Elementary arithmetic, with brief notices of its history... by Robert Potts.

4

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

11'664 inches. He also found the foot of Cossutius to be '967 parts
of the English foot, or 11-604 inches. Several other measures of the
Roman foot have been obtained, varying from one another, of which
that of '971 of the English foot has been generally received.
The Attic mina before Solon consisted of 72 drachmee, or 6 in the
ounce. They were possibly at that time only lanmine argenti, small and
long pieces of silver, which, agreeably to the original meaning of the
word drachma, might be grasped in the hand. But whatever might
have been the form of the Athenian money before Solon, the mina or
pound of 72 drachmce, by his celebrated Eldiax0eLia, was altered to
100. In other words, Solon introduced a nominal pound instead of a
real one; for the Athenian pound had no more than 84 drachmse
coined out of it for many ages afterwards.
The Romans from the beginning of their coining silver accommodated themselves to the Grecian practice; their pound of silver was
made into 84 denarii, but in tale it was always 100.
It is probable that the different States of Greece had in use
different weights and measures; for on the rise' of the Achsean
League, B.c. 280, it was agreed that the twelve associate cities should
not only be governed by the same laws, but should be bound to use
the same money, weights, and measures (Polyb. 129). It is not to
be expected that the weights and measures of ancient times would
be made with the same exactness as in modern times, as the physical
facts, by means of which extreme accuracy can be attained, were
either unknown or not taken into account.
The Roman pound of Byzantium, preserved in the British Museum,
weighs 4995 grains Troy; and the pound of gold was made into 72
coins, nominally each of 69-4 grains, but really of 68 grains.
The Greek and Roman physicians above all others are likely to be
the best judges of the relative proportions of the weights and measures
used in their prescriptions. The Greek physicians, being in the
highest repute at Rome, adopted as a weight the drachma instead of
-the decarius, as the latter was not long after applied to coins of a
lower class, and lost its former estimate in weight. Scribonius Largus,
a physician, who attended the Emperor Claudius into Britain, and
recorded some circumstances in that voyage, "Cum Britanniam
peteremus cum Deo nostro COesare," represents it indifferent whether
prescriptions are made by the denarius or the drachma. And Galen
has observed that in his time the denarius and drachma were but
different names for the same weights.
the rudeness and insufficiency of that foot. For besides that the length of it is
somewhat too much (whatsoever Latinius, out of an observation made by Ant.
Augustinus, Sighicellus, Pacatus, Maffeus, Statius, ZEgius, and Fulvius Ursinus, pretends to the contrary) there is never a digit that is precisely answerable to one
another. Howsoever, it contains 1944 such parts as the English foot contains 2000.
"My next search was for the foot on the monument of Cossutius, in hortis Colo-tianmis, from whence it has received its denomination (though it be now removed),
being termed by writers Pes Colotianus. This foot I took with great care, as it did
well deserve, being very fair and perfect; afterwards collating it with that Roman
foot which Lucas Pstus caused to be engraven in the Capitol on a white marble
stone.. I found them exactly to agree; and therefore I did wonder why he should
condemn this with his pen (for he makes some objections against it), which, notwith.
standing, he hath erected with his hands, as appears by the inscription in the
Capitol, CURANTE Lu. PEro. It may be, upon second thoughts, he afterwards
privately retracted his error, which he was not willing to publish to the world.
Now this foot of Cossutius is 1934 such parts as the English foot containing 2000."