icent
garments wrought, which he presented to different churches. One of
these was an altar-cloth of Tyrian purple, having in the middle a
picture of golden emblems, with the countenance of our Lord, and of
the blessed martyrs Cosman and Damian, with three other brothers. The
cross was wrought in gold, and had round it a border of olive-leaves
most beautifully worked. Another had golden emblems, with our Saviour,
surrounded with archangels and apostles, of wonderful beauty and
richness, being ornamented with pearls.

In these ages robes and hangings with crimson or purple borders,
called _blatta_, from the name of the insect from which the dye was
obtained, were much in use. An insect, supposed to be the one so often
referred to by this name in the writings of the ancients, is found now
on the coasts of Guayaquil and Guatima. The dye is very beautiful, and
is easily transferred. The royal purple so much esteemed of old was of
very different shades, for the terms purple, red, crimson, scarlet,
are often used indiscriminately; and a pretty correct conception may
be acquired of the value of this imperial tint formerly from the
circumstance that, when Alexander took possession of the city of Susa
and of its enormous treasures, among other things there were found
five thousand quintals of Hermione purple, the finest in the world,
which had been treasured up there during the space of 190 years;
notwithstanding which, its beauty and lustre were no way diminished.
Some idea may be formed of the prodigious value of this store from the
fact that this purple was sold at the rate of 100 crowns a pound, and
the quintal is a hundredweight of Paris.

Pope Paschal had a robe worked with gold and gems, having the history
of the Virgins with lighted torches beautifully related: he had
another of Byzantine scarlet with a worked border of olive-leaves.
This was a very usual decoration of ecclesiastical robes, and a very
suitable one; for, from the time when in the beak of Noah's dove it
was first an emblem of comfort, it has ever, in all ages, in all
nations, at all times, been symbolical of plenty and peace. This pope
had also a robe of woven gold, worn over a cassock of scarlet silk; a
dress certainly worth the naming, though not so much as others
indebted to our useful little implement which Cowper calls the
"threaded steel." But he had another rich and peculiar garment, which
was entirely indebted to the needlewoman for its varied an