Draft of MINT00159 (Mint 19/1/228-9)
The manner of the Tryall of the Pix.
Directions about the triall of the monies of gold & silver in the Pix.
|1| \a|A|bout a month before ye triall of ye monies in ye Pix/ His Majty or his Council appoints the time & place for the|a||t| Triall of the monies in the Pix & names the Lords of the c|C|ouncil before whom it shall be tried. The time is usually about a month after 'tis ordered.\made/ & notice thereof is sent to ye Ld High Chancellour & Ld High Treasurer \of England/ & from ye Treasury to the Officers of ye Excheqr & Mint.
|2| The Ld. Chancellour presently after this o|O|rder is to be waited on by ye Officers of ye Mint to send his Letter to ye Wardens & Company of ye Mystery of Goldsmiths London to return him the names of an able Iury for that t|T|riall\or of such a number as he shall think sufficient/. And an extract of this |a| Paper \is/ to be b|d|elivered to his Lop conteining ye form of ye tryall
|3.| The return of the names being made to his Lop he sends his Warrt by his Sej|r|jeant at Arms or Serjeants Deputy to summon ye Iury by their names to meet at ye place & time appointed for ye Tryall.
|6| In the mean time the Officers\Kings Clerk & the/ Wardens Masters & Comptrollers Clerks \severally/ extract out of all their books the weight & tale of all the monies taken up from time to time since the triall of the last Pix & the whole tale of \all/ the monies in the present Pix and when their extracts are all compared & agreed 40 or 50 copies thereof are written fair to be distributed to ye Lds & Iury at ye t|T|ryall.
|4| The Chancellour of ye Excheqr is also to be waited on attended about a dinner for ye [the principall Officers of ye Mint] {w}ith] the Iury: The place has usually been at ye Dogg Tavern \& sometimes the Horn Ta{vern}/ in ye Palace yard.
|5| The Ld. High Treasurer or Chancellour of ye Exchequer \sends an/ orders |for| the standard Troy weights & |ye| Indented Tryall pieces of his Majts Crown Gold monies & standard silver monies kept in the Treasury of ye Exchequer be delivered upon ye day of ye Tryall for |ye| use of ye Iury.
|7| On ye day of ye Tryall the Officers of the Mint cause the Pix|es| box or boxes to be \brought {illeg}|to| the place of trial &/ placed on the |a| Table before nine in the Morning
About tenn the King if he pleases & Ld Chancellour & other Lds of ye Council appointed by his Majty take their places at ye Table aforesaid, the Officers of ye Mint Excheqr Office|rs| & Goldsmiths attend|ing| |and| The Pix|es| boxes at ye direction of ye Ld Chancellour are opened by ye Officers of ye Mint either before ye Lords sit down \(if they direct it)/ or after they are sat|.| & ye Gold and silver monies therein are poured on ye Table.
The Ld Chancellour calls to his Se\r/jeants at Arms for his Warrant for summoning the Iury & appoints the same to be delivred to ye Remembrancers Deputy who attends tehre wth the Oath copy of the Oath to be administred\of ye Iury/ \wch Oath {sic}/ |is in these words.|
The Gold & silver Monies in the Pix|es| boxes being poured on ye Table the Ld Chancellour caused|t||h| the said Oath to be administred to ye Iury
The Standard Troy weights & ye Indented Tryall pieces of his Majts c|C|rown Gold & standard silver monies kept in ye Treasury of the Excheqr & {illeg} being delivered for ye use of ye |[|& ye \triall pieces/ examined if the Lords please \being examined/ by ye like Indented triall pieces of the Mint delivered by \in custody of/ ye Warden|]|. the Ld Chancellour or in his absence ye Chancellour of ye Excheqr gives the Iury in charge to make triall of ye |said| Gold & silver monies in ye Pix by ye said standards of his Majts Treary according to ye rules set down in the Indenture of the Mint, & to do it justly with all possible care & exactness it being a business of a very publick concern
\In the absence of ye Ld Chan. the Chan. of ye Excheqr administers ye oath & gives the charge:/ Then ye Lord Chancellour appoints the Iury {illeg}|w|hen & where to attend his Lordp wth their Veredict & then\he then/ \he/ departs wth the rest of ye Lords \(unless any of them be {illeg}|appointed| {please} {to} see the triall)/, & the Officers of the Mint & \Warden Master & Comptroller {to}|&| lock up the monies & wth ye/ Iury withdraw withdraw {illeg} \into another room where they/ take their places \in another room/ according to ye Order at the Mint for trying the monies after the same manner as is done \in the Mint/ at the Pixing of the same /monies before {deliverance}\
The Iury before the Warden Master & Comptroller examin
|The first| The Warden {illeg} examins |{illeg}| before ye other Officers & Iury\Officers of the Mint/ |examin| the Indented Triall pieces of ye Exchequer by the like triall Pieces of ye Mint in this|e| {illeg}\Wardens/ custody & the Iury do{illeg}|th|{illeg} the like/same\ by the triall pieces of ye {c}|C|om{illeg}|p|any of Goldsmiths, And then ye Iury\And//& {illeg} they also\ in form themse{illeg}|l|ves \fully/ of the manner of the triall by inspecting the \{illeg}\from ye Officers of ye Mint & by// \& for that end inspect the/ Indenture of the Mint delivered to them by the Master & Worker & examin the Gold & Silver so proceed to ye triall|.| by number \after the Bo Pixes are opened/
\This riall is made by/ number weight \tale/ fire & water after the same manner as is done in ye Mint at ye Pixing of the monies \before deliverance/, the Iury Goldsmiths being |t|{a}|h||e| jury of Goldsmiths\being the Kings sworn/ Assaymasters Weighers & Tellers appointed\sworn/ in the room of the Assaymaster & Weigher & Teller of the Ming to try the monies before \appointed by & |the King or Lords of ye Councill| \& also/ in presence of/ the Warden \Mr/ & Comptroller \who/ as Officers of ye Mint in the execution of their Office are to see that the triall be duely made as well as
that other at ye Pixing of ye monies be duly made
\the others of Bullion & new coyned monies \in the Mint/ be duly made, \{according} to the
rules set down in the Indenture of the Mint/
& the Warden
& Comptroller \or their Deputies are/ to enter of Record {illeg}|how| much the monies prove too strong feeble or too strong/ ||[|& make a true accompt thereof to th{illeg}|is|{illeg} Majty {illeg}|for| keeping a just recconing between his Maty & the M{{illeg}}aster whenever the Coynage Act shall cease|]|\& make a true accompt thereof to his Majty/ \The King or Lords of the Council appointed by him may be also present|.| at their/ For tis the covenant between the King & Master & Worker that this triall shall be made before all\both/ parties publickly before both parties.
The Pixes being opened the Iury first tell & weigh &c|
For this trial \like as well as those of Bullion & new coyned monies/ is appointed by ye \said/ Indenture as a part of the business of ye Mint & from like ye other trialls of Bullion & those of new coyned monies becomes of force \full force/ against the Master by its being made before the three first \said three/ Officers of ye Mint \to be made before them & by being made before them becomes of force/ |[|& all the triall of Bullion & money
are directed by ye same Indenture to be made \by sworn Artificers/ before them & by being made said three Officers & by being made before them becomes of force against the Master, otherwise note. And the King \or ant Lord {illeg}|of| the Crown appointed by him/ may also be present or appoint any of his Lords of the {Council}\in behalf of this Majty & the crown/ For by the contract between the King & Master the triall is to be made before both par/ties\
The Iury therefore first tell & weigh ye monies in ye Pix & when they \some\any/ of them |have told so much money \of Gold or silver/ {illeg}|a|s ought to|/ have weighed a pound told 44{℔} 10s \or 66li 15s or 89l/ in gold & 3℔. 2s, {illeg}|or| 4℔ 13s or 6℔. 4s.\make a pound weight or a pound & an half or two pound weight/ they weigh ye same & set\write/ down ye \tale &/ weight \thereof/ & send {illeg} it to be molten into an Ingott. And p{illeg}d And when they have tol{illeg}|d| all the rest of ye monies they weigh that|em| also & set down ye weight & tale of ye whole monies \of Gold or silver/ in ye Pix & how much money th{e}|e|y \whole/ make{s}|s| in ye pound weight.
Then they weight ye Ingott \& the grains/ & set down ye weight & how much {illeg} monies it ought to make in ye pound weight if the wast be but about 8 or 10 grains \in ye pound weight/ they send it to be assayd: but if ye wast be too great so that |t|it|he| \silver gold or silver |monies|/ may be suspected to be refined by |in| the melted & set down they melt another parcell of money \into an Ingot/ & send {this} Ingott/that\ to be assayed.
These assay being finished \|a|{illeg}|re| reported &\in writing/ in ye same form & manner as \is done by ye Assaymr// in the Mint. And the expressing the whole weight & tale &|o||f| \all/ the monies in the Pix & how much they make in ye pound wight {sic} & |yt| that\whether/ they are agreable to standard or standard full or scant or better {illeg}wt or wors 06wt or 1dwt {illeg}|or| 1dwt or wthout 2dwt or wthout the remedy\or how much\{to so} much/ better or worse according to yt report./ |And \in yt mean time/ the Warden & Comptroller {to}|w|rite down how much the monies are too feeble or too strong in weight & tell\allay/ in order to enter the same of record. Then ye Iury draw up & signe their Veredict|
And the Warden & Assaymaster record much the monies are too strong or too feeble in weight & tale &c & \in order to/ certify ye same to their Majts
At dinner the
At the time appointed by th{illeg}|e| Lord Chancellour the said Officers of the Mint & Iury attend his Lop & the Iury present their Veredict \to him/ and the Remembrancers Deputy attends to read it & after\& keeps it when/ tis read to receive it.
The form of the Veredict is in these words
The|A| Copy of ye Iuries Oath administred to ye Iury
The form of their Veredict of ye Iury.
|A copy of| The Paper to be delivered to the Lord Chancellour
