Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

184 Arts and C1·afts in the Middle Ages

and silk serges. The velvets are not bad, but tlюse that are шаdе at Valencia are better in quality." Магсо Polo says of the Persians in certain sections; "The1·e аге excellent artificeгs in the citics, who шаkе wonderful things in gold, silk, and embгoidery.... Iп veins of tl1e шountains stoпes а1·е found, commonly called tuгquoises, and other je,vels. There also аге made all sorts of агшs авd amшunition fог war, and Ьу tЬе ,vomen excellent пeedle,vork in silks, with all soгts of creatuгcs vегу admiгaЬly ,vrought thereiв." Marco Polo also reports tЬс Кing of Taгtary as ,vearing on his Ьirthday а most precious ga1·111ent of gold, wblle his bamns ,vоге the same, апd had givcn them giгdles of gold and silYcr, and" pearls апd garments of great price." This Klшn also "has the tenths of all wool, silk, авd hemp, \Yhich he caнses to Ье made into clothes, in а house for that purpose appoiпted: for all trades are bound one day in tl1e wcek to seгve him." Не clothcd his arшies ,vith this tythe ,vool. In Anglo-Saxon tiшes а fabric composed of fine basket-,veaving of thin flat stгips of pure gold ,Yas used; soшetiшcs the flat metal \\"as ,voven on а ,va1·p of scarlet silk threads. Lateг stгips of gilded parchment ,vcre fгaudulcпtly substituted for the genuine flat metal thread. Often tl1e ,voof of gold stгips \\"as so solid and heavy that it was nccessary to have а silk ,vагр of six stгands to sнррогt its ,vеаг. Gold cloth ,vas of Yaryiпg excellence, ho,veve1·: among the iteшs in ан inventory fог the Ea1·l of \Vaгwick iп