TABLE OF THE MOVEMENT OF GOLD & SILVER IN FRANCE 1493-1662.
TABLE OF THE MOVEMENT OF GOLD AND SILVER IN FRANCE, 1500-1660
| Date. | Price of the Mark of Gold. | Price of the Mark of Silver. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Livres. | Sols. | Dens. | Livres. | Sols. | Dens. | |
| 1488 | 130 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 1519 | 147 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 0 |
| 1540 | 165 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 1549 | 172 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 1561 | 185 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 0 |
| 1573 | 200 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 1575 | 222 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 1602 | 240 | 10 | 0 | 20 | 5 | 4 |
| 1615 | 278 | 6 | 6 | ... | ... | ... |
| 1636 | 320 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 10 | 0 |
| 8th May | ||||||
| 1636 | 384 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 22nd Sept. | ||||||
| 1641 | ... | ... | ... | 26 | 10 | 0 |
| 1662 | 423 | 10 | 11 | ... | ... | ... |
FRANCE: THE MINT INQUIRY OF 1575
In the case of the latter monarch it is expressly stated that the change, which was effected in 1573, when the ratio was established at 11.77, had been preceded by a period during which "the people" had of themselves augmented the value of the écu d'or to 54 sols. At this limit the Government was obliged to fix it, but by the year 1577 it had risen successively to 58, 60, and 65 sols. The evil, as it was thought to be, of the advance of the monies was attributed to the caprice and unscrupulousness of "the people," and the King called several councils of experts to discuss the matter. Still the process continued unabated, and on the 19th December 1575, Henry III. assembled the States-General. The cour des monnaies—the officials of the Mint—at once approached him with a petition. Their representation is of peculiar significance:—
"In spite of the bad police prevailing, we draw in
times of peace twice as much silver from abroad as the foreigners draw from us. If the reform we advocate were adopted we should double this net gain.... Between us and the Netherlands and Germany, where we generally trade, there is this difference, that 6 écus, at the price at which they are exposed here, only come to 5 in the said places, which has induced a sudden and enormous dearness in the merchandise which we export from there, and besides has caused us a great disorder—to wit, that the merchants have transported all our douzains and other billon money, to save themselves from the loss they would have had to incur in settling in écus or in any foreign species of gold or silver on which, at the price they are current at by the caprice of the people, there would be a loss in settlement of 15, 20, and 25 per cent.... The cause of the enhancement of prices proceeds from the malice of several who turn into bullion the best of your coins in order to fill the kingdom with others of less goodness, enriching themselves thus with the blood and misery of the people....
FRANCE: THE REFORM OF 1577
"The remedy is to lower the rate of the monies.... The écus ought to come down to 50 sols., but for the present we would consent to it being put at 60, awaiting a further reduction. The currency of all foreign coins ought to be prohibited as the chief cause of these evils. For although by all your ordinances they have been valued according to the price of the écu, yet the people have always increased