3.22. Of the maner of meaſuring the length and bredth of things after the Engliſh vſage. Cap. 22.

Of the maner of meaſuring the length and bredth of things after the Engliſh vſage. Cap. 22.

THe firſt and ſmalleſt of our meaſures is the Barly corne, whereof thrée being taken out of the middeſt of the ere, well dried and layde endewardes one to another, are ſayde to make an ynche,Inche. which the Latines meaſure after the bredth of the thombe, and therfore of ſome is called Pollicare, although the true name thereof be Vncia, as I haue often reade.Finger bredth. That which they call Digitus or the finger bredth, is not in vſe with vs: yet is it the ſixtenth part of theyr foote, as the inche is the twelfth of ours.Palme. Each palme or hand bredth cõtaineth alſo foure of theyr fingers, as by the figure héere inſuing, may eaſily be perceyued, whych I haue ſet downe onely to the ende that who ſo liſteth may beholde the EEBO page image 129 diuerſity not onely betwéene the Romaine meaſure & ours, but alſo of their owne ſtan|dard which hath chaunged oft among them.

Certes it coulde not well be brought to paſſe, to giue out the whole foote becauſe the quantitie of the page would not suffer mée ſo to doe, wherefore I haue exemplified only in the halfe, which I hope ſhall abundauntly ſatiſfie eche one that is deſirous to ſée and perceyue their difference. The firſt columne therefore ſetteth downe the halfe foote, after the ſtanderd of Englãd. The 2. ſéemeth to be a Romain foote, found out of late by Bartho|lomeus Marlianus, and ſet downe to be ſéene in his Topography of Rome. Therin alſo e|uerye [figure appears here on page 129] fynger breadth contei|neth two of the old aſſize, wher|by hée maketh not 16. but one|ly eyght in the whole, as you may there be|hold. The third is that which Budeus had ſõe|time delyuered vnto him, who was very cury|ous in ſerching of the weights, and meaſures, of olde tyme as maye yet ap|peare by his ex|cellent treatize De aſſe, wherin hys ſyngular ſkill in thys be|halfe doth eui|dently appeare.

The fourth was foũde long ſince, by Leo|nard de Portis, in a Garden at Rome, belong|yng to Angelus Colotius. The fift is the halfe foote of Paris, diuyded by the ynche, and yet equall to y^e Ro|maine ſtanderd deſcribed by Budeus. The laſt ſhoweth the the quantitie of their Palme, whereof their foote hath foure, and eche Palme conteyneth 4. fingers as I haue ſaide already. By this Tablet alſo as you may ſée, howe eche ſtan|derde excéedeth or commeth ſhorte of other, Wherefore it ſhall not néede for me to [...] any longer vppon theyr differences, which may ſo well and better be determined by the eye. Of our meaſures therefore.

Thrée Barly cornes do make an ynche.

Twelue ynches yéelde a foote.

Thrée foote are our yarde.

One yarde and nyne ynches giue an el [...]

Seauen foote yéelde a fadam.

By the ſtanderde. Although we vſe com|monly to call the ſpace betwéene the toppes of our middle fingers (when our armes bée ſtretched out at length) by that name alſo: the ſame likewyſe beyng called Paſſus ſome|times, as the height of a man is Status, & ſup|poſed to be all one with the leſſer fadam, or or extention of his armes. But to procéede.

Sixtéene foote & an halfe, or 5. yardes & an halfe do make a pole in whoſe Area are 272. of our feete & an half. Foure poles in length, and one in breadth, do yéeld a rodde, or rode of grounde, which ſome call a fardendele or yardlande. Foure roddes doe gyue an Acre, whoſe plotte hath 43600. or fortie poole in length, and thereto foure in bredth.

The auncient Romaynes had for theyr land as Columella ſaith. lib. 5. cap. 1.

The finger bredth.

The foote of ſixtéene finger bredthes.

The pace fiue foote.

Actus euery way had a 120. foote. In Hiſpa|nia Betica, it hight Agna: but in Gallia Arepẽ.

Iugerum, had two Actus and was ſo called tãquam a iunctis Actibus: ſo that it conteined one way 240. foote, and 120. another, that is, 28800. foote in the whole plot.

Porca. 7200. féete.

Verſus, 8640. Agna. 14400.

The furlong hath 125. paces, or 625. féete. Eyght furlonges alſo made a myle.

Centuria, hath 200 Iugera, but in olde time onely, 100. for notwithſtanding that the firſt be doubbled, yet it retaineth ſtill the priſti|nate denomination, as we ſée in the worde tribe, which was at the firſt but one part of the thrée, wherinto y^e whole people of Rome were ſeuered & deuided. But let vs returne vnto our owne againe.

¶ It lyke ſort for ſuch as trauaile.

Fyue foote meaſured by the ſayde ynche make a pace & 125. paces doe yéelde a fur|long.

Eyght furlonges or 1000. paces is a mile, and after ths Geometricall pace are ou [...] myles meaſured, which ſome notwithſtan|ding doe recone by about 278. tournes of a EEBO page image 120 Carte whéeles, whoſe compaſſe is common|ly of eyghtéene foote of the ſtand [...]rd, and and height fyue foote and an halfe, as I haue béene informed by W [...]ele [...] [...]hthes in the citie.

By the foote alſo we meaſure glaſſe, and Tymber and all others our buyldings. By the yarde our woollen cloth, tapiſſery, Arras Sylkes, and Laces: but our li [...]en by y^e [...]l [...]e. Finally our woodes and paſtures are layed out by the p [...]le, and therto our hedging, and ditching, after the ſame note: although the depth of our ditches is meaſured by the foote & likewiſe their bredth as experience dayly cõfirmeth. Beſids this we haue alſo another kind of meaſuring, & that is by the fadam, the vſe whereof is onely: ſeene in the dig|ging of pittes, welles & mines, meaſuring of ropes, & ſounding the depth of the ſea, when dreade of perill inforceth our mariners to ſée vnto their ſafegarde. It is furthermore a common opinion amongſt vs, that euery hundred acres of grounde, containe iuſt a myle in compa [...]e rounde aboute: but as I haue not yet examined howe truely thys is ſaide, ſo I am moſt ſure that a plot of 400. Acres, ſhall not yéelde a lyke proportions, by the one halfe, whenſoeuer you walke a|bout it. And euen thus woulde I ende with this chapter, concerning our maner of mea|ſuring before remẽbred were it not that I thinke good to ſet downe what I haue ga|thered of the lyke meaſurynges as they haue ben vſed in other countries where they alſo doe reconne by the Graine, making their accompt much after ſuch maner as fol|loweth.

The Digitus or finger breadth hath foure graines layd ſide to ſide.

The Vncia maior, thrée fingers.

The palme hath foure fingers.

Their dichas two hande breadthes or eyght fingers.

Their ſpanne thrée hand bredthes or twelue fingers bredthes.

Their foote is ſixtéene fingers or foure hand|bredthes.

Their foote and halfe in latine, Seſquipes or Cubitus, 24. finger bredthes.

The ſteppe two foote and an halfe.

The common pace thrée foote.

The Geometricall fyue foote.

The Orgia ſixe foote, as I gather out of Su|das.

The league thrée myles Engliſh.

The common dutche myle 4000. paces.

The greate dutch myle 5000 paces.

¶ In lyke ſorte the Latines & we doe mea|ſure our iourneys by myles.

The Grecians by furlonges.

The french and ſpaniſhe by leagues.

The Egiptians by Signes.

The Perſians by Paraſ [...]ngas, of which ech one conteyneth thirtie furlonges.

As for the olde Brytiſhe myle that inclu|deth 1500. paces engliſh, it ſhal not greately néede to make any diſcourſe of it, & ſo much the leſſe, ſith it is yet in vſe and not forgottẽ among the Welch men, as Leland hath no|ted in his commentaries of Bryteine wher|fore it may ſuffiſe to haue ſaide thus much of the ſame, and ſo of all the reſt, beyng mind|full to goe forwarde and make an ende of this treatize.