A short treatise touching sheriffs accompts written by the Honourable Sir Matthew Hale ... ; to which is added, A tryal of witches, at the assizes held at Bury St. Edmonds, for the county of Suffolk, on the 10th of March 1664, before the said Sir Matthew Hale, Kt.

CHAP. II. Concerning the Weight of Coin, and the difference therein, with regard to the Denomi∣nation of Coin.

THE Pound weight of Gold though it were the same with that of Silver, yet is made up of smaller parts of a different De∣nomination, every Pound weight consisting of 24 Charats, and every Charat consisting of 4 Grains.

The Pound weight of Silver is subdivided into parts of another De∣nomination; for every Pound con∣sists of 20 Peny-weights, and every Peny-weight of 24 Grains. This appears by the Books and Records above mentioned. Et touts susdits moneys dargent issint faites serront dallay de Standard de veil Esterling: Cost ascavoir que chescun leivre dar∣gent de cestes moneys de poize tien∣dra

vnze ounces & 2d. de poize dar∣gent fine, & 18d. de poys dallay, chescun peny weight containant 24 grains.

So that every Charat in the Pound weight of Gold equals half an Ounce of Silver; and every Grain of Gold, the fourth part of a Charat, equals 60 Grains of Sil∣ver weight.

In that old Ordinance, before mentioned called Compositio Mensu∣rarum 51 H. 3. it is said, Per ordi∣nationes totius Regni Angliae ••it una mensura Domini Regis composita, viz. quod Denarius Angliae, qui nomina∣tur Sterlingus, rotundus fine tonsura ponderabit triginta & duo Grana frumenti in medio spic••e; & viginti Denarii faciunt Ʋnciam; & duode∣cim Ʋnci••e faciunt Libram, &c.

But these thirty two Grains in the middle of the ear of Corn, are the na∣tural Grains, which were the weight of the then English Sterling Peny. But for the better accommodation of Accompts, these 32 natural Grains are reduced to 24 artificial Grains,

which, from very ancient time unt•• this day are the common measure of the Peny-weight, as the 20 Peny-weight is the measure of an Ounce.

Having thus stated the artificial weights of Gold, and Silver, espe∣cially the latter, I shall proceed to the comparison that now and anci∣ciently stands between these artifici∣al weights and the Coin of Silver.

It is very plain that in the latter end of H. 3. and the beginning of King Ed. 1. and for a long time before, twenty Pence of Sterling Money did weigh an Ounce, and twelve times twenty Pence or twen∣ty Shillings did then weigh a Pound Troy weight: and accordingly as twenty Peny-weight was then an Ounce, and so called, so two hun∣dred forty Pence, or twenty Shil∣lings was a Pound weight, and so called, viz. Libra Argenti. And although at this day the Peny and the 20 Shillings of Silver is much altered in their true weight, yet the Denomination is still retained. The Ounce is commonly divided and

estimated by 20 Peny-weight, and 20 Shillings is called Libra Ar∣genti.

In the time of King Edw. 1. (as appears) an Ounce of Sterling Sil∣ver made 20 Sterling Pence, and consequently a Pound of Sterling Silver made 240 Pence Sterling. But process of time hath made a great alteration between the Weight and extrinsique Denomination or Value of Money.

In 46 E. 3. it appears by the In∣denture of the Mint that a Pound of Sterling Silver made then 300 Sterling Pence. Claus. 46. E. 3. m. 18.

And afterwards in 1 H. 5. the re∣duction of Coin was such that a Pound weight of Sterling Silver made 360 Pence Sterling. Claus. 1. H. 5. m. 35. dorso. Which made the Pound weight of Silver to con∣tain 30 Shillings, and deducting 1 Shilling for Coinage, the Merchant had 29 Shillings for his Pound of Silver brought into the Mint.

In the 4th year of Ed. 4. the Pound of Sterling Silver yielded 33 Shillings

viz. about 396 Pence in the Pound: and consequently 33 Sterling Pence then made the Ounce of Silver. Claus. 4. E. 4. m. 20.

At this day the Ounce of Silver coined contains 5 Shillings, or 60 Pence: and consequently the Pound weight of coined Silver yields 60 Sterlings or 720 pence. So that at this day the extrinsecal Deno∣mination or Value of Money in proportion to its Weight, is three times higher than it was in the time of E. 1. And thus much shall suffice touching the second enquiry.