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.
