Indeed, a law was
passed that no man should disgrace himself by wearing a silken
garment. The Emperor Heliogabalus despised the law, and wore a
dress composed wholly of silk. The example thus set was followed
by wealthy citizens. A demand for silk from the East soon became
general.
It was not until about the middle of the sixth century that two
Persian monks, who had long resided in China, and made themselves
acquainted with the mode of rearing the silkworm, succeeded in
carrying the eggs of the insect to Constantinople. Under their
direction they were hatched and fed. A sufficient number of
butterflies were saved to propagate the race, and mulberry trees
were planted to afford nourishment to the rising generations of
caterpillars. Thus the industry was propagated. It spread into
the Italian peninsula; and eventually manufactures of silk
velvet, damask, and satin became established in Venice, Milan,
Florence, Lucca, and other places.
Indeed, for several centuries the manufacture of silk in Europe
was for the most part confined to Italy. The rearing of
silkworms was of great importance in Modena, and yielded a
considerable revenue to the State. The silk produced there was
esteemed the best in Lombardy. Until the beginning of the
sixteenth century, Bologna was the only city which possessed
proper "throwing" mills, or the machinery requisite for twisting
and preparing silken fibres for the weaver.
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