Mcs, and Jehan de Chartres, for having worked against the regulations of the trade".

But to find the true history of the silk industry in France we must arrive at the reign of Louis XL, whose letters patent, issued at Orleans on November 23rd, 1466, are the first title of the establishment of looms for cloth of gold and of silk at Lyons. These letters patent, however, taxed the city for the benefit of the new industry, so that, on the petition of the burgesses, a delay was granted for the recovery of the duty. In February 1469, he took fresh measures to ensure the execution of his pleasure, and things went on no doubt to his satisfaction. At least we find that for a purpose easy to be understood, Charles VIII. issued a decree, dated July 17th, 1494, ordering silken stuffs to be marked with the seal of the town where they were manufactured, and forbidding the wearing of cloth of gold, silver or silk, not woven in France.

When Francis I., passed through Lyons on his return from the campaign in Savoy, he granted letters patent for the purpose of increasing the prosperity of the industry. With the view of attracting Genoese and other foreign artisans, he gave them the right of acquiring real and moveable property, which their legal heirs or representatives could inherit without taking out letters of naturalisation or escheatage. They were further exempted from all taxes or imposts, on the sole condition of inscribing their names in full on the city registers. These letters were registered in the month of August, 1537. The first who presented themselves to take advantage of them, were two Genoese, Stephen Turqueti and Bartholomew Nariz, who have been wrongly described by many writers as those by whom the silk industry was originally introduced into France.

The privileges granted to foreigners were renewed by Henry II., in September, 1548, by Charles IX., at Montpellier, in 1564, and in 1567 at Paris, by Henry III. in 1574 at Lyons, by Henry IV. in 1595, by Louis XIII. at Paris in r610, etc. Thenceforth the silk industry became one of the most important in France, and Lyons succeeded in bringing the art to the highest perfection.

It would be tedious here to recall all the numerous ordinances intended to ensure the prosperity of the trade of this city, but it may not be uninteresting to show the length to which the protection of the government was extended in its favour. We have seen in the state records, a decree of the Council naming the Sieur Verret as successor of the Sieur de Seroncourt in the office of designer of Lyons fabrics. Another decree of March 21st, 1777, granted a privilege to Claude Rivey, manufacturer of silk stockings in the same city, who had invented a frame for making knitted fabrics with flowers and coloured embroideries. '

Next to Lyons ranked Tours as the second centre of the industry in France. It was founded by Louis XL, who in 1470 caused various craftsmen to come from Italy and Greece, "all workers and makers of silken stuffs." Letters patent of October, 1480, granted them every inducement to persuade them to settle in France, and these privileges were confirmed by Charles VIII., in May, 1497. The industry accordingly flourished, although those interested in it, thought it necessary to appeal to Henry II., in 1544, and later on, to the States General at Blois, complaining of the injury their trade suffered through the competition of the Lyons factory. Nevertheless, the Venetian Ambassador, Marino Cavalli, found 8000 looms in operation at Tours in 1546, and in 1577, another envoy from the same power, reported that at Tours were manufactured quantities of good and beautiful silken stuffs, which were sold at a cheaper rate than those in Italy, of Naples, Lucca, and Venice.

In 1595, Henry IV., issued a fresh decree to secure the permanent prosperity of the Tours manufacturers, and we shall presently meet with fresh proofs of the interest taken by the monarch in the national industry. But in order to follow in their chronological order the various establishments of which there is any record, we must next mention that of VlTRE, created by Francis II., Duke of Brittany, and formed of workers in silk, brought from Florence.

Orleans

In 1582, Catherine de Medicis had caused several silk factories to be set up in this town, the profit of which she was permitted to enjoy by the kings, her children. At her own expense, she encouraged the workmen, who were paid by the receiver of her estate. But the civil wars of 1585, and the ill-will inspired by feelings of jealousy, soon completed the ruin of these establishments.