Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/23

 I 5 6p.] THE ENGLISH A T HA VRE. 3 shillings of Edward's last years could not live beside the bad, and still continued either to leave the country or to be made away with by the comers. The good reso- lutions of further reform with which Mary commenced her reign disappeared as her finances became strait- ened ; the doctrinal virtues superseded the moral ; and relapsing upon her father's and her brother's evil pre- cedents, she poured out a fresh shower of money con- taining but three ounces of silver with nine of alloy, and attempted to force it once more on the people at its nominal value. The coining system acquired at once fresh impetus; and Elizabeth on coming to the throne found prices everywhere in confusion. Amidst the variety of stand- ards and the multitude of coins recognized by the law, the common business of life was almost at a stand-still. Of current silver there was such as remained of Edward's pure shillings, containing eleven ounces and two penny- weights of silver in the pound; the shillings of the first year of Mary containing ten ounces ; and the old shillings of Henry the Eighth containing eleven aunces. Of testers or sixpences, the coin in common use, there were four sorts : the tester of eight ounces of silver in the pound, the tester of six, the tester of four, and the tester of three ; with groats, rose pence, and other small coins, of which the purity varied in the same proportion. The testers of eight, six, and four ounces had been issued originally as shillings, and had been called do^n to six- pences. These three kinds were all of equo 1. value, ' for