466 A. D. 1300. 



bable, that the Cinque ports, being exempted from prifage, and alfo 

 better provided with fliipping than moft of the other ports, imported 

 more wines than all the reft of the kingdom. 



The money of France, from the time of Charlemagne, who corrected 

 anabufe of Pepin in coining 26j\. pennies out of a pound of filver, and re- 

 Jlored the old rate of 240 pennies, remained with little or no variation 

 of weight or finenefs till the reign of Philip I, who, about the year 

 1 103, mixed one third of copper with two thirds of filver in his deniers 

 or pennies. [Lf Blanc, 'Traite des monnoyes de France^ p. xvii.] It is not 

 my intention to purfue the money of France through all its fubfequenu 

 depretiations of weight and quality, which have been many and great. 



1 30 1 — The firft diminution of the weight of the Englilh money of 

 account (if we except the money coined by Stephen, which, together 

 with that coined by the barons in his reign, was all deftroyed by Henry 

 II) was now made by King Edward, who coined two hundred and jvrty- 

 //?)r^^ pennies out of the pound of ftandard filver*. A defalcation of 

 three pennies from the value of the pound of account was probably 

 thought a very trifling matter; and the people knew nothing of their 

 money being one and a quarter per cent deficient of the juft value. 

 But it was a departure from the antient, ftri6l, and honourable, adherence 

 to the integrity of the national money ; and a breach, once begun, was 

 with lefs fcruple enlarged by the fucceeding kings. 



Robert king of Scotland followed the example fet by Edward in Eng- 

 land ; and he went fomewhat beyond him : for, expecting that the pen- 

 nies of both kingdoms would continue, as formerly, to pafs indifcrimin- 

 ately f, he coined two hundred nnd fifty-two pennies from the pound 

 weight, the ftandard quality of the filver being the fame in both king- 

 doms. \Statut. Rob. Ill, c. 22, § 5, 6.] 



In all the diminutions which have taken place in England and Scot- 

 land, as well as in France and other countries, the denominations of the 

 money of account have ftill remained the fame, viz. twelve pennies in 

 the nominal ftiilling, and twenty fliillings in the nominal pound, as 

 well as when the pound of account contained a real pound of twelve 

 ounces Troye weight of ftandard filver %. 



* This is taken from Folkcs, \on Engl'ipi cnttn, f Tliey did pafs indifcriminately till the year 



pp.9, H2, cd. 1763] who copied the agreement J355> as appears by the proelamatiou of ILJ- 



inade with the coiner, and may therefor be deemed ward III. \_Fa:dfrn , F. v, />. 813-] The cxaA 



more autlitntic than even the table of wciglits and year in wliich Robirt began the diminution of the 



nu-afures, printed among tlie pnblic flatutes of tlie money of Scotland is not known. Ills leigH 



year 1303, which Itatts twenty pennies to be in commenced in 1 306. 



the ounce as formerly. Thecontinuator of Trivet's J There was no fuch coin as a fliiliing till the 

 Annals fays, [p. 2] that the money of Edward [ year 1504, and there never was a piece of filver 

 was held in very low ellimation (' admodiim te- money of the weight of a pound in Great Britain. 

 ' nebatur in regno vili»') imnudiately after liis Having noticed the firll breaches upon the in- 

 deatli, though I do not fey for what reafon, nnlefs tegrity of the money of account, I refer the read- 

 there has liecn fomc debafement of the quahty of er for the fucceeding changes of the value of the 

 ihc fdver, which has cfcapcd the rcfearchcs of the Englifli and Scottilli money, which were many, 

 iiiimmarian antiquaries. both in weight and purity, to the table of money 

 } iu 



