Chapter 4

Roman measures of capacity for things liquid, reduced to english wine measure, the wine pint holding287/8solid inches.

No. I.

PintsSol. in. dec.Ligula0,1/480,1175/124Cyathus0,1/120,4692/361Acetabulum0,1/80,7041/21232Quartarius0,1/41,40924642Hemina0,1/22,8184812842Sextarius15,636

Pints

Sol. in. dec.

Ligula

Possibly No. I. may be better understood in the following form.

No. II.

Eng. wi.SolidLigulæ.Cyathi.Acetab.Quart.Hem.Sext.pint.inch.48or12or8or4or2==1==1. and5.63624or6or4or2==1—-==0.17.2551/212or3or2==1—-—-==0.8.6273/46or11/2==1—-—-—-==0.4.3137/84==1—-—-—-—-==0.2.87511/121—-—-—-—-—-==0.0.71847/48

Eng. wi.

Solid

Ligulæ.

Cyathi.

Acetab.

Quart.

Hem.

Sext.

pint.

inch.

5.636

—

17.255

—

8.627

11/2

—

4.313

—

2.875

—

0.718

Roman measures of capacity for things dry, reduced to english corn measure, the english corn pint holding333/5inches.

No. III.

PintsSol. in. dec.Ligula0,1/480,014Cyathus0,1/120,04611/2Acetabulum0,1/80,062464Hemina0,1/20,24481282Sextarius10,48

Pints

Sol. in. dec.

Ligula

0,01

0,04

11/2

0,06

0,24

0,48

The same table in another form.

No. IV.

Eng. cornSolidLigulæ.Cyathi.Acetab.Heminæ.Sextarius.pint.inches48or12or8or2==1==1. and0.4824or6or4==1——==0.17.046or11/2==1————==0.4.264==1——————==0.2.841————————==0.0.71

Eng. corn

Solid

Ligulæ.

Cyathi.

Acetab.

Heminæ.

Sextarius.

pint.

inches

0.48

—

17.04

11/2

—

4.26

—

2.84

—

0.71

Note, The tables, No. I. and No. III. are exactly copied from Dr Arbuthnot, No. XII. and XIII. I have here gone no higher than the sextarius, as that is the greatest measure mentioned by Celsus; it has its name from making the sixth part of the Roman congius.

I would have taken the table of weights from Dr Arbuthnot also, if he had given one accommodated to Celsus; but as he has not, I have composed the following, No. VI. according to the division of Celsus himself, who tellsus[ U ], that he divides theuncia, orounce, intoseven denarii, and thedenariusintosix sextantes.

Besides these, in several compositions our author usessemunciaandsescuncia, that ishalf an ounceandounce and half; and to save the reader the trouble of reduction, I have given them also a place in the table.

The accurate MrGreaves[ V ], from repeated experiments, concluded theRoman denariusto contain 62 grains English Troy weight, from which the proportions of the other weights are determined.

No. V.

Grains.Scruples.Drachms.Ounces.Pound Troy.gr.℈Ʒ℥℔5760or288or96or12==1480or24or8==160or3==120==11

Grains.

Scruples.

Drachms.

Ounces.

Pound Troy.

gr.

℈

℥

℔

5760

288

480

Celsus’s weights compared with apothecaries’ weights.

No. VI.

Grains ofSextan-Dena-Semun-Ses-Li-Apothecaries’.Troy wt.tes.rii.ciæ.Unciæ.cun.bra.℥Ʒ℈gr.5208or504or84or24or12or8==1==10 :6 :2 :8651or63or101/2or3or11/2==1——==1 :2 :2 :11434or42or7or2==1————==0 :7 :0 :14217or21or31/2==1——————==0 :3 :1 :1762or6==1————————==0 :1 :0 :2101/3==1——————————==0 :0 :0 :101/21————————————==0 :0 :0 :1

Grains of

Sextan-

Dena-

Semun-

Ses-

Li-

Apothecaries’.

Troy wt.

tes.

rii.

ciæ.

Unciæ.

cun.

bra.

℥

℈

gr.

5208

504

10 :

6 :

2 :

651

101/2

11/2

—

1 :

2 :

434

—

0 :

7 :

0 :

217

31/2

—

0 :

3 :

1 :

—

0 :

1 :

0 :

101/3

—

0 :

—

0 :

Note 1st. The Romans divided all integers, as they did theiras, into twelve equal parts calledunciæ. Thus thesextanswas the sixth part of theas, containingtwo of these unciæ,quadransone fourth, orthree unciæ,triensthe third part, orfour unciæ,semisone half, orsix unciæ,besorbessistwo-thirds, oreight unciæ,dodransthree-fourths beingnine unciæ. The weight of these then differs, as the integer is thelibra, theuncia, ordenarius, which the attentive reader will easily reduce, if he is disposed to calculate the quantities, observing that they are not to be taken for aliquot parts of the denarius, but when they follow the mark of the denarius. The integer preceding, and the nature of the composition will be the best explication.

Note 2. The denarius mark was X or𐆖, as containing originally ten small asses. This by the copiers has been often confounded with X, denoting the number often denarii; so that after all the pains of critics and commentators, the proportions of the ingredients in several compositions seem to be irrecoverably lost. For this reason, I suppose the later editors have thought fit to change it for the common asterisk.

Note 3. The characters for quantities are variously marked in different authors, and the same note has several values. There is one of this uncertainty in Celsus, that isZ, which we are told expresses thelibra, thesescuncia, thesextans of a pound, thedenariusand thesextans of a denarius[ W ]. Which of these different values it bears in any particular place must be determined by the connection. When it follows the mark of thedenarius, it can mean no more than thesextansof adenarius.

Note 4. p. stands forpondo, which is an indeclinable word, and when joined with numbers, signifieslibraor apound; when with other weights, it stands for no more thanpondusorweight in general.

For an example of the reduction of Celsus’s weights to ours, the following may serve.

Lib. v. cap. 19. no. 7. Philotas’s plaister contains,

Of Eretrian earth℥Ʒ℈gr.— chalcitis, each p. iv.*.==1/2:0 :0 :8viz. Ʒi. gr. ii.multiplied by 4—and so allthe rest.— myrrh— calcined copper, each p. x.*.==1 :2 :1 :0— isinglass p. vi. *.==0 :6 :0 :12— rasile verdigrease— round allum— crude misy— birthwort, of each p. viii.*.==1 :0 :0 :16— copper scales p. xx.*==21/2:0 :2 :0— male frankincense, p. ii.*.==0 :2 :0 :4— oil of roses— Bitter oil, of each three cyathi, or 1 quartarius = between1/4and1/3of an English pint.— vinegar, a sufficient quantity.

℥

℈

gr.

1/2:

0 :

1 :

2 :

1 :

0 :

6 :

0 :

1 :

0 :

21/2:

0 :

2 :

0 :

2 :

0 :

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