enotes the ancient Roman pound, borrowed from the Sicilians, who called it libra.

The libra was divided into 12 unciae or ounces, and the ounce into 24 scruples.

The divisions of the libra were, the uncia, one twelfth; the sextans, one sixth; the quadrans, one fourth; the triens, one third; the quincunx, five ounces; the semis, six; the septunx, seven; the bex, eight; the dodrans, nine; the dextrans, ten; the denux, eleven; lastly, the as weighed twelve ounces or one libra.

The Roman libra was used in France for the proportions of their coin till the time of Charlemagne, or perhaps till that of Philip I. in 1093, their sols being proportioned, as that 20 of them were equal to the libra. By degrees it became a term of account: and every thing of the value of twenty sols was called a livre.

Libra pesa, in our law books, denotes a pound of money in weight. It was usual in former days not only to tell the money but to weigh it: because many cities, lords, and bishops, having their mints, coined money, and often very bad too; for which reason, though the pound consisted of 20 shillings, they always weighed it.