TALAVERA, usually distinguished by the addition to its name of de la Reyna, is the capital of a partido, which comprises within it almost the whole of the western side of the province of Toledo, in Spain. It is a place of great antiquity, containing many Roman monuments. When Spain was invaded by the Moors, it speedily surrendered, but was successively occupied and plundered by the contending armies as long as the Mahomedan power existed in the Peninsula. It is remarkable as the scene of the first great conflict that occurred between the British army under the command of the duke of Wellington, and the French. On the 27th and 29th July 1809, the British army, of 19,000, with a Spanish force of 40,000 indifferent troops, were repeatedly attacked in their position by a well-appointed French army of 47,000 French troops, under the command of the intrusive king Joseph Bonaparte. The conflict was severe, but the British repelled the attacks, and the enemy retreated. Though the victory was thus gain-
Talent
Tali.
ed, it was indecisive, as the duke of Wellington soon afterwards retreated, and his wounded men fell into the hands of the French. The city stands on a beautiful plain watered by the Tagus. It is but indifferently built, has seven churches, one of which, that of the Hieronymites, is very fine, and no less than twelve monasteries. It contains about 5000 inhabitants, but with the suburbs and contiguous villages about 8000. The chief occupation is the fabrication of silk stockings; but there are manufactures of soap, of earthen ware, of hats, and cordage, upon a small scale. Talavera is remarkable as the birth-place of Mariana, the historian of Spain. Long. 5. 1. 5. W. Lat. 39. 59. 50. N.
TALENT signifies both a weight and a coin very common among the ancients, but very different among different nations. The common Attic talent of weight contains 60 Attic minæ, or 6000 Attic drachmæ; and weighed, according to Dr Arbuthnot, 59 lbs. 11 oz. 17½ gr. English Troy weight. There was another Attic talent, by some said to consist of 80, by others of 100 minæ. The Egyptian talent was 80 minæ, the Antiochian also 80, the Ptolemaic of Cleopatra 86½, that of Alexandria 96, and the Insular talent 120. In the valuation of money, the Grecian talent, according to Dr Arbuthnot, was equal to 60 minæ, or, reckoning the mina at L.3. 4s. 7d., equal to L.193. 15s. The Syrian talent, in this valuation, consisted of 15 Attic minæ, the Ptolemaic of 20, the Antiochian of 60, the Babocan of 60, the Babylonian of 70, the Greater Attic of 80, the Tyrian of 80, the Eginæan of 100, the Rhodian of 100, and the Egyptian of 80 minæ. There is another talent much more ancient, which Dr Arbuthnot calls the Homerie talent of gold, which seems to have weighed six Attic drachms or three darics, a daric weighing very little more than a guinea. According to this talent, some reckon the treasure of King David, particularly that mentioned 1 Chron. xxii. 14, which, according to the common reckoning, would amount in gold talents to the value of L.547,500,000, and the silver to above L.342,000,000. As David reigned in Judæa after the siege of Troy, it is not improbable but Homer and he might use the same numeral talent of gold. Among the Romans there were two kinds of talents, the little and the great talent. The little was the common talent; and whenever they say simply talentum, they are to be understood of this. The little talent was sixty minæ or Roman pounds; the mina or pound being estimated at 100 drachmæ or denarii. It was also estimated at twenty-four great sesterces, which amounted to sixty pounds. The great talent exceeded the less by one third part. Budæus computes that the little talent of silver was worth L.75 sterling, and the greater L.99. 6s. 8d. sterling. The greater of gold was worth L.1125 sterling.