A complete dictionary of the Greek and Roman antiquities explaining the obscure places in classic authors and ancient historians relating to the religion, mythology, history, geography and chronology of the ancient Greeks and Romans, their ... rites and customs, laws, polity, arts and engines of war : also an account of their navigations, arts and sciences and the inventors of them : with the lives and opinions of their philosophers / compiled originally in French ... by Monsieur Danet ; made English, with the addition of very useful mapps.

MENSURA;

Measure, being that which serves to make known unto us the Greatness, Extent and Quantity of some Body. Josephus, the Jewish Historian, attributes to Cain the In∣venting of Measures: Eutropius in the Beginning of his History ascribes it to Sidonius, in the Time that Procas reigned in Alba, some 300 Years af∣ter the Destruction of Troy: But the Holy Scrip∣tures shew us that Measures are much more an∣cient, since 'tis said, Lev. 19. Ye shall do no Ʋn∣righteousness in Judgment, in Mete-yard, in Weight or in Measure. The Ancients had a Custom, and the same is still in being in some Places, to lay up the Original Measure in their Temples, that Recourse might be had thereunto, when they were minded to try whether the others were right or no; and this is that which is to be un∣derstood by the Measures of the Sanctuary so of∣ten mentioned in Scripture: For 'tis not to be believed, that these Measures or Weights of the Sanctuary were different from those in common Use, since this would but confound all manner of Trading: But these Weights were only more exact than others, and therefore it is that the Scripture always refers us to them, when it would point out unto us the greatest Exactness, and strictest Justice. We read in Fannius, that the Amphora, which was a very ancient Measure, was by the Romans consecrated to Jupiter, upon Mount Tarpeius, where the Capitol stood:

Quam ne violare liceret, Sacravere Jovi Tarpeio in monte Quirites.

And the Emperor Vespasian, after the Civil Wars with Vitellius were ended, having repaired the Capitol, put also the Original Measures therein.

There are Three sorts of Geometrical Mea∣sures, viz. the Line, the Superficies, and the Solid Body. Line-Measure refers only to Length; as a Road is measured by Paces, a Rope by the Fathom, a Beam, or some other Piece of Wood by the Foot; in the same Manner are measured the Height of a Tower, the Depth of a Pit, or the like. The other Way of Measuring is superfi∣cial, and consists of Length and Breadth, whose Lines crossing each other, and the Sides being multiplied by one another, shew what the Con∣tent of its Compass is, which is commonly called the Area: As supposing one of the Sides be 7 Foot, and the other 4, the Area of the Superfi∣cies will be 28 Foot, for 4 times 7 makes 28. By this Way are Acres of Land, Woods, Waters and Meadows measured; so likewise Hangings, and Panes of Glass, which ought to be taken as su∣perficial Squares. The Third Way of Measuring is Cubical, or a Solid Body in all the Parts and Dimensions of Length, Breadth and Depth, such as are Feet in Mason's Work, which should be like a Dye 〈◊〉〈◊〉; so as that having but 6 Feet in Length, it should have 36 in the Area or Super∣ficies, and 216 solid Body.

But for the better Understanding, and exacter Rating of Measures, you must know that as the As or Pound, which were Synonymous Terms amongst the Romans, were divided into 12 Ounces; these Terms have also been very often applied to a Total divided into 12 Equal parts; and the Name of their Aliquot parts, has been also applied to the Parts of those other Things: Wherefore it will be proper here to see the Di∣vision made under the Word As, and the Names of its Parts; of which take this Abridgment.

• As or Libra 12 Ounces, or a Pound, or a To∣tal divided into 12 Parts.
• Deunx, 11 Ounces, or 11 Parts.
• Decunx or Dextans, 10 Ounces, or 10 Parts.
• Dodrans, 9 Ounces, or 9 Parts.
• Bes or Bessis, 8 Ounces, or 8 Parts.
• Septunx, 7 Ounces, or 7 Parts.
• Semissis, 6 Ounces, or Half a Pound, or Half the Total.
• ...

• ... Quincunx, 5 Ounces, or 5 Parts.
• Triens, 4 Ounces, or 4 Parts.
• Quadrans, 3 Ounces, or 3 Parts.
• Sextans, 2 Ounces, or 2 Parts.
• Sescunx, 1½ Ounce, or 1 Part and an Half.
• Ʋncia, an Ounce, or one Part of the whole.

Hence it is that the Roman Sestier being di∣vided into Twelve Cyathae, they were marked likewise by the Parts of the As called Aliquots, as you have it in Martial,

Sextantes, Calliste, duos infunde Falerni:

Fill me; Callistus, Two Sextans of Falernian Wine.

That is Four Cyathae, for the Word Sextans which signified Two Ounces, or the Sixth Part of an As is taken here for Two Cyathae, which make the Sixth Part of a Roman Sestier, and in another Place.

Poto ego Sextantes; tu potas, Cinna, Deunces.

I drink Two Cyathae, but you, Cinna, drink Eleven.

And hence also it comes to pass, that the Foot being divided into Twelve Inches, it obtained the Name of a Pound, as each Inch did the Name of an Ounce: And this has been the Cause we meet with such sort of Expressions, Quincuncialis herba in Pliny, a Plant Five Inches high, Ʋnciales litterae in St. Jerom, Capital Let∣ters of an Inch high, and in the Holy Scripture it self Crassitudo trium unciarum, Three Inches thick.

What we are more particularly to distinguish in this Place are those Two Sorts of Librae we meet with, whereof the one is divided into Twelve Ounces, and the other is a Measure di∣vided into Twelve Inches, that so we may unra∣vel all the Difficulties that may arise upon this Occasion. Now this Distinction of a Libra into Weights and Measure is to be met with in the Works of Galen; who says, That the same Name was given by the Romans to a Pound Weight, whereby solid Bodies were weighed, and to a Pound of Measure which was made use of for Liquids: The same Author in another Place taking upon him to reprove some Physicians, who did not specifie the said Difference, says, They would have done better to have noted more carefully what Ounces and Pounds, they meant, should be used for Liquid Remedies, whether they were those of Weights or Mea∣sures. And in another Place he informs us, that the Inches were marked on those Measures by certain Lines, and that those Inches were called Ounces.

The Romans, said he, had a Measure which they used to sell Oyl by, that was distinguish'd by certain Lines, whereby the Whole was divided into Twelve Parts, and they called it a Pound of entire Measure, and the Twelfth Part thereof an Ounce.

This Use of the Libra and the Parts thereof for Weights and Measure was formerly so com∣mon, that those who made it their Business to give it the clearest Explication, added there∣unto the Word Pondo for Pondere, in order to the avoiding of all manner of Equivocation, when they would have it understood they meant Weights: For Example, Plautus says, Laserpitii libram pondo diluunt. They steeped a Pound of Benjamin; Pisoium nullam unciam pondo cepi, I have not taken this Day an Ounce of Fish, Colu∣mella's Expression is, Sextarius aquae cum dodrante pondo mellis, a Pint of Water with Nine Ounces of Honey. Livy also says, Paterae aureae fuerunt 176, libres fere omnes Pondo, there were 176 Gold-Cups, that weighed almost each of them a Pound. Its certain that this Equivocation con∣cerning the Pound of Weights, and that of Mea∣sure has often introduced Confusion into Authors, as may be justified by Galen, who speaking of the Contest there was in his Time concerning Mea∣sures noted by Authors that were not fully ex∣plained, informs us, that some thought they ought to take the Term Cotyla according to the Measure of the Atheneans, and others, ac∣cording to the Italian, which was more.

There were Two Sorts of Measures, one flat or long, and the other round and hollow, for dry Things and Liquids: Long-Measure is a Barley-Corn, which in Geometry makes the 12th part of an Inch, otherwise called a Line. The Inch contains 12 Lines or Barley-Corns; the Romans called it Ʋncia. Its the 12th part of a Foot, and contains 3 Fingers, each of which takes up the Breadth of 4 Barley-Corns or Lines. The Foot is 12 Inches; a Geometrical Pace 5 Foot; a Geometrical Perch 10 Feet, and in some Places 22; a Spar 8 Inches; a Cubit (a Jewish Measure) a Foot and an half; a Furlong 125 Paces; the Funiculus, an Egyptian Measure, 40 Furlongs; a Mile 8 Furlongs; a Parasange (a Persian Measure) 30 Furlongs and more; the E∣gyptian Schoenas 30, 40, and 120 Furlongs; a League 3 Miles, more or less, according to the Places or Countries you are in.

Measure, in respect to Coelestial Distances, is half the Diameter of the Earth, being 15000 Leagues or thereabouts: The Ell is a Measure for Stuffs: The Reed, called Kenech by the He∣brews, contained 6 Cubits, i. e. 8 Feet, a Digit and an half. A Rod, Fathom, &c. differ accord∣ing to different Places. As for Surfaces, an Acre consists of an 160 Perches Square; a Day's-work is as much as one can plough in a Day: The Cubical Foot is a Measure for solid Bodies.

Round and hollow Measures are such as serve to measure Corn and Liquids with: Those used for dry Things are the Litra, Bushel, Minot, Sestier, and Muid. For Liquids, a Tun, Muid,

Pipe, Calens, Amphora, and Barrel: And for Retail, Hemina, or the Half Sestier, Sestier, Quart, Pottle, Pot, Congius, Cotyla, Cyathus, and Acetabulum. And for the Measure of Herbs in Physick, that's done by Bundles, Handfuls and Pugils, most of these Terms shall be explained in their proper Places.