Fleta minor the laws of art and nature, in knowing, judging, assaying, fining, refining and inlarging the bodies of confin'd metals : in two parts : the first contains assays of Lazarus Erckern, chief prover, or assay-master general of the empire of Germany, in V. books, orinally written by him in the Teutonick language and now translated into English ; the second contains essays on metallick words, as a dictionary to many pleasing discourses, by Sir John Pettus ... ; illustrated with 44 sculptures.

CHAP. XXII. How coin'd Money in great or small Sorts may be Assayed.

[Section. 1] WHAT concerns good and Gross Money, as Dollers and new Rix Gilders, try them * 1.1thus, Take the piece you do intend to try, beat it flat at one end, upon a smooth clean Anvil, that it may be cut with small Sheers used for Silver, and so cut it into little pieces, and weigh them according to your Grain weight, two, alike Marks, put this into a small Test, and make a Tryal; if it be Dol∣lers: put nine quantities of pure Lead, and to the new Gilders, put eight quantities, cause them to glow off in a reasonable heat) and cold (as you have been before in∣structed) and such proofs (when they are govern'd well in the fire) do yield a pretty deal of fine and subtil Litarge on the Coppel, which the unexpert Assayer knows not.

[Section. 2] It is also necessary to know, That neither these nor other proofs do leave any Littarge on the Coppel, if they * 1.2be not done in Coverd Ovens, of which Tryals many Re∣finers do know nothing (as hath been said) therefore they * 1.3do seldom bring a Proof to its true contents, for they know not how they must order their Coppels according to the quantities of Lead, which is of no small Concern,

that they may not have too many nor too few Ashes, because, if there be too few Ashes, then the Coppel will become soft, because of the much Lead which they suck in, which easily doth draw the silver with it into the Coppel, so the Contents is lessened, and if there be too many Ashes then the Coppel will be too big, and take too much room in the Furnace, and are not so convenient for use.

[Section. 3] * 1.4Concerning single and double Stivers, they must be Assay'd in the following manner, Take two or three and cut them with Sheers into little pieces, and weigh two equal Marks, or pieces or parcels according to the Grain∣weight, and take great care that you have some of the out-side for the Tryal to both alike, because the proof * 1.5that hath most of the out-side will be found richer in the Contents than the other that hath not so much of the outside.

[Section. 4] * 1.6Put to each Mark or Proof eighteen Quantities of pure Lead, cause them to go off pretty cool, and at last to shine clear, which then also doth leave subtil Littarge upon the Coppel, yet not so much as of the Dollers; then if the Grains are of an equal weight, the Proof is right, draw one of the two up, with the Grain-weight, and as many Loths and Grains as you do find, so much is there Content in a Mark of fine silver.

[Section. 5] Upon white Pence, Reinish and other Pence the proof * 1.7is thus; Take twelve of them, and cut of each of them a bit or two for a Tryal, only take notice that you do take of such Pence, some bit where it is thick, and of some where they are thin, that to each Tryal there may be some of the thin and some of the thick Bits: add to each Tryal eighteen Qantities of pure Lead, and cause them to go at first fine and cool; and lastly, to shine bright, so will the Grains be alike; but, if in the one Proof there be much of the thin, and in the other much of the

thick Pence should come, then the Grains would not be alike, but oft times the proof in which much of the thin Penny did come, that fine Grain will be almost two Grains more; and the other so much less in which most of the thick did come.

This is not much minded by some Refiners, but when their Grains do differ, then they do take the middle of it, but it is better the proof be right and that by dili∣gence, the proofs may come out alike, because the [Section. 6] small Money by boiling white doth differ in the Con∣tents, * 1.8so is the proof now adays better to be found than to melt a Mark of the Money in a Crucible, and so soon as it begins to drive, to cast it into an Ingot, and then to make a tryal of it so (without question) the true Contents will be found, and agree with the other proof made of the thin and thick Bits.

I must mention also, that some Refiners and Assayers are about to prove Coyn'd Money with the Low Dutch Penny weight (which is not amiss) because the Con∣tents do agree with the Grain-weight; as for Exam∣ple, Suppose you have assayed new Gilders, according to the Grain-weight, and have found that the Mark doth contain fourteen Loth and sixteen Grains, but ac∣cording to the Low Duch Penny-weight, twelve pence and four grains, these twelve pence and four grains make just so much as 14 Loth, and 16 Grains, and so both of these are of one Content, yet of two Denominations.

[Section. 7] * 1.9If it should happen that an Assayer should be in such a place where he hath no more then one Cent∣ner-weight, nor could have any more, and there should come before him Grains of coyn'd Money, or a Lump of Silver to try, how much a Mark of the same doth contain (of Loths, Drams and Pence, or of Loths * 1.10and Grains) of fine Silver, he must take out of the Centner-weight sixteen pound, and let them be a

Mark or sixteen Loths, the eight Pound, eight Loths; the four Pound, four Loths; the two Pound, two Loths, and one Pound, one Loths; after that, the sixteen Loths two drams; the eight Loth one dram, the four Loths, two Peny-weight: the two Loths, one Peny: and one Loth, a Heller or Half-penny.

If he hath then assayed a piece of Silver according to such weights, then may he find the Contents easily upon Loths, Drams or Pence, but concerning new Gilders, which commonly do hold fourteen Loths sixteen Grains, they will hold in such a peny-weight fourteen pound, and 28 Loths, or a little more (which would be according to the above-named Directions) also fourteen Loths, three Drams, two Pence, and almost half an Heller or half-penny, do carry 14 Loths and 16 grains.

[Section. 8] In like manner one may for Gold take to 24 Carats 16 pounds of the Centner-weight, and assay the Gold * 1.11according to it, but it is better if an Assayer hath by hand the Assay-weight, already parted to make use of the same, because to mind this doth require an expert Assay∣er, for an unexpert one will easily err.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of Dollers and rix Gil∣ders.
• * 1.2

  To assay with coverd Assay ovens
• * 1.3

  ☜
• * 1.4

  To assay sin∣gle and dou∣ble Stivers.
• * 1.5

  ☞
• * 1.6

  The Lead quantity.
• * 1.7

  To Assay Pence.
• * 1.8

  To finde the true Proof in small Money.
• * 1.9

  To Assay the Silver, according to the Com∣mon Cent∣ner weight.
• * 1.10

  A loth is Half an ounce.
• * 1.11

  To assay the Centners upon Grains.