Chapter on Weights and Measures

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An Account of DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS, and
YEARS.

THE day is either natural or artificial; the natural day is the space of twenty-four hours, (including both the dark and light part) in which time the sun is carried by the first mover from the east into the west, and so round the world into the east again. The artificial day consists of twelve hours, i.e. from the sun's rising to its setting; and the artificial night is from the sun's setting to its rising. The day is accounted with us for payment of money between the sun's rising and setting; but for indictment for murder the day is accounted from midnight to midnight, and so likewise are fasting days.

The Hebrews and Chaldeans begin their days at sun rising, and end at the next rising.

The Jews and Italians from sun-set to sun-set. The Romans at midnight. The Egyptians from noon to noon, which account astronomers follow.

A week consists of seven mornings, or seven days, which the Gentiles call by the names of the seven planets (which they worshipped as Gods); the first day of the sun; the second day of the moon, &c. In a week God made the world, i.e. in six days, and rested the seventh.

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All civilized nations observe one day in seven, as a stated time of worship; the Turks and Mahometans keep the sixth day of the week, or Friday; the Jews the seventh, or Saturday; the Christians the first, or Sunday.

Of months there are various kinds; a solar month is the space of thirty days, in which time the sun runneth through one sign of the zodiac.

A lunar month is that interval of time which the moon spendeth in wandering from the sun, in her oval circuit, through the twelve signs, until she returns to him again, (being sometimes nearer, sometimes farther from the earth) i.e. from the first day of her appearing next after her change, to the last day of her being visible, before her next change, which may be greater or lesser, according to her motion.

The usual or common months are those set down in our almanacks, containing some 30, some 31, and February but 28 days, according to these verses:

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
February twenty-eight alone,
All the rest have thirty-one;
But when leap-year comes, that time
Has February twenty-nine.

A year is the space of time in which the sun runs through all the 12 signs of the zodiac: containing 12 solar months, 13 lunar months,

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52 weeks, 365 days, and six hours, which six hours, in four years time, being added together, make one day, which day on every fourth year is added to February, making that month 29 days, which at other times is but 28; and this year with the additional day is called leap-year.

To find the Leap-Year.

Divide the year of our Lord by 4, and if there be no remainder, it is leap-year; but if there remains 1, 2, or 3, then that denotes the first, second, or third after leap-year [this ignores the rule that only centuries exactly divisible by 400 are leap-years (adopted in 1582)].

TABLES OF

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

Troy Weight.

Char.

24	Grains [64.8 mg *] ---	1	Pennyweight	dwt.
20	Pennyweights	1	Ounce ---	oz.
12	Ounces ---	1	Pound [0.373 kg]	lb.

By this weight are weighed jewels, gold, silver, corn, and all liquors.

Avoirdupois Weight.

16	Drams [1.772 g] ---	1	Ounce ---	oz.
16	Ounces ---	1	Pound ---	lb.
28	Pounds [0.454 kg] ---	1	Quar. of a hun.	qr.
20	Hundreds --	1	Ton ---	ton.

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By this weight, which is now generally used in England, are weighed butter, cheese, groceries, &c.

N.B. One pound avoirdupois is equal to 14 oz. 11 dwts. 15½ grains troy; and one ounce troy is equal to 1 oz. 1 dram, and something above an half, avoirdupois.

Apothecaries' Weight.

Char.

20	Grains [64.8 mg]	1	Scruple ---	℈
3	Scruples ---	1	Dram ---	ʒ
8	Drams [3.888 g] ----	1	Ounce ---	℥
12	Ounces ---	1	Pound [0.373 kg] ---	℔

By this weight apothecaries compound their medicines; but buy and sell their drugs by avoirdupois weight.

Wine Measure.

In short.

2	Pints ---	1	Quart	qrt.
4	Quarts ---	1	Gallon ---	gall..
63	Gallons ---	1	Hogshead ---	hhd.
2	Hogsheads ---	1	Pipe ---	pipe.
2	Pipes ---	1	Tun ---	tun.

Beer Measure.

2	Pints ---	1	Quart ---	qrt.
4	Quarts ---	1	Gallon ---	gall.
9	Gallons ---	1	Firkin ---	firk.
2	Firkins ---	1	Kilderkin ---	kild.
2	Kilderkins --	1	Barrel ---	bar.
1½	Barrel ---	1	Hogshead --	hhd.
3	Barrels, or 2 hhds.	1	Butt ---	butt.

N.B. Eight gallons make a firkin of ale.

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Cloth Measure.

In short.

4	Nails ---	1	Quarter ---	qr.
4	Quarters --	1	Yard ---	yd.

Note, An ell English is 5 quarters of a yard, and an ell Flemish is 3 quarters.

Time.

60	Seconds ---	1	Minute
60	Minutes ---	1	Hour
24	Hours ---	1	Natural Day
7	Days	1	Week
4	Weeks	1	Month
13	Months, 1 day, and 6 hours, is		One
52	Weeks, 1 day, and 6 hours, is		Julian
365	Days, and 6 hours, is		Year.
8766	Hours, is

Note, An exact solar year is equal to 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 48 seconds, 57 thirds: and one lunar month is equal to 29 days, 12 hours, and 45 minutes.

Dry Measure.

In short.

8	Pints ---	1	Gallon ---	gall.
2	Gallons ---	1	Peck ---	peck.
4	Pecks ---	1	Bushel ---	bush.
4	Bushels ---	1	Coomb --	coomb.
2	Coombs --	1	Quarter --	qr.
5	Quarters --	1	Wey ----	wey.
2	Weys ---	1	Last ---	last.

Land Measure.

40	Square Perches ---	1	Rood
4	Roods ----	1	Acre

Note, 5 feet is a geometrical pace, and 1056 geometrical paces 1 English mile.

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Long Measure.

12	Inches ----	1	Foot
3	Feet ---	1	Yard
5	Yards and ½ ---	1	Pole or perch
40	Poles --- ---	1	Furlong
8	Furlongs or 1760 yards	1	English mile

* see http://www.m-w.com/mw/table/weight.htm for other conversions

A MULTIPLICATION TABLE.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18
3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27
4	8	12	16	20	24	28	32	36
5	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45
6	12	18	24	30	36	42	48	54
7	14	21	28	35	42	49	56	63
8	16	24	32	40	48	56	64	72
9	18	27	36	45	54	63	72	81

THE use of this table is to find how many any one figure multiplied by another will make: suppose I wanted to know, how many seven times eight is, I look into the table for 7 in the first rank of figures on the left hand, and for 8 in the top line; then carrying my finger strait from 7 in the first rank of figures, till I come to that which has the figure 8 on the top of it, I there find 56, which is the exact number of 7 times 8, or 8 multiplied by 7. So in all other instances look for the first figure in the left-hand rank or column, and for the figure you want to multiply by in the first or top line, and which ever square these two meet in, there is the amount.

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The PENCE TABLE.

20	Pence is	1	shilling and	8	pence
30	---	2	----	6
40	---	3	----	4
50	---	4	----	2
60	---	5	----	--
70	---	5	----	10
80	---	6	----	8
90	---	7	----	6
100	---	8	----	4
110	---	9	----	2
120	---	10	----	--
130	---	10	----	10
140	---	11	----	8
150	---	12	----	6
160	---	13	----	4
170	---	14	----	2
180	---	15	----	--
190	---	15	----	10
200	---	16	----	8
210	---	17	----	6
220	---	18	----	4
230	---	19	----	2
240	---	20	----	--

The above table shews how many shillings are contained in any number of pence from 20 to 240, and likewise how many pence there are in any number of shillings from 1 to 20; which will be found a great use in reckoning ma[?]ll money, and ought to be learned by heart, [ ]os [so as? (letter dropped)] to be ready on all occasions.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18
3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27
4	8	12	16	20	24	28	32	36
5	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45
6	12	18	24	30	36	42	48	54
7	14	21	28	35	42	49	56	63
8	16	24	32	40	48	56	64	72
9	18	27	36	45	54	63	72	81

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18
3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27
4	8	12	16	20	24	28	32	36
5	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45
6	12	18	24	30	36	42	48	54
7	14	21	28	35	42	49	56	63
8	16	24	32	40	48	56	64	72
9	18	27	36	45	54	63	72	81

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18
3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27
4	8	12	16	20	24	28	32	36
5	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45
6	12	18	24	30	36	42	48	54
7	14	21	28	35	42	49	56	63
8	16	24	32	40	48	56	64	72
9	18	27	36	45	54	63	72	81