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. IX. Of the Weights which belong to the proving of Silver-Oars.

[Section. 1] THE Centner-weight by which all Oars, Slicks or wash'd slake-stones and what else of this nature are prov'd) is by the old Assayers proportioned thus: That the Centner is orderd to be just an Hundred pound weight: for this Rea∣son, because in many places the Oars or slake-stones, and the silvery unwash'd black Copper is bought by weight, and the fine Silver in it according to the Proof (before it is melted out of it) is paid for this end, that the Buy∣er may not be a Looser (because of the waste in melt∣ing

to get out the Silver) therefore hath he so many pounds as the Common Centner of the Mine yields (or where it doth weigh more or above) which Centner of the Mynt doth commonly weigh an Hundred and ten pounds, so that he may have the ten Pounds that is above, with the Silver in it, to help to bear the loss) therefore in a well ordered melting of poor Oars they do hold most commonly 3, 4, or 5 loth of Silver, for the loss of the Silver in Melting should not be a∣bove the Silver contained in the ten Pounds of the Oar, that was over, comparing it with the proof-Centner: but in rich work and rich Oars, or concerning very rich Cop∣per, the ten pounds which are above are also justly taken along with it.

[Section. 2] 1	Dram.
* 1.1 1
2	Drams or half a Loth.

1	Loth or two Ounces.
2
4
8
16

1
2
4
8
16	A Pound.
25	A quarter of a Centner.
50	Half a Centner.
100	A whole Centner.

[Section. 3] * 1.2The Peny-weights are of two sorts, the one is with us in High Germany, the other is as 'tis used in Holland, after which the Silver or Grains may be tryed, upon a

just proportion how much a Mark hath in it of fine Silver.

1	Heller, or Half-penny. [Section 4] * 1.3
1

1	Pence.
2

1	Drams.
2

1	Loth, or, 4 half Ounces.
2
4
8
16	Loth is a Mark, or 256 pence.

[Section. 5] ½ * 1.4	The single Grains.
½
1
2
3
6
12	Grains is a Half penny.

1
2	Pence.
3
6	Pence is a Mark, or 288 Grains.
12	There are so much as 256 pence.

The Mark in the Grain-weight, is parted into Loths and Grains, like as the Low Dutch Peny-weight is parted into Loths, Pence and Grains, and this Weight is most commonly used for Tryals in the Crucible for Coyn'd Mo∣ny, to which it doth best serve: for this Reason, because

the Grains here are reduced into greater Numbers, and the Contents more exactly found out, because in the Peny-weight it is only parted into Pence, and Half-Pence, and although the fourth part of a Grain (as to its Contents) is not usually reckoned, yet it is necessa∣ry for an Assayer to have such a fourth part in his part∣ing or sharing for Information and Exactness sake,

¼	Single Grains.
¼
½

1	Grains is half a Loth.
2
3
6
9

1
2
4	Loth, or two Ounces.
8
16	Loth is a Mark, or 288 Grains.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of dividing the common Proof Cent∣ner.
• * 1.2

  Two sorts of Penny weights.
• * 1.3

  Of dividing the Penny-weight in High Ger∣many.
• * 1.4

  Of dividing the Low Dutch Peny Weight.