Chap. 13.] COTXS OF GOLD. 89 



THK VALUE OF COPPER AND OF COINED MONKY HAS BEEN 

 CHANGED. 



The next 44 crime committed against the welfare of mankind 

 was on the part of him who was the first to coin n denarius 45 

 of gold, a crime the author of which is equally unknown. 

 The Koinan people made no use of impressed silver even before 

 the period of the defeat 45 of King Pyrrhus. The "as" of cop- 

 per weighed exactly one libra ; and hence it is that we still use 

 the terms "lihella"' 17 and " dupondiut."* 8 Hence it is, too, that 

 fines and penalties are inflicted under the name of "ccs grave,"* 9 

 and that the words still used in keeping accounts are " ex- 

 pensa," 50 "impcndia/' 51 and " dependere." " Hence, too, the 

 word " stipendium," meaning the pay of the soldiers, which is 

 nothing more than " stipis pondera ;" i<J and from the same source 

 those other words, " dispensatoiW M and " libripendes."" It is 

 also from this circumstance that in sales of slaves, at the present 

 day even, the formality of using the balance is introduced. 



King Scrvius was the first to make an impress upon copper. 

 Before his time, according to Timu'iis, at Koine the raw metal 

 only was used. The form of a sheep was the iirst figure im- 

 pressed upon money, and to this fact it owes its name, 

 " pccunia." M The highest figure at which one man's property 

 was assessed in the reign of that king was one hundred and 



41 The first crime having been committed by Mm who introduced the 

 use of gold rings. See the beginning of c. 4 of this I5ook. 



45 The golden denarius was known also as the "aureus" or" gold 

 coin." It was worth 2-3 bilver denarii. As to the modern value of the 

 money used by the ancients, see the Introduction to Vol. 111. The goldeu 

 denarius is mentioned also in B. xxxiv. c. 17, and in B. xxivii. c. 3. 



46 A.u.r. 479. 



47 Meaning, literally, the * 4 little pound," in reference to the diminished 

 weight of the " as." ' 



^ Meaning two pounds," or in other word.-*, "two asses." Sre B. 

 xxxiv. c. 2. As to the weight of the u libra," or pound, see the Intro- 

 duction to Vol. III. 



49 " Urasse bullion, or in masse." Holland. 



40 '* Money weighed out," . c. ' 



Money weighed out for the payment of interest." 

 62 "To weigh out money for payment,'* i.e. '* to pay.*' 

 M " A weight of money." 



M Weighers-out ;" meaning " keepers of accounts," or "paymasters." 

 M "Weighers-out" of the soldiers' wujjrs ; t. e. "paymasters." 

 56 From "ptcuV a hheep. Sec U. xviii. c. 3. 



