' t m ) 
’ thing certain can be determined from it, we rnurt 
have recourfe to the coins, efpecially the gold, which 
though not fo corredly fized as the Greek Philippics* 
are much more fo than the filver Denarii. 
Pliny tells us, that when the Romans firft coined 
gold, they made the Scruple pafs for lo Sefterces. 
In the tables VI, VII. and X. of the Pembroke 
colledion, we find nine pieces* weighing ly prains 
261 , 33 l> 5 ii, 53 > 105, 107 twice?, ' 
That this was the fcrupular coin mentioned by 
Pliny appears from the numeral letters XX for 20 
Sefterces, on the fmallefl, and XXX on that of 33 1 
grains, which fhould be its double; and all the reft 
are multiples of fomewhat between 17 and 18 grains, 
except the fecond, which is a Scruple and half. 
What the mark ^ X on that of 51I grains denotes, 
I cannot tell. Savot* and Hardouin(2) call this 
figure vV a V, and fay VX flood for 15; but though 
the Greeks often placed their numerals from right to 
left, I cannot find that the Romans ever did. 
Thefe nine pieces fhould contain 34! Roman 
fcruples ; Their weight amounts to 608 Troy grains, 
which, divided by 34-, give 1744 for the Scruple; 
whence the Roman Pound fhould weigh 507,544. 
(2) Savot, P. III. c. 7. Hardoain’s note on Pliny. Thi* 
piece is 3 Roman Scruples, which valued at 60 Sefterces of 2-| AJfes 
to the Sefterce, was worth i^oAffes, or 9 filver Denarii and 6 
AJes^ wanting hut 2 AJfes of 9I Denarii. Now in Ptolomy’s geo- 
graphical tables, where the degree is divided unciatifn^ after the 
Roman manner ; this charafter ftands for one half; theretore 
being placed before the X (as on the coin) it might denote 9^, 
as I before the X ftands for 9. But Mr. Duane hath a gold 
coin with the fame mark, and of the fame impreftion as this, 
which weighs but 45^ grains, though it feems to beperfedl. 
S s s 3 But 
