BOOK VII.
259
which the ordinary people call nummi 41 ; each of these units we again divideinto twenty-four units of four siliquae each, which the same ordinary peoplecall a grenlin ; or else the bes is divided into sixteen semunciae whichare called loths, each of which is again divided into eighteen units of foursiliquae each, which they call grenlin. Or else the bes is divided intosixteen semunciae, of which each is divided into four drachmae, andeach drachma into "four pfennige. Needles are made in accordance witheach method of dividing the bes. According to the first method, to thenumber of twenty-four half nummi ; according to the second method, to thenumber of thirty-one half semunciae, that is to say a sicilicus ; for if theneedles were made to the number of the smaller weights, the number ofneedles would again be too large, and not a few of them, by reason of thesmall difference in proportion of silver or copper, would have no significance.We test both bars and coined money composed of silver and copper by bothscales. The one is as follows : the first needle is made of twenty-threeparts of copper and one part silver; whereby, whatsoever bar or coin, whenrubbed on the touchstone, colours it just as this needle does, in that bar ormoney there is one twenty-fourth part of silver, and so also, in accordancewith the proportion of silver, is known the remaining proportion of the copper.
The
1st
needle
is made
of 23 parts of copper
and 1
of silver
»
2nd
11
11
22
tt
tt
2
it
tt
3rd
tf
tt
21
tt
tt
3
it
tt
4th
ft
a
20
tt
tt
4
it
11
5 th
ft
it
19
tt
tt
5
tt
tt
6th
i i
it
18
tt
11
6
it
y y
7th
ft
tt
17
tt
tt
7
it
a
8th
if
it
16
it
tt
8
tt
f f
9th
ft
tt
15
tt
tt
9
it
ft
10th
i t
s t
14
tt
11
10
it
f f
nth
tf
it
13
11
tt
11
tt
a
12th
ft
11
12
it
it
12
tt
ti
13th
ft
tt
11
it
it
13
tt
11
14th
ti
tt
10
tt
tt
14
tt
a
15th
ft
ti
9
it
tt
i 5
tt
if
16th
f t
tt
8
tt
tt
16
tt
it
17th
tf
tt
7
11
tt
17
it
it
18th
ft
tt
6
tt
it
18
it
i t
19th
it
tt
5
tt
it
19
it
ft
20th
tf
it
4
tt
tt
20
tt
f t
2ISt
it
tt
3
tt
tt
21
It
ft
22nd
11
tt
2
tt
tt
22
tt
tf
23rd
11
11
1
tt
tt
23
tt
it
24th
of pure silver.
4i See note 39 above.