VOL. LXT.] VHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIOKS. 203 



expression, miscentur aera falsae monetae, shows he thought the practice illegal. 

 Though the ancients had not the art of refining silver, in so great perfection as 

 it is now practised, yet, as they mixed no base metal with it, and esteemed what 

 they coined to be fine silver, Mr. R. values it as such. 



Sixty-two English shillings are coined out of 11 ounces 2 dwt. Troy of fine 

 silver, and 1 8 dwt. of allay. Therefore, the Troy grain of fine silver is worth 

 «*^ of a farthing. Hence the Attic drachm of 66^ grains will be found 

 worth a little more than 9 pence farthing; the obole, a little more than 

 3 half-pence; and the chalcus, about ^ of a farthing. But, for the reduction of 

 large sums to English money, the following numbers are more exact. 



The Attic drachm • .01. Os. Qd.286 



The mina 3 17 4. () 



The talent 232 3 O. 



Hence the mina expressed in pounds sterling and decimals of a pouijd will be 

 3.869/. the talent 232. 15/. 



The Romans reckoned by asses before they coined silver, after which they 

 kept their accounts in sesterces. The word sestertius is an adjective, and 

 signifies 2 and a half of any substantive to which it refers. In money matters 

 its substantive is either as or pondus; and sestertius as, is 2 asses and ii half; 

 sestertium pondus, 2 pondera and a half, or 250 denarii. When the denarius 

 passed for 10 asses, the sesterce of 2^ asses was a quarter of it; and the Romans 

 continued to keep their accounts in these sesterces lotig after the denarius passed 

 for 16 asses; till, growing rich, they found it more convenient to reckon by 

 quarters of the denarius, which they called nummi, and used the words nummus 

 and sestertius, indifferently as synonymous terms, and sometimes both together, 

 as sestertius nummus; in which case, the word sestertius, having lost its original 

 signification, was used as a substantive; for sestertius nummus was not 2 nummi 

 and a half, but a single nummus of 4 asses. 



They called any sum under 2000 sesterces so many sestertii, in the masculine 

 gender; 2000 sesterces they called duo or bina sestertia, in the neuter; so many 

 quarters making 500 denarii, which was twice the sestertium; and they said 

 dena, vicena, &c. sestertia, till the sum amounted to 1000 sestertia, which was a 

 million of sesterces. But, to avoid ambiguity, they did not use the neuter 

 sestertium in the singular number, wheh the whole sum amounted to no more than 

 1000 sesterces, or one sestertium. They called a million of sesterces decieS 

 nummum, or decies sestert-um, for decies centena millia nummorum, or sester- 

 tiorum, in the mascviline gender, omitting centena millia, for the sake of brevity: 

 they likewise called the same sum decies sestertium (in the neuter gender), for 

 decies centies sestertium, omitting centies for the reason above-mentioned ; or 

 simply decies, omitting centena millia sestertium, or centies sestertium ; and with 



D D 2 , ' 



