Tables of Reduction of the Hebrew Measures of Length and Capacity

TABLES of Reduction of the Jewish Measures of Length to the English.

The Jewish Cubit, according to our Author, was 1 Foot and 8½ Inches of the Paris Royal Foot, which in English Measure is 1 Foot and 9 894/1000 Inches, or 1 8245/10000 Foot, on suppósition that the Paris Foot is to the English Foot in the proportion of 1068 to 1000, as is determin’d by Mr. Greaves, and others: And from these Data the Tables are computed. Hence therefore the Jewish Cubit will be almost 22 of our Inches, or 21,894 Inches, which is very little more than 21,888 Inches, which Dr. Arbuthnot assigns in his Tables, after the Bishops Cumberland and Hooper, and which is the present Cubit of Cairo, according to Mr. Greaves. The Stadium, or Furlong, was the eighth part of a Mile, or mille passus, and was therefore 125 Geometrical Paces; which, according to our Author, was 625 Royal Feet of Paris, and makes 667½ of our Feet.

Mea-

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Measures of Length.

The Mile was 8 Stadia, or Furlongs, or 1000 Geometrical Paces; and 3 of these Miles were a League, or an Hour’s Journey. One Geometrical Pace is equivalent to 5 Royal Paris Feet; so that by the Proportion mention’d above, the Mile will be 5340 English Feet. To give the Reader a clearer Idea of these Measures, we have reduced the Feet to English Miles, supposing the Mile to consist of 8 Furlongs, the Furlong of 132 Paces, and the Pace of 5 Feet. The Parasang was a Measure of Length, which consisted of 30 Stadia, or of 3750 Geometrical Paces; which make 18750 Paris Feet, or 3 Miles, 6 Furlongs, and 45 Paces, English Measure.

A TABLE

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Reduction of the Hebrew Measures of CAPACITY, compared with those of Paris and London.

For the explaining of the Hebrew Measures of Capacity, I compare them with those of Paris. Such as would know the Values of the same Measures in respect of those of their own Country, may easily reduce them, by comparing those of Paris to their own respective Measures.

The Muid of Paris contains 8 Cubical Feet. The Tun contains 24 Cubick Feet. The Cu- bick Foot contains 1728 Inches, or 36 Pints. The Pint contains 48 Cubick Inches. The Liquid Mea- Chopin is 24 Cubick Inches. The Demi-sep- sures. tier is 12 Cubick Inches. The Poisson 6 Cu- bick Inches. The Muid of Wine of Paris is 288 Pints. The Tun contains 864 Pints.

The Muid of Corn contains 48 Cubick Feet, or 12 Septiers. The Septier contains 4 Cubick Feet, or 2 Mines. The Mine contains 2 Minots, or 2 Cubick Feet. The Minot is 1 Cu- Dry Measures. bick Foot, or 3 Boisseaux. The Boisseau contains 16 Litrons, or 576 Cubical Inches. The Litron contains 36 Cubical Inches.

N.B. These French Measures are reduced to English, on these Suppositions: that the Paris Foot or Inch is to the English Foot or Inch, as 1068 is to 1000; and that our Wine Gallon, which is made the Standard for Liquid Measures, contains 231 Cubick Inches; and that the Winchester Gallon, as a Standard for Dry Measures, contains 272¼ solid Inches. Then will the Paris Pint be 2,025037184 English Wine Pints, or nearly 2 ¹⁄₄₀ English Pints: The Chopin will be very little more than our Pint. The Wine Muid will be very near 73 Gallons, or something more than 72 ⁹⁄₁₀. The French Boisseau will be nearly 2,57732 Winchester Gallons; and the Minot is almost our Bushel.

VOL. III. Measures 7 G

See page 573 as printed in 1732

Measures of CAPACITY of the Hebrews, compared with those of France and England.

The Bath, Ephah, or Metretes, contains 29 Pints, 1 Chopine, 1 Demi-septier, 1 Poisson, &c. that is, 60 English Wine Pints, and almost an half. The Côre, or Chomer, contain’d 10 Baths, or 298 Pints, 1 Chopine, 1 Demi-septier, &c. which makes very near 605 Pints, English Measure. The Lethech was half the Chomer, or 149 Pints, 1 Demi-septier, 1 Poisson, &c. or 302 English Pints, and almost one half. The Seah, or Satum, was a third part of the Bath, and therefore 9 Pints, 1 Chopine, 1 Demi-septier, 1 Poisson, &c. Or a little more than 20 English Pints. The Gomor, Omer, or Assaron, was the tenth part of the Ephah, and therefore contain’d almost 3 French Pints, or something more than 6 English Pints. The Cab was the sixth part of the Seah, or Satum, or the eighteenth part of the Ephah; and consequently contain’d 1 Pint, 1 Chopine, 1 Poisson, &c. or something above 3 9/25 English Pints. The Log, or Rebah, is a fourth part of the Cab, and consequently contains 1 Demi- septier, 1 Poisson, &c. or a little more than 21/25 of an English Pint. The Nebel contain’d 3 Baths, and therefore was 87 Pints, 1 Chopine, 1 Demi-sep- tier, &c. or almost 181½ English Pints. The Hin was the half Seah, or half Satum of the Hebrews, and contain’d the sixth part of the Bath, and therefore was 4 Pints, 1 Chopine, 1 Demi-septier, 1 Poisson, &c. or a little more than 10 English Pints. The half Hin was 2 Pints, 1 Demi-septier, 1 Poisson, &c. or a little above 5 Eng- lish Pints. The Betzah, or Egg, which the Rabbins sometimes made use of in their Measures, was the sixth part of the Log, and therefore was very little above 7/30 of the English Pint.

N. B. In this Translation we have abbreviated many of our Author’s Tables, and omitted those which here follow, for the Valuation of the Multiples of these foregoing Measures, as being of but little use to the generality of Readers. And they may be easily supply’d, if there should be occasion for them, from what is here laid down.

A GENERAL

See page 574 as printed in 1732