In the treaty between the Romans and Antiochus recorded by Polybius and Livy*, the weight of the Euboïc talent is fet at 80 Roman pounds. The talent is not, indeed, called Euboïc, in the treaty, which was fuperfluous when its weight was fpecified; but both hiftorians, in relating the terms offered by Scipio to Antiochus, on which this treaty was founded, call it fot. Therefore in Livy's recital of the treaty, for Argenti probi XII millia Attica talenta, we fhould read, with Gronovius, Argenti probi Attici XII millia talenta.

In § II. of this difcourfe, I have endeavoured to prove that the Euboïc talent was equal to the Attic; and if fo, it contained 6000 Attic drachms; but 80 Roman pounds contained 6720 denarii; therefore, according to this treaty, the weight of the Attic drachm must be to that of the denarius, as 6720 to 6000.

And, even if the Euboïc talent was heavier than the Attic, in the proportion of 72 to 70, the Attic drachm would ftill be heavier than the denarius; for in that cafe, the Euboïc talent fhould contain 6171 Attic drachms, and the two coins would be in the proportion of 6720 to 6171.

This proportion, however, does not agree with the weights I have affigned to the two coins; for if the denarius weighed 60 troy grains, and the Attic drachm 66, 6650 denarii fhould weigh 6000 Attic drachms, or a talent; but this num ber of denarii is deficient of 80 Roman pounds, by just 10 ounces.

Now, this adjustment of the talent to Roman pounds, was probably occafioned by the Greeks attempting to impofe light weights upon the Romans, who finding the talent to exceed 79 pounds, might take what it wanted of 80 in their own favour, to punish the Greeks for their unfair dealing. Or, the ftandard the Romans pitched upon for the Euboïc talent might be fomewhat overweight; and the coin of Lyfimachus above-mentioned, makes this conjecture not improbable; for that in the poffeffion of Mr. Duane weighs 537,6 troy grains, which divided by 8 gives a drachm of 67,2, exactly the weight required by this treaty, fuppofing the denarius to weigh 60 grains. But the gold coins of Philip and Alexander are fo perfect, and fo correctly fized, that their authority is indifputable; and if the mean drachm of 664 grains derived from them were fomewhat too fmall, it cannot be increased by above a quarter of a grain.

Therefore, I fuppofe the great weight given to the talent by this treaty, may arife, partly from too heavy a ftandard, and partly from the Romans taking the turn of the fcale in their own favour.

After the Romans became maf

ter

ters of Greece and Afia, the Athenians might find it their intereft to lower their drachm to the weight of the denarius, long before they were reduced into the form of a Roman Province, by Vefpafian. When they did this, and whether they did it gradually, as may feem probable from fome tetradrachms now remaining, is uncertain; but that they did fo, fooner or later, cannot be doubted.

Curious Extracts from the Lives of Lelande, Hearne, and Wood; lately publifhed at the Clarendon Press, Oxford.

Pliny and Scribonius Largus exprefsly fay, the Attic drachm was equal in weight to the denarius*: and A, Gellius, who, having refided long at Athens, could not be ignorant of the value of the current money of that city, fays 10000 drachms were in Roman money, so many denarii †.. And the Attic gold coin above mentioned, in the British Mufeum, is a proof of their having reduced their mo. ney to the Roman standard.

These are the most authentic teftimonies that the two coins ever were equal; for though all the Greek writers of Roman affairs, call the denarius, drachma, it is no proof of their equality; for one being the current coin of Rome, as the other was of Athens, and not very unequal in value, a Greek might confider the denarius, as the drachma of Rome, and tranflate it by that word, which was familiar to his countrymen; as we call the French Ecû, or the Roman S. udo, a crown; which hath no more affinity to the French or Italian names, either in found or fignification, than drachma hath to denarjus.

Tall thefe fires every night,

which began to be made a little after five of the clock, the senior Under-Graduats would bring into the hall the juniors, or Freshmen, between that time and fix of the clock, and there make them fit downe on a forme in the middle of the hall, joyning to the declaiming defk; which done, every one in order was to fpeake fome pretty apothegme, or make a jeft or bull, or fpeake fome eloquent nonfenfe, to make the company laugh: but if any of the Frefhmen came off dull, or not cleverly, fome of the forward or pragmatical feniors would tuck them, that is, fet the nail of their thumb to their chin, juft under their lipp, and by the help of their other fingers under the chin, they would give him a mark, which fometimes would produce blood. On Candlemas-day, or before (according as ShroveTuesday fell out) every Freshman had warning given him to provide his fpeech, to be spoken in the pub. lic hall before the Under-Graduats and fervants on Shrove Tuesday night that followed, being alwaies the time for the obfervation of that ceremony. According to the faid fummons, A. Wood provided a speech as the other freshmen did.

Shrove Tuesday, Feb. 15, the fire being made in the common hall before five of the clock at night, the

mijlia.

fellowes

fellowes would go to fupper before fix, and making an end fooner than at other times, they left the hall to the libertie of the UnderGraduats, but with an admonition from one of the fellowes (who was the Principal of the Under-Graduats and Poftmafters) that all things fhould be carried in good order. While they were at fupper in the hall, the cook (Will. Noble) was making the leffer of the brafs pots full of cawdel at the Freshmen's charge; which, after the hall was free from the fellowes, was brought up and set before the fire in the faid hall. Afterwards every Freshman, according to feniority, was to pluck off his gowne and band, and if poffibly, to make himfelf look like a fcoundrell. This done, they were conducted each after the other to the high table, and there made to ftand on a forme placed thereon: from whence they were to speak their fpeech with an audible voice to the company; which, if well done, the perfon that spoke it was to have a cup of cawdle and no falted drink; if indifferently, fome cawdle and fome falted drinke; but if dull, nothing was given to him but falted drink, or falt put in college beere, with tucks to boot. Afterwards when they were to be admitted into the fraternity, the fenior cook was to administer to them an oath over an old fhoe, part of which runs thus: Item tu jurabis, quod Pennylefs Bench non vifitabis, &c. the rest is forgotten, and none there are that now remembers it. After which fpoken with gravity, the Frefhman kift the fhoe, put on his gowne and band, and took his place among the feniors,

Now for a diverfion, and to make you laugh at the folly and

fimplicity of thofe times, I fhall entertain you with part of a fpeech, which A. Wood fpoke, while he ftood on the forme, placed on the table, with his gowne and band off and uncovered.

"Moft reverend Seniors,

"May it plefe your gravities, to admit into your prefence a kitten of the mufes, and a mere frog of Helicon, to croak the cataracts of his plumbeous cerebrofity before your fagacious ingenuities. Perhaps you may expect, that I fhould thunder out Demicannon words, and level my fulphurious_throat against my fellowes of the Tyrocinian crew; but this being the univerfal judgment of wee fresh water academicans, behold as fo many Stygian furies, or ghofts rifen out of their winding fheets, wee present ourselves before your tribunal, and therefore, I will not fublimate nor tonitruat words, nor fwell into gigantic ftreins: fuch towring ebullitions do not exuberate in my aganippe, being at the loweft ebb. I have been no chairman in the committee of Apollo's creatures, neither was I ever admitted into the cabinet councils of the Pierian dames, that my braines fhould evaporate into high hyperboles, or that I fhould baftinado the times with a tart fatyr of a magic pen. Indeed I am but a fresh water foldier under the banners of Phoebus, and therefore cannot as yet fet quart-pots or double jugs in battalia, or make a good shot in fack and claret, or give fire to the pistoletto tobacco pipes, charged with its Indian powder; and therefore having but poor fkill in fuch service, I were about to turn Heliconian dragooner, but as I were mounting my dapper nagg Pegafus, behold Shrove

Tuesday

Tuesday night arrested me, greeting me in the name of this honourable convocation, to appear before their tribunal, and make anfwer for myself, which, most wife feniors, fhall be in this wife.

"I am none of thofe May-pole Freshmen, that are tall cedars before they come to be planted in [the] academian garden, who fed with the papp of Ariftotle at twenty or thirtie yeares of age, and fuck at the duggs of their mother the Univerfity, though they be high Coluffu[s]'s and youths rampant.

"These are they, who come newly from a bagg-pudding and a good brown loaf to deal with a penny-commons, as an elephant with a poor fly, tumbles it and toffes it, and at last gives him a chop, that tug as hard for a postmafter's place, as a dog at mutton.

"I am none of the University blood-hounds, that feek for preferment, and whofe nofes are [as] acute as their eares, that lye perdue for places, and who good faints do groan till the vifitation comes. These are they that esteem a tavern as bad as purgatory, and wine more fuperftitious than holy water; and therefore I hope this honourable convocation will not fuffer one of that tribe to taft of the fack, [left they] fhould be troubled with a vertigo, and their heads turne round.

"I never came out of the counry of Lapland. I am not of the

number of beafts. I meane those greedie dogs and kitchen haunters, who noint their chops every night with greefe, and rob the cook of his fees, &c."

Thus he went forward with fmart reflections on the reft of the Freshmen and fome of the fervants, which might have been here set downe, had not the fpeech been

borrowed of him by several of the feniors, who imbezl'd it. After he had concluded his fpeech, he was taken downe by Edm. Dickenfon, one of the Bachelaur-Commoners of the Houfe, who with other Bachelaurs and the senior Under-Graduats made him drink a good difh of cawdle, put on his gowne and band, placed him among the feniors, and gave him fack.

This was the way and custome that had been used in the College, time out of mind, to initiate the Freshmen; but between that time and the restoration of K. Charles II. it was difufed, and now fuch a thing is abfolutely forgotten.

Certayne Queftyons, wyth Awnfweres to the fame, concernynge the Mystery of Maconrye; wrytenne by the Hande of Kynge Henrye the Sixthe of the Name, and faithfullye copyed by me John Leylande, Antiquarius, by the Commaunde of his Highneffe. They be as followethe:

Anfew. The Venetians, whoo beynge grate merchaundes, comed ffyrfte fromme the Efte ynn Venetia, ffor the commodyte of marchaundyfynge beithe efte and wefte, bey the Redde and Myddlelonde fees.

Queft. How comede ytt ynn Englonde ?

Anfw. Peter Gower a Grecian, journeydde for kunnynge yn Egypte, and yn Syria, and everyche Londe whereas the Venetians addeh plauntedde Maconrye, and wynnyuge entraunce yn al lodges of Maconnes, he lerned muche, and retournedde, and woned yn Grecia Magna wachfynge, and becommynge a myghiye wyfeacre, and ratelyche renowned, and her he framed a grate lodge at Groton and maked manye Maconnes, fome whereoffedyd journeyc yn Fraunce, and maked manye Maconnes, wherefrom, yn proceffe of tyme, the arte paffed yn Engelonde.

Queft. Dothe Maconnes difcouer here artes unto odhers?

Anfw. Peter Gower whenne he jurneyedde to lernne, was ffyrfte made, and anonne techedde; evenne foe fhulde all odhers be yn recht. Nathelefs Maconnes haue the alweys yn everyche tyme from tyme to tyme communycatedde to mankynde foche of her fecrettes as generally che mighte be ufefulle; they haueth keped backed foche allein as fhulde be harmefulle yff they commed yn euylle haundes, oder foche as ne myghte be holpynge wythouten the techynges to be joynedde herwythe in the lodge, oder foche as do bynde the freies more ftronglyche togeder, bey the proffytte and commodytye comynge to the confrerie herfromme.

Queft. What artes haueth the Maconnes techedde Mankynde?

Anfw. The artes Agricultura, Architectura, Aftronomia, Geometria, Numeres, Mufica, Poefie, Kymiftrye, Governmente, and Relygvonna.

Queft. How commethe Maconnes more techers than odher menne?

Anfw. They hemfelfe haueth allien the arte of fyndynge neue artes, whyche art the fiyrfte Maconnes receaued from Godde; by the whyche they fyndethe whatte artes hem plefethe, and the treu way of techynge the fame. What odher menne doethe ffynde out, ysonlyche bey chaunce, and herfore but lytel I iro.

Queft. What dothe the Maconnes concele, and hyde?

Anfo. They concelethe the arte of ffyndynge neue artes, and thattys for here owne proffytte, and preife: they concelethe the arte of kepynge fecrettes, that foe the worlde mayeth nothinge concele from them. Thay concelethe the arte of wunderwerckynge, and of fore faying thynges to comme, thatt fo thay fame artes may not be usedde of the wyckedde to an euylle ende ; that alfo concelethe the arte of chaunges, the wey of wynnynge the facultye of Abrac, the skylle of becommynge gude and parfyghte withouten the holpynges of fere and hope; and the univerfelle longage of Maconnes.

Queft. Wylle he teache me thay fame artes ?

Anfw. Ye fhalle be techedde yff ye be werthye, and able to lerne.

Queft. Dothe alle Maconnes kunne more then odher menne?

Anf. Not fo. They only haueth recht, and occafyonne more then

odher