3. LIRA DEI PICCOLI ... 2s. 4d.
The TORNESE or TORNESEL at Venice was, according to Romanin (III. 343) = 4
Venice deniers: and if these are the deniers of the Lira ai Grossi, the
coin would be worth a little less than 3/4d., and nearly the equivalent
of the denier Tournois, from which it took its name.[10]
* * * * *
The term BEZANT is used by Polo always (I believe) as it is by Joinville,
by Marino Sanudo, and by Pegolotti, for the Egyptian gold dinar, the
intrinsic value of which varied somewhat, but can scarcely be taken at
less than 10s. 6d. or 11s. (See Cathay, pp. 440-441; and see also
J. As. ser. VI. tom. xi. pp. 506-507.) The exchange of Venice money for
the Bezant or Dinar in the Levant varied a good deal (as is shown by
examples in the passage in Cathay just cited), but is always in these
examples a large fraction (1/6 up to 1/3) more than the Zecchin. Hence,
when Joinville gives the equation of St. Lewis's ransom as 1,000,000
bezants or 500,000 livres, I should have supposed these to be livres
Parisis rather than Tournois, as M. de Wailly prefers.
There were a variety of coins of lower value in the Levant called
Bezants,[11] but these do not occur in our Book.
* * * * *
The Venice SAGGIO, a weight for precious substances was 1/6 of an ounce,
corresponding to the weight of the Roman gold solidus, from which was
originally derived the Arab MISKAL And Polo appears to use saggio
habitually as the equivalent of Miskal. His POIS or PESO, applied to
gold and silver, seems to have the same sense, and is indeed a literal
translation of Miskal. (See vol. ii. p. 41.)
* * * * *
For measures Polo uses the palm rather than the foot. I do not find
a value of the Venice palm, but over Italy that measure varies from 9-1/2
inches to something over 10. The Genoa Palm is stated at 9.725 inches.
Jal (Archeologie Nav. I. 271) cites the following Table of
Old Venice Measures of Length.
4 fingers = 1 handbreadth.
4 handbreadths = 1 foot.
5 feet = 1 pace.
1000 paces = 1 mile.
4 miles = 1 league.
[1] See (Dupre de St. Maur) Essai sur les Monnoies, &c.
Paris, 1746, p. xv; and Douet d'Arcq, pp. 5, 15, &c.
[2] He takes the silver value of the gros Tournois (the sol
of the system) at 0.8924 fr., whence the Livre = 17.849
fr. And the gold value of the golden Agnel, which
passed for 12-1/2 sols Tournois, is 14.1743 fr. Whence
the Livre = 22.6789 fr. Mean = 20.2639 fr.
[3] The Mark was 2/3 of a pound. The English POUND STERLING of the period
was in silver value = 3l. 5s. 2d. Hence the MARK
= 2l. 3s. 5.44d. The Cologne Mark, according to
Pegolotti, was the same, and the Venice Mark of silver was = 1 English
Tower Mark + 3-1/2 sterlings (i.e. pence of the period), =
therefore to 2l. 4s. 4.84d. The French Mark of
Silver, according to Dupre de St. Maur, was about 3 Livres, presumably
Tournois, and therefore 2l. 2s. 11-1/2d.
[4] Cibrario, Pol. Ec. del Med. Evo. III. 228. The GOLD FLORIN of
Florence was worth a fraction more = 9s. 4.85d.
Sign. Desimoni, of Genoa, obligingly points out that the changed
relation of Gold ducat and silver grosso was due to a general
rise in price of gold between 1284 and 1302, shown by notices of other
Italian mints which raise the equation of the gold florin in the same
ratio, viz. from 9 sols tournois to 12.
[5] For 1/18 of the florin will be 6.23d., and deducting 1/6, as
pointed out above, we have 4.99d. as the value of the
grosso.
I have a note that the grosso contained 42-88/144 Venice grains of
pure silver. If the Venice grain be the same as the old Milan grain
(.051 grammes) this will give exactly the same value of 5d.
[6] Also called, according to Romanin, Lira d'imprestidi. See
Introd. Essay in vol. i. p. 66.
[7] It is not too universally known to be worth noting that our L. s. d.
represents Livres, sois, deniers.
[8] He also states the grosso to have been worth 32 piccoli, which
is consistent with this and the two preceding statements. For at 3.2
lire to the ducat the latter would = 768 piccoli, and 1/24 of
this = 32 piccoli. Pegolotti also assigns 24 grossi to the ducat (p.
151).
The tendency of these Lire, as of pounds generally, was to
degenerate in value. In Uzzano (1440) we find the Ducat equivalent to
100 soldi, i.e. to 5 lire.
Everybody seems to be tickled at the notion that the Scotch Pound or
Livre was only 20 Pence. Nobody finds it funny that the French or
Italian Pound is only 20 halfpence, or less!
[9] Uzzano in Delia Decima, IV. 124.
[10] According to Galliccioli (II. 53) piccoli (probably in the
vague sense of small copper coin) were called in the Levant [Greek:
tornesia].
[11] Thus in the document containing the autograph of King Hayton,
presented at p. 13 of Introductory Essay, the King gives with
his daughter, "Damoiselle Femie," a dowry of 25,000 besans
sarrazinas, and in payment 4 of his own bezants staurats
(presumably so called from bearing a cross) are to count as one
Saracen Bezant. (Cod. Diplomat. del S. Mil. Ord. Gerosolim. I.
134.)
APPENDIX L. - Sundry Supplementary Notes on Special Subjects. - (H.C.)
1. - The Polos at Acre.
2. - Sorcery in Kashmir.
3. - PAONANO PAO.
4. - Pamir.
5. - Number of Pamirs.
6. - Site of Pein.
7. - Fire-arms.
8. - La Couvade.
9. - Alacan.
10. - Champa.
11. - Ruck Quills.
12. - A Spanish Edition of Marco Polo.
13. - Sir John Mandeville.
