Holograph 'Notes out of [Jean] Boizard's Traite des Monoyes' ['Treatise on Coin' (1692, second edition 1714), both editions of which Newton owned: see H237-8] on French Mint practice (the notes are in English)

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/2/138, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

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  - 1 January 2001
    - Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young
  - 29 September 2011
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<338r>

Notes out of Boizard's Traite de Monoyes.

Quatuor sols Parisis valent quin sols Turnois. p. 9.

Gold has 24 degrees of goodness called Carats. Every Carat is divided into 32 equal parts in making of y^e money p. 11

Silver has 12 degress of goodness called deniers & every denier is divided into 24 grains, {illeg}|&| every grain into $\frac{1}{2}$ $\frac{1}{4}$ $\frac{1}{8}$ &c. p. 12.

Course gold or Silver is where y^e ☉ or ☾. p. 16.

Standard Gold 22 car. & standard Silver 11 deniers in France p 21, 23, 24, 27, 28

The Remedy \of allay/ for gold is $\frac{1}{4}$ of a Carat & for silver 2 grains. p. 24, 27, 28

The Remedy is first mentioned in y^e reign of S^t Lewis 1253 & has been ever since in use. p. 25.

The Ecus d'or & demy Louïs d'or are 72 $\frac{1}{2}$ pieces to y^e Mar{illeg}|c|, & the Louïs d'{illeg}|o|r 36 $\frac{1}{4}$ pieces. And y^e L{illeg}|ou|is d'argent (of 3 livres 6 sols) are 8 $\frac{11}{12}$ pieces to y^e Marc. & y^e $\frac{1}{2}$ & $\frac{1}{4}$ & $\frac{1}{12}$ L{illeg}|o|uïs's in proportion. p 2|3|2, 38, 39.

The Marc is 8 ounces of y^e same weight w^th y^e Marc in England Germany &c p 32.

The remedy of weight for gold is 2 felins (or 14 $\frac{2}{5}$ grains) ꝑ Ma{illeg}|r|c. That for silver is 5 $\frac{1}{2}$ sol{illeg}|s| or 43 $\frac{7}{107}$ grains ꝑ Marc. p. 34.

The proportion of \fine/ Gold t{illeg}|o| \fine/ Silver anno 1679 in France was 15 to 1. \viz^t/ fine ☉ = 437 Livres ꝑ Marc & fine silver 29^liv.. 6^sol.. 11 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^deniers. The King varied the proportion several times & anno 1690 the Marc of fine ☉ was valued at 457^liv. 16^sols & y^t of silver at 30 livres w^ch is 15 $\frac{13}{50}$ to 1. p 49, 50.

The Seigniorage {16} in y^e reign of Lewis 13 was 6 Livres ꝑ Marc d'or & 10 $\frac{1}{2}$ sols p^r Marc d'argent. In March 28 1679 it ceased but was reestablished Dec. 15 1689. p 58

The Brassage or charge of coyning is paid one half for the melting & other ordi{n}nary charges, the other half is paid to y^e Officers & Workers for their ministrie in y^e fabrication of y^e monies. It was paid \by the Romans &/ anciently \in France/ by a oublic tax upon y^e people whereby y^e Gold & Silver was of y^e same price coynd or uncoynd. And this were still to be wisht but at lengh {sic} the contrary has prevailed above y^e publick utility & y^e Brassage has been established. In y^e year 1676 it was 3 livres for ꝑ Mark of Gold & {illeg}|18| sols ꝑ Marc of silver, at w^ch time by y^e Kings Declaration of March 28 it ceased but was reestablished Dec 15 1689. The reasons for reestablishing the seigniorage & Brassage were 1 to prevent y^e exportation of y^e money 2 to prevent y^e melting it down for Goldsmiths uses. p 58, 59, 60, 61.

The Ordinance of 1586 appoints the Goldsmiths work in silver to be 11^den $\frac{1}{2}$ fine w^th a remedy of two grains & in Gold 22 Kar w^th a remedy of $\frac{1}{4}$ {illeg}|K|ar. And this continued till Decem 1679. The Goldbeaters & Wyerdrawers by the same {illeg}|O|rdinance of 1586 use Gold of 24 Kar w^th a remedy of $\frac{1}{4}$ Kar & Silver of 12 denar. w^th a remedy of 4^gr. But by an Ord{illeg}|o|nnance of {illeg}|1|657 the Drawers in Lyons use a remedy of 6 grains in silver. By an Ordnance of Octob. 1689 the Refiners & Departers make silver at least 11^denar. 18 grans {sic} fine & gold at least 23 $\frac{26}{32}$ Kar. p 61, 62, 63

The Goldsmiths that melt or abuse the money forfeit body & goods & by an Ord{illeg}|o|nnance of 1689 are condemned to y^e Galleys {illeg}|fo|r ever. p 63.

Rendage is what's rendred to y^e King & signifies the Seigniorage & Brassage together Traite is still more general & comprehends y^e {r}|R|endage & remedies of weight & allay together. p. 64

Dernier fort or Pied-fort is a piece of money perfect in w{illeg}|e|ight & {illeg}|f|ineness without any remedy, made for a pattern. It has usually this inscription Exemplar probatœ monetæ <138v> or Exemplum probati numismatis, p. 69, 70.

To transport y^e money is confiscation of body & goods & has been sometimes dea{illeg} p. 75.

Several laws for limiting the weight of vessels of gold & silver. A pag 73 ad p. 87

The places of the fabrication of the money are thus markt

Paris	A	Burg\|d\|eaux	K	Nantes	T
Roüen	B	Bayonne	L	Amiens	V
Saint Lo	C	Tholose	M	Aix	X
Lyon	D	Montpelier	N	Bourges	Y
Tours	E	Rione	O	Grenoble	Z	p. 91, 92.
Angers	F	Dijon	P	Rennes	9
Poitiers	G	Narbonne	Q	Arras	{A}\AR/
Limoges\La Rochelle/	H	Villeneuve-les-Avignon	R	Lisle en Flanders	L
Limoges	I	Rheims	S	Troyes	{A}/S\

Before deliverance of the money they put into y^e Pix one piece of 400 of Gold & & {sic} one out of 72 Marcs of silver & the Pix is kept under the keys of y^e Mast Warde{n} Master & Assayer till tryal at y^e end of every year. These are Deniers de Boete. The rest are Deniers courant p 97, 98, 99

The Marking Engin invented by Castaing 1685 who receïves 1 Sol ꝑ Mark of gold & six Deniers ꝑ Mark of silver p. 242.