Essay-Master, an officer under certain corporations entrusted with the care of making true touch, or assay, of the gold and silver brought to him; and giving a just report of the goodness or badness thereof. Such is the assay-master of the mint in the Tower, called also assayer of the king.

The assay-master of the goldsmiths company is a sort of assistant-warden, called also a touch-warden, appointed to survey, assay, and mark all the silver work, &c., committed to him. There are also assay-masters appointed by statute at York, Exeter, Bristol, Chester, Norwich, Newcastle, and Birmingham, for assaying wrought plate. The assay-master is to retain eight grains of every pound Troy of silver brought to him; four whereof are to be put in the pix, or box of deal, to be re-assayed the next year, and the other four to be allowed him for his waste and spillings.

Note, The number of pennyweight, his let down in the assay-master's report, is to be accounted as per pound, or so much in every pound of 12 ounces Troy. For every 20 pennyweight, or ounce Troy, the silver is found by the assay to be worse than standard, or sterling, sixpence is to be deducted; because every ounce will cost so much to reduce it to standard goodness, or to change it for sterling.

In gold, for every carat it is set down to be worse than standard, you must account that in the ounce Troy it is worse by so many times 3s. 8d.; and for every grain it is set down worse, you must account it worse by so many times 1d. in the ounce Troy; and for every half grain 5½d.: for so much it will cost to make it of standard goodness, &c.

ASELYN (John), a famous Dutch painter, was born in Holland, and became the disciple of Izaiah Vandevelde the battle-painter. He distinguished himself in history-paintings, battles, landscapes, animals, and particularly horses. He travelled into France and Italy; and was so pleased with the manner of Bamboccio, that he always followed it. He painted many pictures at Lyons, where he married the daughter of a merchant of Antwerp, and returned with her to Holland. Here he first discovered to his countrymen a fresh and clear manner of painting landscapes, like Claude Lorraine; upon which all the painters imitated his style, and reformed the dark brown they had hitherto followed. Asselyn's pictures were so much admired at Amsterdam, that they sold there at a high price. He died in that city in 1660. Twenty-four pieces of landscapes and ruins, which he painted in Italy, have been engraved by Perelle.