a soapmaker was included in the retinue of Charlemagne.

At Pompeii (overwhelmed by an eruption of Vesuvius A.D. 79), a
soap-boiler's shop with soap in it was discovered during some
excavations made there not many years ago. (_Starke's Letters from
Italy._)

From these statements it is evident that the manufacture of soap is of
very ancient origin; indeed, Jeremiah figuratively mentions it--"For
though thou wash thee with natron, and take thee much soap, yet thine
iniquity is marked before me." (Jer. 2:22.)

Mr. Wilson says that the earliest record of the soap trade in England is
to be found in a pamphlet in the British Museum, printed in 1641,
entitled "A short Account of the Soap Business." It speaks more
particularly about the duty, which was then levied for the first time,
and concerning certain patents which were granted to persons, chiefly
Popish recusants, for some pretended new invention of white soap,
"which in truth was not so." Sufficient is said here to prove that at
that time soap-making was no inconsiderable art.

It would be out of place here to enter into the details of soap-making,
because perfumers do not manufacture that substance, but are merely
"remelters," to use a trade term. The dyer purchases his dye-stuffs from
the drysalters already fabricated, and these are merely modified under
his hands to the various purposes he requires; so with the perfumer, he
purchases the various soaps in their raw state from the soap-makers,
these he mixes by remelting, scents and colors according to the article
to be produced.

The primary soaps are divided into hard and soft soaps: the hard soaps
contain soda as the base; those which are soft are prepared with potash.
These are again divisible into varieties, according to the fatty matter
employed in their manufacture, also according to the proportion of
alkali. The most important of these to the perfumer is what is termed
curd soap, as it forms the basis of all the highly-scented soaps.

CURD SOAP is a nearly neutral soap, of pure soda and fine
tallow.

OIL SOAP, as made in England, is an uncolored combination of
olive oil and soda, hard, close grain, and contains but little water in
combination.

CASTILE SOAP, as imported from Spain, is a similar combination,
but is colored by protosulphate of iron. The solution of the salt being
added to the soap after it is manufactured, from the presence of
alkali, decomposition of the salt takes place, and protoxi