[3] The Mark was ⅔ of a pound. The English Pound Sterling of the period was in silver value = 3l. 5s. 2d. Hence the Mark = 2l. 3s. 5·44d. The Cologne Mark, according to Pegolotti, was the same, and the Venice Mark of silver was = 1 English Tower Mark + 3½ sterlings (i.e. pence of the period), = therefore to 2l. 4s. 4·84d. The French Mark of Silver, according to Dupré de St. Maur, was about 3 Livres, presumably Tournois, and therefore 2l. 2s. 11½d.
[4] Cibrario, Pol. Ec. del Med. Evo. III. 228. The Gold Florin of Florence was worth a fraction more = 9s. 4·85d.
Sign. Desimoni, of Genoa, obligingly points out that the changed relation of Gold ducat and silver grosso was due to a general rise in price of gold between 1284 and 1302, shown by notices of other Italian mints which raise the equation of the gold florin in the same ratio, viz. from 9 sols tournois to 12.
[5] For ¹⁄₁₈ of the florin will be 6·23d., and deducting ⅕, as pointed out above, we have 4·99d. as the value of the grosso.
I have a note that the grosso contained 42⁶⁸⁄₁₄₄ Venice grains of pure silver. If the Venice grain be the same as the old Milan grain (·051 grammes) this will give exactly the same value of 5d.
[6] Also called, according to Romanin, Lira d’imprestidi. See Introd. Essay in vol. i. p. 66.
[7] It is not too universally known to be worth noting that our £. s. d. represents Livres, sois, deniers.
[8] He also states the grosso to have been worth 32 piccoli, which is consistent with this and the two preceding statements. For at 3·2 lire to the ducat the latter would = 768 piccoli, and ¹⁄₂₄ of this = 32 piccoli. Pegolotti also assigns 24 grossi to the ducat (p. 151).
The tendency of these Lire, as of pounds generally, was to degenerate in value. In Uzzano (1440) we find the Ducat equivalent to 100 soldi, i.e. to 5 lire.
Everybody seems to be tickled at the notion that the Scotch Pound or Livre was only 20 Pence. Nobody finds it funny that the French or Italian Pound is only 20 halfpence, or less!