Page:Origin of metallic currency and weight standards.djvu/401

 mediaeval and consequently of modern Europe may be said to trace their pedigrees. The solidus was divided into thirds or tremisses, for the scrupular system had been abandoned, the solidus being regarded simply as a sextula or one-sixth of the uncia, and not as a multiple of the scruple. The tremissis therefore weighed 24 grs. Troy, or 32 wheat grains. When the barbarian conquerors of the Roman Empire began to coin silver they took as their model the gold tremissis. In the earliest stage of the Anglo-Saxon mintage we find so-called gold pennies of 24 grs. occasionally appearing. These are nothing else than tremisses. But silver henceforward was to form for centuries the staple currency of Western Europe, and the silver penny of 24 grs. (whence comes our own penny-weight) became virtually the unit of account. As its weight shows, the penny was based on the gold tremissis.

Gold Tremissis of Leo I.

The first regular coinage of gold in Western Europe began with the famous gold pieces of Florence in the beginning of the 14th century. These weighed 48 grs. or 2 tremisses. From their place of mintage the name florin (fiorino) became a generic term for gold coins. Accordingly when Edward III. issued his first gold coins of 108 grs. each, although differing so completely in weight from their prototype, they too were called florins. In reality however Edward's coin was 1-1/2 solidus (72 + 36). The first attempt did not prove satisfactory, and with the issue of the famous noble, first of 136-1/2 grs., and afterwards of 129 grs., the series of English gold coins may be said to begin, of which the latest stage is the sovereign of 120-1/4 grs. Troy.

I have already explained at an earlier stage the origin of the Troy grain; before we end let me add a word on the origin of the Troy ounce. The Troy pound like the Roman has 12 ounces, but whereas the Roman ounce had 432 grs. Troy or