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| 0654 |
The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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by nearly 10s. the value of the Pound sterling of the period, or *Lira di
Sterlini*, as it was called in the appropriate Italian phrase).*
2. **Lira ai Grossi** . . . . . . . 3*l.* 9*d.*
3. **Lira dei Piccoli** . . . . . . . 2*s.* 4*d.*
The **Tornese** or **Tornesel** at Venice was, according to Romanin (III. 343)
= 4 Venice deniers : and if these are the *deniers* of the *Lira ai Grossi*, the coin
would be worth a little less than ⅓*d.*, and nearly the equivalent of the denier
Tournois, from which it took its name.†
The term **Bezant** is used by Polo always (I believe) as it is by Joinville, by
Marino Sanudo, and by Pegolotti, for the Egyptian gold dínár, the intrinsic value of
which varied somewhat, but can scarcely be taken at less than 10*s.* 6*d.* or 11*s.* (See
*Cathay*, pp. 440-441 ; and see also *J. As.* sér. VI. tom. xi. pp. 506-507.) The exchange
of Venice money for the Bezant of Dinar in the Levant varied a good deal (as is
shown by examples in the passage in *Cathay* just cited), but is always in these
examples a large fraction (⅓ up to ⅔) more than the *Bezant*. Hence, when Joinville
gives the equation of St. Lewis's ransom as 1,000,000 *bezants* or 500,000 *livres*, I
should have supposed these to be *livres Parisis* rather than *Tournois*, as M. de
Wailly prefers.
There were a variety of coins of lower value in the Levant called Bezants,‡ but
these do not occur in our Book.
The Venice **Saggio**, a weight for precious substances was ¼ of an ounce,
corresponding to the weight of the Roman gold *solidus*, from which was originally de-
rived the Arab **Miskál**. And Polo appears to use *saggio* habitually as the equivalent
of *Mishál*. His **pois** or **peso**, applied to gold and silver, seems to have the same
sense, and is indeed a literal translation of *Mishál*. (See vol. ii. p. 41.)
For measures Polo uses the *palm* rather than the foot. I do not find a value of
the Venice palm, but over Italy that measure varies from 9½ inches to something over
10. The Genoa Palm is stated at 9·725 inches.
*Jal* (*Archéologie Nav.* I. 271) cites the following Table of
*Old Venice Measures of Length.*
4 fingers = 1 handbreadth.
4 handbreadths = 1 foot.
5 feet = 1 pace.
1000 paces = 1 mile.
4 miles = 1 league.
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731
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