The parasanga of the Persians is ordinarily thirty stadia, that is a league and a half. Some of them from twenty to sixty stadia. The most common schænos of the Egyptians is forty stadia, or two leagues. There are of them from twenty to a hundred and twenty stadia. The common league of France is two thousand five hundred paces. The small one two thousand paces, and the great one three thousand. When we mention the league of France, we usually understand the common ones. 3. Of ancient Coins, The Attic drachma, which answers to the Roman penny, must serve us for a rule whereby to know the value of all the other coins. M. de Tillemont makes it amount to twelve sols of French money; F. Lamy to near eight; and M. Dacier to ten. I shall adhere to this last opinion, without enquiring into the reason of these differences, only because this manner of reckoning is the most easy, and consequently most proper for young people. I here fix the French mark at seven and twenty livres, which is looked upon by most nations of Europe as the intrinsic value of the silver. Greek Coins. The Attic obolus is the sixth part of an Attic drachma. It answers The Attic drachma contains six oboli. to the Roman penny, and is worth six French sols. The Attic mina is equivalent to an hundred drachmas, and consequently fifty French livres. The Attic talent is equivalent to sixty mine, and is consequently three thousand French livres. Myriad is a Greek word, which signifies ten thousand. Thus a myriad of drachmas signifies ten thousand drachmas, and is of equal value with five thousand livres. The Attic stater was a golden coin that weighed two drachmas, equal in value to twenty drachmas of silver, and consequently to ten livres of France. The daric, a golden coin of the Persians, and that which bore the name of Philip king of Macedon, Philippei, were of the same value with the Attic stater. The sicle, or shekel, an Hebrew coin, was equivalent to four Attic drachmas, or forty sols. Roman Coins. The Roman as, called otherwise libra or pondo, wast originally the tenth part of the Roman penny, or dena→ rius. The small sesterce, sestertius, or nummus, was the fourth part of the Roman penny, and equivalent to two French sols and an half. It was at first marked thus L-L-S, as being equal to value to two asses, or two pounds and a half; sestertius is for semistertius, or three, lacking a half. At length the scribes put an H instead of the L-L, and marked the sesterce, thus, HS. The denarius or penny, was a small piece of silver, equal in value to ten asses, four sesterces, and consequently ten French sols. The great sesterce, or sestertium in the neuter, signifies a sum of equal value with a thousand small sesterces, two hundred and fifty Roman pence, and a hundred and twenty-five French livres. This last sum was differently reckoned. Decem sestertia, ten great sesterces, or ten thousand small ones. By the adverb decie sestertiûm was here understood centies; it was therefore a thousand great sesterces, or a million small ones; or decies centena, understanding sestertia or decies alone in short, and understanding centies sestertium, or centena sestertia. The name of the gold coin was aureus or solidus, and is generally judged by authors to amount in value to twenty-five silver-pence. The proportion of gold to silver has been different at all times. We may keep to that of ten to one for our reckoning in antiquity. Thus a talent of silver amounted to three thousand livres, a talent of gold to 6 thirty thirty thousand. The proportion of gold to silver, at present, is near fifteen to one. A TABLE OF THE VALUE OF THE GREEK MONEY. 100,000 vel centena millia HS. sen nummûm 200,000 vel bis centena millia HS. 500,000 vel quingenta millia HS. 100,000 vel decies centena millia HS. Quindecies centena millia HS. Vicies centena millia HS. Quinquagies centena millia HS. Centies centena millia HS. or Quingenties centena millia HS. or 50,000,000 of sesterces 6,250,000 liv. Millies centena millia HS. or 12,500,000 liv. 10,000,000 of sesterces 100,000,000 of sesterces Bis millies centena millia HS. or 200,000,000 of sesterces Decies millies centena millia HS. or 1000,000,000 of sesterces Vicies millies centena millia HS. or 2,000,000,000 of sesterces Quadragies millies centena millia HS. or 4,000,000,000 of sesterċes Quadragies quater millies centena millia HS. or 4,400,000,000 of sesterces Quadragies octies millies centena millia HS. or 4,800,000,000 of 25 millions. 125 millions. 250 millions. 500 millions. 550 millions. sesterces 600 millions. Quinquagies sexies millies centena millia HS. or 5,600,000,000 of sesterces 700 millions. 800 millions. Sexagies quater millies centena millia HS. or 7,200,000,000 of sester ces Octiagies millies centena millia HS. or 8,000,000,000 of sesterces Centies millies centena millia HS. or 10,000,000,000 of sesterces 900 millions. 1000 millions. 1250 millions. Sester |