'Directions about the Triall of the monies of Gold & Silver in the Pix' Isaac Newton c. 1,167 words The Newton Project Oxford 2016 Newton Project, University of Oxford

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 July 1701?, c. 1,167 words.

[Note on dating: NC, 4: 373, n.2 suggests Newton wrote this draft in preparation for his first pyx trial as master on 6 August 1701. NC, 7: 422, n. 1, however, suggests that it might equally well have been drawn up with reference to discussions in 1710 about Edinburgh pyx trials, or for the benefit of Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford, after he became Lord Treasurer in March 1711. Numerous references in the document to 'the King', however, make the latter two suggestions improbable, since the monarch at the time was Anne. See also Westfall, 608, who agrees with the 1701 dating.]

Printed in NC, 4: 371-3 and further discussed in NC7: 422.

Detailed account of the formal procedure for initiating and conducting a pyx trial.

 MINT 19/1/228-9, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK UKSurreyKew, RichmondNational Archives MINT 19/1/228-9 July 1701? England English Holograph Unknown Hand MintPyx Trials and Analyses of British Coinage Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins Transcribed by Will Scott Will Scott finished transcription

Directions about the Triall of the monies of Gold & Silver in the Pix.

About a month before the triall of the monies in the Pix his MajtyMajesty or his Council appoints the time & place for that Triall and names (if he pleases) the Lords of the Council before whom it shall be made & notice thereof is sent to the Lord High Chancellour & Lord High Treasurer of England & from the Treasury to the Officers of the Exchequer & Mint.

The Lord Chancellour presently after this Order is to be waited on by yethe Officers of yethe Mint to send his Letter to yethe Wardens & Company of Goldsmiths to return him the names of an able Iury for that Triall and a paper is to be delivered to his LopLordship containing the form of the triall.

The return of the names being made to his LopLordship he sends his Warrant by his Serjeant at Arms or Serjeants Deputy to summon the Iury by their names to meet at the place & time appointed for the triall.

The Chancellour of the ExcheqrExchequer is also to be attended about a dinner for yethe Iury. The place has usually been at the Dogg Tavern in yethe Palace yard.

The Lord High Treasurer or Chancellour of the Exchequer sends an order for the Standard Troy weights & the Indented Tryall peices of his MajtsMajestys crown gold Monies & standard silver monies kept in the Treasury of the ExcheqrExchequer to be delivered upon the day of the Triall for the use of the Iury

In the mean time the King's, Warden's, Master's & 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 tale of all the monies in the present Pix & when their extracts are all compared & agreed 40 or 50 Copies thereof are written fair to be distributed to the Lords & Iury at the Triall

On the day of the Triall the Officers of the Mint cause the Pixes to be opened brought before nine in the morning & placed on a Table where the Lords are to sit.

About tenn the King if he pleases & LdLord Chancellour & other Lords of the Council take their places at yethe Table aforesaid, the Officers of yethe Mint ExcheqrExchequer Officers & Goldsmiths attending: and the Pixes are228are opened by the Officers of the Mint either before the Lords sit down (if they direct it) or after they are sat.

The Lord Chancellour calls to his Serjeant at Arms for his Warrant for summoning the Iury & appoints the same to be delivered to the Remembrancer's Deputy who attends there wthwith the copy of their Oath.

The gold & silver monies in the Pixes being poured on the Table the Lord Chancellour causeth yethe said Oath to be administred to yethe Iury.

The Standard Troy weights & the Indented Tryall pieces of his MajtsMajestys Crown Gold & standard silver monies kept in the Treasury of yethe Exchequer being delivered for the use of the Iury, the Lord Chancellour gives yethe Iury in charge to make triall of yethe said Gold & Silver money by yethe said standards of his MajtsMajestys Treasury according to yethe rules set down in the Indenture of the Mint & to do it justly wthwith all possible care & exactness it being a business of a very publick concern. In the absence of yethe LdLord Chancellour the Chancellour of yethe Exchequer administers the Oath & gives the charge

The LordCharge being given the LdLord Chancellour appoints the Iury when & where to attend his LordpLordship wthwith their Verdict & then departs yethe court wthwith yethe rest of yethe LdsLords unless any of them be appointed to see the Triall Assays. And the Warden sdMaster & Comptroller lock up the monies & with the Iury withdraw into another room where they take their places according to yethe order of the Mint for trying the monies.

The Officers of the Mint examin the Indented Triall pieces of the Exchequer by yethe like triall pieces of the Mint in the Wardens custody & yethe Iury doth yethe same by the Triall pieces of yethe Company of Goldsmiths. They also inform themselves about the triall & for that end inspect the Indenture of the Mint delivered to them by the Master & Worker & so proceed to yethe triall.

This triall is made by fire & weight fire & water after the same manner as is done in the Indenture of the Mint at the Pixing of the Monies before deliverance the Jury being the Kings Assay masters Weighers & Tellers sworn in the room of the Assaymaster Weigher & Teller of yethe Mint to try the monies according to yethe rules in the Indenture & by consequence before in presence of the Warden Master & Comptroller who as Officers of the Mint are to see that this triall like the as well as theose others of made in the Mint be duly performed & the Warden & Comptroller or their Deputies are to enter of Record how much the monies prove too feeble or too strong & make a true accompt thereof to his MajtyMajesty.

The Pix being opened the Jury tells & weighs all the money therein (Gold & Silver apart) & reccon how much it makes in the pound weight. And when they have told out of every species of Gold or Silver monies so much as should make a pound or a pound & an half or two pound weight they weigh it & melt it into an Ingot & weigh yethe Ingot & yethe grains & if the wast exceed not 8 or 10 grains in yethe pound weight they assay it, but if the wast be too great they tell out other money & melt that into an Ingot & assay it, & the Assaymaster reports the Assay in yethe same manner as is done in the Mint.

Then the Iury draw up & signe their Verdict expressing the weight & Tale of all the monies in yethe Pix & how much they make in the pound weight & that they are agreeable to standard or better or worse by so much as is reported according to yethe report. And in the mean time the Warden & Comptroller may write down how much the monies are too feeble or too strong in weight & allay in order to enter the same of record.for their private satisfaction

At the time appointed by the Lord Chancellour the said Officers of the Mint & Iury attend his LordpLordship, & the Jury presenting their Verdict to him the Remembrancers Deputy attends to read it & keeps it when tis read, & enters it of record forfor the Officers of the Mint the Warden & Comptroller being who are to make

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