The firste [laste] volume of the chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande conteyning the description and chronicles of England, from the first inhabiting vnto the conquest : the description and chronicles of Scotland, from the first original of the Scottes nation till the yeare of our Lorde 1571 : the description and chronicles of Yrelande, likewise from the first originall of that nation untill the yeare 1571 / faithfully gathered and set forth by Raphaell Holinshed.

Of English weightes and their compa∣rison with others. Cap. 23.

THe least of our waightes is a grayne, betwéene which and the ounce we haue the halfe quarter, the half, and thrée quarters of the ounce. In olde tyme these smaller partes were commonlye reconed by péeces of coyne and not by quarter and halfe quar∣ter as we doe nowe. As by the farding or fourth part of a peny, which waighed eyght graines, the halfepeny that peysed sixtéene, and peny that counterpeysed 32. and was in •…•…éede the 32. part of an ounce, so that for the halfe quarter we sayd two pence halfepeny, for the quarter fiue pence, and halfe ounce tenne pence, which is nowe growne out of vse, & our coine so inhaunced that 6.0. of our pence doe hardly make an ounce, and aleauē graines suffice with the more to counter∣peyse a peny.

The Athenien ounce was lesse then ours by 64. graynes, and deuided into his partes after this maner following.

Lepta the seauenth part of two graynes.

Granum, A graine.

Chalcus two graines and seauen Leptae.

Siliqua foure graines.

Semiobolus sixe graines or thrée Chalchi.

Obolus hath twelue graines.

Scriptulum two Obolos.

Drachma 3 Scriptula or 72. graines.

Vncia 8 Drachmes: 24. Scriptulas: 48. Ob: 576 graines, whereby they differed not al∣so from the Romaines in their vncia who reconed their small waightes after this ma∣ner following.

A graine the least of all.

Siliqua had 4. graines.

Semiobolus 6. graines.

Obolus 12. graines.

Victoriatus one thirtenth part of an ounce

or 41. graines and 1/14 of a graine.

Denarius the seauenth part of an ounce.

Sextula the sixt part.

Sicilicus the fourth part.

Duella the thirde part.

Semuncia the second part, or half an ounce otherwyse called a Stater.

Vncia the ounce which had two Semuncias 3. Duellas: 4. Sicilicos: 6. Stextulas: 7. Dena∣rios: 14. Victoriatus: and 576. graines, as they themselues doe number them.

Epiphanius in his De mensuris & pon∣deribus, speaking of the ounce deuideth it in∣to twoo Stateres, 4. Siclos, and 8. Drach∣mes, whereby he maketh the Stater to con∣taine halfe an ounce or two Didrachmas. And as he agréeth with vs in 8. Drachmes to the ounce, so he maketh the lesse Holcen to counteruaile the Drachme, and the greater the Sicle: after which also the heare of Ab∣solon was weighed and founde to haue Hol∣cen siclorum 125. that is two pounde and an halfe as he maketh vp his reckening.

That the Siclus was once called •…•…alen∣tum I referre you to Eusebius his 9. booke De preparatione Euangelica, where he alled∣geth the authoritie of Eupolemus, writing of Dauid, Salomon and the buylding of the Temple at large. In the 30. of Exodus wée finde the Iewish Sicle to containe 20. obolos, which Iosephus expounding in the thirde of his Antiquities, sayth that the Sicle of the Hebrues dyd counteruaile foure Drachmes of Athens. The like doeth Ierome affirme vpon the fourth of Ezechiel. Hereof also Eu∣polemus gathereth manifestly that the 10. talentes of golde which Salomon gaue vnto eache of those workemen that wrought vpon his Temple, were but so many Sicles yf his authoritie be sounde. But to our owne.

We haue also a weight called the pounde, whereof are two sortes the one taking name of Troy contayning twelue ounces (after which our liquide & drie measures are wei∣ghed and our plat solde) the other commonly called Haberdupois, whereby our other arti∣ficers and chapmen doe buye and sell theyr wares. The first of these contayneth 7680. graines wheras the other hath 10240. Each of them also are deuided into the halfe quar∣ter, quarter, and halfe pounde, & thrée quar∣ters as we haue sayde before in the descrip∣tion of the ounce. Nowe in conference of the same with the Gréecian weightes if you re∣spect the Mna commonly vsed amongest the Phisitiōs and Surgeons (I meane for num∣ber of ounces) you shall finde small difference betwéene these and our Haberdupois, but yf you better cōsider of their difference in oun∣ces, you shall sée some oddes which I will hereafter sette downe. Furthermore as we haue twoo sortes of poundes in Englande, so the Gréekes •…•…de the sore alleadged, haue thrée kindes of Mnas, whereof the first called the greater or the newe, hath

• 12. ounces and foure Drachmes, or
• 100. Drachmes, or
• 600. Obolos, or Semiobolos. 1200.
• 3600. Calchos, or
• 25200. Leptas & of these Liuie speaketh.

Their second is called the olde Mna, whose proportion is giuen out after thys maner, and hath

• 9. ounces and thrée Drachmes, or
• 75. Drachmes, or
• 450. Obolos, or
• 900. Semiobolos, or
• 2700. Calchos
• 18900. Leptas.

As for theire Apothecary Mna, it conteined after their common accoupt,

• 15. ounces or
• 112. Drachmes, and an halfe, or
• 337. Scruptulas and an halfe, or
• 675. Obolos, whereof let this suffice.

In lyke sort the Romaines hauing but one Libra, deuided it also into these euen partes insuing,

• 12. ounces or 576. graines.
• 2. Semisses or 6. ounces.
• 3. Trientes, or 4. ounces.
• 4. Quadrantes, or 3. ounces.
• 6. Sextantes, or 2. ounces.
• 8. Sescuncias or one ounce and an halfe.

Beside these also they had certaine odde weightes (percelles of their Libra) which did hit in as it were betwéene these, and whose names for helpe of the diligent in hystoricall studie I will set downe as thus,

• Denux of 11. ounces.
• Dextans of 10. ounces.
• Dodrans of 9. ounces.
• Bes of 8. ounces.
• Septunx of 7. ounces.

Quincunx of fiue ounces, whereby we sée that the Romaine Libra is not all one with the Athenien Mna as may likewyse be farther séene by this diuision insuing for the Romaine Libra hath

• 12 Vncias.
• 24 Semuncias.
• 36 Duellas.
• 48 Sicilicos.
• 72 Sextulas.
• 84 Denarios.
• 168. Victoriatus & 288. Scriptula.

And as Libra surmounteth the olde Mna, so the new Mna excéedeth the Libra, and so dyd

also the Apothecarie weight as I haue sayde before. But yet to say somewhat more of the Romaine Libra or pounde▪ & other like poy∣ses, I thincke it very expedient for the helpe of such as shall méete wyth the same in rea∣ding of the Hystories, & better conference of their proportion with ours.

It is to be noted that As or Assis is a worde properly to be applyed vnto any thing that may be deuided into partes, wherby it com∣meth to passe that as the foote is As vnto the smaller measure, and Libra vnto the smaller coyne, so Libra or Pondo is As or Assis, vnto the partes of hys diuision being left of the greatest, & greatest of the smallest weights.

Of Libra also the pound weight was some∣tyme called Libralis, 2. pounde Bilibris, thrée pounde Trilibris &c. And in like sort was Pondo vsed and also As, so that for the afore∣sayde poyses we shall reade Pondo, dupon∣dius, trepondius in the one: and for 3. pound, 4. pounde 9. pounde, and 10. pounde, Tressis, Quadrassis, Nonussis, and Decussis in the o∣ther. Also for two Decusses 3. Decusses and 10. Decusses: Vicessis, Tricessis, and Centus∣sis, that is, 20. Asses, 30. Asses and 100. Asses or poundes as the authours doe expound it. In like sorte Apondus or Assipondius is a pounde weight, Dua pondo, two pound, Tre∣pondo thrée pounde, as by reading may be found out. Whensoeuer you find Pondo put with an other worde of weight, it signifieth the worde simply whervnto it is referred, as Pondo, Libra a pound, Pondo vncia an ounce and so forth in the rest. I might here say that the brasse penny of the Romaines weight at the first wayed 10. pounde, of which Sester∣tius being the fourth parte contayned twoo pounde and an halfe: but when they begunne to coyne siluer money, the siluer denarius or Libra was valued after the estimation of the substaunce at 10. pounde of the brasen met∣tall, and yet ye shall not reade that the Ro∣maines did euer vse the worde As, Assis at any time for the siluer coine, but Libella whi∣che I doe take as a thing woorthie to be no∣ted. In like sort Quinarius was the halfe of the denarius, and Quadrans, a coyne of thrée ounces in brasse, whereof this may suffice. Furthermore in obseruation of the word Se∣stertium. You shall vnderstande that mille Sestertium, mille Sestertium numum, mille Numum and mille Sestertij are all one. In like sort Sestertia in the Neuter gender, doe counteruaile mille Sestertios in the Mascu∣line gender. But if any Aduerbe of number be added vnto them, it signifieth hundreds of thousandes. Decem Sestertia therefore are 10000. Sestertium or Sestertios. And decies Se∣stertios, or Sestertiū is all one with 100000. Sestertios or Sestertium, as Budens Glarean and other haue set downe.

Thus it shall nowe be an easie matter to finde the difference betwéene these here re∣membred▪ our English poises, if the num∣ber of odde graines be duely considered, and these resolued into ounces or lesse weight, as occasiō doth require. Hitherto also I haue spoken of small weightes, nowe let vs sée what they be that are of the greater sort, but first of such as are in vse in Englande, reco∣ning not after troye weight, but Haberdu∣pois, whose pounde hath sixtéene ounces, as I haue sayde before. Of great waight ther∣fore we haue

• The cl•…•…ue weighing 7. pound or half a stone.
• The halfe quarterne of 14. pounde, in wooll a stone, whereof 26. do make a sacke.
• The quarterne of 28. pound, in wool a Todde.
• The halfe hundred of •…•…6. pounde.
• The hundred of 112. or 1792. ounces.

And these are vsually rec••••ed next vnto the hundred weight, which is the greatest of all that we doe commonly vse, and of which dy∣uers other are commonly made about the sale of our Tinne, Leade, Flaxe, Spyce, and all kinde of marchaundize with others, whose quantities & names are vtterly vn∣knowne vnto me. Béefe is eyther solde by y^e stone of eyght pounde or by the score. Chéese by the weigh. And hereof we finde two seue∣rall weightes, whereof one containeth 32 Cloues, eache cloue being of seauen pound, (although some Bookes haue one but of sixe) whereby the one weigh hath 224. the other 256. pound, that is 36. cloues & foure pounde ouer weight. This is moreouer to be noted, that the worde hundred, is not alwayes vsed after one sort in waight or tale, for as fiue score are oft taken for an hundred in some respect as in money & men: so 120. do make but an hundred as in cattell. &c. after ano∣ther accoūt. But if you deale by waight thē 112. is alwayes your iust number. And as the hundred is the greatest here in England, so the talent was the greatest in Grece & other countries. Howbeit as our hundredes in tale doe differ from our hundredes in waight, so did the talents differ one from another, and also from them selues, for

• The great talent of Athens weyghed 1000. of theyr ounces.
• The lesse of Athens 750. ounces, or 6000. drachmes.
• That called Egyneū 1250. ounces (of theirs) or 10000. drachmes.
• That of Syria 187. oūces, or 1500. drachms.
• That of Babylon 875. ounces, or 7000.

• drachmes.

And all after the rate of the Athenian ounce, vnto whose talent also the Euboske did séeme to come very neare, as may appeare by con∣ference. Now to make some collation of our weightes and these afore remembred togi∣ther, and so farre as shalbe necessary for the reading of forreine hystories.

¶ Of the Ounce.

You shall vnderstand that our ounce excée∣deth the ounce of the Romains or Grecians by 64. grains, as may easily be gathered by that whych is already set downe.

Out drachme therfore must néedes cōtaine 80. graines, which is 8. more then any of the other.

Our Scriptulum (if we had any) 26. grains, and a third part of two graines.

Our Obolus 13. graines and third part of a grain, so that in our mony after 5. shillings to the ounce 7. pence ob. is the iust waight of a drachme, wherby it is easie to cast the true quantitie of the lesse.

¶ Of the Mna.

The first also of the thrée Mnas afore re∣membred called the greater, being cast af∣ter his proportion, hath 11. ounces and two drachmes, that is 56. shillings and 3. pence, whereby it wanteth somewhat of a pounde of Troy waight.

The olde Mna hath 67. drachmes and an halfe, that is 8. of our ounces, & thrée drams, or 42. shillings, and 2. pence ob. after our En∣glish reckening.

The thirde Mna hath 13. ounces & a halfe, that is 3. pound English, 7. shillings 6. pence farding, and halfe farding.

The fourth Mna first of all remembred, (I meane of 16. ounces) hath in like sort 14. ounces, 3. drachmes 16. graines or 3. pounde 12. shillings of currant money of Englande, after 5. shillings to the ounce.

¶ In lyke sort of Talents.

The great talent of Athens hath 900. oun∣ces, that is of our money 225. pound.

The small talent of Athens, hath 671. oun∣ces and 7. drachmes: or 167. pounde 19. shil∣lings 4. pence ob. English.

The third talent of Aegyneū 1156. ounces 2. drachmes, that is 289. pound English, one shilling and 3. pence.

The fourth of those afore remembred 168. ounces 2. drachmes or 42. pound, one shilling 6. pence English.

The last, 787. ounces and 4. drachmes, or 196. pound, 17. shil. 6. pen. englysh, as I haue truely cast it, except I mistake oughts in my reckening, whych is a thing soone done: only thys can not faile, that 3. pounde in coyne is one pound in waight, after 5. shillings to the ounce, wherof let thys suffice, for the tale•…•… in waight. I say in waight, because there was a péece of coyne called also a talent, as I haue noted out of Eupolemus before, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 confoundeth it wyth a sicle. And thereof •…•… read furthermore that the Hebrues Tetr•…•… drachma was such a talent. As for that of the Athenienses, it contained 3. Stateres and of thys also ynough.